ISLE OF WIGHT 2 1969

The Second Isle of Wight Festival  :   August 29 to 31 1969

Forelands Farm, Wootton
Promoted by Fiery Creations

THE BILL - in alphabetical order

THE BAND
BLODWYN PIG
BLONDE ON BLONDE  *
BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND
THE EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND
JOE COCKER and THE GREASE BAND
AYNSLEY DUNBAR
BOB DYLAN
ECLECTION
FAMILY
GARY FARR
FAT MATTRESS
JULIE FELIX
FREE

GYPSY
RICHIE HAVENS
MARSHA HUNT and WHITE TRASH
INDO-JAZZ FUSION
LIVERPOOL SCENE
MIGHTY BABY
THE MOODY BLUES
THE NICE
TOM PAXTON
PENTANGLE
THE PRETTY THINGS
THIRD EAR BAND
THE WHO

*  It is unclear whether or not the acts marked with an asterisk appeared at the Festival.

GETTING THERE

After days - and probably weeks - of moaning about how close I'd come to being at Woodstock (and, yes, my parents really had considered letting me go ... for a minute or two, at least) it was relatively easy to concede that the time had come for my First Great Adventure. I'd read every report in the Melody Maker and NME and tuned in to Radio Luxembourg and Radio One with such obvious intensity that this festival on the island which we knew so well was clearly something special for me.

At 17, with my eighteenth birthday looming on September 2, any obstacles which were placed in the way of my being there were quickly and systematically brushed aside. We had spent many family holidays on the Island staying with the friendly and accommodating "Auntie" Kitty Pierce, who happened not to have anyone staying in the caravan on her property that particular weekend. And, besides, the Isle of Wight was such an unthreatening place with which I was so familiar. To what possible harm could I come?

The fact that we lived in Newcastle upon Tyne was no problem as we were all used to taking the regular train ride back to my birthplace in Surrey for visits, and the Island was but a comparatively short hop from there. Again, we'd taken the train and ferry ride from Waterloo to Yarmouth enough times to do it blindfold. The biggest problem to overcome was the fact that we were scheduled to be holidaying in the Isle of Skye for the fortnight preceding the event, and journeying all the way from one island in the extreme northwest of Scotland to another off the English south coast became an interesting exercise in logistics.

In the absence of documentary evidence, I have to guess that we left Uig on the Isle of Skye early on the morning of Wednesday August 27. I believe the family of six would have been crammed together in dad's Ford Cortina Estate (MBB 428E - scary how I remember that!), so the journey was wisely broken just outside Edinburgh where mum, dad, Jane, Ann and Peter would spend the night in a motel near the Forth Road Bridge. Arriving at a sensible hour, and having taken over the motel, as was my family's wont, dad drove me the few short miles to Edinburgh Waverley station in plenty of time to see me securely installed in my allocated compartment on the sleeper train.

It was my first time on a sleeper, and I was excited at the prospect of speeding through the night to wake in London, refreshed and well-fed to face a long day journeying to my romantic destination.

I didn't sleep a wink! I had chosen the top bunk in a shared compartment. Just before the scheduled departure time of 2300 hrs (11:00 pm), an improbably elderly gentleman entered and immediately proceeded to prepare for bed. We didn't exchange a single word. I was still very shy, and he was undoubtedly deaf (don't ask me - I must have sensed it) and, besides, what was there to say? Clearly possessing a wealth of experience in overnight travelling, my companion took charge of the situation and, as the train departed Waverley, he inserted himself into a tightly-made bed and turned out the light. This took me a little by surprise as I was still lying, fully-clothed, on the top bunk reading my copy of Melody Maker.

I thought about protesting, but the sounds of a deep sleep were already emanating from beneath me. "Out like a light" has never been such an apt expression. In the dark, I located my night things and quietly made my way along the swaying corridor to the washroom (no en suite facilities at the price we'd paid). Returning, I was met by the sound of loud, rattling, wheezing snores. I wrapped the blankets around my head and tried to sleep. But, to my horror, every time I came close to dropping off, the snoring stopped and a lengthy period of absolute silence brought me back to full wakefulness for the agonisingly long interval before the old man took an alarmingly deep and noisy breath and the snoring returned to a more regular rhythm.

Eventually, after one of the longest nights I have ever experienced, light began to filter through at the edge of the ill-fitting blind, and I heaved myself down from my perch as quietly as possible. Leaving the racket behind me, I made my way along the corridor to the seating portion where I spent an hour or so alternately dozing and watching the scenery crawl past. Half an hour from our arrival, the wake-up call came across the speakers, and I returned reluctantly to the sleeping compartment. I certainly didn't want to miss the tea and biscuits which were included in the cost of the ticket! My elderly companion was sitting on the lower bunk, fully dressed and looking out of the window at the passing North London suburbs.

Tea and biscuits were duly delivered by the steward and - believe me - they were most welcome. Unfortunately, the elderly man was both deaf and toothless - and clearly unaware of the appalling noises he made whilst consuming his tea-dipped, soggy biscuits. At about 0600 hrs (6:00 am) the train finally pulled in to Kings Cross station. I was already at the door, ready to make a smart exit. I really couldn't stay on the train for a minute longer than necessary. Besides, I was thinking to distance myself quickly from the embarrassment of accidentally knocking the walking cane out of the hand of my erstwhile companion when leaving the sleeping compartment.

