Three days of Peace and Love in the “Mountain City.” That was forty years ago. Yes 1969 - the year that Lance Armstrong performed the first moonwalk, Ted Kennedy had his car cruise over a Cape Cod bridge (with disastrous results), The New York Mets won the World Series and Led Zeppelin released its first album - all milestones in our shared history.
But many of us have forgotten the famed Altamont Free Festival that attracted tens of thousands from across the county to the town of Frackville, drawn together by the raw energy that only polka music could create. Schuylkill Living Magazine recently hailed the Festival as one of the 10 greatest moments in the County’s Entertainment History (tied for third place with the 1964 Spelling Bee).
The festival was proof to a skeptical world that a generation of boilo-filled, hedonistic people could handle themselves well.
Now, at last, the moguls at San-Son Productions have released “Altamont: The Ultimate Director’s Cut” (English, with Ukrainian Subtitles). The total time to watch this amazing movie takes seventeen hours, so plan to waste an entire weekend and cancel all other plans you may have.
This edition is much better than any previous versions released in the past (whether VHS, Beta or ViewMaster). The clarity of DVD and Blu-ray now makes it possible to examine every strand in Yak Tam Billy Urban’s haircut and you can actually see some saliva fall from the spit valves on the trombones of the Shenandoah High marching band; that is how crystal clear the images are.
You may have seen the original theatrical release when it premiered at the Ritz in St. Clair but this expanded and remastered Ultimate Director’s Cut includes fifteen hours of newly discovered material, some never-before-published in their entirety, from a number of artists. You get to see Happy Louie singing his ode to bleenies, “ I think I’m Fixing To Fry Rag” with the crowd yelling out in Dolby surround unison, “E” -“I”-“O”, “E”-“I”-“O.” You get the full performances of legendary performers - all the big names, the little names, the real names, the imaginary names- You get Jolly Jack Robel, new footage of the butt-kicking Lost Creek Polka Dots, Jolly Joe Timer, Stosh “Scrubby” Svreweryniak, The Lower Shaft Slovene Orchestra cranking out the “Hoop Dee Doo Polka,” “Fast” Eddie Blayonczyk, Marion Lush, Walt Jaworski doing his “Strip Mine Czardas,” Ted Maksymowicz, and even Mrs. T singing an a capella “Ho-Siup Oj Dana Polka” while the rains poured down on the mass of humanity sitting in the mud. Her performance was compared to Joplin's Monterey Pop set in terms of raw energy and raw onions.
This historic release also incorporates reflections from the musicians, local politicians and other giants on the cultural significance of Altamont Free Festival 40 years later. Were the infamous “brown bleenies” actually that bad for you? How many potatoes did it take to fill the Mosh potato pit? Was Route 61 actually closed down? Was the festival actually held on the site of the Ashland Drive-In? Why did the legendary Jimmy Sturr fail to appear? Did Lil Andy intentionally set his accordion on fire, during the ‘Fire, Fire Polka’ or was it an accident? Was County Controller Metro Litwak correct when he said ‘We must be in heaven, man’?' Was there real nudity or did some of the full-figured Minersville women just accidentally split their stretch pants?
This Ultimate Director’s Cut gives you Clarinetist “Jolly” John Hyzny performing his burning hot, seventeen minute long “Liechtensteiner Polka,” The Individuals doing a dynamite “She likes Kielbasa Better Than Beer,” Stanky and The CoalCrackers doing a furious “No Beer In Heaven,” followed by an even more furious “Ice Cubes and Beer,” and the improvisational skills of Sly Stone, who filled at the last minute for Gene Wysnkcavage & his Gilberton Push, performing the unbelievable “I Want to Have A Kaiers”.
As a musical purist, I was especially excited to hear the remastered “Johnny’s Knocking (Puka Jasiu),” another gem found in this set, performed by Big Barrel Emil, with its unforgettable opening clarinet riffs.
