1969 was a different time in the music industry. David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity” became a huge hit in this year, being released at the time that American astronauts first landed on the moon.
The Stooges‘ eponymous debut, The Stooges, was also released this year to little critical or popular acceptance. The album, however, went on to become one of the most important recordings in the early development of punk rock, as did Kick Out The Jams by Detroit protopunkers MC5.
The most notable event though was the Woodstock festival, which consisted of dozens of the most famous performers in the world at the time, playing together in an atmosphere of peace with nature and love, with many thousands of concert goers; it is still one of the largest concerts in the history of the world.
If you were a concert promoter back then, it was a simpler time. You would write to a company like Commercial Entertainments in London and wait for a reply letter, listing what bands were available on the date in question and how much you’d have to pay to have performers appear at your event.
As you can see below, it would cost just £250 (about CA$435) to book Pink Floyd or £500 to have Fleetwood Mac perform. 1969 was the year they released their third studio album, Then Play On. Booking Deep Purple would have cost you £125. These days that would maybe get you one ticket to see them in concert!
Check out the full list, also including Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues and the Small Faces, below.
One year later, in 1970, one promoter got good value for money with this amazing line-up.
