"JIM MORRISON BEYOND THE DOORS" HERVE MULLER (Albin Michel, 1978) 3 albums 33 RPM 1968 Ref: 74024 Eletra EKS us - Elektra WEA 42079 ... 1968 marked a serious crisis ente Jim Morrison and the rest of the group. For starters, the three other more or less disapproved the attitude that Jim had had in Newhaven and were concerned about the scandalous new twist that the incident had given the image of the Doors. But it is especially on the occasion of the recording of the third album that objections would occur. Morrison wanted to title it "The Celebration Of The Lizard" and dedicate an entire face of the composition of the same name. He was in the midst reptilian and dreamed of a pocket whose impression imitated snake skin, adorned with the only title in gold letters. The description given by Richard Goldstein in an article in the "New York" magazine, one of the recording sessions is very revealing relationships that existed within the group. When Morrison arrived in the studio, dressed in a snakeskin jacket, it is already pretty drunk, while the producer, Paul Rothchild, is actually considering a purely instrumental order problem with the other three musicians. "The gap between Morrison and the other is wide Doors in a studio, which is lacking the rigor of cohesion when playing in public," Goldstein notes. Jim grabs a microphone and starts singing, but the sound is disconnected and behind the bay window in the control room, its number is like a silent movie. "The musicians hardly bother to notice it. While he drinks, they work around him. Only Ray shown enough concern for smile. Others tolerate such an irritating but necessary accessory" . Later, when Rothchild began to listen to Jim the basis of decision of "The Celebration Of The Lizard" that the group recorded during a previous meeting, the intermediary role Manzarek appears again. "Gently, almost apologetically, Ray explains that it does not work. Too vague, too poor. Jim's face sinks behind the scales of its neck. From that moment we feel that" The Celebration Of The Lizard " never appear on disk - certainly not on the new album of The Doors, anyway. " Morrison, however, obtained that the disc contains poetry flanges, recited by him between songs. He recorded them, but the idea was eventually abandoned. The way he presented things to a journalist, at the same time, reflects a detachment that he was probably far from feeling: "I was going to add a little poetry in the spaces between the pieces. But who wants to listen to a guy talking about? The music is what counts. That's what they want to hear. Anyone can speak, but how many guys can play music and sing? ". The album was eventually titled "Waiting For The Sun". The only trace of "The Celebration Of The Lizard" finds that there is a song that was extracted, "Not To Touch The Earth". But inside the twin pocket includes, on one side, the image of a lizard and the other, the full text of the "Celebration", accompanied by this note: "Words of a theatrical composition Doors ". Morrison never completely abandoned the hope of imposing on the rest of the group. The next year, he said: "Whether it could do again surface," while claiming that for him she had lost interest. But it was not until 70 that she finally appeared on disc, recorded in public. As shown on "Absolutely Live". "The celebration Of The Lizard" was slightly modified from the text of the cover of "Waiting Of The Sun". Some worms have been removed, others added. But this time "it worked" ... . . With the next album "Waiting For The Sun", the move towards a more complex and refined music is growing significantly. This time it is only sensitive to the level of the arrangements, but to that of the composition, because the contribution of Krieger is increasing. Morrison, in fact, was not a very prolific composer, by his own admission, and most of his songs, at this stage, were written during a very productive period in 65-66. This reserve was beginning to run out while Robbie, with its two hits, took the insurance. So it's songs that had filled the vacuum left by the abandonment of the great project of Morrison for this record, "The Celebration Of The Lizard". Krieger offers us his most amazing composition, beautiful "Spanish Caravan", a very free adaptation according to the Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz. But it also leaves seem his penchant for bombast a rather flat ("Wintertime Love", the voice of Jim fails to save). This aspect is reflected in "The River Knows Yes", which however is bought by a beautiful melodic line. Even Morrison songs are among his calmer as "Summer's Almost Gone", which nevertheless already on demo 65, or the delicate "Love Street". The most surprising is probably "My Wild Love" sung a cappella with the whole group, in the most perfect tradition of "work-songs" that formerly sang the black slaves. She had been directly improvised in the studio, on Jim's words. Paradoxically, it is this time Morrison is the author of two titles released singles that reached the top spot successively the charts. One is "The Unknown Soldier", the other "Hello, I Love You." The latter is no doubt that the Doors were more openly and commercially "Pop": admiration (1) for kinks had, it seems, pushed Jim Morrison to take up almost note for note one of their old songs, "I Need You". This did not help the band's popular with critics, but it was perhaps his greatest success, especially in Europe. Looking back, "Hello, I Love You" yet does not shocking in the context of all the Doors did and finally emerges as their most unfairly maligned song. And naively nice appearance is an illusion: the natural hunting, their spots in the final stanza. - The sidewalk goes down at his feet - Like a dog that begs sugar - Do you hope to make her see, poor idiot? - Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel? Doug is Lubhan this time on bass on almost all songs, replaced by a Kerry Magness on "The Unknown Soldier", and supported by the Leroy Vinegar bass on "Spanish Caravan". But the element that gives this album a rather different instrumental color is that on most titles Manzarek's organ into the background in favor of a grand piano, or even a harpsichord. And he proves he can play with great sensitivity. As for Densmore, still as strong tape. . (1) More unexpectedly, by cons, is the influence of Frank Sinatra, yet quoted Morrison as the singer he most admired with Presley. In fact, if we disregard the ultra-conservative image of Sinatra and consider only the vocal approach, the parallel becomes very logical. A characteristic of the song Morrison, in fact, is not only used its power through brute violence of the rock, but also to know the channel in a varied melodic emphasis and as remarked Jerry Hopkins in "Rolling Stone "the scene of the 1966 Morrison attitude, even when it merely hang on his microphone was reminiscent Sinatra in its infancy. Subsequently, of course, their careers have developed in quite different ways.
