Live In Boston 1970 [Blister]

Performer: The Doors
Engineer: Bruce Botnick
Producer: Bruce Botnick
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Doors: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robby Krieger (guitar); Ray Manzarek (keyboards); John Densmore (drums). The year 1970 was a transitional one for the Doors, and the band was in an odd spot. Arguably the first group to ascend the pop charts powered by underground menace, their first few records had revolutionized the music industry. This was Morrison's and the band's greatest accomplishment, but as the lysergic haze of the '60s grew into the narcotic and booze-soaked '70s, the band could no longer lay claim to the subterranean energy that made their initial music so riveting. They attempted famously to reclaim their swagger by going back to their roots as a blues band. The problem was that, despite an excellent cover of Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man," the blues were never the band's calling card. Rhino's three-disc collection LIVE IN BOSTON features two complete sets from Friday, April 10, 1970, at the Boston Arena and captures the moment just before the Doors turned their mystical psych circus into a full-blown blooze revue. As a historical document, LIVE IN BOSTON is unflinching, presenting a decidedly warts-and-all view across 46 tracks. With Ray Manzarek's polychromatic organ, Robbie Krieger's no-frills guitar lines, and Jon Densmore's Latin-inflected percussion, the band ably follows Morrison through every far-flung inspiration. The covers are many, as an epic "Light My Fire" alone touches upon "Fever," "Summertime," and "St. James Infirmary Blues" before returning to its familiar chorus. The show, of course, belongs to Morrison, who seems stuck between shaman-poet and Brechtian comic instigator. Indeed, one of the primary attractions of LIVE IN BOSTON is the banter. With more skits than an Outkast record--including idiotic stoner ramblings, period pieces, and wry self-parodies--this set proves that even at his most bloviated, Morrison could be an inspired and often hilarious performer who knew how to push a crowd's buttons. It was worth the price of admission for Doors fans in 1970 and, given the staid contemporary relationship between rock performers and audiences, it still resonates today.

Like a trippier, more mystical, West Coast equivalent of the Velvet Underground, the Doors went against the 1960s flower-power grain, taking an uncompromising look at the underbelly of the American psyche. Jim Morrison's dark, surreal poetry gave the band's blues-based rock a cerebral edge, and his wild, shamanistic on-stage presence electrified audiences. From their debut single, "Light My Fire," to their later recordings such as "Riders on the Storm," the Doors remained consistently intriguing even when their songs didn't, a feat largely credited to Morrison and his volatile personality. Eventually, Morrison's hard living caught up to him--he died in Paris at only 27 years of age, leaving behind a legacy that would inspire countless younger musicians.

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