Absolutely Live (The Doors album)
Absolutely Live | ||||
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Live album by the Doors | ||||
Released | July 20, 1970 (1970-07-20) | |||
Recorded | July 21, 1969 – May 8, 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 77:02 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
the Doors chronology | ||||
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CD reissue cover | ||||
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Absolutely Live is the first live album by the American rock band the Doors, released on July 20, 1970, by Elektra Records. The double album features songs recorded at concerts held in 1969 and 1970 in several U.S. cities. It includes the first full release of the performance piece "Celebration of the Lizard" and several other tracks that had not previously appeared on any official Doors release. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 in September 1970.
Recording
I think it's a document of one of our good concerts: not insanely good, but a true portrait of what we usually do on a good night.
—Jim Morrison, reflecting on the record.[1]
Many shows were recorded during the band's 1970 Roadhouse Blues Tour to create the Absolutely Live album. The Doors' producer and longtime collaborator Paul A. Rothchild claimed to have painstakingly edited the album from many different shows to create one cohesive concert. According to Rothchild, the best part of a song from one performance may have been spliced together with another part of the same song from another performance, in an attempt to create "the ultimate concert". Rothchild said, "I couldn't get complete takes of a lot of songs, so sometimes I'd cut from Detroit to Philadelphia in mid-song. There must be 2,000 edits on that album."[2] However, most of the tracks were taken from the Doors' performances at the Felt Forum in New York City on January 17 and 18, 1970.[3]
Absolutely Live marks the first release of the Doors' performance piece "Celebration of the Lizard" in its entirety, which had originally been attempted in the studio during the Waiting for the Sun sessions but was eventually abandoned.[4] The album also included several new songs: "Love Hides", "Build Me a Woman", "Universal Mind", "Dead Rats, Dead Cats" (performed as a preamble to "Break on Through") and cover versions of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and Willie Dixon's "Close to You" (the latter featuring lead vocals by keyboardist Ray Manzarek).[5]
Reflecting on the live album in an interview, Jim Morrison remarked, "I think [Absolutely Live is] a fairly true document of what the band sounds like on fairly good night. It's not the best we can do and it's certainly not the worst. It's a true document of an above average evening."[1] In his autobiography, Manzarek explained the group's intentions with the album: "We wanted to get the Doors experience on tape. Live. One time. For the ages. And in doing so, perhaps we could capture the moment of escape. Live."[1][6]
Album cover
According to the biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, Morrison hated the album cover for Absolutely Live. He had changed his appearance dramatically since the band's early days, growing a beard and discarding his onstage leather attire in an attempt to overcome his "rock god" image, but was dismayed to find that his record label opted for an earlier photograph of him for the cover.[7]
In his book Krautrocksampler, the British rock musician and writer Julian Cope described the photo of Morrison as one of his "two favorite all-time images of rock 'n' roll singers".[8]
Release and reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B[10] |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Absolutely Live sold only 225,000 copies, half of what their previous studio album Morrison Hotel had sold.[7] Critic Gloria Vanjak of Rolling Stone magazine wrote a scathing review of the album, singling out Morrison's performance in particular and referring to "Celebration of the Lizard" as "rancid".[14] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave a more favorable review, praising its "strong performances and audio," but concluded that "I don't happen to be into reptiles when the music's over, much less while it's on."[15]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann observed that the album "demonstrated that, in concert, the Doors could be an enervating as well as an elevating experience." However, he bemoaned the fact that Morrison seemed to "treat the whole exercise as a charade" and opined that several tracks "flag considerably in comparison to the sleeker studio versions."[9] Writing for Classic Rock, critic Max Bell praised the album, noting that it remains the "organic documentary" that the band envisaged.[11]
Julian Casablancas of the Strokes has cited the album track "Universal Mind" as a personal favorite of his.[16]
Reissues
In 1991, Absolutely Live was issued on compact disc as part of the two-CD set In Concert, which also included the Doors' live albums Alive, She Cried and Live at the Hollywood Bowl.[17] Absolutely Live was later reissued as a single CD by Elektra in 1996, featuring new artwork different from the original LP. In 2010, it was reissued on 180 gram vinyl by Rhino Records in its original double LP format and featuring its original artwork, in both the U.S. and UK.
Track listing
Songwriters and LP side total lengths are taken from the original 1970 Elektra Records album (individual song timings are not listed) and may differ from other sources.[5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Who Do You Love?" | Ellas McDaniel | 8:42 |
2. | "Medley":
| | 10:35 |
Total length: | 19:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Build Me a Woman" | Morrison, the Doors | 3:33 |
2. | "When the Music's Over" | Morrison, the Doors | 14:49 |
Total length: | 18:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Close to You" | Dixon | 5:27 |
2. | "Universal Mind" | Morrison, Robby Krieger | 4:54 |
3. | "Break On Thru, #2" | Morrison, the Doors | 7:26 |
Total length: | 18:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Celebration of the Lizard" | Morrison, the Doors | 14:28 |
2. | "Soul Kitchen" | Morrison | 7:15 |
Total length: | 21:42 |
Personnel
Per liner notes:[5]
The Doors
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – organ, keyboard bass, lead vocals on "Close to You", backing vocals
- Robby Krieger – guitar
- John Densmore – drums
Technical
- Paul A. Rothchild – producer
- Bruce Botnick – engineer
Remote recording facilities: Fedco Audio Labs and Wally Heider Recording
Charts
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[18] | 10 |
UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 69 |
US Billboard 200[20] | 8 |
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[21] | 31 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[22] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[23] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
France (SNEP)[25] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c Weidman 2011, p. 297.
