THE DOORS: "L.A. Woman" + 11 Bonus Tracks

Original released on LP Elektra

EKS-75011 (US) / K-42090 (UK)

1971, April 29

The final album with Jim Morrison in the lineup is by far their most blues-oriented, and the singer's poetic ardor is undiminished, though his voice sounds increasingly worn and craggy on some numbers. Actually, some of the straight blues items sound kind of turgid, but that's more than made up for by several cuts that rate among their finest and most disturbing work. The seven-minute title track was a car-cruising classic that celebrated both the glamour and seediness of Los Angeles; the other long cut, the brooding, jazzy "Riders on the Storm," was the group at its most melodic and ominous. It and the far bouncier "Love Her Madly" were hit singles, and "The Changeling" and "L'America" count as some of their better little-heeded album tracks. An uneven but worthy finale from the original quartet. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

The original Doors (though they didn't know it as they wrote and recorded it) go out in a blaze of glory, picking up the returning blues and jazz influences where they left off with "Morrison Hotel" but becoming far more panoramic, ethereal, and impressionistic (just listen deep to "L'America," the title track, and "Riders on the Storm") - without cutting the heart out of the music. (And, in the cases of "Cars Hiss by My Window" and "The W.A.S.P. [Texas Radio and the Big Beat]," coming up with some of the best blues of their career.) You could argue successfully that the group's musicianship hadn't been this strong in too long, and if Jim Morrison does sound a little spiritually exhausted in some places, he manages somehow to make it work for the material in the appropriate places. And if you can find a more haunting album closer than "Riders on the Storm," which is probably as elevated a Morrison epitaph (and with maybe the band's best studio playing since "Strange Days") and second theme for the Doors themselves as can be found (would you trade even one measure of "Riders" for the whole of "The End?"), well, mister you're a better man than I. (Jeff Kallman in AllMusic)

THE DOORS' "Waiting For The Sun" + 18 Bonus Tracks

Original Released on LP Elektra EKS-74024
(US 1968, July 12)

The Doors'1967 albums had raised expectations so high that their third effort was greeted as a major disappointment. With a few exceptions, the material was much mellower, and while this yielded some fine melodic ballad rock in "Love Street," "Wintertime Love," "Summer's Almost Gone," and "Yes, the River Knows," there was no denying that the songwriting was not as impressive as it had been on the first two records. On the other hand, there were first-rate tunes such as the spooky "The Unknown Soldier," with antiwar lyrics as uncompromisingly forceful as anything the band did, and the compulsively riff-driven "Hello, I Love You," which nonetheless bore an uncomfortably close resemblance to the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night." The flamenco guitar of "Spanish Caravan," the all-out weirdness of "Not to Touch the Earth" (which was a snippet of a legendary abandoned opus, "The Celebration of the Lizard"), and the menacing closer "Five to One" were also interesting. In fact, time's been fairly kind to the record, which is quite enjoyable and diverse, just not as powerful a full-length statement as the group's best albums. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

"Love Her Madly" By THE DOORS

THE DOORS: 40th Anniversary Mixes

A great value set that breathes new life into these classic albums. These are not the albums as we're used to hearing them, they have been remastered from the original tapes, generally speaking I am against this sort of thing but in this case they've managed to do something quite special. This isn't the usual rehash of out-takes and background noises, some of the layers you can hear on these recordings were originally left out because they would have been deamed offensive in the 1960s but under todays standards they're quite tame. By the end of the first album I was left feeling like I'd learned something new about the band and what they were trying to create as well as the limitations set on them by the morals of the day. All in all this is a fantastic set and is worth bying even if you already have all the original albums. (in Amazon)

Very good box set, remastered and some of the songs have added extras in them. Most noticeable on "Roadhouse Blues" and "L.A. Woman". I gave my old cds away that I had when I bought this box set. The sound quality has been improved, sounds louder and clearer on my system. All albums are great from one of the best and most underrated bands. The music never tires or sounds old or outdated, excellent musicians that experimented with different sounds. All albums sound different from the organ sound of the early albums to the more bluesy guitar driven sound of the later albums. Jim morrison with incredible vocals passion and poetic lyrics complimenting the amazing guitarist robbie krieger. John densmore and Ray manzarek providing great drums and incredible organs and keyboards. The box set is small and compact, cds are in cardboard sleeves of the original album art and photographs. Got it at a great price and I am very pleased with the purchase and the service. Great box set. (in Amazon)

