ISLE OF WIGHT 3 1970

The Third Isle of Wight Festival  :   August 26 to 30 1970

East Afton Down

THE BILL - in alphabetical order

ARRIVAL
JOAN BAEZ  ¶  §
BLACK WIDOW
DAVID BROMBERG  ¶
CACTUS  ¶
CHICAGO
LEONARD COHEN  ¶  §
MILES DAVIS  ¶  §
DONOVAN  ¶  §
THE DOORS  ¶  §
EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER  ¶  §
FAIRFIELD PARLOUR
FAMILY  ¶
GARY FARR
FREE  ¶  §
GILBERTO GIL
GOOD NEWS
THE GROUNDHOGS
RICHIE HAVENS
HAWKWIND - Played for free outside
HEAVEN
JIMI HENDRIX  ¶  §
HOWL
JETHRO TULL  ¶  §
JUDAS JUMP
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON  ¶  §

LIGHTHOUSE
RALPH McTELL
MELANIE
MIGHTY BABY
JONI MITCHELL  ¶  §
THE MOODY BLUES  ¶  §
MUNGO JERRY ?
OPEN ROAD - Donovan's Backing Band  ¶  §
PENTANGLE
SHAWN PHILLIPS
THE PINK FAIRIES - Played for free outside
PROCOL HARUM  ¶
REDBONE *
TERRY REID
ANDY ROBERTS EVERYONE
JOHN SEBASTIAN  ¶  §
SLY and THE FAMILY STONE  ¶
KATHY SMITH
ROSALIE SORRELS
SUPERTRAMP
TASTE  ¶  §
TEN YEARS AFTER  ¶  §
TINY TIM  ¶  §
THE VOICES of EAST HARLEM
TONY JOE WHITE
THE WHO  ¶  §

¶  Performances by artists marked thus appear on commercially available CD and/or vinyl album.
§  Performances by artists marked thus appear on commercially available video and/or DVD.
*  It is unclear whether or not the acts marked with an asterisk appeared at the Festival.
?  It cannot be confirmed that Mungo Jerry appeared at the Festival, though it has been reported.

"By the time we got to Freshwater we were half a million strong ... but somehow, "Freshwater Nation" doesn't have the same ring to it as Woodstock Nation, which was created by the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, the first great festival, in 1969.

What we were witnessing was the end of the rip-off form in festivals. Tomorrow's festivals - like the 1970 Rotterdam festival - will be free to the people, and the bills will be paid by giant advertisers as part of their new social-conscience kick ... putting money back into the community they have taken so much out of. Coca-Cola paid for the Rotterdam festival; British Rail should have paid for the Isle of Wight - by even the most conservative estimate, the railway must have grossed at least three quarters of a million pounds in fares on trains and ferries, because to get to the island everybody had to use the BR ferry at ten bob round trip.

The hill people had it right: they believed it should have been a free festival, so they simply made it a free festival by camping outside the paid-for arena and watching and listening and living and loving on East Afton Hill. Estimates of how many there were of them there varied between 10,000 and 50,000; we would incline to the larger figure - and there were more in spirit.

The festival itself didn't really come alive until the Foulks brothers declared it free on Sunday afternoon. Sure, we'd heard some good music; but for those prices that's the least we expected. When the turnstiles (and some of the fence) came down, the vibes changed instantly. Suddenly, we felt that the music was there because the performers wanted us to hear it - and for no other reason. "For Christ's sake open the gates and let's hear some music" said one of the Foulks brothers; and suddenly it was the music that was important.

There was some historic music. The Who, The Moody Blues, Sly and the Family Stone greeting the Sunday sunrise, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen ... these and more turned in memorable sets. Others were less impressive - Jethro Tull, for instance, did a Led Zeppelin on the crowd, by playing music that was less than outstanding, but exciting the freaks by their sheer vitality and presence. But, on the whole, what we heard was worth everything we went through, including the cold night air and the dewfall.

This book is a record of what went on in the Isle of Wight through a few pairs of eyes. We went as ordinary, fare-paying freaks to listen to the music, see some friends and get to know each other better. We don't claim to have covered comprehensively - or even partly - the whole of the festival. Here we present what I and the lovely Christine experienced of the festival, and the pictures here are those that my long-suffering camera (and the cameras of a few other friends) saw when we got it sufficiently together to raise them to our eyes and press the appropriate button. These pictures are shot through a haze of happiness, music, smoke and love ... and, on the whole, we think that isn't a bad way to take pictures.

It's probably the way you saw the festival if you went there, and the way you would have seen it if you'd gone there. So here it is, with our love, as a personal and individual memoir of the Last Great Festival. See you at the next one"

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

THE BILL - in approximate order of appearance

Go direct to:

      Wednesday August 26
      Thursday August 27
      Friday August 28
      Saturday August 29
      Sunday August 30

   Wednesday August 26

"Things were a bit chaotic around the Press tent where no lights had come on and the cool custodian, a Mr Everest, had gone to fix a generator.  There were already a few thousand in the arena, and the proceedings went on quite merrily until near midnight, records interspersing the live acts."

"Having two free warm-up days was a wise move. Firstly, it gave the ever-growing crowd a pleasant time in the sunshine, and secondly it enabled the superhuman posse of technicians to sort out the giant banks of speakers. The weather was already sunny and warm.

A quaint, almost village-like atmosphere prevailed. Areas of green grass, yet to be covered with sleeping bags and empty coke tins, were still visible."

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

Judas Jump

"Gave a good account of themselves.  One witness reckons they were the first band on, and performed an awful version of 'Jumping Jack Flash'.  An early "supergroup" consisting of former members of the Alan Bown Set and Amen Corner, suddenly gone "heavy"!  Sunk without a trace."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Rosalie Sorrels and David Bromberg

"Young American folk singer, managed by a good friend of Bob Dylan.  One of the highlights of the day was her backing guitarist, Dave Bromberg, who played some incredibly slow, almost talking blues.

Rosalie Sorrels is a dark-eyed mountain girl from Boise, Idaho, with a face like an elf and a voice that reminds some people of Billie Holiday, others of Edith Piaf, and others of Kitty Wells."

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

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Kathy Smith

"An American girl singer, just her voice and guitar, who went down well."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Redbone

Note:  It is unclear whether or not Redbone actually appeared.  My researches to date have not revealed any accounts.

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Kris Kristofferson

"All of his material jogged along at the same mid-tempo, his voice bearing a passing resemblance to Johnny Cash.  'Blame It On The Stones', which offered a mild rebuke to Mick Jagger, did nothing to increase his popularity with the crowd.  Then light-years away from being a superstar actor, he played his guitar to as many people knocking the scaffolding together as he did to punters.  He returned later in the weekend, to a less than ecstatic reception."

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

Kris Kristofferson - Second Apppearance

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Mighty Baby

"Belted out the right sounds through a battery of amps each side of the stage.  Played during dark, mainly songs, but ended with 'India', looser and more improvised, with which the audience joined in on the percussion!"

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"The grassy backstage enclosure, complete with marquee, began to take on the look of Rock and Roll's answer to the Royal enclosure at Ascot or Smith's Lawn at Windsor."

In other words, a lot of people were indulging in posturing and there were the beginnings of today's pursuit of professional posing. Eyecatching outfits and tentative outrageousness were fashionable. Who someone was no longer mattered. Enough to say that the festival had become an annual event, and the goings-on backstage at the lOW would henceforth be covered by William Hickey.

Occasionally artists would stray into this arena away from their own super inner sanctum, which can't have been a very friendly area. Melanie the folk singer told me afterwards that she'd found the festival petrifying, and saw no-one there that she knew. It was the prolonged waiting and the procrastination as the scheduled running order got later and later which the artists found so torturing. However, Melanie remembered just one guy who had befriended her and treated her to some hospitality in his caravan. She only discovered afterwards that it had been Keith Moon."

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

   Thursday August 27

"On stage, Rikki Farr was saying sensible things to the crowd, "such a pleasant looking blond with a very good speaking voice to go with his looks".

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

Gary Farr

""The day's line up included two survivors from the 1969 event, the ever-present Gary Farr and "Everyone" - basically the Liverpool Scene without Adrian Henri - both of whom gave a good account of themselves."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Andy Roberts Everyone

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Supertramp

"They played a long set in the afternoon, and particularly impressed - despite confessing themselves that their act was far from perfect - with their version of "All Along The Watchtower".

This was the original line-up, with Richard Palmer on lead guitar. Supertramp went on to become superstars, but they never recaptured the melancholy and intellect of their first LP."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Howl

Note:  My researches to date have not revealed any accounts of Howl's appearance.

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Black Widow

"Satanic rockers.  They were uninspiring until their third-from-last number, which was "basically an instrumental piece lasting 15 minutes with good interaction between guitar and organ, the two players raising and lowering the temperature with considerable skill".  Their best known song, 'Come to the Sabbat' - played in brilliant sunshine - provoked the greatest audience response, and earned them an encore.  The crowd enjoyed their "weirdo music", although they performed minus black magic rituals, banned by the organisers.  Their drummer went on to play with arch-Satanists, Showaddywaddy!"

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

The Groundhogs

"One of the highlights of the first two days.  Featured some excellent bass guitar work from Pete Cruikshank and the splendid "Eccentric Man" from their "Thank Christ For The Bomb" LP.  Mainman Tony McPhee recently re-formed the band."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Terry Reid

"The best act in sight on Thursday, and one of the most accomplished of the entire festival.   He had an impressive range, cutting through from really heavy numbers to quiet, subtle pieces, and even the occasional bossa nova.  His voice had a keening, wistful quality, which exactly complimented the slide guitar of Rick Charles, and which he used to good effect on Dylan's "To Be Alone With You". His band featured David Lindley on lead guitar and ex-Steve Miller drummer Tim Davis.   He was last to play, and the show closed down for the day in the "small hours"."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Gilberto Gil and Gaentano Veloso

"The psychedelic musak was shattered twice, by Terry Reid and by Brazilian musicians Gilberto Gil and Gaentano Veloso, who had been on a European tour with Sergio Mendes.   A Tape of their Devastation Hill harmonies was sent up on stage and they were invited to play.  With thirteen pals, eleven of whom clapped and sang along, from within a gargantuan party-sized red plastic dress, they beat half an hour's beautiful bossa nova.  One by one, those in the red dress shed it, naked but coyly avoiding full fronted exposure as they swayed offstage, leaving behind a delighted audience."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"With the organisers managing complete control over the time limits of the lesser-known acts, the music came thick and fast, yet ended on time.  Many acts were forced to stop while running repairs were made on the speakers and other equipment, but the promise was for good and efficient days ahead."

"Radio Geronimo played records of guest groups throughout. The site was already there, and there were already quite a few people by Wednesday.  During the first two days, some of the booked groups didn't play - very chaotic, and lots of sound problems.   It was like a big boy scout camp, with people lending things.  I arrived on the Monday and camped just by the woods to get firewood."

"Canvas City - an enormous marquee, 180 ft long by 60 ft wide - hosted Pete Brown of the Electric Cinema equipped with films, DJs Simon Stable and Vince Dunn with his "Black Sun Light Circus", plus James Hamilton - alias "Dr. Soul" - with his soul sounds, all for a small addmission charge."

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

   Friday August 28

"On Friday, things began to really take shape.  The press enclosure was teaming with bodies hanging from the stage, cameras thrusting forward, while the fenced perimeter gyrated and flexed, dripping with eager enthusiasts.

When darkness fell, the beaming light towers lent electric lustre to freaking patrons who appeared and disappeared suddenly from the forests of hair.  Fluorescent cigarette smoke hung over the fields like a 1923 vampire movie.

In the murky distance was that heavily populated fortress known popularly as "Devastation Hill", where hippies of iron reclined at 45 degree slants, some upside down.  Just over the hill was the sea, where afternoons saw young sirens bouncing in the waves, their chests bulging forth free in the summer surf.  "Excellent vibrations", chuckled a frustrated old farmer to himself, "George!  Get away from that beach", bellowed his threatening wife.

Back on dry land, a Napoleonic feat of organisation had seen a whole new city arise in the bare fields of Afton.  Despite at least one attempt at mass sabotage, a work force of 400 had by now completed work on the site, a 38 acre grass arena surrounded by 9 foot high double walls.  Between these, a ring road ran, allowing safe access for goods (and equally safe removal of cash) for the 100 shops and 80 "refreshment areas".

The stage itself was the largest ever built outdoors in Britain. There were 1200 WCs, half a mile of urinals and 100 water points.  300 acres had been laid aside for camping, and disposable sleeping bags were on sale, made of paper and foam rubber, and "tested under arctic conditions".  There was also a specially equipped field hospital, a church tent - Sunday saw several religious services, one sung in Gregorian Plain Chant by 25 Monks from Quarr - and a police controlled lost property office.

The greatest wonder was a 24 hour shuttle ferry service from Portsmouth to Ryde. Those were the days.

Murray Lerner, director of "Festival" - an account of the Newport Folk event given its premiere at Afton had arrived with a large film crew.  CBS had set up recording facilities for its own acts, and ended up taping the whole event.

A special Festival programme featuring Dave Roe's finest ever work - hippie mandalas and Lewis Carroll on LSD - had been produced, as had a special full-colour edition of the "Evening Standard", whose front cover boasted the image of Pete Townshend leapfrogging a winking Rupert Bear.  The scene was set, upwards of half a million souls were making their way to the site.  The funfair was pitched; let the show commence..."

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

"Fairfield Parlour opened the first day of the festival proper - a day that was to spotlight the heavier sounds and a day which started at about 2pm and ended at 4am the following morning with Melanie, due to have been last on the bill, fast asleep backstage!"

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

Fairfield Parlour

"Proteges of David Symonds, they played 32 instruments between them.

"They impressed with a quiet, melodic performance comprising some excellent folksy-contemporary numbers."

Although to another witness they sounded: "Like a pastiche of Jethro Tull, breathy flute and all, and vocally they are unbelievably twee."

There were reasons for this.  Shortly before they went on, the group were told that there had been an anonymous letter - presumably from an irate local - threatening to shoot the first group to appear at the Festival proper.  This gave an extra, underlying tension to their appearance.

Under the name "I Luv Wight", they recorded (and wrote) the official Festival theme song, but it was superseded as the festival's theme by "Amazing Grace" (by the Great Awakening) and sank without trace.

"Let The World Wash In" was played once at the Festival, then Rikki Farr removed it from the turntable and, remarking "that's enough of that cr-p", pointedly threw it away.  A shame for not only was it released in a picture bag based on the Dave Roe "drummer boy" graphic which also graced the official poster - based on a self-portrait - but its superb lyrics summed up the spirit of the event.

Fairfield Parlour recorded a live album in the ballroom of the Clarendon Hotel, Shanklin.  It remains un-issued, and the master tapes disappeared.  As Kaleidoscope, they had been one of the first - and best - groups to purvey English psychedelia.&quuot;

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

Recording:
      Let The World Wash In - vinyl 45

Refer to:
      Fairfield Parlour - writings on the 1970 Festival and the "I Luv Wight" single

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Meanwhile, Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies played free to the waiting crowds, on the back of an opentopped truck, parked outside Canvas City.  Nick Turner of Hawkwind was covered in silver paint and half naked, a sight which proved unforgettable to all those who saw him.

The Fairies' drummer, the equally extraordinary Twink, had appeared with the Pretty Things - for money at the 1969 event."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Arrival

"Dressed in a bizarre variety of costumes, they managed to gain the audience's mass attention with "Hard Road" and sustained it with Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", on which Dyan Birch sang lead.  After "Sit Down And Float" (which the crowd seemed to be doing anyway) they went into "Not Right Now".  Frank Collins sat and played twelve string acoustic guitar with Dyan sitting on the stage at his feet.   It was an appealing sight.  Unfortunately, an unruly mob decided to throw cans into the Press and VIP area during the number and rather spoiled the effect.

"They ended with the hot gospel song "See The Lord", which though it went on rather too long was irresistable and many peace signs were noticeable throughout the congregation."

Birch, McHugh, Collins and O'Malley joined with ex-members of the Grease Bank to form "Kokomo" in the mid 70s, white soul at its best."

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

"We are the O-val-tin-eys, hap-py boys & girls ...

Unfair to Arrival, who are neither oval nor teeny, but are in fact what one might call a light group, if light is the appropriate antonym for heavy in a musical sense. Of course, they can't roller skate, either (a heavily in joke for those who may have caught London Weekend Television's Maynard Ferguson special the other week). They're having a go at white soul music, which is quite difficult to do, really ... and, considering that it is quite difficult to do, they did it quite outstandingly. They had the problem that they were facing a cool first-night audience, on Friday, and were only the second set in - which can dampen even the most ardoured spirit. Still, what I like about tym is that they're really extremely pretty people, aren't they?"

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Lighthouse

"Next up on stage, a 13 piece Canadian band led by drummer Skip Prokop.  They staggered everyone by their instrumentation - three trumpets (one doubling mellophone), two saxes, electric piano, guitar, bass, drums, singer - and an electric string section; two violins and a solid bodied cello.

"Their most outstanding contribution was a version of The Band's "Chest Fever", which began with ear splitting riffs which might have been culled from the title sequence of a Cecil de Mille movie."

Lighthouse were so well received that they were immediately asked to reappear the following day. Their manager was Rikki Farr.

Starting with "Hey Jude", they went on to "Give Peace A Chance" which got everybody standing up, arms upraised in a forest of peace signs.  "Everybody seemed to be brought together by the music; this was what festivals are about.  Unfortunately, such moments are rare"."

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

Refer to:
      Lighthouse - A Homage

Go to Lighthouse - Second Appearance

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Taste

"Rikki Farr announced, "Three great musicians - TASTE!" and the applause was deafening.  A band with a huge cult following, all of whom appeared to be at the Festival.  Starting with "What's Going On", they ran through their now familiar repertoire to undiminished adulation, and were called back for four encores.  Their music was limited, to say the least, but lead guitarist Rory Gallagher was technically excellent with the ability to play long passages at high speed, and they'd still be playing there now if the crowd had its way.

"They walked on stage to a tremendous roar of approval.  "Sugar Mama" went down well, as did "Gambling Blues", which Gallagher described as a classic, and certainly was the way that he played it.  Called back on stage for an encore, Rory launched into a battle with drummer John Wilson, and then bassist Richie McCracken.  This involved his playing a line and letting the other musicians copy it.  He progresses from simple runs to very complicated pieces.   Taste left the stage but had to return twice more, setting the atmosphere alight with "Same Old Story".  The sun was coming down in the late afternoon and the mood and temperature was right for the Irish band who, until now, have remained sadly underrated in Britain - but no longer."

Not the best prediction of the time.  Despite his ability to duplicate Eric Clapton solos note for note, Gallagher - who is still on the road with his increasingly battered Fender Strat - has never really broken through to a mass audience.

Taste broke up shortly after this performance; by now they were barely talking to one another.   The LP "Taste - Live At The Isle Of Wight" captures their set for posterity, "workmanlike" is the word...

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

"For reasons which I am not prepared to discuss in public, I missed Taste's set, so apart from remarking that they look (in the accompanying photo) as though they are having as good a time as the people who did see said they had - the people who saw them, that is. Or not, as the case may be.

Instead, I am going to accompany these pictures of Taste with two letters from The Times which go to show that at least some of the straight media (and some of what we call the straight people) have shown both sympathy and responsibility towards the festival. But it's a long and winding road."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Taste Live at the Isle Of Wight - CD
      Taste Live at the Isle Of Wight - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Next on the menu was an unscheduled dialogue between Rikki Farr and an American gentleman who had been screaming ruderies from the arena.  Farr invited him to the microphone to air his grievances to the multitude, and the American complied by bemoaning the commercial rip-off aspects to the Festival (i.e. having to pay to get in) and also the presence of police dogs inside the spectator area.  Farr answered his charges in his best cooling-down-the-masses tone, and ended by demanding that all dogs depart from the arena."

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

Tony Joe White

"A cool and unflappable customer, he kicked off with John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" getting an amazing sound from simple guitar and drums, using wah-wah pedal and vibrato.  "Groupy Girl" and "Polk Salad Annie" clinched his success and he encored modestly with his new single "Save Your Sugar For Me".

He played with drummer Cosy Powell, from the Jeff Beck group.  One of the most underrated performances of the whole weekend."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Chicago

"Introduced as "America's greatest group".  "And now for your further entertainment", blasted swinging Jeff Dexter over the P.A., "We present Chicago". "Huzzah, huzzah" returned the crowd as full brass, bass, guitar and everything else smacked them in the ears.

"Their set began as dusk was falling. "Around 8.15 pm the stage lights dimmed and the mighty brass flares typical of the band fanfared their first number.  The strongest impressions left by individual members were from the trombonist Jim Pankow and lead guitarist Terry Kath, who also handles most of the vocals.  His guitar was fast, fluent and tough.  And he looked the kind of guy who would go down among the audience and personally sort out anyone who messed with his music.  A girl actually screamed during one electrifyingly high speed guitar solo.

"Only The Beginning" from the first album started slowly and movingly but gradually became a nice fast thing with some excellent lead guitar work. Pianist-organist Robert Lamm started "Does Anybody Know What Time It Really Is" off with a free-form solo before the others took up the tune and turned it into a funky, jazz piece.  Pankow played a good trombone solo during "Mother", which is about pollution and Walt Parazeider's flute work was a joy to listen to.

The excitement finally came with "25 or 6 to 4" and the encore, "I'm a Man" - which swung with a vengence - and a huge ovation was accorded.  "That's it - you're too much.  You're beautiful.  We're gonna split", said the laconic but pleased Mr Kath".

Chicago still exist, but have moved from a heavily poiiticised, adventurous big band to an unambitious MOR combo, churning out the occasional hit single.  A metaphor of our times.  Terry Kath died in the late 1970s, playing with a loaded gun."

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

"Chicago. Really a very Important Group, if their sleeve notes are to be believed, who would have us thank that they play Important Music. It's a pity that they keep telling us that, because, actually, in the contect of the sounds of the seventies, they really play very important music. It's contemporary, musicianly, and it drives like a powerhouse."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Between Chicago and Family, Rikki Farr made another smooth attempt to placate the Mau-Mau by announcing that as soon as they had 170,000 paying customers inside the arena (i.e. £510,000 in takings) they would declare the festival free, because they would have broken even.  Somewhat earlier, he'd referred to the problem of "Desolation Hill" - the steep slope of East Afton Down on which more than 10,000 were ensconced, seeing and hearing but not paying.  "Did you think we were blind when we chose the site?", he screamed, "Of course we knew what would happen, and we're breaking our agreement with the Council by not fencing the area.  We will not, by any means, comply with the demand to clear the people off the hill"."

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

Family

"Roger Chapman bleated like a flock of sheep for hours... as if his whiskers had grown inward and he was singing through a briar patch, Chapman delivered one LONG extended croak with vibrato".

"They had a difficult job following Chicago.  They sang "Procession", "A Song For Me", and the fiercely paranoid "Drowned in Wine", with Poli Palmer demonstrating his multifarious talents on flute, electric piano and vibraphone (with and without fuzz).  They got a rousing cheer at the end - perhaps because Roger Chapman spent nearly as much time demolishing the microphone as he did singing into it! - and encored with "The Weaver's Answer", the climax of one of the best sets the band had ever played.

The veins on Chapman's neck strained like whipcord as he sung "Bad News" while John Weider and Charlie Whitney proved formidable, constantly switching instruments.  Rob Townsend proved one of the most thoughtful of drummers, always there to heighten the mood and add the correct punctuations.

"What makes Family a frightening band is that instead of hysteria they convey strength.  If a microphone ends up in the audience, or a tambourine is splintered to matchwood it is just part of the generation of the power of the music". Programme Note.

The same line up had played the previous festival.  Family never got their due, and neither did "Streetwalkers" which again featured the writing team of Chapman and Whitney."

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

"Family's set on Friday was, I thought, most remarkable for Roger Chapman's splendid gestures and movements than for much else, though I was in a minority in that opinion. Still, the thought of connecting a set of vibes to a fuzz box is, I suppose, relatively new and different. Whatever turns you on."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD

Refer to:
      Strange Band - Family website including photos from 1969 and 1970

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Meanwhile, backstage... Roger Daltry leant over the bar while Keith Moon was constantly being sought by his relations.  Granite-faced John Entwhistle let loose with mock fisticuffs at a pal, and they eventually carried each other out.  A very righteous young girl screamed hell and damnation at the drinkers.  Falling out of her T-shirt and slightly hoarse, she meandered away..."

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

Procol Harum

"They followed Family - well past midnight - facing a giant spotlight, the newly christened "Devastation Hill" dotted with fires and even a few flames inside the main arena so that's where the lavatory doors went!  All this made Gary Brooker sitting at his grand piano look pretty incongruous.  Sadly the band were very forgettable at the start.  Songs from the "Salty Dog" album brought the most reaction, the title track eventually getting them the normal encore.  "It's too cold to play anything slow" said Brooker as an aside, so they launched into the good old rock 'n' roll still guaranteed to get everybody going - thanks to Jerry Lee and Little Richard".

"Their act was not merely relaxed but downright casual, seemingly not at all concerned with audience reaction. "Salty Dog" was a highlight, and Gary Brooker's grand piano was properly amplified, when so many keyboard instruments had suffered from distortion in other bands.  Whenever the gentle and deliberate notes from the Brooker touch lulled us into a state of pleasant euphoria, then came Robin Trower's screaming, protesting guitar.  Down-homey originals like "Wishing Well" and "Too Many Women and Not Enough Wine" had heart-felt lyrics from Keith Reid and odd chords.  Their entire approach - laying back on the beat, good taste, subtle material - made them the best band of the day.  Their obligatory rock medley reminded strongly of Merseybeat days with the same chugging, simple, but earthy chords.  "Move On Down the Line", "High School Confidential" and "Lucille" had Brooker pounding out the familiar piano lines and screamin' out those immorta1 1yrics".

My own memories confirm that opinion.  A very odd combination of the restrained and the demonic - Robin Trower went on to become a guitar hero in the Hendrix mode, but never bettered the controlled intensity of his time with Procol - with a firm grasp of rock 'n' roll dating back to their days as Southend rockers, The Paramounts.  Nobody seems to remember if they played "Whiter Shade of Pale"."

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

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

The Voices of East Harlem

"After a long wait, during which the entire microphone system seemed to be completely rewired about three times they took more than half an hour to get their act off the ground and the crowd on its feet.  Their act included "For What It's Worth" (Steve Stills), "Sing a Simple Song of Freedom" and "Right On, Be Free", their new single.  They let rip with spontaneous whoops and hollers, but when the applause was sparse - as it was, for the first half-dozen numbers - they stood awkwardly, peering out through the spotlights at the assembled multitude.  Things rapidly got better.

"The amazing and unique "Voices of East Harlem" slayed a very cold 2am crowd.  They are an incredible line-up of black kids of various ages, looking much like several sets of Jackson Five's dressed in "Dead End Kid" denim and punching out a wild soulful, gospel sound.  The ideal act for that time in the morning, with an overall sound really filling the air, as did the roar for more when they eventually left the stage after an incredible version of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary". Fifteen singers and six instrumentalists ranging in age from 12 to mid-20s; they all originated from New York, some from Harlem, some from the Bronx, and despite this sang of equality, freedom, peace and love.  A difficult act to follow."

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

"... Voices of East Harlem ... did a rock-and-soul set on Friday of what was ultimately the utmost excitement ..."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Cactus

"Cactus ended the first long day's night.  The quartet of ex-Vanilla Fudge men Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice and friends Jim McCarty and Rusty Day played loud and heavy, but honestly, was it anything new, and was it worth staying up until 3am to hear?  Maybe the crowd also thought not, for after their set it was called a day and Melanie good-naturedly agreed to miss a booking in Holland and play the following night.

Fatigue was followed by freezing temperatures - "How can Cactus survive in a refrigerator like this?" one reporter asked, stumbling blind into the dark."

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

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

   Saturday August 29

"The day started late and ended later at dawn on Sunday to be precise - with Sly and the Family Stone exalting "I Want To Take You Higher" just before breakfast ... and on very empty stomachs too."

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

John Sebastian

"One of the veterans of Woodstock, which he described as "kids driving to the Revolution in their fathers' cars".  He probably saved the Festival from a complete holocaust of violence, and held the body of the crowd together.  He was the only artist to turn up on Saturday morning - well after the alleged 11.30 start - and went straight on in "What A Day For A Daydream" type whether to appease a tense audience.

Sebastian came on after a Friday when an explosive atmosphere had built up.  A lesser talent, a lesser personality might have started the day off on the wrong foot, but Sebastian could have played all day and no one would have questioned the absence of other bands.  No one else had arrived, so John had all the time in the world; nearly two hours to sing "She's A Lady", "Daydream", "Do You Believe In Magic", "Jug Band Music", "Darling Be Home Soon", "Younger Girl" and many many more.

He will be remembered as the great hit of the Isle of Wight.  Even events happened well for him.  During one of the encores during his two-hour act, a spray of balloons burst overhead and he incorporated the event into his song.  Finally, after 140 gloriously unforgettable minutes, he waved his way off stage having exhausted himself and his repertoire.