Kings Cross is a station which has become so familiar to me in the years since 1969. In those days the route to the Underground was a labyrinthine collection of tunnels, stairs and escalators, and I was lucky to find my way from there to Waterloo for my connection without any wrong turns, given my extreme tiredness. I don't think I'd felt quite so tired in my life before then, and rarely since. I slept virtually all of the way from Waterloo to Brockenhurst, and I recall it was only the inspired guess of another passenger that I might have been on my way to the Isle of Wight that prompted him to rouse me in time to leave the train at the appropriate stop.

I followed the route with which I was so familiar from Brockenhurst to Lymington on the little shuttle train, and then on the dear old car ferry (Farringdon?) for the short trip to Yarmouth. I do not recall too many passengers on the ferry who gave the clear impression of being on the way to the Festival. This is undoubtedly because the routes via Southampton and Portsmouth were identified as the preferred access points in the advance publicity. I certainly wouldn't have looked like your typical festival-goer, clad as I was in my best corduroy jacket, white shirt, black trousers and sensible shoes.

I walked the mile and a half to Kitty's place near Shalfleet where I was warmly welcomed and urged to take a nap in the run-down, mildewy, spider-infested caravan. It was the middle of the afternoon on Thursday August 28, and I was on the verge of one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I wish I could recall my dreams from that afternoon, but I'm sure they were predictable. I was excited, apprehensive and a little homesick. But I was there, and I was going to be a part of history!

Rip G : June 2002

THE BILL - in approximate order of appearance

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      Friday August 29
      Saturday August 30
      Sunday August 31

1   Friday August 29

"Friday was the day of Nice and Bonzos, stalwarts of groupdom, who could be relied on to banish thoughts of creeping rheumatism, aching bladders and claustrophobia, the great plagues of pop festivals."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

After breakfast I took a leisurely walk back into Yarmouth and caught the scheduled bus via Newport to a point close to the Festival site. I recall that the bus turned at Wootton Bridge, a short walk away from Forelands Farm. Early on the Friday afternoon, there were no traffic snarl-ups, no shoving masses. Just an orderly walk to the gate. I don't think the bus was anywhere near packed. Perhaps the majority approached from Cowes and Ryde.

The site seemed vast and sparsely populated. Not having had any previous experience of rock festivals, I was immediately impressed by the facilities. A generous arena in front of a massive stage, the food concessions and bar at the back of the arena with a slight elevation in the ground before an insubstantial fence. To one side, an area of equal size where the secondary functions of the Festival were sited. Entertainment, shopping, more food, lots of toilets. I spent some time exploring.

All the while, the most eclectic selection of music was being played by the deejays. Primarily folk-rock, but interspersed with a lot of Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears and, every now and again, a record which stopped me in my tracks every time I heard it. A unique double-tracked guitar piece loosely based on Amazing Grace, I heard it repeatedly before someone - Jeff Dexter? - informed us that it was what had become the unofficial Festival anthem by The Great Awakening. Immediately on my return to Newcastle I bought the 45, and I treasure it still. Surprisingly, it was not stocked at the record stall in the "shopping centre" on site. Maybe they'd already sold out.

Things were still coming together on the Friday, so the ancillary area was still short of the promised big top, and the advertised "Environmental Playground" seemed to consist of no more than the famous heap of foam provided by the Island's fire department. If you get the chance to see the full version of the film showing the hippies playing in the foam, you'll just catch sight of a tall skinny guy clad in a corduroy jacket. That's me. I'd have loved to join in, but I prized my jacket too highly and never removed it all day!

Rip G : June 2002

Mighty Baby

"One time mod favourites the Action, they played first, unbilled - one press report even mistook them for Marsupilami, chalk to their cheese.  One of the few British acts to capture the free-flowing improvisation of West Coast bands, not least in their magnum opus "India".  Their rhythm section went on to play with Richard Thompson on his heartstopping 1977 "Sufi" tour, while lead guitarist Martin Stone later joined first Chilli Willi, then the Pink Fairies."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Refer to:

Action & Mighty Baby website

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MY RECOLLECTION

An anonymous band providing mildly psychedelic folk-rock for an audience which was wandering around and exploring. Their faithful sat and listened attentively in front of the stage. All that I recall is that a band or two performed in between records. I was still savouring the experience of being at a rock festival ...

Rip G : June 2002

"Rikki Farr strode on stage.  "People if you want to hear more of anyone, you just shout and I'll get them back here for you"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Eclection

"They earned an encore with their mixture of folk, blues and gospel that was, well, eclectic.  Their three-part harmonies soared over the arena like a latter day Mamas and Papas, counterpointed by John 'Poli' Palmer on vibes.  Singer Trevor Lucas later married Sandy Denny."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

Very gentle, very harmonic. Clever folk music with a pleasant tone and rhythm. Highly popular at the time, and excellent choice for the opening day of a festival.

Rip G : June 2002

The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

"From such beauty, the Bonzos provided a rude awakening.  Their act took in spectacular lighting effects, explosions - and an odd piece of hardware which blew hundreds of soap bubbles over the arena.  Songs like "Monster Mash", "Canyons of Your Mind" and "Urban Spaceman" had the crowd crying for more.

"The Bonzos were superbly funny, while more unusually chaotic than is even traditional.  Roger Spear's explosives were infuriatingly unreliable owing to damp fuses and Legs Larry was late owing to a non-starting taxi driver.  However, ex- Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi sat in as if he had rehearsed with the Bonzos all day.  Viv Stanshall's news commentary on star arrivals to the festivals, including the information that Bert Weedon was tunnelling from Middlesborough and was believed to be under the Irish Sea, was a minor masterpiece".

Truly, as Chris Welch once wrote, "They were momentous times, when Bonzos walked the Earth"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

The Bonzos were always good value for money, and the wonderful Viv Stanshall and his talented cronies (Roger Ruskin Spear is the only name that comes to mind) entertained the enthusiastic crowd with a lengthy set. Urban Spaceman was always a highlight, and the twirling hosepipe was most effective in an outdoor setting, the sound travelling in waves across the arena. One of my favourites was the flipside, Canyons Of Your Mind, and they must have played it as I don't recall any disappointment with the band by the time they left the stage.

Rip G : June 2002

The Nice

"The performance of the evening.  It seemed incredible that a three-man group could produce such sounds.  They concluded with their electric treatment of the "Intermezzo" from the Karelia Suite by Sibelius, booming over the creek in the first hour of Saturday morning.

"Each instrument, despite the tremendous volume of noise, was clear, and their programme was very logical.  Tchaikovsky really is their soul-mate, the soupy classical equivalent of their brash aggressive sentimentality.  The Nice closed with a straight set of hard playing, concluding with Keith Emerson's furniture removing drama for two Hammond organs, to great gusts of applause.  Unencumbered by Scots pipers or string orchestras it was the Nice at their best."

The Nice had originally been PP Arnold's backing group.  After they split, Emerson formed a "supergroup" - Emerson, Lake and Palmer - who played their second ever gig at the next year's lOW Festival, and whose music became a byword for "progressive" tedium.  Emerson never bettered the Nice's first LP, or their hit single "America" , where the "West Side Story" song became an instrumental attack (literally) on the Vietnam War, or his performance here."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

I'd had the pleasure of seeing The Nice a number of times already. Newcastle was the traditional start point of nationwide tours in those days. The audience was firm but fair, and a good gauge of how the acts on a bill were likely to go down elsewhere. Keith Emerson was the ultimate showman, riding his Hammond like a bucking bronco and skewering it with knves. The Newcastle connection helped, of course, but The Nice always justified the cost of a ticket! "America" was always a particular highlight, and I'm sure they must have played it. Sadly, I have very little memory of the band on this particular night. Maybe because they merged into the overall experience; maybe because it was a familiar set and it simply washed over me. What I know for sure is that I definitely saw them!

Rip G : June 2002

FRIDAY NIGHT & SATURDAY MORNING:

I managed to catch what I distinctly recall was a scheduled bus, and it took me all the way back to Shalfleet. Door-to-door service ... all very civilised! It was the early hours of the morning by the time I slithered into my sleeping bag, and I'm sure I slept well.

Saturday August 30 dawned promisingly, and I was again treated to a good breakfast before heading out to Yarmouth. The bus this morning was considerably more crowded, and the roads far more congested. I recall disembarking from the bus well before reaching Wootton Bridge and walking alongside a road choked with cars. This was more like the scenes from Woodstock I'd been expecting! There was a narrow gate structure with turnstiles, I think. I parted with the second part of my three-part ticket and went through.

Arriving late in the morning, there was a lot more going on than had been the day before. All of the stalls in the shopping centre were open, and I immediately bought a tie-dye granny vest to replace my oh-so-conventional shirt. The day was warm enough to dispense with the corduroy jacket, and I had only a thin windcheater as protection against anything the elements might have in store. My meagre supplies were housed in a small duffle bag, and I carefully slipped the treasured programme in there alongside some fruit and chocolate bars.

The first couple of bands of the Saturday came and went whilst I savoured the festival experience. Music from the stage drifted across the arena as I strolled and took in the sights. There were freaks a-plenty, lots of then-unfamiliar smells from joss sticks and patchoulie oil to hash and brown rice, jugglers and fire-eaters ambling through the growing crowd, and a smattering of very obvious undercover policemen with incongruous short-back-and-sides and faux-hippie gear!

Rip G : June 2002

1   Saturday August 30

"By Saturday afternoon, the mass exodus from the mainland was under way - in ferries, speedboats and even canoes.  The festival site, a short walk from Wootton village - up the west bank of the creek - was already packed.  People and tents thronged the approaches, indeed one newly colonised shanty town even named itself "Desolation Row".  The atmosphere was chaotic, but friendly - even the few uninspired acts drew warm applause."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

(English) Gypsy

"They opened proceedings at 2pm (King Crimson had been booked to open but did not appear).  Gypsy were a Leicester band who made two fine LPs but - like Mighty Baby - somehow got lost in the pack."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Go to Gypsy - Second Appearance

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Blonde On Blonde

Note:  It is unclear whether Blonde On Blonde appeared at the festival.  My researches have not revealed any concrete information.  This is the slot they were to occupy on the bill.

"Co-incidentally, my copy of the 1969 programme has both Blonde on Blonde and White Trash crossed out in purple ink.  Marsha Hunt's remarks about her unrehearsed backing band would bare (sic) this out."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Blodwyn Pig

"They scored a "signal success", and the festival programme summed them up well.

"Blodwyn Pig as a unit are not only unique - they are quite mad, and admit it.  Their ad-lib announcements, their pure delight in their performances, their unpredictability which also ensure a different and refreshing act at every appearance, puts them in a class of their own."

They walked an interesting line between blues and jazz - leader Mick Abrahams had been the original guitarist with Jethro Tull (whose new line-up appeared at the 1970 Festival) and played on their first LP until a personality clash with Ian Anderson saw him off.  He later joined a most unusual band called "Ozo", and then became a financial advisor."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

Mick Abrahams really impressed me with the change of style he'd adopted on leaving Jethro Tull. The performance was interesting and entertaining. So much so, that it was the Blodwyn Pig album Ahead Rings Out that I bought at the record stall near the arena. My copy still proudly bears the Isle of Wight Festival sticker.

