Customer Reviews

Classic Albums: The Doors - The Doors

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For every Doors fan, this is a thrill to have the first Doors album featured on a Classic Albums dvd. I have been a Doors fan since 1967 and have enjoyed their very unique style of music for 41 years.

This dvd features 7 of their 11 debut album songs, 1.Break On Through (To The Other Side), 2.The Crystal Ship, 3.Back Door Man, 4. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), 5.Light My Fire, 6.End Of The Night and 7.The End. It does not feature the following 4 songs: Soul Kitchen, Twentieth Century Fox, I Looked At You and Take It As It Comes. I wish they had covered all 11 songs, as it is fascinating listening to the surviving Doors Ray Manzarek (organ, piano and bass), Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) telling how these songs began and how they evolved into one of the greatest albums of all time.

Jim Morrison's poetry was almost always the beginning of their great songs, but there were many other influences that Ray, Robby and John brought into their unique sound from jazz, blues, latin, flamenco and bossa nova music. They even brought in some James Brown music!

There is much bonus material that really makes this worth owning as well. Ray tells of learning to play a Marxaphone on Alabama Song that gives the song it's carnival sound. Robby tells about his slide guitar, which gave The Doors such a unique mystical sound. John tells many of his trade secrets on the drums, such as he uses size 7A drum sticks, which are very thin and break easily, but give him maximum speed.

There are also great stories about Jim Morrison from 1967 told by The Doors. Bruce Botnick, the sound recording engineer for The Doors, plays many tracks from this fantastic album by themselves, so you can hear just single tracks of Jim Morrison's voice or just single tracks of the instruments. Jim Morrison can be heard singing with no accompaniment to show that his voice alone was unbelievably incredible!

Ray was such a talent on the keyboard, that he was the bass player! They never needed a bass guitar player with the fantastic sounds Ray could make on his keyboard. They tell how Moonlight Drive never made it to this first album, because the sound was not quite right. Moonlight Drive did make it on the second album, Strange Days, when it was slowed down quite a bit and a harpsichord sound was added to it. There are also commentaries from manager Bill Siddons, Jac Holzman who signed The Doors to Elektra Records, friend and poet Michael McClure, LA DJ Jim Ladd, other musicians, a film student and a music writer.

This dvd brought back many memories from 1967, when the shortened version of Light My Fire stayed at #1 on the record charts for that summer. The magic and genius of The Doors from 1967 is still there and it comes through on this dvd. I only hope that Classic Albums will feature more of The Doors truly fantastic albums like Strange Days and Waiting For The Sun, because listening to the origins of The Doors unbelievably fantastic songs is just like listening to The Doors songs for the first time in 1967!

The documentary is part of an ongoing series that airs on VH-1 and would have been vastly superior with more instrumental demonstrations & less chatter from those outside the band.

The enthusiasm of Ray Manzarek & engineer Bruce Botnick and technical explanations from Robby Krieger - with John Densmore adding a holistic dimension to the music - becomes muddled with too many people who have too little to add to the exploration of The Doors self-titled debut album.

It becomes a stretch to have friends of the group, Henry Rollins and Perry Farrell in a number of interview segments. That Farrell would share the album with his children hardly places the material in a historical context.

The bonus features place the spotlight back on the band members and the decisions that went into producing the album, with additional explanations through demonstrations. But the editing to the original documentary strays too much from letting the classic music do the talking.

Another great DVD from classic albums. The only downside in the series is that EVERY song from an album is NOT talked about, that's too bad but I guess I can't complain. The surviving members of The Doors are interviewed often throughout, especially keyboard/bass player Ray Manzarek who fondly looks back on the Doors glory days of the late 1960's, and at nearly 70 years old, is a little worn like old leather but still a pretty cool hippy from the 60's. Densmore shows some interesting aspects of his drumming in the 'special features' and how Jazz drummers influenced him and how to make his playing more confortable and with tones, etc. Not surprisingly, "Light My Fire" gets more of the attention as compared to the other songs on origins, arranging, etc and a brief clip from the Ed Sullivan show was fun to see. I never was too keen on the poetry aspect of Jim Morrison's lyrics -some of which I will never understand nor try to- and they do go into that on this DVD a little bit too much for me by showing a friend of the band recite 'Break on Through(to the other side)' as if it was the greatest thing ever written in the history of human civilization and then offer his comments about almost every line in the song(as he does in the 'special features' of the DVD). It was quite amusing to watch... once. It strays too much into beatnick territory for me. Luckily they talk about the music too - there is no denying that Ray Manzarek was a HUGE part of the Doors sound, not to discredit Krieger and Densmore. Manzarek does a lot of playing and demonstrations on this disc and his stories of Morrison on stage are entertaining to listen to, as well Krieger and Densmore. I am a casual fan of the band, who grew up in the 80s so it's nice to see how one of the best bands of the 60's got started and to hear stories of Jim Morrison and antedotes that maybe even diehard Doors fan never knew. Definitely worth owning and the price is very affordable if you look in a certain huge retail store throughout the USA. Half the price of what you will find on the internet.

