Listen Up!

This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. Originally
the concert was designed as a profit-making venture to be held at Mills Industrial Park in upstate New York. As it became clear that hundreds of thousands of people would attend, it turned into a "free concert" held at Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, NY. The first stars to sign up to perform at the event were Creedence Clearwater Revival. Many popular bands of the era declined to perform because there was little indication of the importance the event would eventually assume. The festival was filmed and made into a documentary that won an Academy Award in 1970. Every decade, there have been peaceful namesake events. However, the festival in 1999 was highly commercialized and ended badly with a fire.

Check out our CDs for several of the performers at Woodstock Festival 1969:

Ultimate Santana is a compilation album that features ths smash hits -- "Smooth," "Maria Maria'" "Black Magic Woman," and "Oye Como Va."

The Very Best of Grateful Dead is a 17 track disc collection offering a very good overview of the Dead's greatest hits including "Truckin'" and "Touch of Grey."

Bayou Country Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fantasy Records has taken a selection of CCR's albums and reissued them in a digitally remasterd format with rare and previously unreleased bonus material supplementing each release.

The Essential Janis Joplin - This two disc album includes many live recordings of Joplin's performances. There are songs from her previous albums that have been remastered to sound flawless. This includes the hits that you would expect like "Summertime," "Kozmic Blues," and "Mercedes Benz."

The Who scored 16 Top 40 hits in the U.S. between 1967 and 1982. This greatest hits disc includes "I Can See For Miles, " "Won't Get Fooled Again," and the ultimate punk anthem "My Generation."

The Essential Jefferson Airplane - This 32 track compilation covers the band's seven albums and two live offerings. This is a well chosen selection with first rate liner notes that highlight the Airplane's diverse influences as it echoed and exemplified the turbulent end of the '60s and the beginning of the '70s.

What Goes Up!: The Best of Blood, Sweat and Tears - This 2-disc compilation contains 32 of Blood Sweat and Tears' greatest hits. Their 1969 self-titled album won Album of The Year at the Grammy Awards, beating The Beatles' Abbey Road. The commercial and critical acclaim enjoyed by the band in 1969 culminated in an appearance at the Woodstock Festival, in which it enjoyed headliner status.

Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock is a 2-disc collection of highlights from Hendrix's legendary closing set at Woodstock. With classics -- "Message To Love," "Foxey Lady," and "Purple Haze."

Hits /Joni Mitchell Athough she did not appear at the Woodstock Festival, she did write the classic tune "Woodstock," which appears on this greatest hits CD along with "River," and "Big Yellow Taxi."

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The winners are in for the 51st Grammy Awards. Have you ever asked yourself, what is the difference between song of the year, record of the year, and album of the year?

1. Song of the year goes to the composer(s) of the song.

2. Record of the year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. The award goes to the performing artist, the producer, recording engineer, and mixer for that song.

3. Album of the year is awarded for an entire album. The award is presented to the artist, producer, record engineer, and mastering engineer for that album.

The nominees for song of the year:

1. "American Boy" by Estelle on her compact disc Shine.

2. "Chasing Pavements" by Adele Adkins on her compact disc 19.

3. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz on his compact disc We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

4. "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles on her compact disc Little Voice.

5. "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay on their disc Viva La Vida or, Death and All His Friends.

***The winner for song of the year is "Viva La Vida"

The nominess for record of the year:

1. "Chasing Pavements" by Adele Adkins on her compact disc 19.

2. "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay on their disc Viva La Vida or, Death and All His Friends.

3. "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis on her disc Spirit.

4. "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. a track off of Slumdog Millionare: Music From the Motion Picture.

5. "Please Read The Letter" by Robert Plant and Alison Kraus on Raising Sand.

***The winner for record of the year is "Please Read The Letter".

The nominees for album of the year:

1. Viva La Vida or, Death and All His Friends -- Coldplay

2. Tha Carter III -- Lil Wayne

3. Year of the Gentleman -- Ne-Yo

4. Raising Sand -- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

5. In Rainbows -- Radiohead

***The winner for album of the year is Raisng Sand.

Listen Up!

Got the winter blues?! If you are bored, restless, or irritable you may be suffering from cabin fever. How about listening to a good book? When the libraries latest audio books on compact discs arrive, they are now shelved separately at the beginning of the collection of audio books. So, if you want to listen to something brand new on audio this is where you'll find it.

Some new titles for January are:

Award winning author Salman Rushdie's new novel on compact disc is The Enchantress of Florence. This extraordinary story occurs in the 16th century at the imperial capital of the Mughal Empire. Mogor dell'Amore, a European traveler, arrives at the court of Emperor Akbar with a facinating tale about faraway Florence, a beautiful enchantress, and the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli. This audio book is narrated by Firdous Bamji who has appeared in several plays on Broadway and guest starred on the televison series Law & Order.

Do you like mysteries? How about listening to Simon Brett's The Stabbing In The Stables, a Fethering Mystery. Jude and Carole Seddon are at it again. This time they stumble upon the body of ex-equestrian Walter Fleet at Long Bamber Stables. Who would want to put Fleet, a womanizing horseman, out to pasture? Soon the Seddons find themselves in the middle of a West Sussex police investigation for a "horse ripper". This book on compact disc is read by Ralph Cosham, a former British journalist whose narrations have been named "Audio Best of the Year" by Publishers Weekly.

Whether young enough to look "hot" or mature enough to suffer from "hot flashes," every woman has given thought to preserving her appearance. In her latest book, American Thighs: the Sweet Potato Queen's Guide to Preserving Your Assets, Jill Conner Browne looks at a woman's maturation process with hilarious stories every woman can relate to, from bad haircuts, to verbal faux pas. No matter what skin you're in, Browne urges to make it last a lifetime. Audio book read by the author.

