The new Doors Examiner article is a review of the forthcoming Rhino release of The Doors: Live in New York, which are the Felt Forum shows.
Live in New York Review

Thanks for the great review! I enjoyed it! How did you manage to get an advanced copy? More imporantly, can you get me one?

Nice review Jim! I wonder what'll happen with the release now that Rhino is, to all intents and purposes, downsizing to almost nothing as a company.

That's not really a fair statement about Rhino. They had 154 employees, they now have 120. Does that truly qualify as "to all intents and purposes, downsizing to almost nothing as a company"??

Then they need to issue a release, correcting the impression that's out there right now.

Many people had the impression that George Bush was a smart man and a gifted politician. And still many others had the impression that Sarah Palin could, indeed, define the difference between her elbow and a moose rectum.

I don't think in terms of "THE" impression. Though I DO think that SOME share your impression, I'm not sure how statistically significant a sample they are.

Though I get your point!

I am neither Rhino's PR person nor anyone's apologist. I'm just a manager that works them every day, pointing out some facts. What conclusion one draws from said facts or the "impression[s] out there" are entirely up to each individual!

Question for you Doris :-)
Do you know if any of this will have an impact on any future BMA projects?

Rofl


Sad to hear about the people getting layed of though. That's always sad for the workers involved.


@Jym. Thank you for your arcticles. Great read. Well done.

Thanks Misty! I'm glad you like them! I really like the review, although, like any writer I like the last thing I did, until the next thing comes along!

People getting layed off in any numbers is dangerous in these times.

Fine review Jim....many thanks!!! Jacky

Warner Bros. is famous for this sort of thing - they particularly like to do it right around the holidays, i.e. the fourth quarter.

Yes, I also feel bad for those who have lost their jobs - I hope they can hang in until things turn around. There's a lot of it going on in this neck of the woods, especially in the entertainment business, and no amount of scratching in the litter box is going to change that basic fact. Let's hope that losing about 25% of their staff isn't going to affect things too badly.

Here's the story from Variety last week. It looks as if Rhino will move inexorably away from the CD market and into other outlets. People aren't buying CDs these days, I guess.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111800916...=1&nid=2562

Thanks Jacky! My pleasure!

The Doors Examiner

I occasionally post to this forum, The Velvet Rope, which is populated by industry insiders world-wide. They seem to be a tad gloomy about Rhino. Worth reading their comments in this thread.

http://www.velvetrope.com/forums/ubbthread...ge=2#Post676436

Review from The Doors Examiner:

After I became a Doors fan one of the first concerts I started hearing about was the Felt Forum shows. Not only did it sound like a great name for a 60’s venue, but the shows were said to be great and that you had to hear them. Until now I haven’t had the opportunity, so the anticipation has been building for 30 years. Rhino Records November 10th release of these shows in their box set, The Doors Live In New York, is what fans have been looking for.

Recorded on two nights, January 17th and 18th 1970. The Doors did four shows and each show is included in its entirety in this box set. Some of the songs have been included on other Doors live albums. You’ll hear When The Music’s Over that was on Absolutely Live, but just when you think you know the song, you realize there’s more. The Absolutely Live version was edited. For The Doors fan searching for something new, each CD contains a veritable plethora of previously unreleased versions of songs. It’s good to hear the songs in context with all the strengths and shortcomings The Doors had as a band. These recordings give the listener the full sense and feeling of the concert experience - the false starts, the band tuning up, Jim asking the audience what they want to hear, or the silences as the band consults amongst themselves what they want to play next. Jim Morrison seems to excise one of his demons, his ongoing struggle with lightmen. His, “Hey, Mr. light man!” rap that he did at many shows chiding the lightmen who never seem to do what he wants, seems to resolve itself as he compliments the lighting level at the show! The Doors were never a band to play the album version of songs, Morrison tinkers with the words of songs as well. This was before concerts became slick clones of each other, where the same thing happens at the same time in the concert, identical, from concert to concert, city to city. The Doors were stark theatre, a portrayal of reality through the songs like a novel is a portrayal through words, or a movie through film.

The band opens each show with a couple of songs from Morrison Hotel. It’s cool to realize that as you’re listening to Roadhouse Blues or Peace Frog the audience is very likely hearing the songs for the very first time. It opens you up to that experience. The Doors also experimented with the songs. Who Do You Love was played at every show yet no two versions of the song are alike! Curiously, Peace Frog, easily one of Morrison’s most autobiographical songs, because of the Dawn’s Highway section, where Morrison recounts the mystical experience he had as a child of feeling as if the soul of an Indian had leaped into his, as performed at the Felt Forum most of the versions omit that part, only in the last show does he include that portion of the song.

