In Concert

... but you might find you only play the second CD.The Doors "In Concert" album is a compilation of live Doors albums, but a compilation with a difference. The first CD in this two CD set is the Doors "Absolutely Live" album almost in full, the only live album to have been released when they were still a functioning band, while the second disc contains the "Alive, She Cried" album sandwiched between cuts from the "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" album and "Close To You" from the "Absolutely Live" set, completed with a fifteen minute live take on "The End".I've already written at length on the Doors "Absolutely Live" album which in summary I found to be only "good in parts, at best interesting overall but not what I wanted from a live Doors album..." and awarded it three stars and even that was generous. I'm not going to repeat that review here, you can see it on Amazon, other than to say that the "Absolutely Live" album, and therefore the first CD in this set, is short on the Doors' hits and long on Morrison's "Celebration of the Lizard": fourteen or fifteen minutes of mystic-nonsense poetry and random sounds from Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore's instruments with only two short tunes; has far too much audience noise that destroys the atmosphere, at one point even Morrison has to tell the audience to shut up[!]; and has too many lengthy and unnecessary house announcements (one would have been too many for me!), surely these could have been cut out amongst the other numerous edits that were made to assemble the set. Enough said, rant over, and I except that many will disagree with me delighting in the less hits more obscure material on this disc.So to the second CD and here's where the hits are, well some at least. Opener "Roadhouse Blues" has always been one of my favourite Doors numbers and this recording from the "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" is wonderful as Robby Krieger is unleashed early on with a guitar solo before Jim Morrison starts a lengthy improvised scat. From start to finish it rocks, but on the downside there is a minute of Morrison and crowd feedback at the end that's unnecessary and subtracts from my enjoyment and could/should have been edited-out."Roadhouse Blues" is followed by the entire "Alive, She Cried" album starting with a cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria" that veers between the down and dirty and the rousing, can it get any better? The answer is yes as next up is a fast paced near ten minute "Light My Fire" that includes driving solos in turn from Ray Manzarek and Krieger that fuse before Morrison recites his short "Graveyard Poem" and then it's back to "Light My Fire", in a word: magnificent. The pounding "You Make Me Real" follows before things slow down with the short artsy spoken word "Texas Radio & The Big Beat" and then pick-up again with a rocking "Love Me Two Times". John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful joins the Doors on harmonica for a gloriously, swamp-bluesy workout of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" at only seven minutes it's just not long enough for me before the "Alive, She Cried" segment closes with Krieger's eerie slide guitar providing the canvas for a mash-up of "Moonlight Drive" and a spoken word "Horse Latitudes", it's Ok but perhaps too arty, particularly as the closer, for what was a rocking album.Following "Alive, She Cried" there's a cover of Willie Dixon's "Close to You" that I think has been cut and pasted from the "Absolutely Live " set; it has a very-Stonesy sound and is an opportunity lost for the Doors whose organ/guitar led sound could have taken it in a different direction. It's followed by "The Unknown Soldier" as ever its great but there's too much audience noise during the quiet pieces, what is about these [I'm assuming] American audiences that they can't keep quiet? Finally the second disc closes with a wonderful rambling sprawling fifteen minutes of "The End", and what an ending, alone it's worth the price of the album and that's why this CD is five stars.And that's it. I bought "In Concert" because I was disappointed with the "Absolutely Live" album [it's off to the charity shop now I have this set] and doubt I will pay disc one often [or ever again] but based on listening a couple of times today the second CD is going to spend a lot of time on rotation. An average of three stars for the first CD and five for the second would be four, but given how much I like the second CD it's five stars from me but with a caveat.

wow wow wow wow babyThe Doors are a LIVE band. Best Live, meant to be live. Morrison was a performace poet who sang songs too. Its meant to be live and rowdy. This CD is very Live and very Rowdy yet woven with the softest velvet touch of poetry sublime and subtle cadences of mysticism. This is a compilation of tracks recorded live but the pace and sound editing make it feel like one gig. And WHAT a gig folks. They don't have rock gigs like this anymore, they just don't. When this CD finishes my senses and ears are reeling and tingling, my soul jumping boundaries. Turn it up and annoy the neighbours and play it again.......ALL NIGHT LONG........Ladies and Gentlemen Live from California............

A great compilation of some of their best performances, for those of us not old enough to have seen them live this gives a great insite into the band and how they interacted on stage with Morrison's passionate poetic side there for all to see in between tracks.To hear the band perform their hits live with all the variation and improvisation is a fantastic reminder of just how talented they were as musicians, listening to Krieger and Manzarek drift further and further from the original tune as they weave their magic only to be pulled back by Densmore at the last moment is a lesson to all budding musicians.This is a must have for all fans of the Doors, the 1960s or great music in general

I bought this mainly for the first cd, that being "Absolutely Live" which was the only live album they did whilst Jim Morrison was alive. It's very, very good and I've been looking to replace my lost copy for ages. The second cd is a bonus, and I believe I've owned parts of it before, but can't be sure.Morrisons voice on both cds is excellent and shows him as a very good vocalist. The band are tight and obviously are an excellent live unit, something I'm too young to see, unfortunately.Only gave 4 stars because of the track listing, which are different to the originals to make it look likes there's more music than there is.

A brill compilation of 3 Doors live gigs. 2cds, a good product.

basically there are four doors live compilation albums and this is the best because it has everything absolutley live and alive she cried has and alot more than live in america. there are two cds packed with what is basically the best of the felt forum new york shows and the aquarious theatre performances and a few more. a steal at the price and a great place to start if youre testing the water on the doors live. the only doors compilation to get.

This is a brilliant summary of the Doors live, based on previouly released albums (not remastered from some waxed cylinders found in the Elekra basement and sounding like they were recorded in the toilet) and would be worth the money even if it had only "The Celebration of The Lizard" on it (from "Absolutely Live"). Oh to have seen them live........

as far as I'm aware all the official live Doors is on this cd. Absolutely live, Alive she cried and roadhouse blues off American prayer all For £6. If you're reading this just buy it.