There is no doubt in my mind that the period of 1967 – 1973 was probably the most important ever in the history of British rock music with bands exploding with new ideas and styles, understanding that the only limits were their own desire and musical ability. It was also the birthplace of the outdoor music festival, with the Bath Festivals of Blues and Progressive Music held in 1969 and 1970 being an incredibly important inspiration for those which followed. Freddy and Wendy Banister had been putting on regular shows at Bath Pavilion from 1963 onwards, featuring bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac etc. Early in 1969 they were approached by the Bath Festival Society about putting on a festival for 4-5,000 “young people of bath”. It was so successful that more than 30,000 turned up, so the following year they moved to the rather larger Royal & Bath Showground, but after more than 150,000 attended they were never invited back! What we have here is a 50th Anniversary boxed set which attempts to capture the times and music of those two festivals, which it does in an exemplary manner.

Here we have a triple CD set, lovingly presented in a white satin enclosure, along with a reproduction 1969 program, a reproduction 1970 program. A3 posters for both events, a 16-page anniversary event, reproduction flyers, photos and a CD booklet. It is possible to purchase this as the CD only, but to be honest that sort of misses the point of this release which is a wonderful celebration. My only criticism is that having only 3 CDs is just not enough, and I want so much more! What we get is Ten Years After (2 songs), Blodwyn Pig (2), Taste (1), Colosseum (1), Fleetwood Mac (3), The Nice (2), Donovan (1 – yes that one), Steppenwolf (2), Johnny Winters (4), The Byrds (8), John Mayall (2), Canned Heat (2), Frank Zappa & The Mothers (1), Country Joe (3), Santana (2) and It’s a Beautiful Day (1). The list of bands NOT included is like a who’s who of rock, including Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Chicken Shack, Fairport Convention, Hot Tuna, Dr. John and The Moody Blues (plus many more). Now, anyone expecting incredible sound needs to think again, as this is what I would call a good quality audience recording which has been remastered. When I first started playing this I was quite surprised as I expected high quality sound, and hearing voices from the audience was not what I expected, nor the somewhat muddied guitars. However, I soon got past that and fell headlong into the world of outdoor music. We have all been at festivals where someone close to us is having a conversation, or the sound is swirling a little in the wind, yet we have still been transfixed by what we see and hear.

I may not be able to see Rory Gallagher tearing it up, or Peter Green (who appears not only with his own band but also with John Mayall), but I can hear them go and then there is all this material to read through and digest. There is hours of reading material here, and it is an invaluable time machine. There are some wonderful flyers, and at Bath Pavilion on Feb 20th (which was a Monday) for the princely sum of 5/- we could see The Jimi Hendrix Experience, while a week later we could see Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band and the week after that it was “America’s most exciting new personality, Keith” (no, I have no idea who that is either). Let’s put that in context, according to the government national archives conversion chart, 5 shillings in 1970 was worth £3.52 in 2017, so probably about £4 today. I don’t know about you, but I think that is a pretty good deal to see Hendrix in his prime.

The more I listen the more there is to hear, and the more I read the most I get taken into the depths of the festival and what it must have been like. HIghlights are literally too many to mention, but John Mayall with a stunning band featuring Peter Green, Rod Mayall, Aynsley Dunbar and Ric Grech is something very special indeed. This is one heck of a release, and while expensive, to my mind is worth every single cent. If you love the music of the late Sixties/early Seventies, then this is essential.

Rating: 10/10

Track list:
– Disc 1 –
1 Woke Up This Morning – Ten Years After
2 Good Morning Little Schoolgirl – Ten Years After
3 Ain’t Ya Comin’ Home – Blodwyn Pig
4 Cats Squirrel – Blodwyn Pig
5 Same Old Story – Taste
6 Walking in the Park – Colloseum
7 Blues Jam – Fleetwood Mac (Incl. Peter Green)
8 Red Hot Mama – Fleetwood Mac (Incl. Peter Green)
9 Karelia Suite – the Nice
10 She Belongs to Me – the Nice

– Disc 2 –
1 Mellow Yellow – Donovan
2 Snookie – Steppenwolf
3 Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
4 Guess I’ll Go Away – Johnny Winter
5 Johnny B Goode – Johnny Winter
6 Have You Ever Been Mistreated – Johnny Winter
7 Rock & Roll Star – the Byrds
8 Bugler / Black Mountain Rag – the Byrds
9 Mr Tambourine Man – the Byrds
10 Pretty Boy Floyd – the Byrds
11 Antique Sandy – the Byrds
12 You Ain’t Going Nowhere – the Byrds
13 Baby Do You Want Me to Do – the Byrds

– Disc 3 –
1 It Might As Well Be Raining – John Mayall
2 Crazy Woman – John Mayall
3 Reefer Blues – Canned Heat
4 Something’s Gotta Go – Canned Heat
5 Mom and Dad – Frank Zappa
6 Silver and Gold – Country Joe
7 Martha Lorraine – Country Joe
8 Fixing to Die Rag – Country Joe
9 Black Magic Woman – Santana
10 Incl. Ident at Neshabar – Santana
11 White Bird – It’s A Beautiful Day

Links:
https://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/products/50th-anniversary-of-the-bath-festival-box-set