He started with a tribute to his blonde girl friend, who had most of the photographers dividing their attention between him on stage and her in the audience, swaying and looking up at him adoringly.  A message arrived on the end of about half a mile of plastic tubing.  He took off the white sheet and read "We Love You".  "Cool and beautiful", he commented.  Then he went into another monologue about Woodstock, revealing that "I wasn't supposed to play there even, but there was all that rain and it made electric band equipment dangerous.  So they got cheap-old acoustic me to fill in and let me go on and on, and I ended up one of the stars of the show and the film, I guess... ".

Just at that moment, another message was passed to John, who read "Ask Zal on stage".  John's eyes went up two inches.  "Is Zal here?", he asked. "Come on up", John invited and bearded Zal Yanovsky leapt onto the stage, and they hugged each other a lot.  It was the first reuniting of the former Lovin' Spoonful stars after three years.  Zal grabbed a guitar and they both went into "Blues in The Bottle", then "Bald Headed Lena".  Sebastian ended with a torrid burst of harmonica soloing as an encore to a great act.

"Zal Yanovsky was ubiquitous, he became a symbol of permanence; he was there on his feet to applaud Joni singing "Woodstock", he was there outside the refreshment tent with a bottle of Teachers talking to anybody and everybody.  He was there all the time, and you felt that if he was there, somewhere, the festival would go on, and that if he went away, it would collapse"."

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

"I've always thought that John B. Sebastian is a better name for a group that The Lovin' Spoonful - and it's certainly better than Zal Yanovsky ... which I'm never certain whether I can spell or not.

Be that as it may, John B. Sebastian (who is not a group but a prince, at the very least) played some delicious music for us on Saturday afternoon - and for at least part of thet he was joined by his old fellow-Spoonful (or his old fellow-Lovin'), Zal Yanovsky. How nice it was."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Shawn Phillips

"Philips, in glasses, was a lanky Texan with hair swept back into a miniature pigtail.  Unbilled, he proved a good acoustic guitarist and singer of his own songs, like "Old Covered Wagon", "Hey Miss Lonely", and other numbers from his current "Contribution" LP."

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

Refer to:
      Shawn Phillips Web Page - Includes a photo of Shawn at the Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Lighthouse

"They made a second appearance, and built up to a fine climax with a Peace Medley of "Hey Joe", "Give Peace A Chance" and "All You Need Is Love"."

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

Refer to:
      Lighthouse - A Homage

Go to Lighthouse - First Appearance

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Mungo Jerry?

"One witness, otherwise totally reliable, is sure that they played a pleasant set in the afternoon.  However, no one else remembers them, including the equally reliable Ralph Boyd.  Perhaps they were only present on record?"

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Joni Mitchell

"Rikki Farr announced "a lovely surprise for you - Joni Mitchell" and on she walked, diffident yet majestic in a long dress the colour of golden-rod.  The atmosphere was relaxed, nurtured by Sebastian and retained by the crowd, but halfway through "Chelsea Morning" she stopped, declared "I don't feel like singing that song very much", moved over to the piano, and announced that she'd sing "Woodstock".

"Suddenly, with terrifying swiftness, the vibes turned right around.  A man in the VIP area, 25 yards from the stage, cried "Help ... we need a doctor", and all eyes swung towards a swaying, puppet-like figure obviously on the worst of bad trips.  In an instant the stage was full of frightened eyes and everyone was standing, staring at the ghastly figure, who was resisting attempts to drag him away.  Joni went back to the piano stool, picked out the opening chords of "Woodstock" and began the song.  She could not have made a worse choice.  At that moment, with brief terror in the air, we were anything but stardust and golden, and the garden had become a place of squalor.  The atmosphere settled slightly, but was still charged with electricity when a man approached the microphone and started to recite "a very important message for the people of Devastation Hill".  He was not allowed to continue, as the stagehands and Joni's retinue pinioned his arms and forced him off and the crowd began to bay "Let him speak... let him speak".  Joni, badly shaken, came forward and made a little speech about how when she performs for an audience she puts herself into it, and how she gets off on her music.  "Last Sunday, I went to a Hopi Indian ceremony, where some of the Indians were behaving like Indians and some of the Indians were behaving like tourists.  I think you're behaving like tourists, man ... give us some respect!"  It was a concise, emotional diatribe on the relationship between art and life, and it got through.

She sang again, and lightened the atmosphere with "Willy", her heartbreaking song about Graham Nash, and a new ballad about homesickness called "California", on which she played dulcimer.  She was called back for four encores - including "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Both Sides Now" - and by the time she went off for the last time she averted a potentially dangerous situation, simply through the sheer beauty of her songs".

Undoubtedly the most emotional performance of the weekend.  An early influence on Fairport Convention, who helped popularise her songs.  Later she moved closer to avant-garde jazz.   Ralph Boyd insists that she was accompanied by Neil Young on second guitar, and remembers clearly an announcement from the stage that he would playa solo set, but this was not to be."

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

"I feel I should say 'sorry' to Joni Mitchell, though I didn't throw any Coke cans at her.  It was Joni Mitchell who crystallized the whole festival feeling in her beautiful song about Woodstock ... and it was such a shame that she should have had to face so much trouble - so much that was antipathetic to the Woodstock spirit - at the Isle of Wight."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Tiny Tim

"The immortal Tiny Tim, probably only popular still because his appearances are so rare, arrived with his ukulele, held it above his head in triumph, blew the expected kisses and launched into his selection of music hall favourites that were hits between 1915 and 1930, without giving the militants a chance to protest.  That over, and the initial impact of seeing this incredible man again having sunk in, it promised to be boring.  Then, amazingly, he broke into John Fogety's "Proud Mary" with all the hip movements of a 1950's rock star.  "Blue Suede Shoes" followed on "Rock Around The Clock" and "Great Balls of Fire" midway through which he did a Tom Jones by removing his tie and throwing it into the crowd.  Then it was back to the old megaphone and "White Cliffs of Dover", "There'll Always Be An England" and "Land of Hope and Glory" which brought an unexpectedly ecstatic reaction.  Indeed, many were to be seen standing on their chairs flashing the "peace" sign in time to the music."

Tiny Tim must have made a really big impression on one particular guy in the audience, because at various intervals throughout the remainder of the event, he was to be heard calling loudly for the return of his idol.  His "wonderful English band" included two local musicians, Jack Richards on drums - ex 'Perception' and the 'Mel Taylor Four' - and Cas Caswell on bass.  They were criticised for their lack of 'togetherness' during Tiny Tim's rock medley.  But it is only fair to point out that they were given very little notice of what was expected of them, and they appeared on stage without any previous rehearsal.

"Isle of Wight tomatoes are wonderful", said Tiny Tim, as he tiptoed off on the arm of Miss Vicky.

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

"... Tiny Tim ... - which is a case, definitely, of whatever turns you on ..."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:
      Tiny Tim - Miss Sue's own Tiny Tim site

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Meanwhile back on the beach... thousands of sightseers went to Compton Bay to see the hippies bathing nude.  It was estimated that about 500 people, in varying states of undress, were on the beach that afternoon.  They were enjoying the sun, the sea, some were even making sand castles, but above all they were enjoying themselves.  They sang to guitars, someone was beating a bongo and then from the top of the steps came the jingle of a tambourine.  The tambourine man was singing, imploring more of them to take their clothes off, get rid of their "hang-ups", they responded and soon the whole beach seemed to be rocking in time with the beat of his tambourine and the clapping hands.  They crowded round the tambourine man and some began to dance and sing wildly.  "Lets go in the sea, let's go in the sea" he cried and like a latter day Pied Piper he led his hippie band to the water.  A giant circle was formed and they began singing.  "We SHALL overcome.  PLEASE give peace a chance". And they meant it."

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

"The interval between Tim and Miles Davis was euphoric, as all present stood, danced and sang along with Otis Redding's "Respect" and Free's "All Right Now".  During the latter, a technicolour hot-air balloon carrying two intrepid aviators appeared over the site, and received maybe half a million two-handed peace signs. Nice Moment."

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

Miles Davis

"Miles took the stage in a red leather jacket and silver-studded jeans and boots, at 44 years old as hip as any there.  With him were Gary Bartz (alto and soprano saxes), Chick Corea (organ), Keith Jarrett (electric piano), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohonette (drums), and Airto Moreira (percussion).  The group's use of rock rhythms was far more evident than before, but they proved beyond any doubt that they were capable of making it as subtle, as complex, and as rewarding as any conventional jazz rhythm.  Holland laid down a fragmented but solid bass line, and Miles blew brief, jabbing solos over the massively shifting backdrop.  Corea and Jarrett, despite being handicapped by inferior borrowed instruments, weaved textures of unerring subtlety and rightness.

"His solitary, unannounced contribution was a revelation.  Lasting well over an hour, it turned out to be an amazing kaleidoscope of continually changing rhythm and complex counter rhythm, over which Miles and his six musicians improvised quite freely.  Miles' first morse code notes played out as dusk was coming in and the first campfires flickered on the side of the mountain".

When Miles was asked what this piece was to be called - when it appeared on the Last Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies [sic] triple LP - he said "Call it Anythin'".  And thus it was named."

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

"... Miles Davis, veteran jazzman who has finally gained a well-deserved freak following ..."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP

Refer to:
      Miles Davis - Copyright pictures by Phil Franks

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Ten Years After

"As at Woodstock, they brought the house down with their rock 'n' roll medley "I'm Going Home", followed with "Sweet Little Sixteen".  Ric Lee had a splendid "half a drum solo" on "Hobbit", which collapsed midway through, apparently due to microphone failure, though it sounded loud enough to those present.  They started with "Love Like A Man", "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and a very long and excessively noisy "No Title".

