Woodstock 50 the festival may not be happening, but stand by for the gargantuan “Woodstock 50 — Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive.”
The 38-CD box set is due Aug. 2 from Rhino/Atlantic. Numbered and limited to 1969 copies, the project also offers several smaller editions.
The main box set includes all known songs performed at the rock festival, except two from Jimi Hendrix (“Mastermind” and “Gypsy Woman”) and one from Sha Na Na. (The Hendrix estate reportedly asked for those songs to be dropped and the Sha Na Na track is lost.)
Included in the “screen-printed plywood box, with canvas insert” are a Blu-ray of the “Woodstock” film; a hardbound book by organizer Michael Lang; several photo prints by Henry Diltz; replica programs; and even a guitar strap.
The peace, love and good vibes will set you back about $800.
The label describes the box set as “a near-complete reconstruction of Woodstock clocking in at 36 hours, with every artist performance from the festival in chronological order.”
Variations on the mother ship available in late June include a 10-CD “experience” (162 tracks), $150; a five-LP set with “42 of the finest performances,” $125; and a three-CD collection with 42 tracks, $35.
The main set gives each act its own disc and the music is present chronologically. “My intention is to transport people back to 1969,” co-producer Andy Zax told Rolling Stone. The final disc is a sort of audio verite look at the festival, recorded there and then.
Performances that have been more or less MIA since the festival include those from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, the Butterfield Blues Band, the Band, the Grateful Dead and Sweetwater. The actual and complete Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sets reportedly are included as well.
All four “Woodstock 50” sets are up for preorder.