I'm a big Doors fan. I'm also a fan of the "Classic Album" series.

My problem with this particular installment is that it is focuses way too much on how great The Doors were in general and their place in rock history, and not enough on the making of the actual album.

I expected in-depth insight on mixing, recording, equipment, performance, and instrumentation like the other installments I've seen (The Pink Floyd/DSotM and Hendrix/ELL DVDs are excellent examples of how these SHOULD be done). Instead, this one came off more like a VH1 Behind the Music puff-piece. Making-of aspects like the ones I mentioned above are present, but take a back seat to all the lauding.

Listen, if someone buys one of these Classic Album DVDs, chances are they are already a big fan of the band. So pontificating throughout the DVD about how great the The Doors are is preaching to the choir.

Bonus:
Cool to see Robbie Krieger on flamenco guitar. Ray M demonstrates organ parts & tells stories but comes off a little lame with an authentic but weak organ tone (Some more amplification would have been effective).

I have had a love affair with The Doors first album for years and what a treat it was to to see it as a Classic albums DVD. For the first time you get a inside look at the creation of in my mind, one of the best first albums ever. The viewer gets in inside look at this album thanks to the insights of Ray, Robby, and John along with Bruce Botnick. If you love the Doors first album or are even a new fan sit back and relax as your in for a real treat!

Bruce was clearly having a blast discussing this album as you simply couldn't wipe that proud smile off his face. The Doors were blessed to have his talent. Associates of the band and fellow muscians also weigh in on what made this album so unique and provide the listener with what it was like to hear this album for the first time in 1967. I loved Robby's slide flamenco playing and John shows us just how valued and underated a drummer he was and lets not forget Ray. His insights into this album and stories were wonderful and put a big smile on the viewers face. He takes you back in time to a period where albums were every bit as much as a performance on record as they were on stage.

Running time is 88 minutes and the bonus features go into more fuller details on what instruements were used and how they were played. When watching this I came away with a BIG amount of respect for the remaining Doors members. Jim will forever be the symbol of the Doors with his poetic words, timeless voice, and stage presence and rightfully so but like John said he never played a chord. Ray, John, and Robby made what Jim wrote WORK and without them Jim would have gotten nowhere and before I get flamed YES they needed Jim too! This album to me gives the surviving Doors their due and I was thrilled to see that respect paid in full.

If you love The Doors like I do GET THIS DVD TODAY! If you are new to the band its relatively cheap and a good introduction to the band if you are deciding on whether or not to buy the album. The Doors really were the alternative to the hippie flower power of the time and this album cements their status as TRUE LEGENDS whose music will live forever long after I am gone.

Can't say enough positive things about this DVD. Doors' fans new and old will find content to appreciate. There's tons of subtle gems on here.

Along with the anecdotes Ray Manzarek has recited many times, he offers new details throughout, with his dynamic keyboard demonstrations. He's more than happy to tell us who and what was an influence on certain parts of the songs, while being the "left hand" bass player of The Doors.

Bruce Botnick, producer and engineer, provides a lot of insight throughout, isolating tracks, adding commentary which has not been seen before, there is one demo that I've never heard before, etc.

Robby Krieger breaks a lot of his guitar parts down so you can see how he played them. He even shows how he plays that one fill on The End @ the beginning of the song; that crazy sounding run of notes.

John Densmore gets one of the most memorable moments of the disc, saying at one point, "... it just seemed like magic and you don't control that, it just flows through you."

There's lots of Hollywood Bowl concert film interspersed w/the commentary (a minor criticism as most Doors' fans have seen all that), but there really is a lot of stuff here that made me want to make note of the particulars that I enjoyed.

It's a cool disc and inexpensive too. There's a ton of bonus features, that leave you wanting more. Classic Albums: LA Woman, Classic Albums: Waiting For The Sun - can we see them? Please?