- ^ Jackson, Blair (July 3, 1981). "BAM Interview with Paul Rothchild" – via waiting-forthe-sun.net.
- ^ "Happy 50th: The Doors, Absolutely Live". Rhino.com. July 27, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ Swanson, Dave (July 11, 2013). "Revisiting the Doors' Only No. 1 LP, Waiting for the Sun". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c Absolutely Live (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1970. LP labels. EKS-9002.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Manzarek 1998, p. 331.
- ^ a b Hopkins & Sugerman 1980, p. 318.
- ^ Cope 1995, p. 55.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Absolutely Live – The Doors | Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via Robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b Bell, Max (February 3, 2018). "The Doors – Absolutely Live Album Review". Classic Rock. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Louder Sound.
- ^ "The Doors: Album Guide". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 763. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Vanjak, Gloria (October 1, 1970). "Absolutely Live, Doors". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2018 – via Thedoors.com.
- ^ Robertchristgau.com
- ^ "Interview: Julian Casablancas of the Strokes Talks to the Doors". Complex.com. January 20, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "In Concert – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4449". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "The Doors Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2014. 07. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music and Media. December 27, 1986. p. 34. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Doors – Absolutely Live". Music Canada.
- ^ "French album certifications – The Doors – Absolutely Live" (in French). InfoDisc. Select THE DOORS and click OK.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – Absolutely Live". Recording Industry Association of America.
Sources
- Cope, Julian (1995). Krautrocksampler. ISBN 0-9526719-1-3.
- Hopkins, Jerry; Sugerman, Danny (1980). No One Here Gets Out Alive. ISBN 978-0-446-60228-0.
- Manzarek, Ray (1998). Light My Fire: My Life With the Doors. New York: Putnam. ISBN 978-0-399-14399-1.
- Weidman, Rich (October 1, 2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-61713-017-5.
External links
- Absolutely Live at Discogs (list of releases)
- v
- t
- e
- The Doors (1967)
- Strange Days (1967)
- Waiting for the Sun (1968)
- The Soft Parade (1969)
- Morrison Hotel (1970)
- L.A. Woman (1971)
- Other Voices (1971)
- Full Circle (1972)
- An American Prayer (1978)
- Absolutely Live (1970)
- Alive, She Cried (1983)
- Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1987)
- In Concert (1991)
- Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (1996)
Bright Midnight Archives |
|
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- 13 (1970)
- Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine (1972)
- The Best of The Doors (1973)
- Greatest Hits (1980)
- The Doors Classics (1985)
- The Best of The Doors (1985)
- Greatest Hits (1996)
- Essential Rarities (1999)
- The Best of The Doors (2000)
- The Very Best of The Doors (2001)
- Legacy: The Absolute Best (2003)
- The Very Best of The Doors (2007)
- The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits (2008)
- The Platinum Collection (2008)
- The Singles (2017)
- The Doors (1991)
- When You're Strange: Music from the Motion Picture (2010)
- The Doors: Box Set (1997)
- The Complete Studio Recordings (1999)
- No One Here Gets Out Alive (2002)
- Boot Yer Butt: The Doors Bootlegs (2003)
- Love/Death/Travel Box Set (2005)
- Perception (2006)
- The Doors: Vinyl Box Set (2008)
- A Collection (2011)
1967 |
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1968 |
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1969 | |
1970 | |
1971 | |
1972 |
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1983 |
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- Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison
- The American Night
- No One Here Gets Out Alive
- The Doors Are Open (1968)
- A Tribute to Jim Morrison (1981)
- The Doors (1991)
- The Doors – 30 Years Commemorative Edition (1999)
- Soundstage Performances (2002)
- Live in Europe 1968 (2004)
- When You're Strange (2009)
- Live at the Bowl (2012)
- R-Evolution (2013)
- Feast of Friends (2014)
- Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2018)
- Discography
- Rick & the Ravens
- Bill Siddons
- Danny Sugerman
- Butts Band
- Manzarek–Krieger
- "Craigslist"
- The Lost Paris Tapes
- Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors
- Barbaturex morrisoni
- HWY: An American Pastoral
- Night Divides the Day – The Music of the Doors
- Light My Fire: A Classic Rock Salute to The Doors
- Pamela Courson
- Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
- George Stephen Morrison
- Paul A. Rothchild
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