The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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In 1968, as the Vietnam war raged and the world responded with political turbulence, the Doors made a live appearance at the Roundhouse in London. Captured here are dramatic performances of songs that convey the band's strong messages about the war, such as a powerfully effecting rendition of "Unknown Soldier." While the music plays, the presentation cuts from the live onstage action to display rows of soldiers' graves in a cemetery that looks like Arlington National. Back in the club, Jim Morrison writhes in his tight leather pants and white poet's shirt, flinging his curls and dancing to extended versions of "When the Music's Over," "Five to One," and "Spanish Caravan." The cinematography, in black and white grainy stock, takes care to spotlight each of the band members, not the audience, making this live show seem especially intimate. In a section called "The Doors talk about their music" Morrison is drifty and unable to focus his eyes while sharing thoughts about songs he'd like to make, before the film cuts back into a spirited "Hello I Love You." An intimate portrait of one of the Doors' unique live shows in England, THE DOORS ARE OPEN also highlights the political relevance of Morrison's opinionated lyrics.

In the introduction to the film, a British commentator offers a mission statement: "This film is an attempt to illustrate [The Doors'] report on the state of the world." Jim Morrison's political comment in the film is, "I think, these days, especially in the States, you have to be a politician or an assassin… to be a superstar." The Doors: Jim Morrison (vocals), Robby Krieger (guitar), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums). Performing Artist(s): The Doors Song(s) Include: "When the Music's Over" "Five to One" "Spanish Caravan" "Hello, I Love You" "Back Door Man" "Light My Fire" "The Unknown Soldier"

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors Biography:

The Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire," in 1967.

Like "Light My Fire," the debut album was a massive hit, and endures as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but beguiling melodies, the band sounded like no other. With his rich, chilling vocals and somber poetic visions, Morrison explored the depths of the darkest and most thrilling aspects of the psychedelic experience. Their first effort was so stellar, in fact, that the Doors were hard-pressed to match it, and although their next few albums contained a wealth of first-rate material, the group also began running up against the limitations of their recklessly disturbing visions. By their third album, they had exhausted their initial reservoir of compositions, and some of the tracks they hurriedly devised to meet public demand were clearly inferior to, and imitative of, their best early work.

On The Soft Parade, the group experimented with brass sections, with mixed results. Accused (without much merit) by much of the rock underground as pop sellouts, the group charged back hard with the final two albums they recorded with Morrison, on which they drew upon stone-cold blues for much of their inspiration, especially on 1971's L.A. Woman.

From the start, the Doors' focus was the charismatic Morrison, who proved increasingly unstable over the group's brief career. In 1969, Morrison was arrested for indecent exposure during a concert in Miami, an incident that nearly derailed the band. Nevertheless, the Doors managed to turn out a series of successful albums and singles through 1971, when, upon the completion of L.A. Woman, Morrison decamped for Paris. He died there, apparently of a drug overdose. The three surviving Doors tried to carry on without him, but ultimately disbanded. Yet the Doors' music and Morrison's legend continued to fascinate succeeding generations of rock fans: In the mid-'80s, Morrison was as big a star as he'd been in the mid-'60s, and Elektra has sold numerous quantities of the Doors' original albums plus reissues and releases of live material over the years, while publishers have flooded bookstores with Doors and Morrison biographies. In 1991, director Oliver Stone made The Doors, a feature film about the group starring Val Kilmer as Morrison.

~ William Ruhlmann & Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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The Doors - The Doors Are Open (1968) Re-up

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