CRYSTAL PALACE GARDEN PARTY 3. June 3rd 1972. Richie Havens Sha Na Na  Melanie.  Beach Boys  Joe Cocker and the  Chris Stainton All Stars.

The programme states that the show was filmed for the  US TV Network NBC and would be shown on 18th July .Audio was recorded on the Rolling Stones mobile recording unit .If this went ahead, are there copies of the tape out there somewhere ?.    Melody Maker of May 72 stated   The Beach Boys will complete the bill at the first Crystal Palace concert this summer on June 3rd and the Rolling Stones mobile recording studio is to be used to mix the sound. Already booked are Richie Havens Sha Na Na and Melanie, who will be making the Crystal Place her only live performance during her short stay in the country.  "We are hoping to get the best ever sound at an outdoor event by setting up the Stones mobile unit "Mike Alfandary of John Smith promotions told the MM this week." Jim Marshall is building a new JBL -Lancing PA system specially for the event , so combined with Ian Stewart , the Stones sound man on the mobile ,we should have studio quality sound at the volume sufficient to reach even the most distant factions of the audience ."

Alfandary has plans to stage a medieval pageant during the concert . Further details to be announced later.  The venue holds 15,000 and tickets at one pound 75 pence are on sale ,they cost two pounds on the day. 

    Steve Thomas writes
Went to visit an old mate this morning and have a good chinwag about the festivals that we attended the first one we talked about was Crystal Palace 72 beach boys etc.

            What we can remember was the lack of any atmosphere, nobody was really looking that happy, in fact some of them down right fucking miserable, we have put this down to it been mostly the London crowd, and the weather was cold for that time of year, plus there was one humdinger of a thunder storm brewing up, Richie Havens if I remember did a excellent gig (in fact he blew me away, when he did his version of "God bless the child who's got his own") and started to get the crowd together, Melanie did her usual excellent gig, but half way though it they (stage engineers) turned off the power due to the thunder storm hanging around the Crystal Palace area , she did her best to carry on without any power but in the end the crowd  started to shout that they could not hear her, and so they put the power back on  and she finished her set,( brave woman).

The Beach Boys did not go down that well, you cannot sing about surfing and the sunshine, when the weather was fucking cold and raining, and I think they just wanted to do their gig and get out of there before someone on stage got fried or lit up like a Christmas tree, next was the star of the show Joe Cocker, it was now getting dark, and raining heavy when Joe went onto the stage, he soon got the crowd rocking and rolling even if most of them felt like shit due to the weather, in fact there was quite a good atmosphere going on by now, I think this was due to posers and the I want to be notice freaks pissing off and leaving the die hard music freaks to brave the elements and enjoy them selves. Then the storm started to brew up quite heavy again and the power started to go off and on at intermittent times again but Joe kept on like a good professional he is, I was at the front of the stage for about half the gig and then decided to go up to the top of the hill and have a look down on the bowl .

        It turned out to be an excellent choice and I will try to explain it to you why, you have to imagine it because it was dark, raining cats & dogs and the only lights about were the vast array of different coloured lights coming off the stage. Then just as Joe was singing ("She came in though the bathroom window") a massive fork lightening bolt went to earth just behind the stage, lighting up the bowl and the audience alike and seemed to hang about for ages, it was brilliant and the best lighting show I've  ever seen and it was all natural. Mind you I don't think every body saw it my way, I think it put the shits up quite a few people. So in my mind Joe did a brilliant gig in sound and sight that day.

        What else is there to say, well I remember that there was a very low presence of our friends the police or if they were there they must have been in plain clothes, cannot say if there were any busts , I never saw any.

  All in all not a bad out at all. 

    A number of photos of the artists who performed at this Garden Party seen from a backstage perspective can be seen here
 
 

Melanies set list Some Day I’ll Be a Farmer Beautiful People Ring the Living Bell What Have They Done to My Song Ma Bitter Bad Peace Will Come Psychotherapy Together Alone audience tape : quality fair. Thanks to Brian for this info

CRYSTAL PALACE GARDEN PARTY- 4.

July 29th 72  Arlo Guthrie. Osibisa, Stone the Crows, Edgar Winter , Roxy Music, Loggins and Messina . (compere - Pete Drummond ) From the NME.      THE SUN KING made a welcome appearance over the weekend at Crystal Palace on Saturday. With 6,000 tickets sold in advance the weather proved to be a prime factor for the thousands who bought their tickets on the day", and the organisation was extremely orderly. The only downer was the fact that the audience and artists were separated by a body of water which brought a slight, communication delay as well as making the crowd squint to see the on stage activity.

CRYSTAL PALACE GARDEN PARTY- 5.
September 2nd 1972.
Yes, Lindisfarne ,Capability Brown , Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gary Wright's Wonderwheel.

        Another one of those strange mishmashes of a bill, one wonders just who the promoters were trying to appeal to, as a Mahavishnu fan I might possibly have been attracted to Yes at the time, but none of the other bands. Likewise yer typical Lindisfarne punter would not likely to have fancied the instrumental chops and spiritual/fanciful inclinations ( respectively ) of McLaughlin and Yes.

This Yes bootleg shows that at least one of the acts was recorded from this show.  Opening  . Siberian Khatru . I've Seen All Good People . Mood For  A Day . And You And I . Heart Of The Sunrise . Close To The Edge. Roundabout Yours Is No Disgrace  Audience B-

The great John McLaughlin blisses out at Crystal Palace 1972.

Ticket courtesy of Gerald Sills

Erik Moore remembers hi, I went to the garden party that featured yes in 1972. I was only just 16 at the time and went mainly to see yes (I seem to remember that it was rick wakemans first gig with them and he made the most incredible wrong note cock up at the beginning of the first number - I think they went downhill from the moment he joined). It was a very hot day and my main memories of it were of failing to buy a program, despite numerous pa announcements telling us where to go , and how absolutely amazing the Mahavishnu Orchestra were (and how dreadful lindisfarne were-I can't even remember the other bands!) many thanks, erik

• Garden party 71.
• Garden party 72.
• Garden party 73.
• Garden party 74.
• Garden party 75.
• Garden party 76.
• Garden party 77.
  

   We have been endeavouring to collect audience or sbd tapes of the performances at this festival , so we can effectively review the performances, provide set lists and band line-ups. The intention is to also display as many personal histories of the festival as possible.

If you have any info you can contribute to the site, especially regarding the 1968 and 1969 festivals, such as details of recordings. recollections, programmes, tickets, pix or articles don't just sit there , Contact email

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