Rip G : June 2002

The Edgar Broughton Band

"An underground hero par excellence, Broughton scored great success with his "Out Demons Out", and proved that one need not fear mass rioting from his crowd stirring methods after all.

"Provided the day's most memorable moments.  They whipped up the huge crowd's excitement with their first number, "The Psychopath", to such an extent that during their next song a girl, completely naked, walked to the front of the stage and danced for a full five minutes before being led away by a security guard".

The Broughton band were the staple of free festivals like Phun City, and appear on the Glastonbury Fayre LP with an interminable "Out, Demons, Out"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

Jealousy always clouded my judgement when watching a performance by Edgar Broughton. My occasional girlfriend of the time bragged openly of her one and only conquest during a brief experiment as a groupie. Whether this was actually true, or whether the (graphic) stories had become a little emebellished with repeated tellings, I viewed Edgar in terms of a rival rather than an entertainer. To be honest, I don't think I would have liked his music even if he hadn't been the man most responsible for introducing me to too many grown-up emotions at such a tender age! A poor-man's Captain Beefheart is my cruel, but maybe not too inaccurate summing-up. At the Isle of Wight, the band presented an average set, as I recall.

Rip G : June 2002

Aynsley Dunbar

"They blew a violent set, which was considerably heightened by the appearance of Annette Brox for a vocal duet with her husband Victor.  Keyboard player Tommy Eyre had joined since their appearance at the previous year's festival.  One of the first - and best - British blues boom combos."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Marsha Hunt and White Trash

"Writhing, twisting Marsha Hunt, straight from "Hair". Delicate readers are advised to skip the next few paragraphs.

"She wore black leather shorts and a black sleeveless vest cut away slightly at the bottom.  Her whole message was sex, plus a certain satirical glee.  A big phallic microphone dangled loose between her legs, bumping up against her crutch, and was occasionally brought caressingly upwards, between expert-seeming fingertips, almost to the suck.  Tremendous.  Fantastic.  Her excursions into satire consisted of sudden, smouldering looks fixed at random on a press-man and held till his eyes averted.  She was having fun.  She sang "Wild Thing" even.  But everything, really, including "Walk on Gilded Splinters", sounded like another encore of the same striptease show.  The pressmen slobbered at her brown, sexy feet."

Years later, Marsha herself explained the source of her attraction, under the headline "Knickers, that's how Marsha "beat" Dylan".

"At the lOW, I got as much publicity as Bob Dylan, and we were dreadful.  The band hadn't rehearsed and I was just out of hospital from having a cleft vocal chord so I didn't have any voice.  On one of my numbers one of the musicians played the wrong song throughout, that's how appalling we were.  But because I came out in black knickers and a black vest I got so much publicity.  It was a joke".

Marsha Hunt later had a love child by Mick Jagger.  She has continued to record, and was a member of the National Theatre from 1982-3.  She published her autobiography, "Real Life", in 1986."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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DISCO

"Between bands, DJ Jeff Dexter played all the latest groovy sounds; the most popular records were John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance", "Honky Tonk Women" by the Stones, and "Hare Khrishna".  It is not recorded whether the Bonzos performed their "Harry Maynard" rejoinder, or Viv Stanshall's heartfelt plea of a piss-take, "Give Booze A Chance", to even up the balance!"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

The Pretty Things

"The Pretty Things played one of their least inspiring sets.  Members of "Fat Mattress" joined them, a combination described by one witness as like "dumplings and lumpy gravy". To add to the confusion, Dick Taylor is not listed in the festival programme - though he appears in the accompanying photograph, helping lock Twink in a phone-box - but definitely remembers playing!"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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"Things get a bit hazy here.  Certainly the Pretty Things played; in fact their set considerably overran, which led to some later groups either not performing at all (Battered Ornaments), or playing radically curtailed sets.

... one reliable witness claims that Liverpool Scene played a short set on Saturday, as well as opening on Sunday.  After all this time, the exact running order is sometimes difficult to ascertain, which doesn't stop it being fun trying.

Christopher Logue remembers giving a short reading - his copy of "New Numbers" shaking in his hand - at about 8 o'clock, between the Pretty Things and Family."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Family

"Within minutes, vocalist Roger Chapman had smashed a microphone to pieces and almost lassooed photographers with the mike lead.  Their entry in the Festival programme says everything, or perhaps nothing!

"We sometimes imagine ourselves to be a tree. Our roots are firmly set amongst us, the trunk resembles our progress and development and the branches are our directions.  At the ends lie the fruits where they are to be taken by the people."

Watching Family could be unexpectedly dangerous for those in the front row, into which Chapman would often fall, or throw the odd mikestand, in his simulation of an acid trip on stage!  He always claimed afterwards that he could remember nothing of the performance."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Refer to:

Strange Band - Family website including photos from 1969 and 1970

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MY RECOLLECTION

Roger Chapman was spectacular in those days. Family was exciting enough, with its mix of driving rock and imaginative lyrics, but Chapman's destructive tambourine playing and unbelievably dynamic voice added volumes to the mix. I'd seen Family once before, and they'd impressed me at Newcastle City Hall. In an open air setting, their music engulfed the audience and induced a flurry of idiot-dancing. Two years later in Southampton, I was to receive the ultimate gift - Chapman's shattered tambourine hitting me square on the forhead as it flew from his grasp. My companion retrieved it and threw it further back into the audience. I would have treasured it to this day!