"Rarely have they played better.  One Frenchman was so moved by "Love Like A Man" that he stripped naked and tried to clamber on the stage.  He was swiftly removed!  Alvin Lee began his express playing from the word go and as this was what the crowd wanted the group could do no wrong.  The famous Alvin Lee - Leo Lyons confrontation took place during the "wicked" "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl".  This involves the two guitarists standing about a foot apart facing one another and battling it out for honours or something.  Leo's playing was exceptionally good and Ric Lee held the battle together with some superb drumming which never faltered.  Chic Churchill's organ was once again almost lost among the wall of sound but he came into his own during "No Time".  As TYA launched into "I'm Going Home" which has by now become their national Anthem, almost the entire crowd rose to its feet and began clapping and cheering as one.  Alvin tore into the number, playing at break neck speed and screaming the lyrics into the mike, including a snatch of "Blue Suede Shoes" along the way."

A good entertaining band, but often they were little more than a vehicle for Lee's fast but shallow solos.  Early "Top Gear" sessions like "At the Woodchoppers Ball" showed a jazzier side to the band which they failed to develop.  They re-formed in 1978 as "Ten Years Later"."

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

"TYA played early on Saturday evening, and apart from a rather unfortunate incident in which drummer Ric Lee ran out of drum solo half way, showed that they had got even better than they were at Woodstock - which is really saying something, because they really made a big hit there (and in the movie).

Alvin Lee is also a very pretty person, which you can't see from this photograph here, because, as is his wont, his face is all screwed up with concentration and (I suspect) delight as he whizzes his way through I'm Going Home, which is what one might call a rabble-rouser in musical terms. But when his face is in repose, it, in common with that of John B. Sebastian, has an amazing effect on ladies, who go all gooey-eyed and things. (So far as Jimi Hendrix is concerned, I don't think it's his face that does it for them)."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Emerson Lake And Palmer

"Making their second-ever appearance, they were somewhat ill-rehearsed.

"Keith Emerson was his usual flamboyant self, Carl Palmer is a drum giant, and Greg Lake sings and plays bass with expertise.  Yet despite all this, it didn't quite gel together.  Emmo played two Hammonds at the same time during the opening number "Barbarian".  It's a huge thing with a lot of sound and a complete contrast to "Take a Pebble", which tends to be quieter, and features Greg on acoustic guitar.  A forty minute number titled "Pictures at an Exhibition" was musically brilliant and featured the showmanship of Emmo letting off two small cannons on stage.  He also played his moog to good effect and it was perhaps the best of the five numbers.  People were yelling for "America" and "She Belongs To Me" but all they got was "Rondo", that wasn't a patch on the Nice's version.  Then they played B. Bumble's "Nut Rocker" which was pretty good but came too late to really get the crowd going."

Emerson played a £3,000 Moog Synthesiser and produced "effective if expensive bleeps, howls and rhythmic squeaks".  The final cannonade blew off the spectacles of a man sitting in the firing line.

They were a kind of precursor of glitter rock; wearing shining combinations of leather and lame, with Emerson modelling a silver-blue superstar suit, and shoving briar pipes into his organ keys."

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

""

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Emerson, Lake & Palmer Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

The Doors

"At five minutes past midnight, the Doors shambled on stage.  Despite all reports to the contrary, I found them magnificent, with Morrison's voice coming over clear and passionate.

"The Doors sneaked out on stage and everybody in the world stood up.  Everybody else behind them threw beer cans at them until they sat down.  A bearded Morrison was content to stand quite still and deliver his somewhat sombre songs while organist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger and drummer John Densmore provide an equally sinister backing.  It was something like listening to a Doors album through a bad record player that runs slow.  Apparently they'd had a lot of backstage hassles.  The equipment wasn't right and by the time they got on they were in a bad mood, which showed through to the audience.  They just played Doors numbers, no attempt at communicating, no response to the inevitable applause.  They got an inevitable encore, but declined to take advantage of it, they just moodied their way off the stage".

A superb bootleg LP of their performance attests to just how good they were, with tight versions of "Back Door Man", "When The Music's Over" and "Light My Fire" - "bellowed, like a great bull" - as well as the mysterious, unreleased "Ship of Fools".  A recording also exists of "The End", shorn of its dramatic monologue, which is ominous to the point of nightmare.

Within a year, Morrison was dead - or, some people claim, not - his grave in Paris an object of twisted veneration."

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

""

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

The Who

"And now - a nice rock band from Shepherds Bush - the '00'," said Jeff Dexter, and one of the great groups of our time came running.  Townshend immediately cheered up English fans who had listened in silence to the bleatings of Europeans and US politicos all day, by saying "We come 'orne and find ourselves playing to a load of effing foreigners causing trouble."  He was only kidding, but one knew what he meant.  John Entwistle stood stock-still and stone faced, in a skeleton suit, Townshend modelled an off the peg boiler suit, and Daltrey was in his customary tassles.  Keith Moon was... Keith Moon.

"DaItrey excelled himself on "Young Man Blues" and a new song "Water", during which Moon hurled a stick on high and actually caught it, to a burst of spontaneous applause.  There was a certain amount of bated breath as to whether they would play "Tommy" or produce some major new work.  But as the humorous by-play between the drummer and guitarist indicated - we were going to get the old war horse unleashed.

The Who played on well after 4am and at quarter past four came a thrilling moment when they turned huge spotlights on the crowd from back stage, lighting up the masses, including a flurry of moths, leaping like loons in the vastness.  Pete leapt and Roger twirled as the band ground to the end of "Tommy" and into "Shaking All Over".  At 4.25am they led into "Substitute" with no sign of tiring, and getting on for 5am th~ir battle hymn "My Generation" should have been the last number.  Here Pete made a tactical error and carried on into "Magic Bus" which was never a great number.  By now they had played just a little bit too long, which was a shame, as it put a slight down on the overall impression.  Nevertheless, the Who's marathon was one of the most enjoyable segments amidst the mass of magic".

They sounded superb, not least because their own speakers were used to boost the festival's sound system.  However, according to John Atkins of 'Generations' fanzine, the Who contributed their P.A. system for all the bands at the 1970 Festival, as it was the most powerful available at the time.  He confirms that complete tapes of both the Who's 1969 and 1970 performances are in circulation.  Townshend's mike was turned up louder than Daltry's; they played much the same set as they had in 1969 and, more recently, at Woodstock - but longer!"

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

"The Who, the dæmonic Who

When The Who did the final full performance of "Tommy" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in June, the New York Times didn't really like it that much.

That's OK; now I don't like the New York Times any more much. Because there's something about The Who, the mad, dæmonic Who, which gets under your skin and into your head, your heart and your body."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 - The Who - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:
      The Who Net - It's all here!

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Backstage, Morrison was at the bar, bewhiskered and looking like a lumberjack, preoccupied with his Miami court case, on the charge of exposure.  A bra-less wench, starstruck, blurted, "You mean if you did it in New York you'd just get a fast fine and that's all?" "I didn't do it anywhere" replied Morrison with distaste."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Fire, earth, air and water

On your right, ladies and gentlemen, a sight you don't often see. It's what happened when the Who let off all kinds of lovely smoking things at the climax of their bit from Tommy ... See me, feel me, touch me, heal me.

Three o'clock in the morning it was, and the combination of light, smoke, sounds and sheer emotion was too much even for the most latent of idiot dancers among us, and we all got up out of our sleeping bags and brown paper parcels and started leaping around. As you can see.

Night at the festival is a rather special time. At the Isle of Wight, it became unexpectedly cold, and, on Sunday night at least, a chill wind was enough to shiver quite a few timbers around us. But there's the other aspect of night, as you can just about see from the photograph on this page, which, according to how well the platemakers get it together, might either be a black blob with a few spots of white on it or what was on the original transparency ... shadowy figures and a ghostly horizon, and hundreds of little bonfires on the hill.

Lighting a fire is a folk pastime. Before you have any ecxperience of anything - i.e., when you're a very tiny baby indeed, you dream of two things. You dream of falling, which is thought to be a tribal memory from when men lived in trees, and you dream of fire, which is also a tribal memory. When you get a bit older, a fire means all kinds of other things to you ... something to huddle round with people when it's cold and wet and nasty outside; something to make up to change a cold and heartless room into a warm and friendly one; Bonfire Night or the Fourth of July; camping out for the first time ... living with the elements.

Fire is one of the elements, which (ha ha) makes it elemental ... which is why fire and smoke are associated indelibly with The Who themselves, an elemental act if ever there was one. Magick and mystery, that's the fire thing ... and though we love earth air and water just as well, fire hits all kinds of aspects of our characters.

Actually, freaks are night people, really. They really don't like sleeping during the hours of darkness, which is why so many of them were so quick to leap up out of their brown paper parcels and leap about during the Who's set.

Fire, earth, air and water. Now that's quite a profound thought, isn't it? A celebration of the elements. It's a pity we don't takle more care of the elements we celebrate ... why do people let caterers sell Coke in aluminium cans at festivals, for instance? You can't recycle them, you can't burn them and they consume enormous quantities of electricity to produce, which in its turn does amazingly nasty things to the air (power stations pollute). We ought to think more, we ought to care more. Perhaps we will."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Melanie

"She broke the dawn chorus with a charming selection of songs from her first two albums.

"Melanie decided to follow the Who.  Little innocent Melanie, the Shirley Temple of folk music perhaps should not have been out so late but she sat and whispered through songs like "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Ruby Tuesday", plus the usual selection of her old LP numbers.  Dawn came up.  Those still awake applauded as she spread on simulated childlike purity."

Melanie was obviously deeply touched by her reception.  She was introduced by Keith Moon, and after she'd left the stage, Andy Dunkley the DJ played "She's a Lady" for her benefit."

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

""

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"6.30am had arrived.  Bags developed under the eyes of all watching.  Some slept on, oblivious to what they are looking at.  Campers rolled in old hamburgers, Coke tins and soup cups, discovering silence in the constant bellow from the speakers by just growing immune to it.  On the platform, a series of sparkling white speakers and glistening organs were being put together by what looked like a team of movie set designers.  It was one of America's gaudiest groups and they were gaudy right down to their amp knobs."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Sly and the Family Stone

"They ended Saturday's programme at 8.30am on Sunday!

