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Updated Feb 2019, New pictures of the site and audience

Dec 2011 new photos of the Pye Recording crew and Miles Davis's engineer Stan Tonkel and producer Teo Macero

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Setlists and Audio recordings.
Pye Recording Crew
Stanley Tonkel & Teo Macero
Setlists and audio Recordings
Film


Availability of unauthorised recordings
    Practically the entire festival was recorded from the audience , as we know of several people who did this . One of them sold copies of the masters to a guy in the states , these have presumably never been widely traded as few people seem to have the recordings  . The other person did limited recordings , just a few tracks here and there of Family and Joni, with a few complete sets , such as the Who, Hendrix , Leonard Cohen and the Doors. There are bound to be other recordings around as well from other sources.



Commercial recordings of the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival

Compilations

Video Disc: Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

Length:137 minutes: Released :1995

Director and Producer: Murray Lerner

Side One * Jimi Hendrix - Message To Love * The Who - Young Man Blues * Free - All Right Now * Taste - Sinner Boy * Tiny Tim - There'll Always Be An England * John Sebastian - Red Eye Express * Ten Years After - Can't Keep From Cryin' * The Doors - When The Music's Over * Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin * Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee * Joni Mitchell - Woodstock , Big Yellow Taxi

Side Two * Miles Davis - Call It Anything * Leonard Cohen - Suzanne * Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Pictures At An Exhibition * Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun ,Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) * Joan Baez - Let It Be * Jethro Tull - My Sunday Feeling * The Doors - The End * Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady * The Who - Naked Eye

Side Three * Family - Weaver's Answer * Taste - Gambling Blues * Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Blue Rondo A La Turk * Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze


Message to Love : A Film by Murray Lerner



List of artists , personnel and set lists

Artists appearing on Wednesday 26th August 1970

Judas Jump, Kathy Smith, Rosalie Sorrels, David Bromberg, Redbone, Kris Kristofferson, Mighty Baby.


Judas Jump

Jumping Jack Flash


Kris Kristofferson

Blame It On The Stones


Mighty Baby

India

Incomplete tapes are in circulation of the sets by David Bromburg and Kris Kristofferson


Artists appearing on Thursday 27th August 1970

Gary Farr, Supertramp, Andy Roberts Everyone, Howl, Black Widow,Groundhogs, Terry Reid, Gilberto Gil.


Supertramp

All Along The Watchtower


Black Widow

Come to the Sabbat


Terry Reid

Terry Reid :guitar , vocal

David Lindley :guitar, slide, banjo and violin

Lee Miles: bass

Mike Giles: drums.

To Be Alone With You

Soundboard recording exists of Terry's set. 50 minutes A quality.

Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs, Isle of Wight 1970

Gilberto Gill

?



Artists appearing on Friday 28th August 1970

Fairfield Parlour, Arrival, Lighthouse, Taste, Tony Joe White, Chicago, Family, Procul Harum, The Voices of East Harlem, Cactus.


 Fairfield Parlour
 Formerly known as Kaleidoscope- opened the concert on Friday .
     " All I remember is the view from the stage: the endless blue sky , the endless audience , the thousands camped for free on the rolling hills to the right, the heat, the clouds of red dust, Joan Baez wandering by looking stunning, the movie camera thrust in my face as I was told our set was to be cut in half , the terror, the sublime lift after the first wave of applause , the evenings in the Red Indian camp with the fires burning, the thump of distant music , crouching below the stage waiting for the nod so Ed and I could leap up and be allowed to play an acoustic ."`Let the world wash in"` to half a million hippies , the leaden realisation that we'`d been conned and ripped off and stuffed and abused by the brothers Farr, the sleepless nights of total physical and mental exhaustion, breakfast at Herbie Snowball's hotel in Shanklin -- and returning there thirty years later on a family holiday and standing across the road and looking up at the window where three decades earlier a young man once stared at the orange moon... No, don't recall much."


Arrival

*Hard Road *Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye *Sit Down And Float *Not Right Now *See The Lord


Lighthouse

Hi!,

I was a member of Lighthouse, who performed at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival. It was an amazing experience. Hendrix stayed at our hotel. I remember after his performance, some of his roadies carried him in a half-conscious state through the lobby.