Rip G : June 2002

Free

"Free were only on stage for 15 minutes, though they made up for it in 1970 with perhaps the best gig of their young lives. "

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

Pre-All Right Now, Free were a pure blues band, and they gave everything during a performance.  In the absence of Ten Years After or Taste, Free were able to produce a display of musicianship without the unfair comparisons.  The crowd, waiting a little impatiently for The Who, gave them a good reception and urged them on, but their set was brief.

Rip G : February 2004

The Who

"Potential anarchy always lurks at the heart of any outdoor event of this magnitude - which makes the Foulk's control throughout all the more commendable.  Tragedy came closest when the Who nearly crash landed onto the site.  As their helicopter landed behind the stage on a "H" marked out with wooden boards, one of the boards flew up into the rotor blade putting the 'copter out of action.  The Who flew back to the mainland immediately after their act in another helicopter.  "We had wanted to land on the stage, but they wouldn't let us", Townshend later commented.

Refugees from Woodstock, two weeks earlier Townshend described the lOW event as "the most exhilarating pop experience I've ever been exposed to".  The Who's set was so loud that large signs were erected in front of the stage, warning the audience to keep at least fifteen feet from the speakers.  These had a range of 30 miles, entertaining the prisoners in Parkhurst and the monks at Quarr, as well as many irate Island residents.

They played "I Can't Explain", "Young Man Blues" and a selection from "Tommy", which was interrupted by applause for "Pin Ball Wizard".  Then "Summertime Blues", then "My Generation", encoring finally with "Shaking All Over" with perfunctory equipment bashing to conclude.

"Moon, Entwistle and Daltrey gave the audience an hour of electric rock at its most electrifying. "Townshend played one of the best guitar solos in Who history on Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues".  They did their usual "Tommy" marathon and there was something especially good about seeing and hearing it in the open-air.  "Tommy, can you hear me", echoing round the massive festival site was really something"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Refer to:

The Who Net - It's all here!

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MY RECOLLECTION

Contrary to reports found elsewhere, I distinctly recall that the Who played sizeable chunks from Tommy, if not actually the entire opera. It was beginning to get just a little late, and a chill wind was blowing up the slight rise from the stage a whistling through the fence against which I was standing. After some earlier performances which had impressed me, I remember finding The Who a tiny bit long-winded. The showmanship was beginning to look somewhat contrived, and the rock opera came across as unpolished. I'm tempted to blame the conditions; it had already been a long day, after all. But I found myself becoming impatient and sidling towards the exit.

Rip G : June 2002

Fat Mattress

"They had a tough time following the Who.

"It was their first British performance.  It was also a farce.  Visually, they were nothing - no charisma, no focal point.  The lead singer looked like an even more ridiculous parody of Christopher Logue than Christopher Logue did.  None of the instruments escaped from the formless, pointless noise that earned them a whisper of applause and no encore.  Their regular attempts at frenzy were as ineffectual as their less frequent tries for delicacy".

Noel Redding, bassist with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, played lead guitar; the rest of the band was drawn from his previous band, the "Loving Kind".

After Fat Mattress's rapid demise, Redding suffered from a drug-related decline, although he is now playing in bar bands in Ireland.  His advice to young musicians is "Go to law school, learn accounting and get a gun"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Joe Cocker and The Grease Band

"Pete Townshend had already given them a plug, in his own set.

"While the Grease Band swung beautifully and sounded great after the shambles of the Pretty Things and the low interest of Fat Mattress, Joe himself did not quite make contact with the audience.  He sang well, but soul seemed a trifle out of place, and his stage movements were irritating"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

I was well on my way back to the caravan (see below) by the time Joe Cocker came on stage, but I remember hearing his music drifting over the fields.

Rip G : June 2002

The Moody Blues

"The concerts rolled on into early Sunday morning.  Their performance really stood out, particularly a spinetingling "Nights in White Satin".  The coloured lighting effects were as beautiful as the music, and they even played an encore, the first in their history.

"After a vast wave of applause and cheering which sounded like a Nuremberg rally, the Moodies said "We have waited five years to hear that".  Despite problems with their Mellotron which distorted slightly and took the edge off their impact, and some indistinct vocals, the Moodies settled down to a full sounding programme which also included "Dr Livingstone I Presume", and "Never Comes the Day""."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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"Saturday's entertainment was done.  People left the arena, went to sleep right outside the gate and were therefore in the queue for Sunday's show, all through the night and all Sunday morning"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

SATURDAY NIGHT & SUNDAY MORNING:

After seeing The Who and enduring the chill breeze for just a little bit too long, I started to make my way towards the exit. I was reluctant to leave, however, as I really wanted to see Joe Cocker. I must have hung around in the entertainment area for some time as, by the time I finally tired of waiting and walked through the gate Fat Mattress had come and gone and the announcement was being made for Joe Cocker's arrival on stage.

As I'd already committed myself to the walk back to the caravan by not getting a pass-out, I wandered slowly along the road parallelling the arena's boundary fence to the accompaniment of what sounded like an excellent set from Cocker and his band. It was a most memorable walk for the first mile or so, as I passed by what must have been every single Southern Vectis bus and coach on the island - including some very elderly Titans which had obviously been recalled to service for the event - standing in line in readiness to return the crowds to the ferry ports.

The regular bus schedule had long since ended, but I felt comfortable walking the few miles to the caravan. Eventually the sounds from the festival site receded into the distance, and I was alone in the moonlit countryside. The silence was repeatedly shattered by cars, coaches and the occasional bus loaded with noisily happy people who had either come just for the day and were on their way to Yarmouth, or who had found a place for the night away from the campsites.

