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Editorial Reviews
The Doors supplied plenty of post-Independence Day fireworks on July 5, 1968 when the legendary quartet played the Hollywood Bowl, a concert that is considered to be the band s finest on film. For the first time, the film from the historic performance has been painstakingly restored using the original camera negatives and the audio has been remixed and mastered from original multi-tracks by the group s engineer Bruce Botnick. This new restoration offers a stunning visual upgrade from earlier versions and will give fans the closest experience to being there live alongside Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek, who opined, You can hear it as if you were at the Hollywood Bowl, on stage with us. LIVE AT THE BOWL 68 includes three previously unreleased tracks from the performance. Technical issues with the recording of "Hello, I Love You," "The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat), " and "Spanish Caravan" prevented them from being released in the past. Now, through meticulous restoration of the audio, all three will be included, marking the first time the concert has been available in its entirety.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"We were going to blast the sound all the way down the hills to Hollywood". Ray Manzarek.
Here it is, 71 minutes of THE DOORS during their early (and arguably best) period in 1968. The band wasn't allowed to play at the volume level they wanted (loud), so the overall recorded impression is ever so anemic compared to what they were capable of. But they knew this concert was so important, that they rehearsed beforehand. And for once, all the talk about the sound being "the best ever" is pretty accurate. The technical problems on three tracks-"When The Music's Over", "The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)", and "Hello I Love You"-basically not having Morrison's vocals-have been "fixed". In order to rescue the songs, in a carefully worded explanation, Morrison's vocals from the "Absolutely Live" set were used for these three tracks to "restore" the vocals on the CD. Were these tracks left over from the tracks used for "Absolutely Live", but not used? Is it "cheating"? Well, maybe yes a bit. But it does sound pretty good nonetheless. And we now get to hear the complete concert. There seems to be some confusion concerning the vocals for these three songs, so I've quoted them in the comments section to answer the question from "Avalon Don", to hopefully clear things up.
The CD slips inside an envelope in a "bill-fold" style cardboard holder, along with the booklet, in the other edge. The 10 page booklet has a short essay by Bruce Botnick about the recordings, plus there's a paragraph from each of the remaining band members, that bring back some of the flavor of those times. There's also a list of the various microphones used, and related recording information. Also included are a few images from the concert, photographed by Henry Diltz.
But the music-whoa! This is THE DOORS in their prime, putting it all out there. Morrison's vocals are full of swagger and power. His command of the lyrics-the tone and the timing-have a visceral quality that makes other L.A. bands of that period sound like wimps. But that's only part of the picture. The instrumental firepower, coupled with a certain finesse when called for from Manzarek, Densmore, and Krieger, add depth and excitement to Morrison's vocal timing and energy.
From "Back Door Man", to "Hello, I Love You", to "Moonlight Drive" (listen to Krieger's guitar), to "Spanish Caravan", to (of course) "Light My Fire", and "The End", anyone who thinks THE DOORS was Jim Morrison and "backing band" will get a real wake up call. Quite simply, the band play with the same intensity, the same sensitivity, the same intuitiveness, that Morrison uses vocally. Just listen to "Horse Latitudes" for a good example of what THE DOORS sound like live, without a net. And then listen to how well Morrison's poetry fits in so well with the other compositions. But that kind of excitement runs all through this set-take your pick. The intensity builds as each song builds on the one before it. It's explosive and controlled intensity all at once.
For those of us lucky enough to have witnessed THE DOORS live, during their early (and arguably) best period, this concert brings back a lot of memories of that initial excitement and wonder of what was going on onstage. And just what was going on onstage? For me as I think back to that era, when they came to my town, it was Morrison rocking back and forth with the microphone stand-all barely controlled pent up feelings, Manzarek was hunched over his keyboard-occasionally looking up at Morrison, Densmore was cool looking-with his seemingly effortless drumming, and Krieger, standing in one spot, was full of concentration and intensity-getting just the right sound from his guitar. The volume of Morrison and the band's sound swelling and then coming back down again-only to rise to another crescendo-it's all here. This set from "The Bowl" will give fans a good idea of what this concert, and the band as a whole, was like. And if you want only one album of THE DOORS live, this will fill the bill nicely.
