All posts by Woodstock Whisperer

Attended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969, became an educator for 35 years after graduation from college, and am retired now and often volunteer at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts which is on the site of that 1969 festival.

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Released July 1, 1966
Hit the Billboard #1 on…
September 3, 1966

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Ear Worm

Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” is one of those songs whose first few notes are immediately recognizable. And after those first few notes we realize we are singing along, Sunshine came softly a-through my…window today.

It may also be of interest to note two of the personnel for the song: Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. A Led Zeppelin cover of the song would have been interesting.

In a Guardian newspaper piece, Donovan said that, “‘It’s primarily a love song – but I was also trying to get to the invisible fourth dimension of transcendental superconscious vision.” 

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Linda Lawrence

According to Donovan in the love interest was Linda Lawrence. When he first saw her she was the recently ex-girlfriend of Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones and Linda did not want another spotlight boyfriend. Too many paparazzi. She moved to LA.

Four years later Donovan rented his house to two Americans, one of them called Lorey. Lorey went to a party at Eric Clapton’s house, met Linda Lawrence there, and invited her to her rented cottage. Who did Linda happen to meet there? Who did Linda happen to marry a few weeks later? Who is she still married to? Donovan is the answer to all three questions.

Donovan Sunshine Superman

Here is the link to the Guardian piece: Guardian

And perhaps you’d like to listen again and follow along?

Sunshine came softly a-through my a-window today

Could’ve tripped out easy a-but I’ve a-changed my ways

It’ll take time, I know it but in a while You’re gonna be mine,

I know it, we’ll do it in style ‘Cause I made my mind up you’re going to be mine

I’ll tell you right now Any trick in the book a-now, baby, all that I can find

Everybody’s hustlin’ a-just to have a little scene

When I say we’ll be cool, I think that you know what I mean

We stood on a beach at sunset, do you remember when?

I know a beach where, baby, a-it never ends

When you’ve made your mind up forever to be mine

Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm I’ll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind

‘Cause I made my mind up you’re going to be mine

I’ll tell you right now Any trick in the book a-now, baby, that I can find

Superman or Green Lantern ain’t got a-nothin’ on me

I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yep

A-you you you can just sit there while thinking on your velvet throne

‘Bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own

When you’ve made your mind up, forever to be mine

Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm I’ll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind

When you’ve made your mind up, forever to be mine I’ll pick up your hand,

I’ll pick up your hand

Donovan Sunshine Superman

novan Sunshine Superman, Donovan Sunshine Superman, Donovan Sunshine Superman, Donovan Sunshine Superman, Donovan Sunshine Superman, Donovan Sunshine Superman, 

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

aka, the…

Labor Day Soda Pop Festival

September 2, 3, & 4, 1972
Labor Day Weekend
Bull Island on the Wabash River, Illinois
Mills Brothers, “On the Banks of the Wabash (Far Away)”

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

Not 1969

While waiting for the next 1969 festival to arrive, I thought I’d mention one that has a great name. Unfortunately, it did not turn out well.

First of all…

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

Why the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival?

The Erie Canal runs from Albany, NY on the Hudson River to Buffalo, NY on Lake Erie. Thus the name. The Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival was on Mud Island (though not quite an island) on the Wabash River. Nowhere near the Erie Canal. The Wabash River’s head is in Ohio, runs across Indiana, and eventually forms the southern border between Indiana and Illinois before running into the Ohio River at mile 491.

Why the above explanation? Because I cannot discover why Bob Alexander and Tom Duncan, the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival organizers, called it that. Perhaps at one time the Wabash was a piece of the route that got to the famous Canal?

Background

The month before, on July 2, Alexander and Duncan had organized the relatively successful Bosse Field Freedom Fest in Evensville.

Approximately 30,000 people came. Some of the performers were Ike and Tina Turner, Edgar Winter, Dr. John, Howlin’ Wolf. and John Lee Hooker.

Though financially a success, Evansville, Indiana Mayor Russell Lloyd was not happy and did not want a repeat.

Festival Wallkilled

48 hours before the scheduled start of the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival , Alexander and Duncan had no site. Local opposition wall-killed the Chandler Raceway, their original choice. Other local legal actions prevented most other choices.

