WOOD STOCK

“I remember flying in on the helicopter, looking down at all the people thinking, “Oh my god, it’s like a single living organism. An ocean of hair and teeth and eyes and arms!” The sound of the crowd was so loud you could hear it over the sound of the helicopter engine” - Carlos

Santana

Baron Wolman was Rolling Stone magazine’s first photographer. In 1969 he attended what would become the most famous music festival of all time. This June, Reel Art Press releases Woodstock, a sumptuous hardback edition featuring Wolman’s stunning photographs, published here in their entirety for the first time, alongside the worldwide launch and an exhibition in London in June.

What started as a free event advertised for 50,000, would become the most important music festival in history, attended by over half a million people, united in a message of peace, love, openness and cultural expression.

Woodstock was a defining moment for the wider counter-culture generation. “ ” comments Wolman. “Yes, the bands were first rate and there were many of them. And the setting … was picture perfect and tranquil, a bucolic setting for relaxing with friends and listening to music and getting high. But in unexpected ways, Woodstock became more than a concert for all of us.”

Wolman captured the experience and atmosphere of Woodstock like no other photographer:

“I ended up spending most of my time out in the wild with the crowd because what was happening ‘out there’ was just too interesting not to explore.”

More interested in the crowd than the performers, his photographs are hugely evocative and offer an insight into this legendary event that is rarely seen. “The thing to remember about the 1960s, even near the end in ‘69 was that everything was totally different, the behavior was new and unexpected. Plus, the 1960s were simply wildly photogenic in every way imaginable ... the changes that were taking place in the heads of the people were visually manifested. I mean, how could you not take pictures?”

This definitive photographic essay is introduced with a foreword by musician Carlos Santana and features an extensive Q&A with Baron Wolman and Woodstock creator, Michael Lang, who share their personal experiences of Woodstock; intimate stories, anecdotes and stand-out performances. This remarkable volume also includes Wolman’s contact sheets in their entirety, including outtakes. As contributor Dave Brolan comments, “It is a rare and fascinating treat when photographers allow us to see their contact sheets; imagine writers publishing their notes and ideas alongside the finished text. … What is remarkable about this selection of contact sheets is that almost every frame is as good as the next, and we get to see Woodstock exactly as Baron saw it, every single unbelievable moment ...” 2014 marks the 45th anniversary of Woodstock. This 192-page hardback edition from Reel Art Press perfectly captures the zeitgeist, the music, the drugs, the people, the sheer hedonism; the enduring legacy of the most famous festival ever. Not to be missed. The accompanying exhibition will feature highlights from the book, plus signed, limited edition prints by Baron Wolman, who will attend the UK opening and will take part in a Q&A alongside Michael Lang to kick off the exhibition l available £29.95 www.reelartpress.com also available as a limited edition version