Skip Prokop :drums
Paul Hoffert :keyboards

Larry Smith - trumpet, trombone and vocals
Ralph Cole :guitar

Louie Yacknin - bass
Bob McBride - lead vocals and percussion
Don Dinovo - viola
Dick Armin - cello
Pete Pantaluk - trumpet
Keith Jollimore - sax, flute and vocals
Howard Shore - sax

 

click to view larger photograph

If my memory serves me (which considering my state of mind at the festival, is dubious!) I think we played at least

*One Fine Morning,* Eight Miles High,*Old Man,*Hey jude, *Give Peace A Chance , *Chest Fever

and I can't remember anything else :-)
best wishes,


Larry Smith


You can find a lot of information about Lighthouse here

Taste

CD : Taste Live at the Isle Of Wight 1992 (originally released in 1971)

Not known if this is the entire set.

Personnel.

Rory Gallagher: guitar, vocal

Richard McCracken :bass

John Wilson (drums

* What's Going On (5:28) * Sugar Mama (9:43) * Morning Sun (4:19) * Sinner Boy (5:15) * I Feel So Good (9:04)*Gamblin' Blues * Catfish (13:55)

Rory Gallagher
"I remember playing the Isle Of Wight Festival (August 1970) and we weren't talking to each other then. We took the ferry across, and we put on a reasonable show and got a great reaction, but musically it was all over between us."


Tony Joe White

*Boom Boom * Groupy Girl *Polk Salad Annie *Save Your Sugar For Me

tape is in circulation of Tony's set.


Chicago

Chicago, when they were still worth bothering with :Isle of Wight 1970 © Derek Halsall

 

* Only The Beginning* In the country * Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is ? , Mother, * 25 or 6 to 4, * I'm a Man
audience tape exists of this set.


Family

Roger Chapman , looking fairly subdued for once onstage Isle of Wight 1970 © Derek Halsall

 


Roger Chapman: vocals.

Charlie Whitney :Guitar.

Poli Palmer : Flute ,Violin, Keys.

Rob Townsend : Drums.

John Weider: Bass .

Strange Band *Procession*A Song For Me*Drowned In Wine ,Good News Bad News *, Weavers Answer

Audience recording of several songs exists. May be more elsewhere

Weavers Answer exists on film as pro shoot - great performance !

* Sbd


Procol Harum.
Robin Trower, Guitar
Copping: Bass
Gary Brooker.
BJ Wilson : drumsPossible Set list - order unknown.
*Wish Me Well * Shine On Brightly * The Devil Came From Kansas * Your Own Choice *Juicy John Pink, *Whisky Train *Conquistador *Salty Dog,*Move On Down The Line > High School Confidential > Lucille. ( medley ) Whaling Stories

The group had enjoyed their set at the Isle of Wight, and Gary said they did not feel as cold as they looked on the stage. "Of course it was cold while we were waiting to go on, but once you are playing you soon get hot and sweaty.

" I really enjoyed playing there, it was not a bit like an American festival. Their festivals are into politics as much as the music and they tend to go on for a whole weekend without a break because it does not get cold at night. It was nice to play to an audience who had come solely for the music, in the most part."
 

Soundboard recording is in circulation of part of the set. A quality .


Cactus

Carmen Appice.Drums

Tim Bogart : Bass

Rusty Day: Vocals.

Jim McCarty: Guitar

Audience recording is in circulation of part of the set .

Sbd recording exists of "No Need to Worry "and "Parchment Farm " on compilation CD" Fully Unleashed "


 Artists appearing on Saturday 29th August 1970

John Sebastian, Shawn Phillips, Lighthouse, Joni Mitchell, Tiny Tim, Miles Davis, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, The Doors, The Who, Sly and the Family Stone.


John Sebastian

Aud recording of the set is in limited circulation

  • Mobile Line
  • Loving You
  • You're A Big Boy Now
  • Nashville Cats
  • She's A Lady
  • How Have You Been
  • Daydream
  • Jug Band Music
  • Had A Dream
  • In The Still of the Night
  • Four Eyes
  • Rainbows All Over Your Blues
  • *Blues In A Bottle
  • *Do You Believe in Magic
  • *Boredom
  • *Bald-Headed Lena
  • Darling Be Home Soon
  • Encore 1:JB's Harmonica
  • Younger Generation
  • Encore 2: Red Eye Express
  • Younger Girl

    *With / Zal Yanovsky

Photo © Derek Halsall


Shawn Phillips.

