Everyone has the one. You know, the one year where everything goes right. For yours truly, 1969 was the year as it was the culmination of a decade of the best in art, music and the state of the world, outside of the black hole of Nam, from the perspective of this writer. Why is this so? Funny you may ask but, as the great Kurt Vonnegut would say, And so it goes. :)
When Peppers arrived in 67, so did the late 60's. :)
After graduating from Lafayette College in 69, the next stop was getting accepted by the Berklee School of Music as the intent to pursue a music career was nigh along with the fact Boston was a mecca for smart young people as said city, as everyone knows, comes complete with colleges and universities known all over the world.
Regarding social, it was THE BEST TIME TO BE IN BOSTON! The only thing one had to worry regarding sex was herbies as the age of free love was alive and well in Bean Town. When looking at the kids today, with cell phones their best friend, I feel sorry as they are far less connected than we were back in the day. Outside of the shit show Nam, it was a great time to be alive. Pot was $20/lid with nothing in it and Acid and Mescaline were available as needs warrant.
I formed a jazz/fusion band with Berklee musicians good enough to play serious gigs around town to make money. On walks to class, I memorize sharps and flats - Sharps: gdaebf#C#/fcgdaeb, flats,: fbeadgc/beadgcf. With that little bit of music theory in hand, I transposed tunes for the cute singers at school for $20/pop while admiring the scenery at the same time. Cost to park my 1957 VW bus, complete with flowers, $15/month. Cost for an outrageous studio on Beacon Ave, $200.
In terms of rock, one amazing concert I saw, under the influence of LSD & pot, was The John Mayall Blues Band, The Moody Blues and The Steve Miller Band. Out of sight explains it all. Afterward, intimacy of an outrageous kind, enhanced by Owsley brand LSD, was beyond words and ... after dropping, one immediately understood what Hendrix was “saying” with Noel Redding on bass and Elvin Jones devotee Mitch Michell on drums. Electric Lady Land, his masterpiece, was studied at Berklee in great detail as was Frank Zappa, the quixotic genius totally connected to the classics and advanced rock genres without question. Hot Rats, with violinist Jean Luc Ponty and Captain Beefheart, was one reason why Zappa, IMHO, was one of the greatest musicians in history.
Newport 69 ... Jazz and Rock ruled In the AM, Frank Zappa and the Mothers do their set, complete with extensive charts and musicianship wondrous to behold. Anlsley Dunbar on drums, was dazzling. Varese and Stockhausen like compositions by Zappa, driven by extremely complex polyrhythms, combined with pulverizing powerful blues and acid rock, prevail. Unconscious without question.
In the afternoon, James Brown, split jumps, two drummers, complete with brass, reeds and 3 backup singers, the BEST soul band ever, rock my world.
Saturday, PM, Sly & The Family Stone make the scene, equipped with outrageous costumes and beneficent attitude. We had el primo seats, about 20’ from the stage. Soft pressure ensued from this extraordinary band as Sly was THE ORIGINATOR OF FUNK.
Miles shows up as well.
Sunday, July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon. On this beautiful warm day, your’s truly’s jazz/rock band decided to practice in the apartment. We keep it quiet and controlled but after smoking weed and playing really well, we let loose and jam. A hard knock, followed by a cautious opening of the door, reveals two young cops, enveloped by blue smoke of the most potent kind.
Paul, furiously flushing pot down the toilet with undue haste, occurs in the background.
“We are totally screwed ...”
“Man, you guys are really good but you gotta tone it down.”
“Yes officer, not a problem. ...”
Woodstock ... Ruth, my future wife, and I had the best seats, $80 for two for four days. On Friday, August 15, we drive up in a flower decorated 1957 VW bus to Yasgur’s Farm outside of Bethel, NY. powered by a 40HP engine which equates to real slow but no problem as the endless line of cars driving toward the event moved at the exact speed of the bus. Festooned with flowers, hair hovering around the neck line and a scraggly beard was the chosen look. Upon our arrival, THE One and only Wavy Gravy and his crew guide us to our parking spot in the late afternoon under a rainy sky.
News Flash, Woodstock’s now free, ... too many people showed up and just went in and needed to be fed. Heard Ravi Shankar in the distance. Performances of note ...
08/16/69: The only day where the weather cooperated. Hot, muggy but no rain.
Country Joe McDonald ... California cool to the max. The Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-To-Die-Rag ruled. John B. Sebastian, outstanding. Keef Hartley Band, not memorable but Santana!!!
Something else all together. Soul Sacrifice, with a drum solo for the ages, still stands out today as a great jam. This band was unique as it was the perfect combination of Latin jazz and hard rock.
The Who ruled. The most powerful rock band I ever heard.
08/18/69: Exhausted, drenched by the never ending rain and partially covered by mud, Ruth and I depart Woodstock listening to Jimi Hendrix playing Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Stepping Stone and his astounding Star Spangled Banner ...
Imagining Woodstock driven by booze and not pot is not imaginable as a temporary city of 600,000 would have erupted into a cauldron of violence, something that happened, in part, at Altamont on 12/6/69, thus ending the vibe of the 60’s forever.
Saw Hendrix after Woodstock at MSG, words cannot describe ...
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