Disc 1
  1. Break On Through
  2. Soul Kitchen
  3. The Crystal Ship
  4. Twentieth Century Fox [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  5. Alabama Song [Whisky Bar]
  6. Light My Fire
  7. Back Door Man
  8. I Looked At You [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. End Of The Night [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  10. Take It As It Comes [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  11. The End [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)

Disc 2
  1. Strange Days
  2. You're Lost Little Girl [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  3. Love Me Two Times
  4. Unhappy Girl [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  5. Horse Latitudes [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  6. Moonlight Drive
  7. People Are Strange
  8. My Eyes Have Seen You [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. I Can't See Your Face In My Mind [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  10. When The Music's Over [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)

Disc 3
  1. Hello, I Love You
  2. Love Street
  3. Not To Touch The Earth [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  4. Summer's Almost Gone [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  5. Wintertime Love [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  6. The Unknown Soldier
  7. Spanish Caravan [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  8. My Wild Love [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. We Could Be So Good Together [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  10. Yes, The River Knows [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  11. Five To One [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)

Disc 4
  1. Tell All The People [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  2. Touch Me
  3. Shaman's Blues [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  4. Do It [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  5. Easy Ride [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  6. Wild Child [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  7. Runnin' Blue [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  8. Wishful Sinful [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. The Soft Parade [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)

Disc 5
  1. Roadhouse Blues
  2. Waiting For The Sun [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  3. You Make Me Real [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  4. Peace Frog (New Stereo Mix Advanced Resolution GH Edit)
  5. Blue Sunday [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  6. Ship Of Fools [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  7. Land Ho! [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  8. The Spy [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. Queen Of The Highway [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  10. Indian Summer [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  11. Maggie M'Gill [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)

Disc 6
  1. The Changeling [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  2. Love Her Madly
  3. Been Down So Long [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  4. Cars Hiss By My Window [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  5. L.A. Woman
  6. L'America [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  7. Hyacinth House [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  8. Crawling King Snake [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  9. The WASP ( Texas Radio And The Big Beat ) [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution)
  10. Riders On The Storm

The Strange Days Of The DOORS

Original released on LP Elektra EKL 4014

(US 1967, September 25)

Many of the songs on "Strange Days" had been written around the same time as the ones that appeared on "The Doors", and with hindsight one has the sense that the best of the batch had already been cherry picked for the debut album. For that reason, the band's second effort isn't as consistently stunning as their debut, though overall it's a very successful continuation of the themes of their classic album. Besides the hit "Strange Days," highlights included the funky "Moonlight Drive," the eerie "You're Lost Little Girl," and the jerkily rhythmic "Love Me Two Times," which gave the band a small chart single. "My Eyes Have Seen You" and "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind" are minor but pleasing entries in the group's repertoire that share a subdued Eastern psychedelic air. The 11-minute "When the Music's Over" would often be featured as a live showstopper, yet it also illustrated their tendency to occasionally slip into drawn-out bombast. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

THE DOORS DEBUT ALBUM

Original released on LP Elektra EKL 4007

(US 1967, January 4)

A tremendous debut album, and indeed one of the best first-time outings in rock history, introducing the band's fusion of rock, blues, classical, jazz, and poetry with a knock-out punch. The lean, spidery guitar and organ riffs interweave with a hypnotic menace, providing a seductive backdrop for Jim Morrison's captivating vocals and probing prose. "Light My Fire" was the cut that topped the charts and established the group as stars, but most of the rest of the album is just as impressive, including some of their best songs: the propulsive "Break on Through" (their first single), the beguiling Oriental mystery of "The Crystal Ship," the mysterious "End of the Night," "Take It as It Comes" (one of several tunes besides "Light My Fire" that also had hit potential), and the stomping rock of "Soul Kitchen" and "Twentieth Century Fox." The 11-minute Oedipal drama "The End" was the group at its most daring and, some would contend, overambitious. It was nonetheless a haunting cap to an album whose nonstop melodicism and dynamic tension would never be equaled by the group again, let alone bettered. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