*Woman* Breakthrough *Ballad of Casey Deiss.

Impromptu performance.


Joni Mitchell.
*The Gallery* That Song About The Midway* Chelsea Morning* For Free* Woodstock (The Incident)* My Old Man *Willie* A Case Of You* California* Big Yellow Taxi* Both Sides Now .

Soundboard recording is in circulation of part of the set. A quality .Poor quality aud tape exists of part of the set.


Tiny Tim

why should i give my love to you

There'll Always Be An England, Tip Toe ThroughTthe Tulips
Bad Moon Rising >Blue Suede Shoes >Rock Around The Clock

Not known what source, but recording exists.

Miles Davis
 31:33

 
Miles Davis: trumpet)

Gary Bartz :(soprano.alto

Chick Corea : electric piano

Keith Jarrett (org);

Dave Holland :bass, electric bass

Jack DeJohnette :drums

Airto Moreira : percussion

Call it Anythin'

A wonderful DVD with the entire show and extensive interviews is now commericlaly available



Ten Years After
Alvin Lee: Guitar.
Chick Churchill: Keys
 

*Love Like A Man  *Good Morning *Little School Girl  *No Title  *Hobbit *Classical Thing *Scat Thing *I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes*I'mGoing Home*Sweet Little 16.

Soundboard recording of most of the set is in limited circulation


Emerson Lake and Palmer
Keith Emerson : keys
Greg Lake : bass.
Carl Palmer :drums

 CD/DVD : ELP live at the Isle of Wight.

  • The barbarian :5:07
  • Take a pebble :11:51
  • Pictures at an exhibition :35:47
  • Rondo :3:59
  • Nutrocker :5:22.

Interview with Keith Emerson in 1997 by Bob Harris

Harris: You know, when I looked back over the ELP history, I did not realise that when you played the Isle of Wight in 1970, that was the debut of Pictures at an Exhibition?

Emerson: Well, I guess you could call that the debut. We played a concert about two nights before that at Plymouth Guild Hall.

Harris: But when you guys did this huge Isle of Wight festival, you had only been together for about four days, right?

Emerson: Well, we'd been rehearsing for something like a month prior to that.

Harris: How was that, to go out for one of your first couple of gigs and go out in front of a huge festival audience like that?

Emerson: I felt that the concert we did before that, two days before that at the Plymouth Guild Hall went a lot better than that, mainly because the acoustics were contained. At the Isle of Wight, the sound went out and kind of kept on going. And I wasn't...when I came off stage I was kind of unhappy about how we had played. But now, I listen back to those recordings and it's not bad. In fact, we are releasing that concert and it's coming out this month. The whole concert, the Isle of Wight Festival, ELP live at the Isle of Wight.

 

Greg Lake backstage at the Isle of Wight 1970 © Derek Halsall


The Doors
Jim Morrison : vocals.
Ray Manzarek : keys
Bobbie Krieger : Guitar.
John Densmore : drums

 * Back Door Man, * Break On Through,*  When The Music's Over, *Ship Of Fools, * Light My Fire, *The End/Across The Sea/Away In India/Crossroads/Wake Up,*The End. encore *Roadhouse Blues,

Sbd recordings of this have been available for years,  possibly the complete concert may be released on video in 2001.

( still waiting in 2009 !)


The Who
Pete Townshend: Guitar.
Roger Daltrey: vocals.
Keith Moon: drums
John Entwistle: bass.

