In 1969, five acts recorded albums for the Columbia, Epic, and RCA labels (divisions of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT) and brought their music to Max Yasgur’s farm that summer. For the first time, THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE couples those albums with music from the festival, providing a pocket portrait of what each artist and band was experiencing during 1969. Legacy sent me the CDs to review and I want you to know about them as well. The CDs are:

• JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE
(RCA/Legacy) Includes Volunteers, their sixth and final album with the original lineup before all the changes came in 1970, with “We Can Be Together,” “Good Shepherd,” “Wooden Ships,” “Eskimo Blue Day,” and the title tune; coupled with 13 songs from their Sunday wee-hours set at the festival, including six previously unissued live tracks.
• JANIS JOPLIN – THE WOODSTOCK EXPER¬IENCE
(Columbia/Legacy) Includes I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, her first and only solo album released during her lifetime, with “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder),” the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody,” and Rodgers & Hart’s “Little Girl Blue”; coupled with her entire 10-song festival set, including three previously unissued live tracks.
• SANTANA – THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE
(Columbia/Legacy) Includes the debut Santana LP, with “Evil Ways,” “Savor,” “Persuasion,” “Soul Sacrifice,” and Olatunji’s “Jingo”; coupled with their entire 8-song set, including one previously unissued live track.
• SLY & THE FAMILY STONE – THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE
(Epic/Legacy) Includes their breakthrough fourth album, Stand!, with “Every-day People,” “Sing A Simple Song,” “Stand!” and “I Want To Take You Higher”; coupled with their entire 8-song set, including seven previously unissued live tracks.
• JOHNNY WINTER – THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE (Columbia/Legacy) Includes the debut Johnny Winter solo LP, with homages to Robert Johnson (“When You Got A Good Friend”), Sonny Boy Williamson (“Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”), Lightnin’ Hopkins (“Back Door Friend”) and B.B. King (“Be Careful With A Fool”); coupled with eight songs from his Sunday evening set at the festival, including seven previously unissued live tracks.

Each 2-disc CD is packaged in Each THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE disc will be packaged inside a mini-LP cover with inner paper sleeves: one replicating the front and back covers of the original LP, and one featuring iconic photography of the artist performing at the festival.

Each CD is packaged  in a paper-board slipcase which  contains a two-sided 16×20-inch fold-out poster, with one side displaying iconic photography of the artist performing at the festival, and the other side displaying a classic crowd shot of the audience.

Want more Woodstock?  Director Ang Lee’s movie “Taking Woodstock” comes out in theaters on August 28th, and starsDemetri Martin,  Emile Hirsch, and Liev Schrieber in a fictional tale of a young man working at his parents’ motel in the Catskills who inadvertently gets the Woodstock concert started.  Visit The Woodstock Festival website to learn more about the festival, find tour dates and buy tickets for upcoming concerts, and learn how you can live more eco-friendly, among other things.

I was born in 1969 (quit doing that math in your head!), but the music of the artists from the Woodstock era was very much a part of my life growing up. I appreciate Legacy sending me the CDs to add to my music collection!