Favorite 70's Rock Songs #7 - "Woodstock"
@teamfreak16 (43418)
Denver, Colorado
April 19, 2017 6:32pm CST
Duly inspired by the 70's rock countdown that @TRBRocks420 did not too long ago, I put together my own Favorite 70's Rock Songs series. We are at #7: "Woodstock," by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young formed in Los Angeles in 1968 and, as a foursome, have been an on-again/off-again act ever since. All are dual members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as Crosby, Stills, & Nash, while David Crosby is also in as a member of The Byrds, Stephen Stills with the Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash with The Hollies, while Neil Young is in the HOF as a solo artist and as a member of the Buffalo Springfield. We're talking major supergroup here.
This all begins, however, with Joni Mitchell, who wrote and originally performed "Woodstock" (oddly, Mitchell did not appear at the legendary music festival, as her management had booked her on the Dick Cavett show. She wrote the song while watching coverage on television.) Mitchell's original was released as the B-Side to her classic "Big Yellow Taxi."
The song has been covered numerous times, notably by Eva Cassidy, Tuck & Patti, Richie Havens, and America.
It's Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's harder rocking version that is the definitive one, however. The first single from their 1970 septuple platinum album Deja Vu (it has sold over eight million copies thus far,) "Woodstock" landed at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #3 in Young's native Canada (yet failed to chart in the UK.)
The guys rearranged a few of Mitchell's lyrics a bit, utilized their usual supreme vocal harmony (Stills handles lead vocals,) and cranked up the energy (check out Neil Young's guitar play and solo) for their own classic tune.
Enjoy!
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
11 people like this
8 responses
@rebelann (112877)
• El Paso, Texas
20 Apr 17
Memories, memories, memories. I was 18/19 in 1968 but I don't recall hearing this song before 1970. We didn't have the kind of media coverage back then as we do today so a lot of stuff wouldn't get to this corner of TX until weeks or months later.
El Paso has always been almost 20 years behind the times in other places and much of the civilian parts of this city still listened to 50s music. Yeah, Elvis was still big here as was Marty Robbins ....... lucky for me I was an Army brat so I heard a teeny bit about some of this whenever I was on base.
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@rebelann (112877)
• El Paso, Texas
20 Apr 17
If you're talkin the 1970s then you got some really good deals while over there @teamfreak16 I've heard they've gotten pretty expensive over the decades though.
Dad was stationed in Buttsbach in 1956 and we didn't come back state side til 1959.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Apr 17
Well, this came out in 1970, so you weren't that far behind! Army bases seem to always be up to speed because everyone has been buying music at other duty stations. I turned a lot of people on to stuffI'd bought in Germany when I came back.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Apr 17
@rebelann - Oh, no, I was there late 80's. Near Stuttgart.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Apr 17
@Ronrybs - It does rock pretty hard compared to some stuff that's even on that same album.
@Ronrybs (19362)
• London, England
21 Apr 17
@teamfreak16 Not what I expected from CSN&Y, for some reason. Wish I could remember who did the version I am used to
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@FourWalls (68102)
• United States
20 Apr 17
What harmonies!! Vocally Neil was the weak link, it his voice works for his songs. I saw CSN in 1983 and met Graham Nash in a grand embarrassing moment in 1990.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Apr 17
Oh, those three can sing circles around Neil. He was there for his guitar.
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@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
21 Apr 17
That was a great arrangement they did. I really liked a lot Richie Havens stuff too. Did you hear Crosby's album, Croz, from a year or so back? He sounds amazing considering the life he led and his age.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Apr 17
Huh. No, I wasn't even aware of it. I'm going to have to go check it out on You Tube.
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@andriaperry (116936)
• Anniston, Alabama
20 Apr 17
Know it and love it. I had forgotten this group.
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@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Apr 17
This is the version I know best.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Apr 17
It's the best one. I haven't heard them all, but I'm pretty comfortable saying that.
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@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Apr 17
What a great song!! I missed the hippie craze by a few years but loved the music. I always liked this song. The lyrics and music are so descriptive that when I first heard the song I could feel what it must have been like to make my way to the festival and be there.
And back then you could understand what the lyrics were. Nowadays I can't, nobody enunciates, they mumble, they scream, they sing with marbles in their mouths.
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@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Apr 17
What's amazing about that is that she wasn't even there. A testament to just how great a songwriter she is.
I missed it too. I was only six when this came out.
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