International Breaks

International breaks. Normally, they’re about as welcome as a fart in a lift (which is wrong on so many levels… 🙂 )… But, this one just might come at a good time for our lads. We’ll see.

With just under two weeks until proper football starts again here’s a little musical interlude to help take your mind off time passing by so slowly (especially for those of us with little or no nationalistic football tendencies.

In 1969 a music festival took place in the USA, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people, who gathered to see a star-studded line up of World class artists.

If I stopped right now and asked people which festival do they think I’m on about, it’s a fair bet that the majority would guess that it’s ‘Woodstock’, probably the most iconic and famous music festival of all time. Woodstock does indeed fit that description, but that’s not my focus here.

Approx. 80 miles SE from the site of the ‘Woodstock Festival of Peace & Love’, is Harlem NYC and, in the Summer of 1969, a music festival took place there that has largely gone unnoticed (especially when compared to Woodstock) even though it was attended by over 30,000 people.

The Harlem Cultural Festival was held, funnily enough, in Harlem and was a series of free concerts, with an overall theme of celebrating ‘Black Pride’. There’s no intention here to nose dive into the political and cultural aspects of the US in the late 1960s and people can make up their own minds why this festival labelled the ‘Black Woodstock’ would go relatively unnoticed….but, there might be a clue as to why, in what it was celebrating….Though that’s a whole other (and massive) topic in itself…..Here’s a section from a website listing the ‘significant’ music events of 1969…

Significant Live Music Events in 1969

Woodstock attracts more than 350,000 rock-n-roll fans, Atlanta International Pop Festival on 4th July attracts 100,000 fans, Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000

More Information and Timeline For Significant Music Events in 1969

1. January 30th The Beatles, with Billy Preston, gave their final live performance on the roof of the Apple building in London, England, the live performance was an impromptu event that ran for 42 minutes featuring Get Back, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Don’t Let Me Down, I’ve Got A Feeling, One After 909, Danny Boy, Dig A Pony, God Save The Queen and A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody later featured as the climax of their Let It Be film

2. March 25th to March 31st Following The Marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on March 20th in Gibralta they hold a week-long Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel inviting the world’s press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m

3. July 4th. Atlanta International Pop Festival attracted an audience of approximately 100,000 to watch 16 performers including Janis Joplin, Johnny Rivers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sweetwater and Led Zeppelin

4. August 15 to 18th The Woodstock Festival attracted an audience of approximately 500,000 to watch 35 performers including Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix at White Lake, New York, U.S.A.

5. August 30th and 31st Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 to watch 26 performers including Bob Dylan, The Who, Blonde On Blonde, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and Free at Wootton, Isle Of Wight, England

6. September 13th Toronto Rock and Roll Revival attracted an audience of approximately 20,000 to watch 20 performers including Chicago, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Doug Kershaw and The Doors, Screaming Lord Sutch and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band at at Varsity Stadium, of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

7. December 6th Altamont Speedway Free Festival attracted an audience of approximately 300,000 to watch 10 performers including The Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Altamont Speedway, California, U.S.A. The concert is best known for having been marred by considerable violence caused by alcohol and drugs including by the Hells Angels motorcycle club who were used for security round the stage.

Source: The people history.com

But whatever the reasons it sure wasn’t down to the quality of the performers: B B King, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys knight (and her pips), Hugh Masekela, Sly and the Family Stone (& many others)…. And now, at last, a documentary about this festival has been released called ‘Summer of Soul (….or when the Revolution Could Not be Televised)’

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11422728/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

All I can say, is that this is a fantastic piece of film making, the music is amazing & it’s well worth checking out.  I saw it on a free streaming website……………….

https://123-movies.gy/movie/summer-of-soul-or-when-the-revolution-could-not-be-televised-70561

Short Trailer:

Some other music documentaries that might be worth checking out with an IMDb link for further details…

Fandango At the Wall https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11278140/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 Fantastic documentary, with some amazing Mexican music, set mainly around the US/Mexican border

Count me in https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6889042/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4 Basically…..Drummers talking about other drummers. But don’t let that put you off. Some great clips of Keith Moon, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, John Bonham etc etc. As has been said a band is only as good as it’s drummer.

The velvet Underground. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7230750/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 It does exactly what it says on the tin.

And…One of my all time favourites…..Standing in the Shadows of Motown. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314725/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2 The musicians behind the Motown sound ….The Funk Brothers. A relatively unknown group of artists who as far as the UK/US goes has performed on more Number 1 singles than Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys….combined

I’ve probably mentioned this one before but who cares? It’s brilliant and is currently available on You Tube…

I hope there’s something here to satisfy everybody’s musical taste and maybe some of you have seen a good music film/documentary that you think others might like…?