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DVDfever.co.uk – The Doors: Live In New York CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Rhino Records
- Released: October 2009
- Format: 6-CD set
- Rating: 10/10+++
- Tracks: includes Light My Fire, Roadhouse Blues, Blue Sunday, Ship Of Fools, Soul Kitchen, Five To One, Love Hides, Break On Through (To The Other Side) Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), The End.
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
LAs Lizard King and buddies rip up NY. Phew!
Live albums went out of fashion yonks ago. Concert DVDs have taken their place. This album might just reignite your interest. Youll need a fair bit of time to judge it though, because of the six CDs. You wont be disappointed, especially if you listen through headphones.
LAs Lizard King Jim Morrisons alter-ego – and three band mates Ray Manzarek (organ / bass) Robby Kreiger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) hit the Big Apples Felt Forum ( a 5,000 -seater venue within Madison Square Gardens) and blew the place apart.
Over two nights in January 1970 The Doors consolidated themselves as the coolest band on the planet. CDs 1-3 are from January 17, CDs 4-6 from January 18.At the time, the band were risky business due to Morrisons sexually charged delivery, with promoters trembling in their boots following a succession of infamous incidents by Morrison. He went one step too far in Miami in March 1969 after which he was arrested for, lewd and lascivious behaviour Many promoters included an obscenity clause in their contracts as a safety net.Some of these shows content surfaced on Absolutely Live (1970), An America Prayer plus one more, but this is the full blown version, for the first time.
Rhino have done a great job on a recent run of freshly exhumed Doors gigs this is the biggie though. Due to missing bits on the 8 track masters, and with the help of Doors collectors and snippets on the 2 track tapes, it was possible to plug gaps, resulting in the first complete faithful reproduction of the concerts.Despite its bootleg quality audience banter, tune-ups (it took them nearly 5 minutes to start the first show!) and repeated songs, it captures the band at the pinnacle of their all-too-brief existence, brought to a rapid end following Jim Morrisons mysterious death in a Paris hotel bath tub, aged 27.
The Jim Morrison who turned up was not the one fans related to. Gone were the leather pants and he was much chubbier. There was an attempt to lose the rock star image as tried to become a regular bluesman, so in their sets, they included some rasping covers of blues standards Back Door Man, Little Red Rooster and Money.After a casual start, tune up, no pleasantries, they launched into Roadhouse Blues, which opened all four shows, so the highly expectant crowd got what they wanted.
On CD 1, Kreiger shows his skills on a thumping Ship Of Fools with Morrisons tubes letting rip. On Peace Frog both Kreiger and Manzarek turn up the heat on this pulsating rocker, but its Back Door Man that brings the best out of them. Five To One consolidates Krieger as one of the finest guitarists of his generation as he dazzles with blistering solos. The highlight is the near nine minute cover of Jose Felicianos Light My Fire with protracted jam-like organ sequence by Manzarek with Krieger delving into Carlos Santana-like licks.The same initial lack of urgency welcomed crowd number two (CD2) but at least Morrison was more engaging at the start Alright..how ya doing man?. Looking good, was greeted by cheers and whistles.
A wild Wow! pre-fixed Roadhouse Blues and its as hot as the first one. By track four, Crawling King Snake, Morrison was finding his sensual groove, sure to titillate the young ladies. CD1s Who Do You Love lacked passion but they hit a high the second time around spanning a whopping nine minutes 35 seconds. After a shambolic Wild Child they hit anther peak with a stunning and raucous When The Musics Over. During as short breather Morrison finally opened up with a compliment. Hey.. you know whats really weird? Let me tell you let me tell you man Los Angeles California has the best landscape, the climate and all that, but New York has the grooviest people.. greeted by shrieks of approval segued by another sensational Light My Fire. Once again Morrison tried his hand as entertainer by cracking his now famous Fish Joke, to mixed reactions.Arguably their most famous/infamous song, the unnerving and explicitly Oedipal The End was saved for the closer, lasting an exhausting 20 minutes.
Show three, CD 4, follows a similar format and includes a Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) false start (yes even The Doors got it wrong sometimes). Defining the third show was an outstanding Universal Mind with Krieger once again he had all the tricks on the book, with Who Do You Love now becoming a force of nature due to John Densmores sizzling drumming, especially the start, while Light My Fire is now perfected.By show four, Morrison is gushing with funnies. Is everybody ready? Were gonna have some fun tonight, right? Alright, alright..everybodys gonna get it on right?, then its Roadhouse Blues for the final time.
Peace Frog has now developed into a funky groove. Theres no blip on Alabama Song either. Celebration Of The Lizard is quirky but cool.Disc 6 continues show four. The highlights are another sizzling Light My Fire while Morrison plays with tonal values. A brilliant R&B Close To You and the dirty grooves of Going To N.Y.Blues showing their deep roots are still firmly intact. Capping a glorious weekend, they close with a scintillating 13 minute cover of Van Morrisons Gloria.
You may or may not be a Doors fan, but you simply have to check this out.
The verdict Worth every penny !
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Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.