"When Sly walked on stage with the Family Stone, he looked like Niagara Falls on feet.  He flowed and seeped across the floor in thick fur boots, tassles made of heavy beads, sunglasses and a white hat with feather.  Their brass was excellent, the singing good and the only setback was Sly's bad guitar playing.  When he stuck to organ he was fine.  Numbers like "Stand" show why there is a mysterious mythology built around them."

They trooped on, minus Sister Rose who had missed the plane, for what amounted to little more than a rehearsal.  Tuning up after their first number, they got it on with "Stand", but the exhausted audience mostly stayed put.  After forty-five minutes, Family Stone was overruled, left to the announcement that the arena had to be cleared and cleaned up.  Booing and an empty can bounced off Brother Freddy's guitar.  Sly promised to return on Sunday night.  He didn't.

As a DJ and producer, he was in at the start of the San Franciscan music explosion, and his own effect on psychedelic soul - the likes of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, even Prince - was incalculable."

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

""

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"By the end it was dawn, and a half.  The last bag had been zipped up and the organisers began repairing the site and laying new preparations for the press tent next night.  Your reporter wandered off, but wherever he went he heard organ, lead guitars, basses and drums.

The kids refused to go, and so Rikki Farr got Joni Mitchell - after her previous success in calming the masses - to cool them out.  She prattled on about how beautiful everyone was, how she loved them all and how everyone was behaving like children, "What do you want to do - start a war?".  After a volley of Coke cans had rained down around her head the kids did cool down - though they still refused to go.  Eventually Fiery capitulated.  They let the audience stay, after making them burn their tickets to stop people going out with a handful to get others in free."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Good morning, Starshine

If you think there's nothing new under the sun, try waking up to the sound of Sly and the Family Stone doing Higher as the Sunday sun slimbs thankfully into the sky. And you'll find that there is something new under the sun.

Part of the festival bit - some would say most of it - is simply doing it. That means bringing your tent, or your sleeping bag, or whatever, or buying a Reed Medway Sleep-Dri (at eight bob rather good value, and most efficient, if you can dig sleeping in a brown paper parcel) and getting down there on the grass and sleeping, or not, as the mood takes you."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

   Sunday August 30

"Sunday morning saw thousands of bleak faces, punch drunk with tiredness.  The nests of hair were frizzled from days of damp, chilling wind, but sleeping-bagged rompers were dauntless.  The applause and requests for encores continued act after act.  The bill had been drawn up, scrapped and redrawn countless times as some artists played for hours on end, delaying later appearances.  The ground was an obstacle course of beer cans, cups, paper and colourful garbage of all sorts mixed with nice brown mud."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Good News

"They opened proceedings, according to one report.  An acoustic duo from America, with Larry Gold on cello and Michael Bacon on guitar."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Kris Kristofferson

"He was virtually booed off stage again, but went down slightly better this time, largely because he was joined by Zal Yanovsky.  Kristofferson later blamed his reception on the fact that his group had only one rehearsal, in his hotel before the concert.

One of the precursors of the "new country", he attracted only derision at Afton.  "Who is this guy?" one witness plaintively asked."

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

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Go to Kris Kristofferson - First Apppearance

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Ralph McTell

"Despite his self-confessed nervousness, McTell was as melodic and as dextrous as ever.  As soon as his feet touched the stool's crossbar he accelerated into Blind Boy Fuller's "Truckin' Little Baby".  His song of schooldays, "Chalk Dust" was well received, as was his ballad about loneliness in the Metropolis, "The Streets of London", already a folk standard."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Heaven

"A jazz-rock group from Portsmouth.  With a line-up of two guitars, trumpet, drums, soprano and tenor saxist, an English version of Chicago but heavier.  Recorded one LP, then disappeared.

"During the act, a gigantic orange balloon filled with hydrogen broke loose from its mooring and rolled round the front of the stage area and out into the audience, causing amusement to the fans but consternation to the officials as it bumped into the power cables, bringing heaven or hell nearer!  Heaven played on regardless, and won over a largely apathetic crowd who were waiting for bigger names to appear"."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Free

"If Maria Callas ever wants coaching in dramatic gestures, she need go no further than Free's singer, Paul Rodgers, who carries on like Marcel Marceau with words.  And Paul Kossoff, good lead guitarist that he is earned the nickname "The Human Flycatcher" because his mouth was rarely less than wide open.  Free seemed to be a sort of teenybop underground group - never quite attaining the heights achieved by other new groups in their field but on the other hand never dissolving into pure bubblegum, though Paul Rodgers seemed to base a lot of his act on scream appeal which just isn't there on the Island.

The aptly named "Pony" was followed by "Woman" and then "The Stealer", being played for the first time on stage.  It turned out to be a slow blues number with outbursts of screaming and not at all bad.  "Baby Be My Friend" was a nice song with a good lead guitar solo during which Paul Rodgers freaks out ala Roger Chapman, and bass guitarist Andy Frazer rocks from side to side as he, in fact, does for most of the time.  "Mr Big" and "Fire and Water" led up to "The Hunter", with another very good guitar solo.  Their hit single "All Right Now" was greeted with a cheer and went down very well and for an encore, Free chose "Crossroads", pleasing a lot of Cream fans and angering others.

A recently released video includes three tracks from the lOW; "All Right Now", "Mr Big" and "Be My Friend".  Apart from some night-time Hendrix material, this is the first commercial release of footage from Murray Lerner's film; the mouth waters at the idea of more emerging.  It is professionally produced, in full colour and using at least four cameras.  Free are captured - playing in daylight, in the middle of the afternoon - both from the front and back, with a backdrop of a psychedelic lightshow behind, and the huge audience in front.  It is easy to see the VIP enclosure in front of the stage, with metal seats and then the mass of humanity behind.  In their first number, Kossof's solo is played over aerial film of the festival, the camp site and the downs.  Spectacular stuff.  The video notes claim that this was Free's best ever live performance, and - despite the rather grudging account above - who can deny it!"

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

"Free - heavy group turned bubblegum? Or just a heavy group with a hit single? Feelings about Free are mixed, though most people dig their music. "Has Free sold out?" screamed the musical press when they had a chart single - a question which the group very probably ignored at the time. But when Free turned up to Phun City and demanded all their bread in advance (something which the organisers simply couldn't provide at the time), and then split without playing, it was the turn of the underground press to ask whether the group might have sold out. A question which, once again, they ignored, and continued to play their own brand of white heavy music. In the crowd, a peace flag caught the edge of a brute during the night, sparking off a new kind of magic ... and the lights shone on."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"Rikki Farr announced at about 4pm that the Festival could never pay so to let everyone come in for nothing, and stop breaking down the fences.  "We only lost money, but we got together more than money can ever buy.  Go home with some peace", he said, then went into his daily round of getting everyone to join hands and stand up and do various things together, while strange Indian music played.  The crowd erupted.  They sang "Swing Low" and "Give Peace A Chance" as they threw the peace sign high in the air."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Donovan

"The first "free" music was provided by Donovan, who arrived on stage alone with an acoustic guitar.

"He was all alone in a gypsy waistcoat, white shirt, white pants inside knee length black boots, playing his acoustic guitar and harmonica (fixed before his mouth on a wire).  In his soft, wavery watery voice he charmed with "Catch the Wind", then his long tale about "Three Brothers" and the merry men drowned in the sea.  He got a jerky, distorted guitar sound from his voice.  A soft song, "Sailing Homeward", was well received, the pathetic sound of his voice coming over strongly.

For a novelty he had a trio of infant girls helping him with a novelty song about juvenile urination which had Joan Baez and others laughing, and then went into "Hurdy Gurdy Man", but had little response to his call to everyone to sing.  His song about the woman who swallowed all sorts of things amused and the good beat was welcome.  Donovan is a sort of modern scat singer, taking over from Ella Fitzgerald.

Sultry and sorrowful was "In the Garden of Truth", and then he gave advice to politicians and parsons in "Open Up Your Hearts".  And so his fascinating songs came and went, until he was doing his "Atlantis", and then his swinging "First There Is A Mountain".  For this he was joined by Open Road, John Carr on drums and bongos and Mike Thomson on electric bass and twelve string guitar.  Then "Whistle Train Blues", and, from his new LP, "A Poke at the Pope" and the one about the mongoose and "Mellow Yellow". He was very, very popular and a great favourite, after an hour of singing".

On "Catch The Wind" he unerringly succeeded in missing off the final consonants of each word, thus obtaining a vaguely Bolan-ish effect.  There was a distinct lack of adventure about the undertaking.  He said he was not happy with the set, and commented "When you're on your own, and you're used to a concert setting, it's difficult with all those people.  I thought it got better when Mike and John joined me - it was more complete then".

Donovan would have re-enacted his "saviour" role of Bath had John Sebastian not already done so a day earlier.  A good but overlong set."

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

"Donovan ... who appeared, unannounced and free, at the Bath Festival, was a top-billed performer here at the Isle of Wight. With the Open Road, he did a Sunday-afternoon set which surprised those who hadn't heard him at Bath, because as well as his acoustic, he used an electric guitar (for only the second time in public). Donovan has had a strange career, starting as an imitator of Dylan and evolving into a completely original artiste with his own special brand of gentlem, poetic music. From Mellow Yellow upwards and outwards, Donovan's music is a thoughtful mixture of words, ideas and melodies. He played to a crowd which was probably the biggest of the Festival up to that point ... a crowd building up to the Sunday night climax of Baez and Hendrix. Lovely.