DISCOGRAPHY

Formed July 1965, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Disbanded 1973

Jim Morrison (born 1943 > died 1971): vocals

Robby Krieger (born 1946): guitar

John Densmore (born 1944): drums

Ray Manzarek (born 1939 > died 2013): keyboards, bass, pedals, vocals

1967-01-04 LP THE DOORS (US Elektra EKL 4007): A1. Break On Through (To the Other Side); A2. Soul Kitchen; A3. The Crystal Ship; A4. Twentieth Century Fox; A5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar); A6. Light My Fire; B1. Back Door Man; B2. I Looked at You; B3. End of the Night; B4. Take It as It Comes; B5. The End

1967-01 Sg (US Elektra EK 45611): A. Break On Through (To the Other Side); B. End of the Night

1967-05 Sg (US Elektra EK 45615): A. Light My Fire; B. The Crystal Ship

1967-09-11 Sg (US Elektra EK 45621): A. People Are Strange; B. Unhappy Girl

1967-09-25 LP STRANGE DAYS (US Elektra EKL 4014): A1. Strange Days; A2. You’re Lost Little Girl; A3. Love Me Two Times; A4. Unhappy Girl; A5. Horse Latitudes; A6. Moonlight Drive; B1. People Are Strange; B2. My Eyes Have Seen You; B3. I Can’t See Your Face in My Mind; B4. When the Music’s Over

1967-12 Sg (US Elektra EK 45624): A. Love Me Two Times; B. Moonlight Drive

1968-03 Sg (US Elektra EK 45628): A. The Unknown Soldier; B. We Could Be So Good Together

1968-07 Sg (US Elektra EK 45635): A. Hello, I Love You; B. Love Street

1968-07-12 LP WAITING FOR THE SUN (US Elektra EKS 4024): A1. Hello, I Love You; A2. Love Street; A3. Not to Touch the Earth; A4. Summer’s Almost Gone; A5. Wintertime Love; A6. The Unknown Soldier; B1. Spanish Caravan; B2. My Wild Love; B3. We Could Be So Good Together; B4. Yes, the River Knows; B5. Five to One

1968-12 Sg (US Elektra EK 45646): A. Touch Me; B. Wild Child

1969-03 Sg (US Elektra EK 45656): A. Wishful Sinful; B. Who Scared You

1969-06 Sg (US Elektra EK 45663): A. Tell All the People; B. Easy Ride

1969-07-18 LP THE SOFT PARADE (US Elektra EKS 75005): A1. Tell All the People; A2. Touch Me; A3. Shaman’s Blues; A4. Do It; A5. Easy Ride; B1. Wild Child; B2. Runnin’ Blue; B3. Wishful Sinful; B4. The Soft Parade

1969-09 Sg (US Elektra EK 45675): A. Runnin’ Blue; B. Do It

1970-02-09 LP MORRISON HOTEL (US Elektra EKS 75007): A1. Roadhouse Blues; A2. Waiting For the Sun; A3. You Make Me Real; A4. Peace Frog; A5. Blue Sunday; A6. Ship of Fools; B1. Land Ho!; B2. The Spy; B3. Queen of the Highway; B4. Indian Summer; B5. Maggie M’Gill

1970-07-20 LP ABSOLUTELY LIVE (US Elektra EKS 9002): A1. Who Do You Love; A2. Medley: Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – Backdoor Man – Love Hides – Five to One; B1. Build Me a Woman; B2. When the Music’s Over; C1. Close to You; C2. Universal Mind; C3. Break On Through #2; D1. The Celebration of the Lizard; D2. Soul Kitchen

