LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL

About a year ago I went to the store where I usually get my CD's and bought a couple, so the owner told me that being a good customer I could take one album from a special section for free, I checked it and only could find a decent one THE DOORS "Live at Hollywood Bowl", and since I didn't had any of their live albums went for it, at the end it cost me nothing.

I'm a Doors fan but this album was a total disappointment, bad recording, worst sound (In their attempt of cleaning the audience noise they took great part of the high ranges) and the selection is one of the worst I have ever seen.

The album starts with "Wake Up", 1:40 minutes of Jim Morrison in one of his sad attempts of being a poet, simply boring, if I want to listen somebody cursing and shouting, I will visit one of ex girlfriends.

There's no Doors album without "Light My Fire", so they play a extended version, this track might be overplayed (As a fact it is) but has the virtue to never tire me, the voice of Jim even being absolutely wasted was awesome, the instrumental section by Ray Manzarek on his Farfisa organ is incredible as always, I can't get how he was able to get such great sound of this instrument that sounded totally metallic like a toy kit, the man is a genius. "Light My Fire" is a track that I almost always (I'll explain why the almost at the end of the review) listen with extreme pleasure, even this almost 9 minutes version.

"Unknown Soldier" sounds great also, very psyche and hallucinating, Jim's almost narrative style is perfect for the track, and again Ray working directly John Densmore is outstanding, it's obvious as the concert advances that Morrison is getting higher and the quality of the voice suffers a bit.

"A Little Game" is another chance for Jim to babble while his physical and mental condition is deteriorating, terrible, but it lasts only 1:20 minutes.

"The Hill Owellers" is in the same vein, by this point you can hardly understand what Jim is reciting (Not even attempts to sing), two fillers, one after the other is already too much despite it's also very short.

"Spanish Caravan" is simply a relieve, the whole band is better than ever, as they get stronger Jim gets worst, but who cares as long as it sounds well or at least decent.

The album ends with..An edited version of "Light My Fire" (Now you understand why I said almost), they chosen the moments when Jim sounds better but deleted most of the wonderful jamming that is the central point of interest, just a filler for us not to feel robbed by a 21 minutes album.

Sorry, I love The Doors, but this album is a waste of money, the only way I would have got it was for free, and that's precisely how I got it.

Two stars, only for hardcore fans.