Here's a really attractive shot, by Nic Barlow with his mighty Hasselblad, of Donovan with the kids who provided a chorus for some of his gentle Sunday afternoon set - well, the acoustic part was gentle, anyway."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"But Donovan's performance, outstanding though it was, wasn't the most important event of Sunday afternoon.  Something much more important happened on Sunday afternoon which changed the whole character, the whole feeling of the Isle of Wight Festival."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"The Isle of Wight comes alive ...

This was it. This - on Sunday afternoon - was the pivotal moment of the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival of music. When the Foulks brothers declared it a free festival.

It was Rickki Farr who told the crowds ... "We can't possibly break even now. So it's a free festival." And he gave the orders for the turnstiles to be taken down, for the ticket office to close.

The crowd erupted. They sang Swing Low and Give Peace a Chance. And they threw the peace sign high in the air.

Certain things had yet to happen before it all came together. The announcement was quite specifically directed at the hill people as well as the arena people. It was an invitation to them to come down and join everyone else in the arena ... it was a sign that the music was now being played because it was good business.

But it wasn't just the turnstiles that had to come down. A bit - just a bit - of the fence had to come down too. Not for any practical reasons, because the gates were open to all; but for theatrical reasons. The festival had not only to be free, it had to be seen to be free. So a bit - just a bit - of the fence came down, on the hill side of the arena.

Why did that have to happen, when the gates were open? Becaused the fence was still there, that's all. It was a piece of guerilla theatre, a symbolic action.

It was for the future, too. It's just not likely that there will be any more big, ticket-paying festivals. So few people have ever made money out of them that in economic terms it's just too bad a risk. Just say you're holding a pop festival and watch your credit rating disappear. If there are festivals in the future - and there must be festivals in the future, because they've become an important factor in our lifestyle - then they must be free to the people.

That's not to say that the bands should play for free, or that people should give their time and talent for free to organise events, or that local authorities and landowners should provide land and services free for festivals. It's just to say that someone else, apart from the people, should pay for festivals. It's up to the people who take so much out of the community - the big corporations who sell products to young people like records, soft drinks, clothes and so forth - to put some money back into the community. And even in the hardest capitalist terms, it couldn't be a bad thing for a few record companies to sponsor a festival - because they make more out of our scene than anyone.

Whatever the politics involved, though, everybody loved it. It was just amazing how much and how strongly the vibes changed. Up to then, the organisers had been regarded as a vaguely necessary evil. Now, we could start to love them.

Something else. I think at that point we really all learned the meaning of the peace sign - a symbol of our people in America. Two fingers held proudly in the air is no longer a rude gesture, nor a Churchillian leftover from World War 2. Now, here as among the rest of our people, it's a sign of brotherhood and love.

It was the people who made the Isle of Wight Festival free, in the end. All power to the people."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Pentangle

"They got off to an incredibly bad start. The sound was appalling in both balance and quality, and the consequent lack of detail definition reduced their output to sheer boredom.  They were also plagued by the anarchists, who diverted attention from the music by attempting to rip down the walls despite Farr's pronouncement.  A seemingly interminable wait, while John Renbourne tuned his sitar and Bert Jansch did the same to his banjo, scarcely brought them favour either.  But the lovely "Light Flight" brought the audience back, and from there on out they went from strength to strength, producing delightful versions of two old favourites, "Bruton Town" and "Pentangling"."

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

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Moody Blues

"Whether roaring away on "Ride My Seesaw" or taking it nice and easy on Mike Pinder's "Melancholy Man", the Moodies reached the heights.  "Sunset", from the Days of Future Past album was really slow with a super flute passage from Ray Thomas and some atmospheric mellotron playing by Mike Pinder.  The truly beautiful "Tuesday Afternoon" with its vocal harmonies and "Never Comes The Day" with its switch of tempo in mid-stride were both good, while performed the way it was, "Question" became an even better and more complex song; its lyrics took on a new meaning.  "Melancholy Man" began acoustically then in came a chorus and a plodding drum beat - one of the gloomiest and at the same time most exhilara ting songs around.  The band dedicated the song to compere Rikki Farr.  "Have You Heard" and the classic "Nights in White Satin" also stood out in a set which provoked warm applause.

Their act ran to four encores, and drew one of the few standing ovations of the weekend.  An (unintentionally) comic highlight was Graham Edge's recitation of his poem "The Dream" in a flat, expressionless Brummy accent."

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

"The Moody Blues did an unusual thing for the Moody Blues. No, it wasn't that they did an outstanding set - it was that they did an encore, which is an unusual thing for the Moody Blues."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Jethro Tull

"Ian Anderson gave one of the finest individual performances of the entire five days, and Jethro Tull emerged triumphant as one of the most entertaining and productive of all the bands.  Ian appeared with beautiful long hair, especially washed for the occasion, a pair of natty long yellow combinations and a smart dressing gown with half the tails missing.  Cocking his knee, grimacing, leaping, screaming, muttering, gibbering, sneezing, he looked like a brilliant but demented 18th century German music master.  His attitude to the mighty festival was also refreshing, "It's like the Marquee, except bigger.  Break down a fence and win a plastic bowl", he muttered as they began to play "My God".  One of the greatest assets of Tull proved to be gifted piano player John Evan on "With You There To Help Me", based on Beethoven's 'Symphonie Pathetique'.  Throughout John's piano solo, the flute player tried to upstage him.  Comedy and the classics proved an interesting new form of mixed media.  When Ian wasn't amazing us with his flute, which leapt from the explosive to the beautiful, there was also the fine guitar of Martin Barre, and some brilliant drumming by Clive Bunker to enjoy.

Their first appearance in England for nearly a year.  A bootleg tape in circulation comprises "To Cry You a Song", "Bouree", "Dharma for One", "Nothing is Easy", "We Used To Know", "For A Thousand Mothers", "My Sunday Feeling", "My God" and "With You To Help Me".  "Woodwind jazz-rock" of the utmost excitement."

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

"This man's name is not Jethro Tull it is Ian Anderson and what he does is play a flute and sing and jump about and generally freak the freaks out for a group called Jethro Tull.  Well, he did here at the Isle of Wight, anyway."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      A New Day Yesterday - The 25th Anniversary Collection, 1969 to 1994 - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Jimi Hendrix

"There was a nerve-racking delay of 90 minutes before his appearance.

"Yes, it has been a long time, hasn't it?" said a cool, casual but seemingly happy Jimi Hendrix, as he took the stage.  Shortly after an undistinguished opener featuring the collapsible version of our National Anthem and "Sgt Pepper", he stopped to the merest ripple of uncertain applause.  "Oh dear", one thought, wriggling to combat creeping cramp, the curse of the open-air bash. &n But it was nice to see him again, even if the sound was terrible.  Clad in an orange suit, with the now familiar short hair-style, he looked fine, and seemed determined to play, no matter what.  Billy Cox proved a good bassman, but Mitch Mitchell, long a favourite drummer, was disappointing.  He was hampered by a distorted PA and his playing seemed somewhat stiff, which may have been due to the chill night air.  At the end of another number there was no applause at all.  In the darkness some 600,000 souls sat in total silence.  The trio, no longer an Experience, were obviously under rehearsed and relying on magic and miracles.  "All along the Watchtower" came and went, then Jimi in his disarming hip style dedicated a number to soldiers... "to all the skinheads fighting in Birmingham - uh, and all the soldiers in Vietnam, I almost forgot, so many wars going on ..."  It was the sheer artistry and credibility of Hendrix's blues power that began to turn the tide from disaster.  Around midnight Mitch played a drum solo which began with Elvin phrases and ended with Baker statements.  It was inconclusive and didn't really help matters. There was no reaction.

"Okay, we'll start all over again", said Jimi.  "Hello, England".  Suddenly, there was life on stage, and the band caught our attention again.  And jimi proved why he is one of the all-time greats, to coin a phrase, by some superb blues playing and singing on the ever popular "Red House", still one of his best numbers.  All it needs is some nice new songs, a rehearsal, and bingo - life is easier for all! As it happened, the miracle and magic worked towards the end of his two hour set, with the air of a medley of hits."

"Their first appearance in England since Billy Cox joined as Noel Redding's replacement on bass guitar.  His version of "God Save The Queen" - which hardly anyone recognised - was a counterpart to his electronic demolishing of the "Star Spangled Banner", which proved such a hit at Woodstock.

Within three weeks, Hendrix was dead - on 18th September 1970 - just as his music seemed to be entering a new maturity and it was being rumoured that he would re-form the original Experience.  He was as central to the development of rock music as a definitive art form as Louis Armstrong was to the history of jazz.  Perhaps in recognition of this, the ivory coloured Fender Strat he played at the lOW has just been sold at auction for £180,000.  Like Dylan and John Lennon, Hendrix remains central to the cultural identity of the late 20th century.

Joe Boyd's film "Jimi Hendrix" contains footage of three lOW performances; "Machine Gun", "In From The Storm" and "Red House"; his Isle of Wight LP adds ferocious versions of "Midnight Lightning", "Foxey Lady", "Lover Man", "Freedom" and a definitive "All Along the Watchtower".  The "cat with the silver face" to whom Hendrix refers on this LP was apparently Nick Turner of Hawkwind, who was watching from the artists' enclosure near the front - despite having played outside the gates earlier, as a protest about the commercial nature of the Festival!

"

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

"Jimi Hendrix (wow). Last time we were aware of Jimi Hendrix was when he appeared at the Fillmore East in New York with his new Band of Gypsies, on New Year's Eve 1969. (Lest you should think that an unforgiveable piece of place-dropping I should point out that the awareness of that performance is due to the record of it which has just been released. I was watching Guy Lombardo on New Year's Eve, just like any other good American).

