Woodstock Festival / New Canaan H.S 1969

The original Woodstock festival launched the career of quite a few artists -- namely Santana and Joe Cocker -- who seemed to go from obscurity to the top of the charts in the blink of an eye, thanks to show-stopping performances. Another group that also used Woodstock as a launching pad for its career, but is often overlooked when discussing the legendary multi-day festival from 1969, is Cream-worshippers Mountain. As part of the group's ongoing Official Bootleg Series, 2005 saw the release of volume seven of the series, which showcases Mountain's Woodstock performance. Think of a recording that is on par with a cleaned-up bootleg, and you're not far off from the sound quality here. But as a historical document for the hardcore Mountain/Leslie West fan, it's a must-have, as such Mountain classics as "For Yasgur's Farm" (titled "Who Am I But You and the Sun" here) and a gorgeous reading of "Theme for an Imaginary Western" are featured. Also rounding out the release is a performance from a month after Woodstock, at New Canaan High School in Connecticut. While the bootleg quality may deter the casual fan, the band is at an early peak throughout both performances -- before drugs and indulgent soloing led to the group's downfall. ~ Greg Prato|