1971-04-29 LP L.A. WOMAN (US Elektra EKS 75011): A1. The Changeling; A2. Love Her Madly; A3. Been Down So Long; A4. Cars Hiss by My Window; A5. L.A. Woman; B1. L’America; B2. Hyacinth House; B3. Crawling King Snake; B4. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat); B5. Riders on the Storm

1971-05 Sg (US Elektra EKS 45726): A. Love Her Madly; B. (You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further

1971-07 Sg (US Elektra EKS 45738): A. Riders on the Storm; B. The Changeling

1971-10-25 LP OTHER VOICES (US Elektra EKS 75017): A1. In the Eye of the Sun; A2. Variety Is the Spice of Life; A3. Ships Without Sails; A4. Tightrope Ride; B1. Down on the Farm; B2. I’m Horny, I’m Stoned; B3. Wandering Musician; B4. Hang on to Your Life

1972-07 LP FULL CIRCLE (US Elektra EKS 75039): A1. Get Up and Dance; A2. 4 Billion Souls; A3. Verdilac; A4. Hardwood Floor; A5. Good Rockin’; B1. The Mosquito; B2. The Piano Bird; B3. It Slipped My Mind; B4. The Peking King and the New York Queen

1978-11 LP AN AMERICAN PRAYER (Jim Morrison and the Doors) (US Elektra 5E-502): A1. Awake (Ghost Song-Dawn’s Highway-Newborn Awakening); A2. To Come of Age (Black Polished Crome-Latino Chrome-Angels and Sailors-Stoned Immaculate); A3. The Poet’s Dream (The Movie-Curses, Invocations); B1. World on Fire (American Night-Roadhouse Blues-The World on Fire-Lament-The Hitchhiker); B2. An American Prayer

WELCOME TO THE MORRISON HOTEL!

Original released on LP Elektra EKS-75007

(US/UK 1970, February 1)

The Doors returned to crunching, straightforward hard rock on "Morrison Hotel", an album that, despite yielding no major hit singles, returned them to critical favor with hip listeners. An increasingly bluesy flavor began to color the songwriting and arrangements, especially on the party'n'booze anthem "Roadhouse Blues." Airy mysticism was still present on "Waiting for the Sun," "Queen of the Highway," and "Indian Summer"; "Ship of Fools" and "Land Ho!" struck effective balances between the hard rock arrangements and the narrative reach of the lyrics. "Peace Frog" was the most political and controversial track, documenting the domestic unrest of late-'60s America before unexpectedly segueing into the restful ballad "Blue Sunday." "The Spy," by contrast, was a slow blues that pointed to the direction that would fully blossom on "L.A. Woman". (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin...................... WAKE UP!!!

Original released on Double LP Elektra EKS-9002

(US, July 1970)

Este foi o album que nos inícios dos anos 70 usei como cartão de visita ao universo dos Doors. Uma mudança nos meus hábitos, uma vez que sempre substimei os albuns ao vivo em relação aos albuns de estúdio. Aliás, e confirmando isso mesmo, são raros os albuns Live dos quais me tornei fá incondicional. Posso citar, para além deste, o “Live at Leeds”, dos Who, o “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” dos Stones, o “ Live Dead” dos Greatful Dead, o "Band of Gypsys" do Hendrix ou, num contexto diferente (já de revivalismo) o “Concert at Central Park”, dos Simon & Garfunkel. E de  momento não me consigo lembrar de mais nenhum que tivesse uma importância tão relevante como os atrás citados.

As concepções que Jim Morrison elaborou através das suas experiências cinematográficas, aplicou-as também no palco, atingindo um grau de realização superior. A nível do público, os concertos dos Doors foram sempre tumultuosos. A combinação da excitação dos espectadores com o clima de revolta veiculado pela música deles, criava um estado de tensão com o qual Morrison se divertia, «curioso por ver o que aconteceria». A presença de forças policiais quase sempre hostis rompia por vezes o frágil equilíbrio, geralmente por causa de Morrison. Donde um certo número de incidentes memoráveis, de que os mais célebres, que levaram à sua detenção, tiveram lugar em Newhaven em 67 e em Miami, em 69. «Quando fico fora de mim no palco, é geralmente por uma única razão, não posso suportar que o espectáculo seja interrompido. Isso põe-me furiosamente doido, não só por nossa causa, mas também por causa dos espectadores, que não ficam melhor do que nós».

