Yeah Morrison was kind of in a downward spiral at that point. Iggy Pop would be hilarious though, particularly given how he was rejecting the whole hippy aesthetic in rock and style. I wonder how the crowd would have reacted to "I want to be your dog" be blasted at top volume.
What if: The Beatles and The Doors play Woodstock
- Thread starter Gwendolyn Ingolfsson
- Start date
Yeah Morrison was kind of in a downward spiral at that point. Iggy Pop would be hilarious though, particularly given how he was rejecting the whole hippy aesthetic in rock and style. I wonder how the crowd would have reacted to "I want to be your dog" be blasted at top volume.
hmmm Pink Floyd doesn't seem very likely, although they were HUGE in Britain at the time, they never really broke through to the US until Dark Side. But who knows? Maybe they do a set and reach earlier American popularity?
Someone else who was big at the time that hasn't really gotten a mention yet: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. They would have made an....interesting addition to the festival
Zappa would be amazing. He and the Mothers were truly boss when live.
And what someone said earlier regarding the Beatles, em, lack of quality when on stage....I wonder if playing Woodstock might not have negatively impacted their rep just a bit, playing next to all the other bands which seemed to do live shows so much better. Then again, amidst all the screaming, freaking out and the whole OMFG IT'S THE BEATLES atmosphere people might not have noticed.
hmmm Pink Floyd doesn't seem very likely, although they were HUGE in Britain at the time, they never really broke through to the US until Dark Side. But who knows? Maybe they do a set and reach earlier American popularity?
Someone else who was big at the time that hasn't really gotten a mention yet: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. They would have made an....interesting addition to the festival
That's what I was thinking, if they do a set and the Woodstock crowd takes to it, they could take off in the U.S. a lot sooner.
Frank and The Mothers...
Frank's observations and musings of the audience between songs would have made for enough entertainment by itself.
Two more good picks.
Maybe someone should just post a "Woodstock Dream Roster" Thread.
We could all toss out our dream lists of acts to fill three days, combining our favorites out of those who were there and those who, at least in theory, could have been there.
The Doors would have beem too controversal and risky, an obsenity charge was hanging over Jim Morrison' head steming from an incident that took place on March 1st of that year in Miami in which he alledgely pulled down his fly. It does make me wonder would it been prabable for Iggy Pop and the Stooges to play at Woodstock?
Turns out, Zeppelin was invited, with both Atlantic Records and Frank Barsalona (their U.S. promoter) very enthusiastic about them doing it.
Peter Grant, on the other hand, said no, because, in his opinion, Zep would have been "just another band on the bill".
Zep wasn't only in the U.S. at the time, but played the Asbury Park Convention Center that very weekend.
They were in the midst of an hugely successful U.S. tour at the time and it's not like they suffered any for not being there, but still...a recording of "Dazed and Confused" at Woodstock...
Peter Grant, on the other hand, said no, because, in his opinion, Zep would have been "just another band on the bill".
Zep wasn't only in the U.S. at the time, but played the Asbury Park Convention Center that very weekend.
They were in the midst of an hugely successful U.S. tour at the time and it's not like they suffered any for not being there, but still...a recording of "Dazed and Confused" at Woodstock...
With a few subtle PODs, we might have seen yet another emerging band appear at Woodstock. In OTL, they were stilldoing clubs in Britain and Germany [breaking the Beatles' attendance records at the Star Club, IIRC] but they hadn't recorded their debut album yet. Imagine, though Three Days of Peace, Love, and Music vs...
Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath.
Oh my yes. I do like the cut of your jib, sir!
Now you're talking!
The Prince of Darkness at the summer of peace and love.
OK. So. We've got the Beatles, the Doors, Led Zep, Floyd, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Iggy Pop and Sabbath bloody Sabbath!! all at Woodstock. To paraphrase the movie Jaws, "we're gonna need a bigger venue." But where?? And what about my earlier line-up suggestion which people seem to have overlooked....
Elvis.
!! all at Woodstock. To paraphrase the movie Jaws, "we're gonna need a bigger venue." But where?? And what about my earlier line-up suggestion which people seem to have overlooked....Elvis.
Xen
Banned
Agreed
I think the story of Lennon being enthused is a myth, McCartney was the one who was constantly interested in touring again, it was the other three who was uninterested. Though personally I think the Beatles would have been great, their rooftop performance was pretty kickass before they were yanked off the stage by the police.
OK. So. We've got the Beatles, the Doors, Led Zep, Floyd, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Iggy Pop and Sabbath bloody Sabbath
Actually, thinking of venues - why the need to have it at ONE venue?
Basically, how early on could a global broadcast - ala "Live Aid" have taken place?
I mean, not just technologically, but economically and socially too..
* There needs to be a reason for such a show - either to make money, or for some deserving charity
* We also need TV networks willing to screen rock bands LIVE - or at very least on a delay (just in case anything dodgy happens)
...then there's the technological questions...
Anyone else here keen on exploring this idea - or is this a silly tangent?
Network standards and practices added to the mix would kill any possible television broadcast. It could have been broadcast live, coast to coast but, unless there was a good cause involved, rather than just a music festival, there's no way most of the acts would agree to submit to any network standards and practices or FCC regulations. This was the rebellous 60's! Abby Hoffman would have to be locked in a trailer fifty miles from the nearest microphone to avert the profanity he'd be spitting out alone.
If it were like the Concert for Bangladesh, with phone in lines to make donations for some sort of universally accepted worthy cause (world hunger, for example, much like Live Aid) I could see a lot of the biggest acts in the world (and a few in need of some good PR) signing on to perform and conceding to NSPs though. (They'd still run certain acts on tape delay though, especially if The Doors showed up and Jim was as blown out as he was at the time and after the Miami Incident and all.)
Trans-oceanic broadcast might be the trickey part. I don't think (not sure but almost positive) they didn't have the tech to pull that off yet, BUT, it was coming soon enough.
They were able to get a lot of those acts together for the Concert for Bangladesh a few years later, so it might very well bring The Beatles out for one last live performance.
Thing is, the acts start pilling up, the bands are limited to how many songs they can do and my copy of a Dead bootleg from Woodstock that my uncle recorded himself (and did an EXCELLENT job with) is one of my prized possesions, something I wouldn't want to see butterflied away.
the_lyniezian
Banned
Could they not have recorded it/filmed it and broadcast the edited highlights? Did that perhaps take too long in the '60s with the editing processes of the time?
They did that with Monterey, Woodstock and planned to do that with Altamont, that is film it and then make a documentary combined with choice performances.
The guys who put up the money for the film crews would probably balk at broadcast release of the concert performances as those were really the draw for their documentaries.
OK. So. We've got the Beatles, the Doors, Led Zep, Floyd, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Iggy Pop and Sabbath bloody Sabbath
Elvis.
Even if Elvis wanted to the Colonel would be dead-set against it.