IN CONCERT

This double Cd compilation of different live recordings that were previously available brings absolutely nothing new to the debate. If you are a long time fan of the group, you are likely to have these records in one way or another.

Absolutely Live is the only album I regard as official (due to its release date) and shows a real difference between the band live and its studio version. Obviously this is a manifest that the Doors concerts were never an acquired thing, since the band was always depending on the erratic behaviour of Morrison. And on that night, obviously Jimbo was well on the way to his artificial paradise, but obviously had not got to his final destination. This recording is rather interesting for its rare performance of the Celebration Of The King Lizard in its entirety. And then we can see that the Waiting For The Sun album's best track (Not To Touch The Earth) was also the highpoint of the never finalized side-long track that they were planning on. For the rest we have a rough sound throughout the first disc, making the album (with a different cover artwork than on our PA) a must for Doorshandles.

The first part of the second disc is a rather yawning Alive She Cried collection of live cuts that were released a decade later. Outside the cover of Them's Gloria and a bluesy Red Rooster, there is not that much interesting (maybe the elongated Light My Fire), but this disc had the merit (aside from generally excellent live recording sound) to keep the Doors' lights on for the next generation.

The last three tracks as I understand it were Hollywood Bowl tracks, but since I never owned those recordings, I suspect that there are only parts of it included here, but cannot confirm it.

But however, if you are a new to the Doors, this live anthology is rather interesting collection. And somehow, I bet that many will be surprised by the band's raw live sound. And there are many hints that the group had excellent improvising talents (mostly due to the erratic nature of their frontman, but they also often did medleys of their own tracks. And one of the most bizarre moment in the Absolutely Live album is that when Jimbo starts with the spoken intro of the track The Soft Parade, the crowd goes nuts (this is obviously a fan favourite), but unfortunately the rest of the track is absent. And newer recordings did not manage to rebuild the track as it should have. Still a must, but this is not always easy.