It was close to dawn by the time I crawled into bed. On reflection, it must have never occurred to me to spend the night on the festival grounds! Had I done so, I might have seen the Moody Blues and the opening act the following day. As it is, I slept only fitfully as I was determined not to miss too much of Sunday's action. I do not recall how I travelled on the Sunday, but I was certainly there in plenty of time not to miss one of my favourite bands of the day, Liverpool Scene.

Rip G : June 2002

1   Sunday August 31

"Dylan day started early.  The flow of arrivals into the seething 20 acre arena seemed endless.  Throughout the day, a stream of pilgrims continued to arrive, tired and leg-weary.  Some were resting on the pavement, others on the roadside.

After a morning of film shows and audience talent shows, the Liverpool Scene got things underway at midday with their mixture of pop and poetry.  As each group appeared, the audience swelled both in number and in excited anticipation of Dylan's "second coming"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

(English) Gypsy

Note:  It is unclear whether Gypsy appeared again on Sunday.  My researches have revealed a reference in only one source.  A second source is being sought.

Go to Gypsy - First Appearance

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The Liverpool Scene

"Overweight, bearded Liverpool poet Adrian Henri bounded about the stage with remarkable energy.  "Let's see if we can wake up Bob Dylan from here" , he yelled.  And he went into a number about an American rock 'n' roll group who died when a soda fountain exploded in New York, drowning 200 people in soda ice-cream."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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MY RECOLLECTION

Adrian Henri was my hero. I'd discovered the Liverpool poets a year or so before, and his particular mix of humour, gritty romance and cynical realism inspired me to write in a similar vein. Setting his words to music, the band gave a uniquely compelling show. Talented musicians alternated between rock, jazz and white blues, punctuated by Henri's droll Liverpudlian accent intoning his marvellous words.

Rip G : June 2002

Third Ear Band

"Like the Liverpool Scene, veterans of the UFO.  Their free-form improvisations, using tablas, cello, violin and oboe in weird configurations, later graced Polanski's Macbeth.  Very much of their time, as the programme note indicates...

"The music is the music of the Druids, released from the unconscious by the alchemical process, orgasmic in its otherness, religious in its oneness communicating beauty and magic via abstract sounds whilst playing without ego enables the musicians to reach a trance-like stage, a "high" in which the music produces itself.  Each piece is as alike or unalike as blades of grass or clouds"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Indo-Jazz Fusion

"Like the Third Ear Band, a rhythmic distillation of Eastern and Western Musical ideas (prefiguring current interest in "world music").  A great relief after a surfeit of heavy rock the previous night."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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""The sun came out on Sunday afternoon and listening to the Third Ear Band and then to the more substantial Indo-Jazz fusions was like the film - "Jazz on a Summer's Day".  But by the time Tom Paxton came on, it had gone cold and windy again and people seemed none too happy."

A more positive witness describes the day as cloudy but not cold; perfect festival weather!.  As each group was setting up, the massive crowd was entertained by poets Anthony Haden-Guest, Christopher Logue and Mike Chapman."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Gary Farr

"Gary Farr, brother of producer and compere Rikki, proved to be a pleasing singer and songwriter in the folk rock bag, with "Good Morning Sun" and a country blues tinged "The Vicar and the Pope", the best songs in his spot with backing from members of the Mighty Baby group."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Tom Paxton

"Following Gary came American singer-songwriter Tom Paxton, who received one of the biggest ovations of the festival.  This was quite unexpected, but honestly deserved.

"Paxton began nervously and rather sadly.  (On the Saturday, he had appeared in the press arena wearing a piece of paper saying 'Tom Paxton' on his lapel).  But after some old favourites - "Where I'm Bound", "Ramblin' Boy", "Last Thing On My Mind" - he warmed up and got a very warm reception indeed.  As an encore, he did a biting, brilliant "Vietnam Pot-Luck Blues".  This caused a storm. Paxton had humanised the audience.  He made them feel cared for.

He had to do another encore, "Forest Lawn", a comment on the American way of dying.  After this, there was a standing ovation that lasted longer than those accorded the Who.  Back a third time?  No, he really couldn't because, it was explained (quite untruthfully) that he had to fly back at once to a US concert commitment.  (In fact he spent the rest of the afternoon drinking in the press bar and then came into the press arena to see Dylan's performance.)

Even after being told that he was emphatically not coming back on stage, the audience kept standing and fell into a chant of Paxton, Paxton, Paxton which lasted a full four minutes.  It was, because so unexpected, an overwhelming and delirious incident.  And when Paxton did,  after all this, come back, he came to the microphone and said "Thank you, thank you.  You've made me happier than I've ever been in my whole life."  Real tears came to peoples' eyes.  It was fantastic".


Tom Paxton continues to tour and to release LPs, though he is "Radio 2" material now.  He is also a very successful song-writer for children; like all those of talent rather than pretension, his work has lasted the process of time, but he will never again be a legend!"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Pentangle

""They had a somewhat tougher time than Paxton.  Very much a listening band their set was spoiled by several incidents.  Low flying aircraft drowned out their music at one point, a small fire on the arena perimeter caused a loss of interest and to cap it all the Rolling Stones chose to make their entry in the middle of the group's playing of "Bruton Town" and the flurry of photographers and rubber-neckers was obviously annoying.  However, they scored with "Pentangling", which included one of Danny Thompson's fine bass solos, but it wasn't a happy appearance for the group."

