Barney Hoskyns is the rock fan's critic: accessible, humorous, and, in my case, loving the same bands as me. He’s written about ten books, the most recent a Steely Dan anthology. His book on The Band, Across The Great Divide, was an intimate look at the five members and the major consequences of Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan's weaving in and out of their story. This one came about because Hoskyns lived in Woodstock in the late ‘90s as a music critic for MOJO Magazine. It takes a broad look at the town itself, a haven for folk artists and visual artists initially, and then colonized by Dylan manager Albert Grossman, a Svengali-Harvey-Weinstein-ish figure who also, for short periods of time, controlled the careers of Janis Joplin, The Band, Foghat (!), Paul Butterfield, and Todd Rundgren. Musicians such as Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Tim Hardin. Other artists - Happy and Artie Traum, Mike Bloomfield, Jesse Winchester, Ellen McIlwaine, and Maria Muldaur - also bought homes and became part of the coffeehouse-bar-recording studio rondele. Hoskyns has great appreciation and empathy for his subjects, especially for those brought to ground by their addictions, and tells his story well until it peters out with minor artists with little success at the book's end, where the death of Levon Helm of The Band and the passing of his Rambles, the renowned jam gatherings, pares Woodstock down to isolated introverts avoiding the tourists who still trickle in, searching for remnants of the Dylan days of glory. ( )

The social atmosphere of Woodstock, New York in the sixties was the antithesis of San Francisco, California. Where San Francisco had Haight-Ashbury, with its influx of hippies, acid trips, and psychedelic rock, Woodstock had folk musicians with acoustic guitars, searching for solitude and solace. Woodstock also holds the mystique of its association with the Woodstock musical festival, even though the actual connection between the place and the event is tenuous at best. I've long been fascinated by the sixties movement, both culturally and musically, and so this book appealed to me on many levels.

The material is meticulously researched, and its clear that the author has a special affinity for this town. For me, though, the reading experience is too weighed down in details. I simply didn't find every aspect of the town's history as captivating as the author clearly does. The first third of the book drags. I found myself continually putting the book down, eventually forcing myself to get back to it. We learn things like the exact addresses of many of the people living there early on, which is meaningless information to those of us unfamiliar with those homes and streets.

The middle of the book is more interesting, as we get into the heart of the cultural and musical icons, their lives in Woodstock, and their connections to one another. We spend a lot of time on Dylan, of course, since he and Woodstock are forever interwoven. We also spend a lot of time learning about Albert Grossman, the manager of many big name musicians back then, who more or less ruled over Woodstock.

For me, the book is bogged down with a lot of detail that simply didn't hold my interest. That being said, it is well written and offers some great insight into life in this idyllic town for a handful of cultural icons. ( )

A fascinating historical account of the small town of Woodstock in the Catskills, which was to become the most famous musical festival town on the planet.
From the American Revolution to the heyday of Bob Dylan et al, it's a walk down memory lane for anyone who is a fan of this music like me. ( )

A fascinating historical account of the small town of Woodstock in the Catskills which was to become the most famous music town on the planet.
From the American Revolution to the heyday of Bob Dylan et al, it's a walk down memory lane for anyone who is a fan of this music like me.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Perseus Books Group, Da Capo Press, via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )