Customer Reviews

Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The Second Performance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have ever wondered what it was like to hear the Doors in a live concert setting on a very good night... look no further because this is it. The Doors recorded this amazing live set on July 21, 1969, four months after their infamous and notorious concert in Miami. What you get here is the Doors at their very best: pure, raw, unpredictable and musically perfect. The music was beautifully recorded and the sound quality is absolutely fantastic. Jim Morrison is in top form vocally on this show and Robby, Ray and John are equally in sinc backing Jim's alluring and appealing voice.

This is the second performance that I am reviewing as I have not listen to the first but I truly believe that the first performance is equally as great as this one (I will be getting it soon). Their is lots of great music on this double album and the renditions of "When The Music's Over", "Light My Fire" and "Little Red Rooster" are unlike I've never heard them before.
All three of these tracks are standouts but in reality the entire album stands on its own as a superb live album. There is also lots of great poetry which speaks for itself as in "The Celebration Of The Lizard" which is nice and long and Jim's speaking voice is as smooth and crystal clear as when he is singing.

The Doors Live At The Aquarius Theatre (both performances) are a must have if you're a fan of the Doors and even if you're not fan you will become one after you listen to this amazing album. The music recorded here is a testament of what Jim Morrison was capable of achieving as the lead singer of the Doors on a very good night when he had not been drinking or stoned. If you like the blues you will love this album specially as I said earlier in their amazing rendition of "Little Red Rooster" and another great blues song is "Mystery Train/Crossroads" which again Morrison sounds impeccably good.

This is the Doors at their very best live and you owe it to yourself to hear this legendary band at the peak of their musical powers. It's a shame that both of these concerts were not filmed. It would of been something to see Jim and the rest of the Doors performing so relaxed and comfortable as you can obviously hear from listening to the both CD's. This CD is pretty expensive almost $40 plus shipping but believe me is worth every penny as you will not be disappointed. Rhino records online is selling this album as well as the first performance for a lesser amount which is where I bought my copy. You can try Ebay as I have seen copies sell for less but make sure that they are the original pressing and not a bootleg copy in which the sound would not be very clear.

You must get this album now. As I said you will not be disappointed. This would make a great Christmas present to any fans of the Doors or to anyone who appreciates great, classic rock and blues music from one of the greatest and most legendary bands of all times THE DOORS.

In preparation for what would become "absolutely live', the doors recorded some shows at their hometown. They were beautifully recorded, professionally and they sound absolutely great. Plus, these wre not recorded in a big stadium, but a small club in California. So you really get the felling of being right there, in front of the band. This concert is issued as it was, no overdubs, no edits, just like it was. The Doors was one of the best live bands in the 60's, not because they were polished, but the opposite, because you never knew what to expect, the band itself didnt know what Jim was going to do on stage. Forget about live Doors compilations, this is the real thing.

Contrary to many reports already documented this was not the first concert performed since Miami {Chicago, June 14th & Minneapolis, June 15th} had come and gone without incident.

The Aquarius Theater Shows (two showa performed on July 21st & one show from the 22nd of July) are regarded as The Door's definate "Comeback" performances. 1969 was a year of revolution in the US culture, and to some on the far right, The Doors (Like John Lennon) were considered "Public Enemy Number One". It was us against them, in all the best & worst ways that can be imagined.

These shows were recorded on a multi-track board for a live album. There were no riots or arrests over the course of these shows. Just very good playing by the band and some of Jim's finest recorded vocals. And because of that many have said that Jim was on a: "tight-leash" here and played a good boy for these shows. Well, according to Ray Manzarek, that did NOT happen, and Ray went on to say that if someone had told Jim to watch what he said and did on the Aquarius Stage, it would have triggered him to behave badly. We will never know Jim's take on this story, BUT, he DID sing a bunch during these shows and now we have these 4 CD's as proof.

These two CD's are The Doors performining as a band, with the music coming first, and that for the listener is a very good thing. "Universal Mind" features Jim really singing well. A great "Gloria" is over 10 Minutes in length, and it's almost like 1966 all over again, this is a band of four men and this is well give you a glimse into what the fuss was all about. When Jim takes a left turn into improv territory, Robby, John and Ray are right there with him {the music plays the band}.

There are a few blues numbers in the set: "Little Red Rooster","Close To You" and "You Make Me Real" that on some nights the band just cranks out without much life, but on these CD's they really shine. "Peace Frog" is a real treat, and not easy to find as a live version. "The Lizard" was not a big favorite of mine when I first heard it on the double live LP, back in 1970, but it has grown on me as now I really think it's cool and interesting music.

Because, it's 2007 and we now are lucky enough to have many Doors concerts released on CD there is a lot to chose from. This show will not be the favorite for many, because it wasn't front-page news in all the newspapers the next morning. Nobody died, nobody rioted, nobody got arrested. But, at The Aquarius Theater, The Doors, PLAYED! There is 138 Minutes of their best music on these Two CD's, it's not sedate or boring, but it sure is GREAT!
FOUR STARS !!!

Believe all the five star reviews about this release. Here are some highlights: Superb sound, especially for the drums, and Densmore plays exceptionally well throughout - check his beautiful pattern on "Crystal Ship." Manzarek singing along with Morrison on "Break on Through", "Soul Kitchen" and "Five to One" in what sounds like sheer exuberance. Morrison doing the "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection" lines in "When the Music's Over" rather than the "Something wrong, something not quite right" lines. "Afro-Blue" - a Mongo Santamaria composition popularized by John Coltrane - used as a bridge in "Universal Mind." Goosebump-raising interaction between Manzarek and Densmore during Manzarek's "Light My Fire" solo. Krieger quoting "Eleanor Rigby" in his "Light My Fire" solo. An excellent reading of "Celebration of the Lizard" - a piece that grows on me the more I hear it. To me this recording is the equal of Detroit or Pittsburgh - maybe even better. And for what it's worth, I think this second Aquarius show is just a bit tighter and hotter than the first.