Este duplo album foi o único Live editado durante o período de vida da banda e foi compilado a partir de diversas actuações ao vivo nos EUA, realizadas entre Agosto de 1969 e Junho de 1970, e constitui um espantoso documento do que eram os Doors em palco com Morrison. Muitos grupos fizeram discos Live, mas em geral sem outro objectivo que o de guardar numa gravação essa espontaneidade musical que só existe em concerto. "Absolutely Live", pelo contrário, quer-se um documentário-orgânico (para citar a expressão incluída nas notas escritas no interior da capa original) do que se passava nos concertos dos Doors a todos os níveis e não sómente no da música. Com este objectivo, as quatro faces seguem o desenrolar de um concerto, com os seus múltiplos pequenos incidentes e practicamente sem nenhuma interrupção. Por isso mesmo, o ficheiro aqui disponível, apresenta o album completo, do princípio ao fim, sem interrupções.

Troughs where the pandemonium becomes unbearable, peaks of majestic poetic beauty, senseless brutality, sexuality and tension bubbling just beneath the surface. Just some of the things you’ll find on "Absolutely Live". The revulsion factor runs high, from a flinty call for control at the beginning to a battle between raging egos during “When The Music's Over” that affords a window into what Hell must be like. When it was released, "Absolutely Live" was notable for inclusion of previously unreleased songs and covers - “Who Do You Love,” “Universal Mind,” “Build Me A Woman,” “Close To You,” “Love Hides” - none of it essential (well, maybe “Universal Mind”). Throughout, Morrison is the center of the storm, though Robby Krieger does slip in some stunning leads. His voice is rough and rich and wonderful, his readings of «Petition The Lord With Prayer' and “Celebration of the Lizard” flooded with dark charisma. In a sense, the disc plays out like a multimedia experience. You don’t hear the performances so much as feel them. It’s a visceral, vicarious pleasure for those who buy into the band’s mythology. (Dave Connolly)

HÁ 40 ANOS ATRÁS...

Nestes primeiros dias de Março, em 1969, enquanto o presidente norte-americano Richard Nixon se encontra com o papa Paulo VI no Vaticano, Jim Morrison, durante um concerto dos Doors em Miami, simula masturbação e sexo oral, expondo publicamente os órgãos sexuais. É detido e acusado de comportamento impúdico e lascivo, entre outras ofensas. Como consequência, os espectáculos agendados pelo grupo serão suspensos durante 5 meses.

Em França, o avião supersónico Concorde faz o seu voo inaugural de 30 minutos a partir do aeroporto de Toulouse. O aparelho mede 60,10 metros de comprimento e tem 25,55 metros de envergadura, podendo voar a 18.000 metros de altitude. É a grande moda na aviação, que se reflecte inclusivé nos penteados e pinturas de modelos da época.

THE DOORS: "TOUCH ME"

“Touch Me / Wild Child” foi o último dos três singles que Os Doors editaram em 1968. Escrito pelo guitarrista Robby Krieger, o título inicial de “Hit Me” (uma referência ao jogo do poker ou, segundo outras interpretações, uma alusão às disputas que o músico teria na altura com a namorada) foi posteriormente alterado por Jim Morrison.
O single, gravado em Outubro de 1968, faria parte do album “The Soft Parade”, o qual só seria editado seis meses depois, em 25 de Junho de 1969.
No final da versão incluída no LP pode ouvir-se Morrison exclamar: “Stronger Than Dirt!”. A frase foi retirada de um anúncio televisivo sobre o Ajax, no qual um cavaleiro branco destruía tudo o que era sujidade à sua volta.“Touch Me” foi sem dúvida um dos temas mais em voga logo no início de 1969, tendo atingido a 3ª posição nas tabelas americanas (Billboard)

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