They had already spent $700,000.

Chicago’s powerful radio station WLS began to follow, and thus promote, the story.

100s of fans started to arrive in the area more than a week before. Alexander and Duncan kept silent (other than radio interviews) thinking if they don’t announce where the event will be, locals can’t start proceedings to stop it.

Bull Island

Rumors began to mount. Bull Island. Bulldozers were seen there. Workers digging wells.

Thursday 31 August 1972: Bob Alexander met with Evansville, Indiana Mayor Russell Lloyd. He didn’t want the event, but knew as more and more fans arrived something he had to do something.

Bull Island (“island”) was along the Wabash straddling Indiana and Illinois. Lloyd was able to get Illinois to approve Bull Island as a site. The festival was on.

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

now the…

Labor Day Soda Pop Festival

Saturday 2 September

Thousands arrived. Interstate 64 came to a standstill. Thousands abandoned their cars. Some set up “shop” and one stretch along the festival site became known as “Alice in Wonderland Avenue.”

Late starts and restlessness. Joe Cocker never showed. Black Sabbath, with Ozzy Osbourne, refused to play unless paid more. No more was to be had.

Sunday 3 September

Tow trucks removed cars from I-64. Food ran out. Destruction by fans of trucks on site. Fires.

Ravi Shankar played first on Sunday. Canned Heat. Black Oak Arkansas.

The Faces, featuring Rod Stewart, fearing the site’s mood, refused to appear. Promoters had paid them $100,000 in advance.

By day’s end perhaps 200,000 and 250,000 people were on site. Gates that still existed were opened. It was a free concert.

Monday 4 September

Like Woodstock, but completely unlike Woodstock, fans left after the second day. Not because of weather and lack of food so much as because of a lack of music.

By Monday only 20,000 people remained. The festival lost $200,000.

Not Woodstock.

In fact, Ozy dot com refers to it as “the worst festival in history.” Everfest dot com simply asks the question.

Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

September 1, 1967

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Beatles in Limbo

Their Candlestick Park, San Francisco concert on August 29,  1966 was the last Beatles concert. Yes they would play unannounced on the roof  of the Apple building in 1969, but in 1966 they had decided that they preferred the studio to the road.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Busy nonetheless

The Beatles remained busy over the next twelve months:

  • John Lennon starred in the movie How I Won The War
  • Paul McCartney wrote a soundtrack fro the movie The Family Way
  • John Lennon met Yoko Ono
  • They recorded and released the Sgt Peppers album. Their masterpiece.
  • The idea of the Magical Mystery Tour movie hatched.
  • “Penny Lane” became a #1 song
  • Paul announced that the Beatles had used acid.
  • Paul helped get Jimi Hendrix into the Monterey Pop Festival
  • The Beatles participated in the Our World worldwide show.
  • The Beatles included their names in a list of people stating that “the law against marijuana is immoral in principal and unworkable in practice.”
  • “All You Need Is Love” became a #1 song
  • they went to Bangor, UK to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
  • two days after they left for Bangor, Brian Epstein died

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

September 1, 1967

Following Epstein’s death on August 27, Paul McCartney and the others realized how huge a loss Epstein’s absence would be. On this date, Paul strongly recommended that the four pick up the pace on recording the music for and filming the movie Magical Mystery Tour.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Tony Barrow

Paul did this at a meeting with the other three, but beforehand he met with Tony Barrow, their press officer and the person credited with the moniker “the Fab Four.”

Barrow wrote in his John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Me book, “Paul made it clear to me that his aim was to make a feature-length film for full-scale theatrical release and he felt that a successful screen ‘tour’ would go a long way towards plugging the gaping hole left by the axing of the Fab Four’s concert trips. Indeed, if Paul had managed to produce one successful theatrically released feature film with The Beatles each year, a far bigger potential audience would have seen the group than did in the touring years, and the profit margin for the boys would have been enormous.”

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

Project accepted

According to Barrow McCartney did a good job of laying out the concept and emphasizing its importance to them as a group.

They finished filming on November 3, 1967. On November 7 they finished recording and mixing the music.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour