Absolutely Live [LIVE]

The Doors

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 15, 1996)
• Original Release Date: September 1970
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HNR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,915 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 1970 double LP proved to be about as good an approximation of the singular methodology of a Doors concert as was possible in the pre-video era. Alternately short and to the point (like the AM radio hits "Touch Me," "People Are Strange," and "Hello, I Love You," among those featured here) and long and meandering (like such open-ended excursions as "When the Music's Over" and "The Celebration of the Lizard"), Morrison and crew displayed the full slate of their estimable powers as both musicians and motivators--continuing to daringly break through whatever sonic and thematic doors they opened. --Billy Altman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get 'In Concert' Instead, January 20, 2006

By	David Bebernick (Warren, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Do not buy this CD "Absolutely Live" by the Doors. Pay the extra few dollars more & get the double CD, "In Concert" instead. The reason, the "In Concert" double disk has the live albums "Absolutely Live," "Alive She Cried" & "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" all in one package with one exception: an unreleased live version of 'The End' (the main reason to get that double disk just for that song alone!). Get it & it'll be money worth spent.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one decent live Doors album, January 15, 2005

By	R. L. MILLER (FT LAUDERDALE FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm sorry, but "Alive She Cried" is marred by Morrison's escalating problem of being wasted, sometimes not even appearing onstage. At one such show in France, the band played as a trio and keyboardist Ray Manzarek took over lead vocals and displayed a Morrison imitation I hadn't known he could do. And the later "Live At Hollywood Bowl" is only an EP with less than 20 minutes on it and only two real songs: "Light My Fire" and "Unknown Soldier", the rest of the tracks being loose segments from "Celebration Of the Lizard", which you get on this release in its entirety. But on this album, Morrison is in fairly good voice, only marred by having to transpose the refrain of "Break On Through" because he did that one too late in the show to be able to make the high notes. He does start that one off with the spoken intro to "Soft Parade", an album that wasn't out yet. We also get the blues oldie "Close To You" lead sung by Manzarek, who we only hear on lead elsewhere on the b-side of the single "Wishful Sinful", a track that hasn't reappeared on any rarities sets. This is a bit prophetic, because after Morrison's death the band did two more albums as a blues trio, with Manzarek and guitarist Krieger swapping off lead vocal duties. Those albums are "Other Voices" and "Full Circle" and neither are in print anymore. It figures--after all, you have no Morrison, you have no Doors in many fans' eyes. But the centerpiece of the album is the epic "Celebration Of the Lizard", a work hinted at on the cover of the album "Waiting For the Sun", lyrics printed in full, but the only part of it that actually appeared on that album was "Not To Touch the Earth". They never did get around to doing "Celebration" in the studio.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely brilliant concert registration, January 26, 2007

By	J. Talsma (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The one and only official live-album released in between "Morrison Hotel" and "L.A. Woman" albums, this shows the Doors at it very best. They were not a middle of the roadband who played each night a greatest hits show but varied their setlist as often as possible and did not only play wellknown songs of their albums, on the contrary. Looking on the songlist on this album it shows more songs outside their studioalbums. To begin with a dynamite McDaniel classic "Who Do You Love" with the same sometimes weird lyrics as James Morrison used to write, to a medley which has "Loves Hides", a short but interesting track, not available on any or the regular albums. The same goes for the beautiful "Universal Mind", reminiscent of the "Waiting for the Sun" album, and the even stunning "Build Me a Woman", which is more from "The Doors" album but nevertheless doesn't appear on any of them. Further comes "The Celebration of the Lizard" in its long form as it is used to be but neither on any album released (that is until the 2003 compilation "Legacy" and the 2006 box "Perception"), from which the lyrics are printed inside the "Waitin for the Sun" album because of the song "Not to touch the Earth" which is a part of the mentioned longtrack, overall an outstanding performance (comparible to that on "The Doors Box" set, the "Live in New York" disc) and - oh surprise - the Ray Manzarek sung Willy Dixon classic "Close to You" (on the "In Concert" package switched to the second disc), somewhat comparible to the L.A.Woman outtake "(If You Need Meat) Don't Go Further", also by Dixon and sung by Manzarek. And last but not least "Dead Cats, Dead Rats", which preludes a heavy metal version of "Break on Through (To the other side)" with stunning guitar work by Robbie Krieger. Closer "Soul Kitchen" is also fabulous. The midsection is dominated by a long version of "When the Music is over", the audience was clearly having trouble with something or someone and the singer shows his annoyance and treathens to stop the show or play only one repeating note by Manzarek, with which the audience give in and the song evolves to a real eruption. Many acts have released timeless live recordings, this is definite one of them. Superb, it really gives you an idea how a Doors performance could have been and gives you the feeling that you were there. Highly recommended!