Here it is, 71 minutes of THE DOORS during their early (and arguably best) period in 1968. The band wasn't allowed to play at the volume level they wanted (loud), so the overall recorded impression is ever so anemic compared to what they were capable of. But they knew this concert was so important, that they rehearsed beforehand. And for once, all the talk about the sound being "the best ever" is pretty accurate. The technical problems on three tracks-"When The Music's Over", "The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)", and "Hello I Love You"-basically not having Morrison's vocals-have been "fixed". In order to rescue the songs, in a carefully worded explanation, Morrison's vocals from the "Absolutely Live" set were used for these three tracks to "restore" the vocals on the CD. Were these tracks left over from the tracks used for "Absolutely Live", but not used? Is it "cheating"? Well, maybe yes a bit. But it does sound pretty good nonetheless. And we now get to hear the complete concert. There seems to be some confusion concerning the vocals for these three songs, so I've quoted them in the comments section to answer the question from "Avalon Don", to hopefully clear things up.
The CD slips inside an envelope in a "bill-fold" style cardboard holder, along with the booklet, in the other edge. The 10 page booklet has a short essay by Bruce Botnick about the recordings, plus there's a paragraph from each of the remaining band members, that bring back some of the flavor of those times. There's also a list of the various microphones used, and related recording information. Also included are a few images from the concert, photographed by Henry Diltz.
But the music-whoa! This is THE DOORS in their prime, putting it all out there. Morrison's vocals are full of swagger and power. His command of the lyrics-the tone and the timing-have a visceral quality that makes other L.A. bands of that period sound like wimps. But that's only part of the picture. The instrumental firepower, coupled with a certain finesse when called for from Manzarek, Densmore, and Krieger, add depth and excitement to Morrison's vocal timing and energy.
From "Back Door Man", to "Hello, I Love You", to "Moonlight Drive" (listen to Krieger's guitar), to "Spanish Caravan", to (of course) "Light My Fire", and "The End", anyone who thinks THE DOORS was Jim Morrison and "backing band" will get a real wake up call. Quite simply, the band play with the same intensity, the same sensitivity, the same intuitiveness, that Morrison uses vocally. Just listen to "Horse Latitudes" for a good example of what THE DOORS sound like live, without a net. And then listen to how well Morrison's poetry fits in so well with the other compositions. But that kind of excitement runs all through this set-take your pick. The intensity builds as each song builds on the one before it. It's explosive and controlled intensity all at once.
For those of us lucky enough to have witnessed THE DOORS live, during their early (and arguably) best period, this concert brings back a lot of memories of that initial excitement and wonder of what was going on onstage. And just what was going on onstage? For me as I think back to that era, when they came to my town, it was Morrison rocking back and forth with the microphone stand-all barely controlled pent up feelings, Manzarek was hunched over his keyboard-occasionally looking up at Morrison, Densmore was cool looking-with his seemingly effortless drumming, and Krieger, standing in one spot, was full of concentration and intensity-getting just the right sound from his guitar. The volume of Morrison and the band's sound swelling and then coming back down again-only to rise to another crescendo-it's all here. This set from "The Bowl" will give fans a good idea of what this concert, and the band as a whole, was like. And if you want only one album of THE DOORS live, this will fill the bill nicely.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Jym Cherry
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Hollywood Bowl was a prestigious booking for any rock band, and maybe more so for The Doors. They were local boys who made it and the Hollywood Bowl was proof of that. It was a hometown crowd and The Doors were out to give the best show they could. They rehearsed for the show (something they didn't ordinarily do especially after Jim Morrison became more estranged from the band), they prepared a set-list and they seemed to stick to it and The Doors gave a pretty tight performance at the Hollywood Bowl on July 5, 1968.