The Doors Live is so good, it is almost too hard to listen to. It has long breaks between each song, so I just cut them out. The energy is really high on each and every song. This is their home town, so you know it will be one of the very best. Yes! Make me feel alright!
Jay

In spite of the "roughness," you really hear The Doors. "Must have" for the dedicated fan. Great that these are being made available. Looking for more. A little pricey, but worth it for the dedicated fan. Shipping and handling very fair. A+

As a serious Doors fan, I will confess, its painful to give them less than five stars. But after all is considered, a five star rating still seems appropriate. The milder Doors fan probably isn't reading Amazon reviews; so if your still reading, this is probably for you.

Unlike live recordings such as: Detroit, Philadelphia, and especially, Boston, the Aquarius Theatre performances have a studio-like, almost casual nature. This "studio-like" adjective does not mean the expectations of a live album are not met. For my taste, the sound quality and stage stirring readily compensates for all studio conformity here. Besides, after listening to the live recordings mentioned above- especially Boston, I thought the Aquarius Performances where a very nice come down. With a pair of fine headphones, the serious fan should notice outstanding vocals on Aquarius; distinguishing Aquarius from their instrumentally emphasized performances, in my opinion.

Was this The Doors at their best? Not really. That work arguably lies within a VHS tape called Live at The Hollywood Bowl. On the Aquarius, The Doors sound like excellent musicians getting tired- yet with reserves of confidence from past achievements and musical experience gained. The serious Doors fan will certainly appreciate this excellent, but casual work.

Now I've been speaking for Aquarius 1 & 2 here. Just get both.

As usual with Doors' records, the performance is superb, the music excellent, the emotion is high. BUT there is something wrong with the caption on the cover, which can be seen when you enlarge the 2nd picture in the images, which says that this is the 'FIRST" performance, when all the other titles label this as the "SECOND".

OK, I'm starting out this review because I can't stand to read all of the Doors apologists out there who can't admit when a Doors show was substandard. Now you might have a legitimate gripe with the recent release of the doors live at Boston (where Jim is drunk as a skunk and sings atrociously) but here at Aquarius, while he doesn't sing badly, he's not terribly inspired nor is the band. They make some noticeable mistakes which is a reason why only a couple of tracks were used to be included on the Absolutely Live album. Jim is NOT at the top of his game. The only exception is the band's rendition of Celebration of the Lizard from the first show which is excellent. But the late show just isn't that interesting. Yeah, an embryonic version of Peace Frog sounds entertaining at first but the finished version is much better and this instrumental is lame. With the exception of COTL there is no improvisational poetry from Jim and the band doesn't jam on any of the tunes. They play very carefully (almost too carefully) and they are a bit nervous because they are being professionally recorded. What makes this a good release is the excellent sound coming from the soundboard. But it's not the Doors at their best. By '69 we have a bearded Jim who's already become disenchanted with the rock music scene and frankly has begun is downward spiral into the abyss. The Doors peaked with their January '69 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York. Then Miami in March 1 hit and the band did a slow downward trend from which it never really recovered, although Roadhouse Blues and LA Woman has some great Doors songs on them. But Aquarius is not what it should have been. Really, if you want great Doors music you have to go to 1967 and 1968 when the Doors were at their peak of greatness. Jim was at the top of his game before his downfall. The Aquarius gigs are OK but that's it. Anyone who tells you differently is only wishing the gigs could have been more. When Paul Rothchild and the band heard their Aquarius performance on tape they realized it wasn't a great performance which is why the band recorded more shows to eventually get a better performance down on tape. Absolutely Live was the end result which is made up of a number of different cuts from different concerts. Aquarius is the show that "shoulda,woulda, coulda"

Another Bright Midnight Records release, the label responsible for (finally) putting out some of the Doors shows recorded for the Absolutely Live tour, and then some. This is the second Aquarius '69 show.

The sound quality is just as good as the other Bright Midnight releases, recorded with the same set-up, and then remastered years later by Doors engineer Bruce Botnick. So if you only get one Aquarius show, check out the setlist and order and see what you prefer--both nights are similar. Both shows feature a complete Celebration of the Lizard, as well as the excellent Mystery Train/Crossroads jam. This show has Touch Me and Gloria, while the first show has Who Do You Love. The completist will just buy both sets, others may want to ponder. Most importantly, aside from the excellent sound, is thast the shows are uncut and complete. They even separate the in-between chatter and crowd noise into separate tracks like 'The Crowd Humbly Requests'. I'm not aware of any overdubs on this album, either.

Recorded as part of the material that would be sewed into the Absolutely Live album, this is a complete source where as AB was a collection from many shows. Many tracks were, in fact, cut-ups of various takes of the same song from different shows. Guess the band is finally content to let people see them warts and all. AB and In Concert are excellent live albums, but purists wished for complete and uncut concerts tapes, and Bright Midnight is delivering all of the stops, starts, miscues, mistakes, drunken Jim, and chatter in between some amazing versions.

Highly recommended to Doors fans, and if you're really obsessed you'll want to pick up all of the Bright Midnight releases. They seem to be trickling them out, unlike The Grateful Dead or Pearl Jam who bombarded fans with 'official bootlegs' over the years. Thankfully, in addition to the band, Botnick is involved with all releases for continuity and completeness over the decades.