Absolutely Live

by The Doors

Overview

This sprawling collection demonstrated that, in concert, the Doors could be an enervating as well as an elevating experience. There are no hits, but there's a lot of Morrison -- improvising, reciting poetry, sometimes singing -- not a record for the uninitiated. Recorded at concerts in 1969 and 1970, this was an era in which Jim Morrison was becoming increasingly dissolute and increasingly disinterested in the whole rock machine. During much of this set, he seems not to be taking himself or the songs too seriously, tossing flippant asides to the audience, and seeming to treat the whole exercise as a charade. As for the music, the haunting "Universal Mind" and the basic blues-rocker "Build Me a Woman" are originals that are not found on their proper albums; "Close to You" is a dull Muddy Waters cover sung by Ray Manzarek; "Who Do You Love?" is a fair cover of the Bo Diddley standard, and the controversial "The Celebration of the Lizard" is a drawn-out opus that is as much poetry recitation as music. There are also extended versions of "Soul Kitchen," "Break on Through," and "When the Music's Over" that flag considerably in comparison to the sleeker studio versions. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	10/15/1996
Label:	Elektra
UPC:	0075596197229
Rank:	32721

Tracks

1. House Announcer
2. Who Do You Love?
3. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)
4. Back Door Man
5. Love Hides
6. Five to One
7. Build Me a Woman
8. When the Music's Over
9. Close to You
10. Universal Mind
11. Petition the Lord with Prayer
12. Dead Cats, Dead Rats
13. Break On Through (To the Other Side) No. 2
14. The Celebration of the Lizard: Lions in the Street
15. The Celebration of the Lizard: Wake Up
16. The Celebration of the Lizard: A Little Game
17. The Celebration of the Lizard: The Hill Dwellers
18. The Celebration of the Lizard: Not to Touch the Earth
19. The Celebration of the Lizard: Names of the Kingdom
20. The Celebration of the Lizard: The Palace of Exile
21. Soul Kitchen

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Doors   Primary Artist
Jim Morrison   Vocals
Robby Krieger   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Ray Manzarek   Keyboards,Vocals (Background),Bass,Organ,Vocals
John Densmore   Drums

Technical Credits

Bruce Botnick   Audio Engineer,Engineer,Producer
Paul Rothchild   Audio Production,Producer,Digital Remastering
Jim Morrison   Composer
Bertolt Brecht   Composer
The Doors   Composer
Ellas McDaniel   Composer
Robby Krieger   Composer
Ray Manzarek   Composer
Kurt Weill   Composer
John Densmore   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Alli   Design,Art Direction
David Sygall   Photography
Ed Caraeff   Photography