"The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68" is the companion soundtrack to the DVD/Blu-Ray of the same name that was released earlier this week (October 22, 2012) and while it may not be as good a stand alone item as "Live at the Bowl '68" DVD/Blu-Ray, it's still a good soundtrack to the Hollywood Bowl shows and would have made a good live album in 1968, if it weren't for technical difficulties, but you can't rewrite The Doors.
In the spring of 1968 The Doors had decided to film their shows for a documentary film that would later become "Feast of Friends" and the Hollywood Bowl was filmed with an eye to inclusion in the film. But during three songs, "Hello, I Love You," "The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)," and "Spanish Caravan," Morrison's microphone feed to the recording equipment failed and compromised the show until technology caught up. Although "The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl" was released in 1989 it was incomplete, there was nothing either The Doors or Bruce Botnick could do to restore the three missing songs, until now. Long time Doors engineer (and co-producer of "L.A. Woman") Bruce Botnick through the magic of digital technology was able to piece together the missing songs and now the Hollywood Bowl show is complete in the release of "The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68."
The CD sounds great! The sound `POPS!' out at you, you can hear everything clearly from Morrison shaking maracas near the microphone (which the audience probably never heard!) and it sounds like drummer John Densmore is bashing his way to a new drum kit, Morrison's voice is a strong growl, Robby Krieger's guitar tears out into the Hollywood Hills, and Ray Manzarek's keyboards and bass gives the band a full, filled out sound, it must have been something to see and hear the show live!
The strengths of the CD are also some of the strengths of the DVD/Blu-Ray, the deconstruction of "Celebration of the Lizard" that had poetic segues into the more traditional songs such as "Light My Fire" creates a jarring, disconcerting and theatrical effect. Morrison demonstrates his command of an audience, highlighted during "The End," his `Have you seen the accident outside' section creates the feel and mood of a house party with a rumor running through it and when Morrison sees a grasshopper onstage he creates the impromtu "Ode to a Grasshopper." When he realizes it's a moth says "uh-oh, I blew it, it's a moth" and gets a laugh, but he pulls everyone back into the tension and drama of the song.
The CD contains a couple of weaknesses the DVD/Blu-Ray doesn't. Since this concert was filmed a lot of the crowd reaction you hear on the CD is dependent on seeing what Jim Morrison is doing onstage, without that, it kind of loses its meaning and context within the show. The CD comes in cardboard CD case and not a jewel case. And while the DVD/Blu-Ray contains more than your average bonus features section the CD contains no bonus tracks or special features.
The CD of "The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68" is great to have in your car and cruise around listening to and playing the movie in your head.
Jim Cherry writes The Doors Examiner
"The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68" is the companion soundtrack to the DVD/Blu-Ray of the same name that was released earlier this week (October 22, 2012) and while it may not be as good a stand alone item as "Live at the Bowl '68" DVD/Blu-Ray, it's still a good soundtrack to the Hollywood Bowl shows and would have made a good live album in 1968, if it weren't for technical difficulties, but you can't rewrite The Doors.
In the spring of 1968 The Doors had decided to film their shows for a documentary film that would later become "Feast of Friends" and the Hollywood Bowl was filmed with an eye to inclusion in the film. But during three songs, "Hello, I Love You," "The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)," and "Spanish Caravan," Morrison's microphone feed to the recording equipment failed and compromised the show until technology caught up. Although "The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl" was released in 1989 it was incomplete, there was nothing either The Doors or Bruce Botnick could do to restore the three missing songs, until now. Long time Doors engineer (and co-producer of "L.A. Woman") Bruce Botnick through the magic of digital technology was able to piece together the missing songs and now the Hollywood Bowl show is complete in the release of "The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68."
