| Earth Day Off-Shoot |
One of the environmental groups that got their start soon after the first Earth Day (Apr 22, 1970) was Greenpeace. Their goals were not only pollution, but whale hunting. And their tactics used raised eyebrows by those on the left and right.
To help Greenpeace get off the ground, Irving Stone (with no concert promotional skills at all) persuaded Phil Ochs.jpg) and Joni Mitchell.jpg) to appear at his benefit concert.jpg) in Vancouver. Joni brought along her currrent boyfriend, a guy with a new record, James Taylor.jpg) . The concert was to raise funds to send Greenpeace activists to the Alaskan island of Amchitka to stop nuclear testing. During the days surrounding the concert, the FLQ (a Quebec separatist group) were raising havoc across Canada and Vancouver was under martial law (fun times!).
The concert was just a fading memory when the folks at Greenpeace prepared the old tapes for release in 2009. Pieced together by Peter Moore (Cowboy Junkies producer), what was presented was an outstanding concert, along with a beautiful booklet about the show. It was available for a reasonable price. Now, if you want a copy, be prepared to spend about $100. |
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Amchitka, The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace |
| Amchitka Concert [no number] | |
| 11/2009 | |
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|
 Disc One | ||
| Irving Stone | Intro | 1:38 |
| Irving Stone | Introduces Phil Ochs | 0:11 |
| Phil Ochs | The Bells | 3:09 |
| - | Rhythms Of Revolution | 4:25 |
| - | Chords of Fame | 2:47 |
| - | I Ain't Marching Anymore | 3:01 |
| - | Joe Hill | 7:10 |
| - | Changes | 3:36 |
| - | I'm Going To Say It Now | 2:57 |
| - | No More Songs | 3:49 |
| Irving Stone | Intro James Taylor | 0:32 |
| James Taylor | Something In The Way She Moves | 3:09 |
| - | Fire and Rain | 3:52 |
| - | Carolina In My Mind | 4:39 |
| - | Blossom | 2:30 |
| - | Riding On A Railroad | 3:04 |
| - | Sweet Baby James | 3:27 |
| - | You Can Close Your Eyes | 2:31 |
| Disc Two | ||
| James Taylor | Intro Joni Mitchell | 0:17 |
| Joni Mitchell | Big Yellow Taxi/Bony Maronie | 4:00 |
| - | Cactus Tree | 4:28 |
| - | The Gallery | 4:26 |
| - | Hunter (The Good Samaritan) | 2:36 |
| - | My Old Man | 4:29 |
| - | For Free | 5:08 |
| - | Woodstock | 5:16 |
| Joni Mitchell & James Taylor | Carey/Mr Tambourine Man | 10:13 |
| Joni Mitchell | A Case Of You | 4:44 |
| Joni Mitchell & James Taylor | The Circle Game(fades out) | 2:38 |
Note: Recorded Oct 16, 1970 at PNE Auditorium, Vancouver
Chilliwack, a Canadian rock group, performed between Ochs and Taylor. Tape runs out during The Circle Game.
A studio version of Hunter (The Good Samaritan) was recorded for Blue, but not used, thus making its first appearance here.
Links!
Greenpeace Website