If you are looking for a commentary about the meaning of the songs, or speculation about Jim Morrison's mysterious death, this is not the DVD for you. If you are interested in a story about FOUR musical geniuses creating a legendary album you will love this DVD. This DVD really demonstrates the Doors synergism and how each band member made equal contributions to each song. Light My Fire is my favorite example. Robby wrote the song which is no small contribution. Jim made a substantial contribution by adding one verse and singing it in that Doors style that only Jim could do. What a voice. John made his contribution by adding the Bossa Nova beat and his incredible drum work. Ray added the repetitive Boogie-Woogie style Doors signature left-handed bass line and that famous organ introduction. But the finished song is much greater than the sum of its parts isn't it?. The Doors polished that song by performing it live hundreds of times. My favorite version of Light My Fire is on the Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance recorded 3 or so years after the studio recording. I don't listen to the studio albums much anymore. The live Doors concerts are my favorites and are very different than the Absolutely Live album, which I call Absolutely Paul, which includes hundreds of edits by Paul Rothchild. I love Absolutely Live, but I no longer think of it as a Doors concert, but perhaps the best compilation album ever created. Also just released is the new 6-disc album The Doors Live in New York which is four unexpectedly good performances on two consecutive nights. Just think about that. More new music was just released in 2009 than the total music available when the Doors were still performing. And every performance is different. Ray said some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. The Doors were always trying to eat the bear by creating those magical moments where everything came together to create some of my favorite performances. I listen to the Blues almost exclusively and The Doors seemed to break new ground musically without trampling over their songs' Blues roots. I love this DVD and highly recommend it to those of you interested in The Doors music.

The Doors' debut album certainly calls for a classic album review. I submit that Side 1 of the vinyl LP is the best rock LP side ever and that "Light My Fire" is the greatest rock song of all time.

Why the high praise? The Doors represent a one-of-a-kind phenomenon of 1960s rock. Their early music is an amalgam of psychedelic blues and rock, also infused with an unflawed tightness of rhythm on the hard-driving songs. It is highly eclectic, utilizing Latin high notes and eerie twangs, minor chords, dark or streaming (or Bachian) organ sound, bottleneck guitar, German oompah, and even Indian raga sound. Combine that with lead singer Jim Morrison's larger-than-life personality, poetic sensibilities, and sexy voice, and you have the stuff of a musical legend. Through Morrison, The Doors transcend mere rock music by exploring the world of theater and lyrical images.

The sound of the Doors, from the explosive centripetal force of "Break on Through" to the majesty of "Light My Fire," is musical ecstasy. I once heard the sound of the group's first two albums referred to as "Trip Doors." Disc jockey Jim Ladd comments, "They took you somewhere that no other band seemed to take you. These were highly educated, well-read, smart people." Morrison and keyboard player Ray Manzarek attended UCLA Film School.

The commentators emphasize the debut album is representative of The Doors' legendary live performances at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. There is no studio finessing to dilute the group's raw power.

Each Side 1 song (except "Twentieth Century Fox") is discussed thoroughly. Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore talk about such diverse influences as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, James Brown, Ray Charles, Latin music, and the bossa nova beat, in detail: They even show you the chords, licks, and drumbeats. "Backdoor Man," "End of the Night" (briefly), and "The End" are also discussed.

Jim Morrison's voice is isolated on several songs. The commentators note his voice was rich; he could be a controlled crooner like Frank Sinatra or go for the "feral, ferocious animal connection," as commentator Henry Rollins puts it. On "Backdoor Man," engineer Bruce Botnick observes: "It's like he's ripping his vocal chords out." All Doors joined in on the vocals on the "Alabama Song." Years ago, subletting a place in Manhattan, I discovered the tenant had the original on Brecht/Weill's "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"; how great it is to hear it discussed on this DVD! Botnick also isolates instruments often, including the beautiful piano on "The Crystal Ship" as a finale.

The "Bonus" features are extensive and very interesting. One topic is how two different versions of "Moonlight Drive" did not make it onto the debut album. Another is Ray commenting on how John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" influenced the soloing in "Light My Fire." One of my few criticisms is that the latter should have been included in the main body and made more extensive.

The commentators give their perspectives on the group's genesis, the creation of the songs, and the debut album's significance: It launched widespread Doors appreciation. It also helped define the political and social consciousness of the 1960s and became emblematic of individuality and the pursuit of personal freedom. The Doors' message is often seen as negative. But a nirvana of brotherhood is achieved in the consciousness of Doors' enjoyment, as we "make the scene ... gate is straight, deep and wide." Commentator Michael McClure, a beat poet, quotes William Blake, whose book "The Doors of Perception" is the basis of the group's name: "The road of excess leads to the Palace of Wisdom."

Already have a lot of this, but it's a nicely arrranged collection. Just wish there were more of these. Fair price, as was shipping and handling. A+.

Overall this was an interesting documentary about The Doors. It would have been nice to get more information about the making of their first album, what little there was proved to be fascinating, and save most of the interviews for the bonus material.

This is worth a viewing for fans of The Doors.

A nice peek that leaves you wanting more.