The CD sounds great! The sound `POPS!' out at you, you can hear everything clearly from Morrison shaking maracas near the microphone (which the audience probably never heard!) and it sounds like drummer John Densmore is bashing his way to a new drum kit, Morrison's voice is a strong growl, Robby Krieger's guitar tears out into the Hollywood Hills, and Ray Manzarek's keyboards and bass gives the band a full, filled out sound, it must have been something to see and hear the show live!
The strengths of the CD are also some of the strengths of the DVD/Blu-Ray, the deconstruction of "Celebration of the Lizard" that had poetic segues into the more traditional songs such as "Light My Fire" creates a jarring, disconcerting and theatrical effect. Morrison demonstrates his command of an audience, highlighted during "The End," his `Have you seen the accident outside' section creates the feel and mood of a house party with a rumor running through it and when Morrison sees a grasshopper onstage he creates the impromtu "Ode to a Grasshopper." When he realizes it's a moth says "uh-oh, I blew it, it's a moth" and gets a laugh, but he pulls everyone back into the tension and drama of the song.
The CD contains a couple of weaknesses the DVD/Blu-Ray doesn't. Since this concert was filmed a lot of the crowd reaction you hear on the CD is dependent on seeing what Jim Morrison is doing onstage, without that, it kind of loses its meaning and context within the show. The CD comes in cardboard CD case and not a jewel case. And while the DVD/Blu-Ray contains more than your average bonus features section the CD contains no bonus tracks or special features.
The CD of "The Doors: Live at the Bowl `68" is great to have in your car and cruise around listening to and playing the movie in your head.
Jim Cherry writes The Doors Examiner
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This CD should go onto the short list of essential Doors live releases (others are Live In Detroit, Live In Pittsburgh 1970 and Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The Second Performance). Has any other rock band so effectively used the full range of dynamics from near silence to ecstatic noise? Has any other band used the building and release of musical tension so well? Has any guitarist besides Robbie Krieger varied his approach as much and given each song, each fill, what it needs with such precision and aural delight for the listener? Rhetorical questions my friends, and only part of what you'll hear on this CD. I've been buying and listening to Jimi Hendrix concerts from the same years the Doors were active, and - with all due respect - I prefer the Doors. As good as Hendrix's sidemen were, it was Hendrix and his band, while the Doors is a meeting and collaboration of four highly talented and skillful musicians. Layers of craft and creativity come from four different directions and unite in a glorious whole.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good early live recording of the Doors
This captures the raw energy of the early Doors. If you are a Doors fan, You should have this recording. Very Good!
Published 1 day ago by SG Joe 61
5.0 out of 5 stars
LIVE DOORS IMPORTANT EDITION
This edition is really good and it's better than bootlegs you could hear out there. The mastering and production by Bosnick is very brilliant.
Published 15 days ago by CARLOS MAZAGATOS
5.0 out of 5 stars
blast from the past
i was there in 1968,,,,,long story hee heee.....3 weeks before my 18th b-day...music great quality...amazon delivery was great..... Read more
Published 26 days ago by mike runyan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Live At Yje Bowl 68
Wonderful music by the Doors! Would recommend to everyone who enjoys Jim Morrison and who remembers the the drug era in hip America.
Published 1 month ago by dixie delanoy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Until the End
Yes, a good CD and really clean and clear cuts. I especially like it when Jim goes off on his poetry and the rest of the band plays on then they hook up again and finish it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by RobJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for Doors fans
This is the entire concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It even has its funny moments! Rest in peace, Jim Morrison.
Published 3 months ago by J. Dorsch
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Live Concerts of The Doors.
One of the best live Doors concerts I have heard, the guys had it all together that night. I have been a long time Doors fan. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent edition, excellent press
Released on Oct 2012, this 2lp set includes 3 new songs (liner notes from the producer say it's composited from separate recordings from the remote truck that captured previously... Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!
I've been waiting for this complete remastered concert for years. It was worth the wait. A great live album for all Doors fans!
Published 4 months ago by Macca Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very happy
Very happy with this product. I received this product with in a few days. I would recommend this to a friend
Published 4 months ago by Kaywhite86
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