CD: Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 - The Who , also DVD

Released 1996

Disc 1* Heaven And Hell * I Can't Explain *. Young Man Blues * I Don't Even Know Myself * Water *. Overture * It's A Boy * 1921 * Amazing Journey * Sparks * Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker) *. Christmas

Disc 2 * The Acid Queen * Pinball Wizard * Do You Think It's Alright? * Fiddle About * Tommy Can You Hear Me? *. There's A Doctor * Go To The Mirror! * Smash The Mirror *. Miracle Cure * I'm Free * Tommy's Holiday Camp * We're Not Gonna Take It * Summertime Blues * Shakin' All Over * Spoonful * Twist And Shout * Substitute * . My Generation * Naked Eye * Magic Bus
 


Sly and the Family Stone

Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again; M'Lady; Sing A Simple Song;
*Stand>*You Can Make It If You Try; Dance To The Music>Music Lover>Higher
(Complete soundboard in extremely limited circulation

*These two soundboard tracks by Sly are in limited circulation . Quality A



Artists appearing on Sunday 30th August 1970

Melanie ,Good News, Kris Kristofferson, Ralph McTell, Heaven, Free, Donovan, Pentangle, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Richie Havens.
Melanie
 "I had to follow The Who's premiere performance of Tommy," she says. "Nobody wanted to do it. Jim Morrison from The Doors turned it down. I don't know how I got it. I was the path of least resistance, I guess. I was all by myself. Keith Moon announced me. We had spent a lot of time together that day and had become friends. He realised my
situation and helped to break the ice. It was dawn. The Who had played throughout the night. There was a friendly atmosphere but, they were finished. They had just seen Tommy; Roger Daltrey in his prime. Here I was, with just my guitar and my voice. I started to sing. The dawn was coming and the sun was rising. Little by little, I see heads popping up. I woke everybody up! I played one of my best concerts. After I did the Isle of Wight, I had two hit albums in England."

During the chaos and subsequent breakdown of the organisation, it was the ladies ... Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Melanie who suffered great and personal inconvenience,

While others flew in --- did their set - and immediately flew out again by helicopter, Melanie had to endure two uncomfortable days while she waited to perform, eventually taking the stage at an unearthly hour when most people had slipped into the sleep of the exhausted.

On the first day she arrived early . . . fresh and bright, eager to sing, But as the turmoil accelerated she was told to wait - and wait she did - the
anxiety and tension welling up inside of her.

"At five in the morning I was so tensed up that I freaked," having to be rushed to an hotel to recover, As the brilliant sun filled her room the next morning, she was drained of all energy and enthusiasm, her lungs and nerves having given out through waiting for hours in the fume filled trailer she had been assigned n the back-stage enclosure.

After being persuaded to return once again to the site, Melanie encountered a smiling young man lounging in her trailer. Though his face was vaguely familiar she didn't give it a second thought, coming to the conclusion that he must he one of the stage crew.

As the hours slowly dragged by he took it upon himself to become her self-appointed valet and court jester.

Recalling that time, she began "All the time he kept on fussing over me, asking if I was all right and did I want any tea, milk . . . my wish being his command.

"Suddenly, the door burst open and in jumped Murray Roman and immediately they went into an hilarious comedy routine," Within minutes, she was in fits of hysterical laughter ... rolling around clutching her sides, "I can't begin to tell you how much that cheered me up, and then they were gone," As it tuned out Murray's Partner in crime andd mirth was none other than that amiable stick twiddler Keith Moon

"I nearly died when I found out," she admitted with a laugh, "but I didn't let on to the fact that I hadn't recognised him, You know he really extended his warmth to me, knowing that I'd had such a hard weekend."

But Mr. Moon's hospitality", didn't end there, Melanie finally appeared and it was again in the wee small hours on a stage cluttered up with Sly Stone's equipment and bathed in sickly yellow light, Keith then tried everything in his power to arrange the desired subtle lighting effects. But to no avail . . the lighting . . . crews having fallen asleep and then split following the Who's set.

"So there I was In this pucky yellow, with all that equipment lit up behind me, It was so late that even the guy who was filming me was keeling over with sleep in his eyes."

There comes a time when night quickly turns into day before you have time to realise.

One moment Melanie had a canopy of twinkling stars, then as she looked up from her fret board during the second verse of "Tambourine Man" the sky was yellow, the sun was rising and after all the many tribulations everything turned out all right


Kris Kristofferson

Partial soundboard recording of this set is in limited circulation .



Free
Paul Rogers ; vocal.
Paul Kossoff: guitar
Andy Fraser: bass
Simon Kirke: drums

Ride on Pony, Woman,The Stealer, Be my Friend ,Mr Big, Fire and Water, I'm a Mover, The Hunter, All Right Now, Crossroads

Soundboard recording of most of the set is in circulation 58 mins


Moody Blues.

