Now That I Think About It...

Hi,

I was thinking that Woodstock helped that "image" a lot ... but it was done with really good film making, and some cinematographers that did a fantastic job showing some bands. It helped make you forget everything else, except the music itself, and the visuals excited, rather than bored you senseless.

Not sure it was "originally" a pretty boy image, but it certainly was a pretty STAGE image that helped a lot of this stuff ... and none of the bands that were in Woodstock, really fit the "Stage Image" side of things ... most of them sold for a year and all went home the rest of the time. A new bunch and ceiling was already on the way instead. Even Jimi was ... hard to explain, but seeing him playing the anthem in front of the garbage, I think he knew what was coming, and Woodstock's bands all went in that direction. 

There would be exceptions ... but no one knows them ... The Incredible String Band continued on and did very well with their music, but sadly not many folks bothered, and that band had serious history behind it when you consider the artistry it had and where Licky came from (The Fool) ... and they never stopped that artistry. RW still is playing and publishing. MH is kinda hidden but you know he's probably playing at a bar with just an unplugged guitar! The rest of the Woodstock bunch became well known, but in reality only Richie Havens continued to the end ... true to his word and song!

[/QUOTE]As for Drama, as explained in the film, I was like many: I felt cheated by the line-up  change and not warned sufficiently ahead of time when I saw hem at Toronto's MLG (bad seats didn't help either). I'm not sure I heard any tracks from the Drama album porior to the concert except maybe what played on FM radio.

Though I'd only moderately appreciated the previous two 'Hypgnisis albums"  I'd really enjoyed their previous tour at the MLG (the one that eventually produced the Yesshows double live), I was really taken aback at how "monstrous" it (Drama) was back then.[/QUOTE]

You have to remember, back in "the old days" bands would often hit the road immediately after recording. There was such a hurry to start the tour and get out into the marketplace that many times the album they had just finished recording had not been released yet. The record company would send one song to the radio stations, and that was supposed to interest people in buying concert tickets. From what you've mentioned above, that might be what happened here.

Sometimes this had unintended consequences. When Genesis toured the USA after recording The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the album had not been released yet. This meant those in attendance were listening to 90 minutes of music they'd never heard before (not to mention the elaborate stage production) and finding themselves saying, "What the..."