A less favourable account remembers "an uninteresting and at times incompetent performance, full of dreary sensitiveness and signifying little."  Perhaps their music was too intimate and low-key for such a massive and edgy crowd to appreciate.  Or perhaps it really was dire!"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Julie Felix

"Then came Julie Felix who sang sweetly on a selection which included "I Want to be Alone" by Jackson C. Frank, Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire", and her own "On a Windy Morning".  She also sang the first Dylan songs of the day, "Chimes of Freedom" and "Masters of War", at the audience's request.  This brought her a big round of cheers and applause.  She was overcome by her reception. "This is really wonderful.  You're beautiful", she smiled.  In the heat of the moment, she could think of nothing to sing for her encore.  "We want the Zoo", the crowd chanted.  She sang it.  Dylan was getting nearer and the crowd's excitement was stretched almost to breaking point."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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Richie Havens

"With dusk settling in on the vast open air arena, Richie Havens, a truly dynamic singer, came on.  He was the last artiste before Dylan and the Band.  Accompanied by Paul Williams (guitar) and Danielle Benzebulon (congas), Richie worked out beautifully on Dylan's "Maggie's Farm", and his own soulful arrangement of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever", with a bit of the "Hey Jude" chorus thrown in.  He won huge appreciation for his intense, powerful singing of "Freedom" and "Run Shaker Life".

"My guitar IS" he said. "My guitar has come a long way in the last twenty-four hours.  It has probably touched every element known to man.  It has been on the earth.  It has been on the water ..."  One wished it had caught on fire!

He was "exciting, assured, powerful, coherent".  The Grossman stable had justified its collective top billing.  When he finished, at 8.19pm, daylight was already fading."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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"The pilgrims waited, listening to records from the stage.  The new Apple single, "Hare Krishna", echoed across the Bay and over the Solent; the air was thick with the scent of hamburgers and joss sticks.  Trees lining the arena, lit by nearby lamps, were filled with penniless hippies taking a free view.  Excitement in the packed arena reached an all-time high as the long wait went on.

"Oh yes, and all the stars were there; some Rolling Stones, some BeatIes, Francoise Hardy, lovely in leather, Jane Fonda with Vadim and everyone, my dear".

After Havens there was a wait of almost two hours, during which the audience waited doggedly, a little cynically and the 2,000 people in the press arena meant to hold 300 began pushing and shoving and taking photographs of the famous (Peter Wyngarde, Terence Stamp, even Cilia Black).  There was little love and gentleness emanating from this bearpit, not least when the seating was rearranged to allow "Mr Grossman's Party", which numbered around 70, to grab all the best places.  When Dylan eventually took the stage, a few missiles were thrown, not as was alleged, at him but at photographers and others blocking the view.  Curtains were draped across the stage, posh in royal blue.  Thick, proletarian microphones, one per instrument, were exchanged for elegant, design-award microphones in large numbers, grouped tastefully around a cleaner, more ethereally lit stage.

By now the atmosphere was becoming electric as the audience approached its expected 200,000."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

The Band

"Finally, it happened, the curtain drew back, the lights flashed down.  At 10.21pm, on-stage walked the Band - but minus Dylan.

"They immediately swung into "We Can Talk".  Their sound is very clear, warm and heavy without being crushing, and tempered with a strong country feel.  At times, with the piano and organ line-up, they were reminiscent of Procol Harum.  Most of their numbers were taken from their first album, and included "Long Black Veil", "Chest Fever", "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released" plus their own country-rock version of the Four Tops "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".  A straight country rendition of Dylan's "Don't Tell Henry" had drummer Levon Helm switching to mandolin.  Outstanding performances by Rick Danko on bass who had a fast energetic style, his right hand slapping the strings as if they were red hot, and by Robbie Robertson on guitar who has absorbed the heavy Rock sound, mixed it with country and gives it back with short, succinct, imaginative and beautiful seering solos, sometimes as mellow as a harpsichord, sometimes as sharp as cactus blades"."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

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The Band and Bob Dylan - Photos from the 1969 festival at the Band website.

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"By now, people were shouting for their idol.

"The audience were thrown when the Band abruptly turned and left the stage upon completion of their act in normal American style.  By the time they realized what was happening it was too late to applaud or cheer for more.  Technically perfect and cold as ice, they had played for 45 minutes."

Another pause. The  return of Rikki Farr.  "People - do you want the sound to be perfect?"  "Yeah!"   "Then cool it, people.  You've waited three days.  Be cool and wait another five minutes and you'll have the sound 100%.  In fact, you'll have it 200% perfect".

Finally, just prior to 11.00 pm there were signs of activity.  The stage was lit.  The standard Dylan stool, reputedly loaned by the local folk club based at the nearby Sloop Inn stood in place."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Bob Dylan and The Band

"At 11.08, Dylan strolled onstage.  "You sure look big out there", he said.  Under the spotlight, Dylan wore a loose fitting all-white suit, with short hair and a scrubby beard; the crowd greeted him with an ecstatic roar.

"And then, sure enough, on came Bob Dylan, the only performer who could afford not to wear flared, sexy trousers, dressed all in white with a yellow shirt, perfect. Like a worrying but ecstatic dream.  He reinterpreted much earlier work in the light of "Nashville Skyline".  He smiled like Bugs Bunny, he broke some more rules by doing an encore, by pretending he was surprised to see so many people there to see him, and by repeating, in a shy voice, "Great to be here, really great".