And then, of course, there was that amazing Star Spangled Banner bit in the Woodstock movie - you remember, before he got into Purple Haze. (I suppose you do know it was the Star Spangled Banner - the American national anthem? U.S. readers kindly ignore the preceding sentence)."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival - CD
      Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival - DVD
      Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival - Video
      Hendrix Live at the Isle Of Wight 1970 - Video
      Isle of Wight - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"A poignant moment occurred on Sunday night, when Jeff Dexter strolled to the mike and said "There's something I want to tell you".  Pregnant pause.  "Er, the stage is on fire".  This caused great merriment from the crowd.  A firework, part of the evening's entertainment, had performed rather more enthusiastically than expected, and overspilled to the roof of the stage.  "In the cold and desolation of two o'clock Monday morning, it was eerily warming and comforting.  There was no fear, no panic.  Maybe it would all just go up in flames.  And be done with"."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Joan Baez

"The finest folk singer in the world faced a hard job following the Hendrix noise, but her opening "Let It Be", so meaningful under the circumstances, and her marvellous stage personality won the battle after just one number.  Standouts from her extensive repertoire were "Joe Hill", "Farewell Angelina", "Oh Happy Day", "Blowing in the Wind", "Suzanne", "I Shall Be Released", "The Night That drove old Dixie Down" and "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz".  "She also charmed with Spanish songs and a haunting Italian ditty, "Te Ador".  Her confidence made everybody forget the cold, and demand encores - she was in complete command, and the audience took to her warmly".

By this time, she was more of a personality than a folk singer, but she certainly established rapport with her audience; talking about her husband David in prison and her new baby.  Baez was best when she sang unaccompanied, half a million people quietly listening to her a capella version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".  And she was surprisingly funny.

"No I'm not getting £30,000, or whatever, for this one and I'm not living on some luxury yacht.  Leonard Cohen and I are living in a nice little hotel around here, with breakfast at a quarter to nine".  Not being Joni Mitchell, this last remark raised not one snigger."

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

"One of the musical trade papers, in its review of the Isle of Wight, accused Joan Baez of not being a musician any more; "she is more of a personality, devoted to causes with a capital C"

Now I don't want to get into an argument with Chris Welch, partly because he's quite a lot bigger than me, and partly because he is A Journalist, and journalists Are Never Wrong. But what, for heaven's sake, is our music all about?"

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Leonard Cohen

"He followed Baez, his suicidal songs not helping the now depressed audience.  He scored with "Ladies of the Night", though his style was too tame for such a vast crowd, more so in view of the rain on Monday morning".

"My own memories are quite the reverse; after all the excitement and weariness, Cohen was the perfect antidote, as relaxing as a cup of Horlkicks.  His backing band - especially the two girl singers - were quite magical, not least on "Lady Midnight", one of his most melodic, caressing songs.  In a now outworn ritual, he requested everyone to light a match, and thousands of tiny flames illuminated Afton Down like a giant Christmas tree."

"Cohen was a little nervous about the lOW festival.  "There are so many people on, and so many that I want to see.  I'm not a top rank star you see, no I'm not a top-ranker"."

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

"Leonard Cohen came on very late on Sunday night/Monday morning and did a gentle, relaxed, musicianly set which those who were not already waiting on line for the Southern Vectis buses to Ryde received with high acclaim"

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Recordings:
      Featured on: The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Vinyl LP
      Featured on: Message To Love - CD
      Featured on: Message To Love - DVD
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video
      Featured on: Message To Love - Video Disc

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Richie Havens

"It fell to Richie Havens - who had opened Woodstock and preceded Dylan at Wootton - to make the final exit of the "final festival".

"Havens, with his long-time guitarist Paul Williams playing as brilliantly as ever, went through a mostly familiar set in which he successfully recreated the excitement of his Woodstock rendition of the "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child/Freedom" thing, and he ended on a high note with a "Hare Krishna" mantra."

He played "Here Comes the Sun" as the sun rose.  Charles Everest, whenever about to photograph him, recalls that Havens turned his head to show off his impressive profile!

"His gutsy crooning softened the dawn.  He sang "Freedom" with poignant power that raised the survivors of the Festival on tiptoe.  With thunderous applause, they brought him back to do "Run, Shaker, Life" and he sent them home"."

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

"... Richie Havens who came on so late on Sunday night/Monday morning that thousands of people simply missed him. A shame, because his exciting blues/rock music is just what the doctor ordered. Richie sings Freedom, and that's nice."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Hawkwind

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

The Pink Fairies

Refer to:

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"That was the 1970 lOW Festival, it was announced "You've all been beautiful.  Even those who tore down the fences"."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

Continuity

Jeff Dexter & Rikki Farr

"Rikki Farr, together with Jeff Dexter actually held the whole show together in terms of continuity. Being disk jockeys by profession and training, they both had the facility to chat away at great speed - often about nothing - and to choose records to suit the mood of the crowd ... something they did with success most of the time. It's a difficult job, and they did it well - especially the messages and the cris de coeur, which they read out sometimes with the nonchalance of the telegram operator who delivers catastrophic news for a living, and sometimes with the speedy freneticism of the pirate radio newscaster who'd rather be playing a jingle."

from Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

"The stage had been abandoned to Jeff Dexter, following Farr's last freak out, inspired by the onstage appearance of the Rev'd Robert Bowyer.  The priest, co-ordinator of the voluntary welfare services, had intended to outline a plan for broke kids stranded on the Island.  Fiery Creations had agreed to provide them with enough work site-clearing to earn food and fare money, and the Rev'd Bowyer wanted to tell the kids to meet in front of the stage after the festival had closed.  He met catcalls and boos which provoked Farr to storm off the stage after yet another tirade that ended "To all the good kids who came here I say goodbye.  To the rest of you, go to hell".

Midnight Sunday, Ray Foulk paced through the loose dirt behind the stage, his eyes empty, his mouth trembling.  His Brylcreemed hair was starting to coagulate into lumps, his thin tie to unknot.  "I've lost", he snarled with quaking voice, "faith in everything".

As the light came into the sky, and the music ended, the weather changed with symbolic abruptnes.  The sun which had beaten down for three days vanished, replaced by a biting wind and a cold intermittent drizzle, to make the business of going home that much more unpleasant.  What could have been a pilgrimage ended with shivers and sneezes, but much good humour remained to console the retreating fans.

"I walked down into Freshwater, munching some windfall apples.  The residents were all friendly - it took all day to get the bus back to Ryde; people didn't care about the rain or the queues.  A man in a little grocery store said that it was the best time ever on the Island.  Everyone was nice to each other.  One girl danced topless, amid a general consensus that she should cover up.  he stalls were mainly junk food and tie-die shops and record stalls.  Jeff Dexter played the Airplane's "We Can Be Together" and Fairport's "Jigs and Reels", which resulted in a massive square dance."

And so the "Last Great Event" came to its gentle, weary conclusion.  It had been a great battle - confusing, epic, full of sudden shafts of tragedy and light relief, as the generals flew off in helicopters to their luxury hotels and the foot soldiers returned to their humble tents, and appalling latrines.

My own abiding memory is watching one poor unfortunate fall into the slit trench which served as a mass open-air commode, that and a great feeling of excitement, exhaustion and fellow feeling.  Society was more of a garden, less of a jungle, in those far-off days.

May they return soon."

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

Top of Page
Return to Home Page

FURTHER READING

Isle of Wight 1970 - The Last Great Festival
      A Picture Record by Rod Allen
      Pub: Clipper Press, London - 1970

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

Magog
      A Novel by Andrew Sinclair
      Pub: Weidenfeld & Nicholson - 1972
      The final scenes (pp 319-328) take place at the Festival.

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

The Last Great Event - Daily Telegraph Magazine 30.12.1970 pp 18-26
      by Anthony Haden-Guest

The Road Goes On Forever
      by Philip Norman
      Pub: Elm Tree - 1972
      pp 258-269 "The Foulk Brothers; Pop Promoting Blues"

COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE RECORDINGS

Vinyl 45s:
    I Luv Wight - Let The World Wash In/Mediaeval Masquerade
    The Great Awakening - Amazing Grace/Silver Waterfall

Vinyl LPs:
    The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Isle of Wight/Atlanta Pop Festival
    Leonard Cohen - Live Songs
    Jimi Hendrix - Isle of Wight
    Jimi Hendrix - Live
    Taste - Live at the Isle Of Wight
    The Who - Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

CDs:
    The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Isle of Wight/Atlanta Pop Festival
    Message To Love - The Isle of Wight Festival - The Movie
    Leonard Cohen - Live Songs
    Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
    Family - Strange Band  [1 track]
    Jimi Hendrix - Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival
    Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child - The Jimi Hendrix Collection
    Taste - Live at the Isle Of Wight
    Ten Years After - Watt
    The Who - Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

DVDs:
    Message To Love - The Isle of Wight Festival - The Movie
    The Doors - 30 Years Commemorative Edition  [1 bonus track]
    Jimi Hendrix - Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival
    Jethro Tull - A New Day Yesterday - The 25th Anniversary Collection, 1969 - 1994
    The Who - 30 Years Of Maximum R&B Live
    The Who - Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

Videos:
    Message To Love - The Isle of Wight Festival - The Movie
    Jimi Hendrix - Live at the Isle Of Wight 1970
    Jimi Hendrix - Blue Wild Angel - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival
    The Who - Listening To You - Live At The Isle of Wight Festival 1970

Video Discs:
    Message To Love - The Isle of Wight Festival - The Movie

Laserdiscs:
    Message To Love - Isle of Wight Festival 1970

"UNOFFICIAL" RECORDINGS

Note:  The publishing of the following list implies neither endorsement nor encouragement of the circulation of bootleg recordings.  The list appears here simply for the sake of thoroughness and for the express purpose of academic research.  The list has been compiled from sources found on the Internet.  No illicit recordings are in the possession of the author.

This section will be added when the information has been compiled.

LINKS to other sites on the Web

Isle of Wight Festival 2004

FANTASTIC Panoramic Photo August 30 1970

Malc's Isle of Wight Website

Isle of Wight Rock

BUY Isle of Wight Festival STUFF

Top of Page
Return to Home Page