December 29, 2011

Musical interlude


Late in the afternoon of August 17th, 1969, Country Joe and the Fish wrapped up a performance that lasted about an hour and a half on a muggy stage erected on a dairy farm in the Catskills of New York. That humid weather was murder on the technology of the day, most detectible in the tuning of the guitars. Seems like every few minutes the band would have to take five to re-tune. It had been like that all afternoon, and would continue into the night.

It also screwed up the equipment the film crews were supposed to use to record the next act. It messed them up badly enough that only a single tune of the hour-long performance by the band that followed Country Joe managed to make it to video.

Damn shame, but at least they captured the best that the British band formerly known as the Jaybirds had to offer. The performance firmly enshrined Ten Years After and their upstart, young blues-rock guitarist in the legend of Woodstock.

Presenting Alvin Lee performing I’m Going Home.


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1 Comments:

Old NFO said...

Good one, and thanks for posting that!