Gypsy, The Sunset, Tuesday Afternoon, Minstrel Song, Never Comes The Day,The Tortoise And The Hare, Question, Melancholy Man, Are You Sitting Comfortably, Knights In White Satin, Legend Of A Mind ,Timothy Leary Is Dead *, The Dream * Have You Heard *
Ride My See Saw *

Soundboard recording of most of the set is in unofficial circulation , missing these tracks *


Donovan and the Open Road

Catch the wind, Henry Martin, Sailing homeward ,Pee song, Hurdy gurdy man
Slow down world, There was an old woman who swallowed a fly, The Garden
How Silly, Get myself together, Atlantis ,Ice Queen.
electric set with Open Road
Sand and foam, There is a mountain, Train whistle blues, There must have been a mistake here/Season of the witch ,Poke at the Pope, Riki Tiki Tavi, Sleeping on Someones Floor again .Mellow yellow

list suppiled by "Mike Zarro" <hurdygurdyman@cox.net>

Audience recording is in circulation.


Pentangle

Light Flight (take three girls theme)
Rain and Snow

Not known what source, but recording exists.


Jethro Tull
Ian Anderson : vocal, flute.Source: Audience and SBD tapes exist
*My Sunday Feeling; 4. 58* *My God; 10:28* With You There To Help Me:13:16, *To Cry You A Song, 7:20*Bouree , 5:23*Dharma For One .Nothing Is Easy

total 46:58

There appear to be several versions of this show circulating . The figure of 46:58 is taken from the shorter of the two . The official version is supposed to be the complete set which includes Nothing Is Easy. Some versions also have the end of Dharma For One cut . A fairly widely indicated length of the whole set is 55 min , but this may be also be inaccurate.

Soundboard recording of most of the set is now on official release.There is probably a song missing on unoffocial releases, sound fades out at the end of one number which indicates that a track has been excised from the running order.

Quality A


Jimi Hendrix.
Source: Audience and SBD tapes exist

  • Personnel.

Jimi Hendrix : guitar .vocal

Mitch Mitchell : Drums.

Billy Cox ; bass.

*God Save The Queen * Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band * Spanish Castle Magic * All Along The Watchtower * Machine Gun * Lover Man * Voodoo Chile * Freedom * Red House * Dolly Dagger * Midnight Lightnin* Foxy Lady * Message To Love * Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun).* Ezy Rider* Hey Joe * Purple Haze * Voodoo Chile (slight return ) * In From The Storm

Soundboard recording of all the set is in circulation- quality varies . Of course there's always the official concert video as well.



Leonard Cohen and the Army

* Bird On The Wire *So Long, Marianne *You Know Who I Am* Dead Song (poem)* Lady Midnight
* They Locked Up A Man (poem) * A Person Who Eats Meat (poem)* One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong*The Stranger Song * Tonight Will Be Fine* Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye* Diamonds In The Mine *Suzanne* Sing Another Song, Boys* The Partisan* Famous Blue Raincoat* Seems So Long Ago, Nancy.

Complete recording details can be found here


Richie Havens

•Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child • Freedom • Hare Krishna • Here Comes the Sun • Run Shaker Life


The Alternative festival.

Hawkwind  played outside the festival grounds from the Thursday to the Monday.The Pink Fairies played Friday and Saturday when they had to split to get to another gig. Most of these shows were either free or the bands fees were donated to feed festival goers who had no cash. Numerous jams and freak outs took place to numerable to count, but you can get more details by going to this page

Hawkwind
Personnel
Dave Brock, Terry Ollis,  Nick Turner, Dik Mik , Huw Lloyd Langton, Thomas Crimble.



Pink Fairies.
Personnel
Paul Rudolph, Twink .


More info to add ? -then Contact us



Contents
Isle of Wight 1970 festival menu

updated March 2019


The Underground press- NB: opinions expressed in these articles do not represent our opinions of the organisers or any other people involved in the running of the festival, it is possible that they may be innaccurate in some details or facts.

 

International Times.

Reports from the "Straight "press

updated March 2019

External links

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