He only did two new songs; the traditional Scottish folk song "Will ye go, Lassie" and a hammed up encore called "Who's Gonna Throw That Minstrel Boy a Coin?"  He did old favourites like "One Too Many Mornings", "Lay Lady Lay", "Mr Tambourine Man".  From these he tried, by a fluttering, Orbison-like lyric eloquence, to take out every nuance of bitterness and cynicism.  In "Like a Rolling Stone", he used the additional device of adding the word "girl" in judicious places.  Pretty gentle, huh?  It was an exquisite con.  It was brilliant.  It was the best thing that's happened on a British stage since the 1966 concerts by the same untouchable, charismatic man.  The crowd, knowing there was no practical point in doing so, stood and shouted for more for at least twenty solid minutes."


"Thank you, thank you, great!" And Dylan was gone."

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Refer to:

Unofficial Free Tape Library
Olof's Chronicles
The Unofficial Bob Dylan Free Tape Library - Homepage
The Band and Bob Dylan - Photos from the 1969 festival at the Band website.

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"The strange and very rapid disappearance of Dylan should really have been anticipated; but it nevertheless left all nine acres of listeners gaping in amazement at the sudden end.  Chants began, pleas of "More" rang out in great volumes.  Disturbed, the crowd went up on its feet, but Rikki Farr returned to the stage and said "He's gone ... he's gone" in his now tired voice.  "He came here to do what he had to do, he did it for you and now he's gone.  Really, there is no more ..."  And so, tent pegs were pulled out of the ground, sleeping bags rolled up and belongings packed.  Like lava down the sides of a smouldering volcano, the people poured out between the hundreds of bonfires and started for the long series of queues that lay between them and home.

John Lennon had arrived early and stayed most of Saturday and Sunday, displaying great enthusiasm for the event.  With other celebrities, he had taken his seat just before Dylan's spot and made a hasty escape just before he did his encore.

"Many a night of live, a moment of freak and an hour of good music had been shared at the biggest, most elaborate festival in history.  Dylan had returned but maintained his mystic aura and once again a generation proved itself worthy of its ideals.  A big hand for Fiery Creations' magnificent gesture and another for those countless thousands who sank the lOW not with a bang but with a respectful note of thanks".

Dylan went straight off the site back to Forelands, where there was a small gathering.  He left the Island the next day, by hovercraft and then by private helicopter to Lennon's home, Tittenhurst Park, where he played piano on a rough mix of "Cold Turkey".  On Tuesday, he boarded a flight back to New York, seen off by George and Patti Harrison.  Back in the States, he admitted to having had "a rather grand time", but stated he had no desire to return, "They make too much of singers there, Singers are front page news".

Fleet Street was unimpressed.  The "Daily Sketch" described Dylan's reception as "cool compared with the enthusiasm for the pop groups who appeared earlier".  Some of the press people walked out in mid-performance (whilst hundreds were frantically trying to break into the arena, and breaking bones in the process).  There was an amazing atmosphere throughout the Dylan-Band performance; one witness reports arriving half way through, and being struck by the crowd's extraordinary silence, as if in a trance.

"Everybody was taken out of their heads, out of their bodies and out of the whole Dig This Heavy Sound movie.  They realized that excessive cheering would not only break the spell but also bug Dylan more than the flashing photographers.  Afterwards, the cheering was ecstatic and continued for an infinity.  Even more demonstrative were the happy smiling faces of most people.  The smiles were totally beyond the grasp of the press, it was conceivable that people, including Dylan, should have been made happy by the occasion.  No-one noticed that Dylan was enjoying himself, there was no mention of the amazing togetherness of Dylan and the Band."

Of course, press hostility could date back to the Saturday, when Rikki Farr had anounced from the stage, "you people from the Sketch and Mirror and the People, you should be ashamed of yourselves, you write a lot of shit".  Not the most diplomatic of comments, even if true!"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

Continuity

Jeff Dexter & Rikki Farr

"No-one who attended would ever forget Woodside Bay, the huge searchlights from the lighting rig shining out like prison towers in some 2nd World War movie, as Farr read frantic messages from people who had lost friends, money, possessions or their minds!  To match this, even shared discomfort enhanced the overall feeling of community, of being part of a larger being.

"The main attraction of the festival was the opportunity of living one's alternative life style, free from police, straight neighbours or any authoritarian moral restrictions, at least for a few days.  Most people went to see Dylan but came away with memories of old and new friends and in many cases with new and longlasting relationships.  The pop festival has replaced the large demonstrations such as Aldermaston and contains the same feeling of friendship, comradeship, respect, awe and "our own numbers" and the sheer energy of such a mass of turned-on people assembled in one place.  From that angle, Dylan and the other fine groups were important but not essential.

Even after the music finished, the nights were relaxed and beautiful, people promenading, meeting, talking, music playing and flickering camp fires outside the tents and shacks of the shanty town.

There were the treehouses, ingeniously erected in the woods surrounding the 100 acre arena area, the fields full of tents, the appealing honesty of the hippies who could leave their possessions unguarded knowing nobody would dream of stealing anything".
"

from Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals

GOING HOME

Yes, I arrived home in time to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. Then it was back to school for my final year, enjoying my fifteen minutes of fame as my Isle of Wight Festival programme did the rounds!

Rip G : June 2002

FURTHER READING

Nights In White Satin - An Illustrated History of the Isle of Wight Pop Festivals
      by Brian Hinton
      Pub: Isle of Wight County Council - 1990

Record Collector #120 (August 1989) pp 39-41

The Politics of Pop Festivals
      by Michael Clarke
      Pub: Junction Books - 1982

LINKS to other sites on the Web

Isle of Wight Festival 2004

THE ARCHIVE

Malc's Isle of Wight Website

Isle of Wight Rock

Tapestry of Delights - The Website for this excellent book on Progressive Music

BUY Isle of Wight Festival STUFF

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last updated February 18 2004

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