Listen Up!

Have you listened to a Playaway yet? It is the easiest way to listen to a book or music because the title is already loaded on a digital player. It weighs only 2 ounces, and there is no need for a separate CD or tape player. All you need is a battery and earphones and you are ready to go.

Feeling the need for some inner peace, how about listening to the Playaway, The Beginner's Guide to Meditation? The author Joan Z. Borysenko, Ph.D., leads you through three distinct forms of meditation: concentration, mindfulness, and a centering pray.

For peace of mind and body, listen to the Playaway 1 on 1 Yoga . O2 Yoga. The instructor, Mimi Loureiro, uses heat-generating sequences of postures and a mind-focusing breathing technique. The result is an invigorating and calming vinyasa yoga experience.

Feeling the need for some harmony? Give a listen to the Playaway Being in Balance. Author and lecturer Wayne W. Dyer shows you how to restore balance in your life by offering nine principles for realigning your thoughts so that they correspond to your highest desires.

Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha, available on Playaway, is a sort of Buddhist guide to the unraveling of the tantalizing mysteries of Asian philosophy. Hesse's credo, "There is no duty, no duty whatever, for awakened humanity except the one duty to seek one's self, to become firm within oneself, to grope one's way forward, no matter where the road may lead." The Siddhartha is a story about a young man and his journey to find truth and balance in life.

Our Playaways are located by the books on CD and tape. Stop by the library and check one out.

Listen Up!

It's back to school, so let's get back to basics. Do you know your ABCs? Come visit our Listen Up! display at the library.

A is for Auel... Jean Auel author of the great series Earth's Children. Give a listen to the audiobook The Clan Of The Cave Bear. A fantastic epic tale about a young girl's adventures 25, 000 years ago. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a wonderfully written epic which includes exquisite details of our world as it might have been so long ago.

B is for Baldacci... David Baldacci is an awesome writer of suspense- political fiction. His audiobook Simple Genius will keep you on the edge of your seat. Two former secret service agents turned private investigators get involved in a murder of an important scientist in which the CIA is involved.

C is for Crichton... Michael Crichton, a medical doctor, is a writer best known for his novel Jurassic Park and creating the television program ER. His audiobook State Of Fear takes the reader from the glaciers of Iceland to the volcanoes of Antarctica, from the Arizona desert to the deadly jungles of the Solomon Islands, from the streets of Paris to the beaches of Los Angeles.

Do you like good music? Do you like to dance?

A is for ABBA The Definitive Collection/ Abba. Mamma Mia! Need I say more?

B is for Beatles Yellow Submarine. Songs from the animated motion picture released in 1968.

C is for Clapton Unplugged/ Eric Clapton. Recorded in 1992 on the MTV Unplugged television program.

Listen Up!

Punk rock is an anti-establishment rock music movement that emerged in the late 1970s. Bands like The Ramones in New York City, and The Sex Pistols and The Clash, in London were recognized as being the original punk rock bands.

The Clash brought the punk sound to the U.S. with hits like "London Calling" and "Rock the Casbah."Joe Strummer sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar for the 10 years The Clash influenced today's alternative music. Redemption Song: the Ballad of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz is a biography about the frontman for The Clash, who brought fierce idealism and witty lyrics to the punk era.

After The Clash disbanded, Strummer fronted another band, The Mescaleros. Let's Rock Again is a downloadable video available through Suffolk Wave. This documentary covers the last eighteen months of Strummer's life as he tours with the band.

Another punk rocker who is still touring and recently released a new compact disc is Elvis Costello. Give a listen to The Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions. It's an awesome compilation available on compact disc at the library.

You might also want to read about Mr.Costello in the biography Complicated Shadows: the Life and Music of Elvis Costello by Graeme Thomson. This biography is an impeccably reseached account of Elvis Costello's journey from playing the pubs in London to New Wave megastardom with The Attractions and beyond.

Listen Up!

Slowhand, Eric Clapton, has had a prolific career and a tulmultuous personal life. One of the greatest guitar players in the world, Eric is very staightforward about the highs and lows he has experienced in Clapton: the Autobiography. Download and give a listen to this great biography, on Suffolk Wave, covering Mr. Clapton's phenomenal career spanning several decades and a personal life full of tragedy.

Coinciding with the release of this autobiography is an awesome greatest hits collection entitled The Complete Clapton, a compliation from Clapton's days in Cream to his solo career.

You may also enjoy listening and watching the DVD Eric Clapton:Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007, documenting a benefiit he put together for his Crossroads Centre, a substance abuse center in Antigua. The list of performers include B.B. King, Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow and Steve Winwood.

Listen Up

Looking for something new to listen to? Find out about some great CDs, audiobooks, playaways, and Suffolk Wave. Each column will feature something different that you may have yet to discover. Please let us know your recommendations.

In 2008, for the first time in over forty years, a jazz musician won Best Album. Herbie Hancock took the Grammy for River: The Joni Letters , a tribute to Joni Mitchell. This CD is full of luminary guests, including Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rose and Joni Mitchell herself.


Find more of Herbie Hancock at Suffolk Wave Digital Library, available to Riverhead Library patrons. Herbie Hancock: Possibilities presents Hancock's 2005 project with musicians Christina Aguilera, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Sting. Use your library card to download other audiobooks, videos and music from Suffolk Wave to your PC or portable device.


For those who like some jazz in their CD books, Rupert Holmes' Swing: A Mystery will take you back in time. Saxaphonist Ray Henderson, appearing with an orchestra in a fine hotel near the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, becomes entangled in a French woman's murder.