WOODSTOCK'S BEST ALBUMS
It only took me 48 years to write Woodstock: Back To Yasgur’s Farm. In fact, if it wasn’t for Goldmine Editor Pat Prince, I probably wouldn’t have written it at all. Whenever we bellied up to the bar, he’d always get me to share my stories. The book was his idea. Now, on the 52nd anniversary of that little weekend, let’s look at the best album of all 32 acts. It’s a totally subjective list, part nostalgia, part common sense, as picked by this reporter. I was hardly a journalist when I went to Woodstock, just a teenage stoner. The forthcoming artist list is in the chronological order of their appearances. Note: When I use the words “us” and “we,” I’m speaking of a tightknit ’60s group of friends who shared music, politics, pot and girlfriends.
Richie Havens
Mixed Bag, 1966
Havens came fully formed on this debut where the rarity of a Black folksinger interpreting Beatles, Dylan, Fugs and Gordon Lightfoot in a style no one else had ever even attempted instantly made him our hero. This longtime Greenwich Village denizen seemed to open almost every club date we took the bus in from Jersey for and he was friendly, open, honest and accommodating every time we gathered around him to talk. It’s important to note that the weekend’s music was eight hours late. By the time that “opening act”