The box set includes not only six discs, but tons of extras, booklets, garment and bicycle tire patches, babushkas, galoshes, Alka Seltzer, air fresheners, a truss and halushkie recipes. Well worth the $79.99.
But many of us have forgotten the famed Altamont Free Festival that attracted tens of thousands from across the county to the town of Frackville, drawn together by the raw energy that only polka music could create. Schuylkill Living Magazine recently hailed the Festival as one of the 10 greatest moments in the County’s Entertainment History (tied for third place with the 1964 Spelling Bee).
The festival was proof to a skeptical world that a generation of boilo-filled, hedonistic people could handle themselves well.
Now, at last, the moguls at San-Son Productions have released “Altamont: The Ultimate Director’s Cut” (English, with Ukrainian Subtitles). The total time to watch this amazing movie takes seventeen hours, so plan to waste an entire weekend and cancel all other plans you may have.
This edition is much better than any previous versions released in the past (whether VHS, Beta or ViewMaster). The clarity of DVD and Blu-ray now makes it possible to examine every strand in Yak Tam Billy Urban’s haircut and you can actually see some saliva fall from the spit valves on the trombones of the Shenandoah High marching band; that is how crystal clear the images are.
You may have seen the original theatrical release when it premiered at the Ritz in St. Clair but this expanded and remastered Ultimate Director’s Cut includes fifteen hours of newly discovered material, some never-before-published in their entirety, from a number of artists. You get to see Happy Louie singing his ode to bleenies, “ I think I’m Fixing To Fry Rag” with the crowd yelling out in Dolby surround unison, “E” -“I”-“O”, “E”-“I”-“O.” You get the full performances of legendary performers - all the big names, the little names, the real names, the imaginary names- You get Jolly Jack Robel, new footage of the butt-kicking Lost Creek Polka Dots, Jolly Joe Timer, Stosh “Scrubby” Svreweryniak, The Lower Shaft Slovene Orchestra cranking out the “Hoop Dee Doo Polka,” “Fast” Eddie Blayonczyk, Marion Lush, Walt Jaworski doing his “Strip Mine Czardas,” Ted Maksymowicz, and even Mrs. T singing an a capella “Ho-Siup Oj Dana Polka” while the rains poured down on the mass of humanity sitting in the mud. Her performance was compared to Joplin's Monterey Pop set in terms of raw energy and raw onions.
This historic release also incorporates reflections from the musicians, local politicians and other giants on the cultural significance of Altamont Free Festival 40 years later. Were the infamous “brown bleenies” actually that bad for you? How many potatoes did it take to fill the Mosh potato pit? Was Route 61 actually closed down? Was the festival actually held on the site of the Ashland Drive-In? Why did the legendary Jimmy Sturr fail to appear? Did Lil Andy intentionally set his accordion on fire, during the ‘Fire, Fire Polka’ or was it an accident? Was County Controller Metro Litwak correct when he said ‘We must be in heaven, man’?' Was there real nudity or did some of the full-figured Minersville women just accidentally split their stretch pants?
This Ultimate Director’s Cut gives you Clarinetist “Jolly” John Hyzny performing his burning hot, seventeen minute long “Liechtensteiner Polka,” The Individuals doing a dynamite “She likes Kielbasa Better Than Beer,” Stanky and The CoalCrackers doing a furious “No Beer In Heaven,” followed by an even more furious “Ice Cubes and Beer,” and the improvisational skills of Sly Stone, who filled at the last minute for Gene Wysnkcavage & his Gilberton Push, performing the unbelievable “I Want to Have A Kaiers”.
As a musical purist, I was especially excited to hear the remastered “Johnny’s Knocking (Puka Jasiu),” another gem found in this set, performed by Big Barrel Emil, with its unforgettable opening clarinet riffs.
The box set includes not only six discs, but tons of extras, booklets, garment and bicycle tire patches, babushkas, galoshes, Alka Seltzer, air fresheners, a truss and halushkie recipes. Well worth the $79.99.
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