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Whether it’s the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969 or the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, the Town of Woodstock is well-known for its rich artistic legacy that frames and informs the spirit of this Hudson Valley community.
The town’s decadeslong reputation as a home for creatives and those who enjoy the arts also is reinforced by its history as a destination for the recording industry.
From Albert Grossman’s Bearsville Studios to Levon Helm Studios, operated for decades by the late drummer for The Band, Woodstock holds an indisputable cultural distinction as a launching point for records that remain timeless.
It’s a bold task to plant a flag in the territory of “best ever,” but these eight albums recorded in Woodstock are unquestionably among the most enduring contributions to the history of music. The legendary recordings are listed from oldest to most recent:
“The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album” by Muddy Waters — 1975
This Grammy-winning album by the legendary blues musician was recorded at the Bearsville Studios Turtle Creek Barn and merged the musical talents of Waters’ traveling band with musicians living in Woodstock, like Helm and organ player Garth Hudson from The Band, as well as harmonica player Paul Butterfield. The recording is buoyant and smooth, notable for Waters’ slide guitar work and his cover of “Let the Good Times Roll.”
The album cover is a photo of Waters receiving the “key” to Woodstock, surrounded by a crowd of admirers, which adds to the local luster of this album and the Ulster County recording’s sense of place.
“Bat Out of Hell” by Meat Loaf — 1977
Recorded at Bearsville Studios and produced by Todd Rundgren, there is no denying that “Bat Out of Hell” is an epic performance, captured on an epic album, delivered by an epic performer. Sure, Pete Townshend of The Who has always been modern music’s rock opera guy, thanks to “Tommy.” But Meat Loaf, with “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” may have out “Tommy”-ed The Who.
The hammy “Bat Out of Hell” went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling more than 43 million copies. This album, and other music by Meatloaf, experienced a resurgence in sales and streaming following the artist’s death in January.
“Solitude Standing” by Suzanne Vega — 1987
Bearsville Studios is also where Suzanne Vega brought her band to record her 1987 breakout album, “Solitude Standing.” The tune “Luka” from that Woodstock-recorded album was a colossal hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 100, while the a cappella song “Tom’s Diner” was reinvigorated when later reimagined as a dance tune by the British production duo DNA.
Part-time Ulster County resident Mike Visceglia, Vega’s bass player since 1985, performed on “Solitude Standing.” He said in an interview that the atmosphere and natural environment of Woodstock informed the creative energy behind “Solitude Standing.”
As for “Luka,” which received three Grammy nominations, Visceglia said, “When we were putting that down, we knew that we had something special.”
“Out of Time” by R.E.M. — 1991
Gen Xers remain defined in many ways by this record, which was recorded at Bearsville Studios and became a No. 1 hit for R.E.M. Decades after its release, the song “Losing My Religion” endures, and longtime Ulster County resident and singer Kate Pierson from the B-52s, well, shines on “Shiny Happy People.”
R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck apparently enjoyed their time in Woodstock beyond Bearsville Studios — they golfed at the Woodstock Golf Club as well, according to Jerry Mitnick, former co-owner of the old Tinker Street Café, who was their fourth on the course.
R.E.M. returned to Bearsville Studios to record the 1992 follow-up album “Automatic for the People,” which went on to sell 18 million copies worldwide.
“Tigerlily” by Natalie Merchant — 1995
After moving on from the success of 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant set up shop at Bearsville Studios, a short distance down Route 212 from downtown Woodstock, to record her debut solo album, “Tigerlily.” The album received mixed reviews (Rolling Stone initially called it “limp”) but the public loved it: “Tigerlily” yielded three consecutive top-40 hits (“Carnival,” “Wonder,” “Jealousy”) and sold over 5 million copies.
Merchant, it’s worth nothing, is a longtime Hudson Valley resident.
“Crash” by the Dave Matthews Band — 1996
The Dave Matthews Band first two albums, “Under the Table and Dreaming” and “Crash,” were both recorded at Bearsville Studios. The former introduced many of us to the artist. But it’s “Crash” that stands out because it revealed a consistency that Matthews and his band brought to the music they made.
The band could have simply released the Grammy-nominated “Crash Into Me” and gone home, but their endurance emerged with show-stopping songs like “So Much to Say,” “Too Much” and “Tripping Billies.” The album sold more than 7 million copies.
Paul Higgins of Esopus, now the advertising sales manager for Red Hook-based WKZE (98.1 FM), was an intern at Bearsville Studios during these recording sessions and is credited as second assistant engineer on “Crash.”
Higgins has always enjoyed the passion that Matthews brought to his vocals on “Crash,” and described the record as having a “lean, clean, muscular sound.”
“Billy Breathes” by Phish — 1996
The band Phish can leave some music fans scratching their heads instead of tapping their feet. But “Billy Breathes,” also recorded at Bearsville Studios, offers a great opportunity to gain insight into a band that sometimes seems to be speaking in code. The album offers stark contrast from song to song, with “Waste” and “Swept Away” shining as standouts.
Phish was seemingly so inspired by their recording sessions at Bearsville that they played a stealth show at the old Joyous Lake music venue in Woodstock, which previously occupied the building that now houses the restaurant Silvia. The concert was announced on the day of the show, June 6, 1996, with Phish billed as “Third Ball.”
“The performance at Joyous Lake was small and low-key with the band playing on gear brought from the studio and using the club’s sound system,” according to the band’s website Phish.com. “The club was filled beyond its capacity of 200 people by the time the band came onstage around 11 p.m. … The evening’s only debut songs, ‘Waste’ and ‘Character Zero,’ … were pretty raw, with (lead vocalist and guitarist Trey Anastasio) explaining that ‘Waste’ didn’t yet have an ending.”
“Dirt Farmer” by Levon Helm — 2007
The Arkansas native and longtime Woodstock resident in the early 2000s emerged from bankruptcy and losing his voice to cancer to launch his Midnight Ramble house concerts at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. The momentum from those intimate gatherings, and Helm regaining his voice, lit a fuse for the recording of “Dirt Farmer.” The album was Helm’s first release in years and became a Grammy winner that chronicled one of the greatest comebacks ever.
Recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, which is also known as “The Barn,” “Dirt Farmer” was co-produced by Larry Campbell and Helm’s daughter, Amy Helm, both of whom also performed on the album. Additional performers include Campbell’s wife, Teresa Williams, and Byron Isaacs, now a member of the Lumineers.
“It was the greatest and the most pure recording experience that any of us have ever had,” said Campbell, who, in addition to his role as producer, served as musical director, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with the Levon Helm Band.
“It was not about anything but going into Levon’s barn, having a really good time finding songs, playing songs, singing songs … and when we thought we had something, just roll the tape and see what happens.”
When Campbell listens to the album now, he said he hears “the camaraderie and the creative spark that was lit in all of us.”
Hudson Valley Art, Music and Culture