Doors/TX,USA 1968

The Doors were one of the biggest groups of the 1960s, but the release of rare recordings has completely stopped recently. It is true that the number of recordings capturing their performances is limited, which is one of the reasons, but what made the situation even more complicated was the box set “BOOT YER BUTT! THE DOORS BOOTLEGS” released 20 years ago. It was an official release that compiled excerpts from the Doors’ audience recordings that exist in the world into four discs. Because of this set, when their audience recordings are circulated on the Internet today, the takes included in this set become “official content,” so they have no choice but to upload them in a deleted state. In that respect, “BOOT YER BUTT!” has fulfilled its role, and it could be said to be a pioneer of “copyright-protected releases” now. So, this time, we decided to release a rare live recording of The Doors, not the version circulating on the Internet, but the complete version without cuts circulating among traders, which was provided by an American Doors researcher. This time, the recording is an audience recording of a live performance at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas on July 9, 1968. What is surprising is that it is recorded in stereo. Speaking of stereo audience recordings in Dallas in 1968, Cream’s “DALLAS MARCH 1968” is still fresh in my memory, but perhaps it was recorded with the same taper. Perhaps it is fair to assume that they learned from the lesson that the input level was a little too high in Cream in March, and this time they recorded very clearly. In any case, the stereo sound quality alone is an amazing recording, but what’s even more amazing is that it’s so fresh that it’s hard to believe it was recorded in 1968, and coupled with the appropriate distance of the sound image, it’s a quality that is surprisingly easy to listen to even with today’s ears. Unfortunately, the tape change occurs in the middle of the long performance of “Light My Fire,” and the rest of the performance changes to mono, but ironically, that change makes you realize that it was recorded in clear stereo. In addition, the second half of the song, which became mono, is still easy to listen to for a 1968 recording, and you’ll be reminded of how outstanding the audience recording is. As soon as the classic song “Soul Kitchen” starts at the opening, you’ll be surprised by the volume of Jim Morrison’s singing voice. Even just from what I’ve mentioned so far, you may have understood that this sound source is of outstanding quality among the audience recordings of The Doors, but the final blow is the sound pressure of this singing voice. With such high quality, the “BOOT YER BUTT!” box also features two songs, “Hello I Love You” and “Money,” and currently cut versions of these two songs are circulating online. Of course, this is the complete version without such cuts. Although this day was four days after the Hollywood Bowl, which is well known for its official live footage, the performance content and atmosphere of the live performance are completely different. The live performance was held in the band’s hometown, where the band’s popularity exploded, and was carried out under pressure, with filming even included, whereas this one was performed in front of an audience that listened closely, with Morrison and other members suddenly playing freely. The sound quality is so good that the performance is so vivid. It is clear that he has been running at full throttle since “Break On Through,” and he is singing happily with ad-libbed scat here and there. In the first place, this song was not performed at the Hollywood Bowl. The following masterpiece, “The Crystal Ship,” was also not featured at the Hollywood Bowl concert, and the set list is more substantial than the Hollywood Bowl concert, which mainly featured new songs at the time. It’s full of great songs. The cover of “Money,” mentioned earlier, also conveys a different sense of relaxation than the Hollywood Bowl concert. This cover is based on the version released by John Lee Hooker as “I Need Some Money,” and does not include the chorus of the Beatles’ familiar “That’s what I want.” This cover was a repertoire that was often featured at the time of their debut, but it is rare to see it performed on stage in 1968. Speaking of rarity, the big hit “Hello, I Love You” had a short life as a repertoire, and on top of that, the recording of Morrison’s vocals at the Hollywood Bowl was a failure (so the current DVD uses a studio take instead), so it’s also a plus that you can hear a pure live performance with good sound quality. And “Light My Fire” is a great performance worthy of the finale. The tension was so high that the moment it flowed into that intro from Morrison’s improvisation poem “Wake Up!” before the performance started was enough to give me goosebumps. He was really into it that day, and even when Ray Manzarek’s organ solo started, he didn’t let go of the microphone and kept stirring up the crowd. The Doors’ original style was a show like this one, with Morrison’s theatrical behavior, rather than a rapturous rock concert atmosphere like the Hollywood Bowl. The audience watching with bated breath also contributed to the surprisingly easy-to-listen-to quality. In fact, there was almost no need to make any changes to this release. Take a trip back to summer Dallas with this stereo audience album, which is so high quality it’s hard to believe it was recorded in 1968! Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, TX, USA 9th July 1968 TRULY PERFECT SOUND (59:20) 1. Soul Kitchen 2. Back Door Man 3. Five To One 4. Break On Through 5. The Crystal Ship 6. Texas Radio And The Big Beat 7. Hello, I Love You 8. Moonlight Drive 9. Money 10. When The Music’s Over 11. Wake Up! 12. Light My Fire Jim Morrison – vocals Ray Manzarek – keyboards Robby Krieger – guitar John Densmore – drums