The sound on the CDs is excellent. Bruce Botnik in a technical note says in parts that were missing from the 8-track master they inserted live 2-track and the sound might change in those parts, but I didn’t hear it. I listened to the CDs on a car CD player and in my computer. I didn’t hear any change of quality, in fact it seemed crystal clear. In one section you can clearly hear the maraca Morrison shakes.

The boxed set includes a beautiful 40 page booklet with an introduction by Jac Holzman, and Bruce Botnik provides background details about The Doors playing the Felt Forum. James Henke a VP the Rock “n’ Roll Hall of Fame and author of The Jim Morrison Scrapbook has also written an essay for the book. The book also includes about 15 high gloss photographs from the shows.

This is one of the last full blown tours of The Doors career. The next year would find the band finishing L.A. Woman, and Morrison planning his imminent departure to Paris. These shows are The Doors as they wanted be heard, in context and demonstrating the power of what a great rock band can be.

Live In New York goes on sale on November 10th, at Rhino.com, Amazon. but if you
pre-order from www.thedoors.com different packages are available including a limited edition T-shirt.

Other articles at The Doors Examiner are about Weldon Kees a lost literary influence on Jim Morrison, Light a Pixel Jim Morrison Memorial, to name a couple. Check them out, tell friends about The Doors Examiner, & subscribe!

Mr.Cherry,
Fantastic review of the Doors at the felt forum,I had to do the math and I was 11 years old living in NY and I really had that feeling I missed the boat by a few years,I was however able to see Led Zep in 1976 at Madison Square garden.
This article is so good because you deliver the historical background of the Doors and Jims behavior around lights and such,I found it rivetting and need to buy the album.The other Doors concert that I'd like to know about because I lived a few miles away is The Doors at the Singer bowl,now that I'd like to hear.Great work Jim,left a review with the examiner.
Take care Tim S

Hi Tim!
I always felt that if I had been just a couple years older myself I would have been into The Doors at the time. Maybe more than a couple years. For the background and history I just use whatever is in the old memory & throw it in. I like the review myself, some good stuff in there, so I'm really glad people are like it. I've always wanted to see Singer Bowl myself. I think they filmed it for Feast of Friends, I don't know if would exist in it's entirety any more, if it did it would be cool to see (& hear).

May the force be with you!
Jim

Shouldn't. I mean, maybe we'll sell a few less, or we'll have to push harder and work longer to achieve the same goals as before, but....that's what managers get paid for, so, all good.

But no, I do not foresee this affecting any of our release plans one iota.

Well that's good. Thanks.

You guys are killing me here! The subject was The Doors Examiner

& if you subscribe to the articles I'll stop bugging you here!

Actually Mr Nit-picky ... the subject is "Review of the Felt Forum Show". You already have a thread going whose subject is "The Doors Examiner". We don't need two.

http://forum.johndensmore.com/index.php?showtopic=3617

As there any number of threads on any number of subjects.

Just so you don't misunderstand... I think you're doing a great job with the articles for The Doors Examiner..I've read every one you've posted. They'll be easier to find however if you keep them in one thread. Since we already have a Doors Examiner thread, that would be the logical place to post them.

Thanks Diane, I'm glad you like them! That's what I'm trying to do, just write some things that are a little different from the standard Doors fare or expose a new angle. God knows we've been over some of the old ones a lot. I'm also discovering quite a few cool things going on that I'd like people to know about, so, so far this is being a really thing.

I would have put it under The Doors Examiner thread I started, I thought it was unique enough, both in the way I was able to write a review of the Felt Forum shows, and in the subject matter itself that a seperate thread was warranted. Plus, I didn't want it to get lost in the first thread with people thinking it was "the same old, same old."

I'm also pushing the subscriptons because I hope to make The Doors Examiner self-sustaining i.e. enough people will read the articles and the information will make it's way around. I don't know if this is possible but maybe....

All the best!
Jim

Lots of organizations are top heavy in executive management personell that really have no clue what to do or how to do it. Sometimes you have to wonder where and how these companies found these people to begin with or who the person might have known to be hired in the first place. Sadly as the economy worsens these non essential employees have to be cut. It's just the nature of the beast.

Take this message board for example, apparently they will let just anyone join and post.

They did with me!

Apparently

Yea Jim/I would NOT join any forum that had me for a member. j.

I was just wondering, the doors boxset of 1997 the live in new york disc 3 was that a portion of the felt forum concert and were their any edits, overdubs or straight from the master tapes?

We offer non prejudicial judgement when approving members based on dysfunction.