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Legendary rock band the Doors are giving fans the chance to experience their live show thirty-three years after Jim Morrison's death. You can catch their performance by picking up a DVD called 'The Doors – Live in Europe 1968' when it's released next week on Tuesday, July 27th. The film features Doors performances in cities like London, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.

At the time of filming the Doors had only released three albums, but had already put out two of their best known singles 'Hello, I Love You', and 'Light My Fire'. Both songs are included on 'Live in Europe 1968'. The DVD also includes commentary from two members of Jefferson Airplane – Paul Kantner and Grace Slick – who shared the bill with the Doors during the '68 tour.

The Doors went on to release a total of six studio albums during their six years with Morrison at the helm. Sadly, Jim Morrison died July 3, 1971, in a Parisian bathtub due to heart troubles. Although the remaining members (Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore) tried to carry on, they could never capture the magic they had with the inimitable Morrison. One of the most infamous figures of our time, you can hardly blame them for failing to fill the gaping hole Morrison left in not only the Doors, but music in general.

Track-listing of 'The Doors – Live in Europe 1968':

'Light My Fire'
'Love Me Two Times'
'Back Door Man'
'Spanish Caravan'
'Hello, I Love You'
'When The Music's Over'
'Unknown Soldier'
'Light My Fire (II)'
'Five To One'
'Alabama Song'

	Posted on Sun, Jul. 25, 2004
	`Live' DVD for true Doors fans LIVE IN EUROPE: 1968 The Doors Eagle Rock (DVD) By Malcolm X Abram Beacon Journal staff writer In 1968, Jim Morrison was still the slim, sexy, slithering psychedelic poet memorialized in posters and T-shirts. Cobbled together from footage of a European tour with Jefferson Airplane, when the Doors' Waiting for the Sun was still hot off the presses, this DVD shows the Lizard King in all his leather-clad, consciousness-altered glory. It is actually a 1988 Cinemax special directed by Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. He also corralled Grace Slick and Paul Kanter to ``narrate,'' but their insights consist mostly of how erratic and high Morrison was during the tour, and his well-documented magnetism. The legend is that the power and the majesty of the Doors live was impossible to capture on film and that is likely true. But there are some well-shot clips here that, if viewers can take their eyes off Morrison, show just how musically powerful the band was and how well it used dynamics to add drama to Morrison's antics. Some of the footage is from a show at The Roundhouse (which is available on DVD) and is definitely a product of its time. But the bad lighting, less-than-great angles, and flat mono sound don't reduce the entertainment value of watching Morrison wander off the stage, prowling the barrier between himself and the audience, and hiding under the stage, where a female fan tries desperately to join him during Light My Fire. There's also footage from a live television performance that includes a good version of When the Music's Over, where Morrison works the camera during his monologue and Krieger rips off an angular, almost avant-garde guitar solo. The box lists 10 songs, but that's not quite truth in advertising. For whatever reason, the bulk of Five to One is deleted, and Alabama Song is a montage of the surviving members of the band (in egregious '80s fashions) commiserating with fans at Morrison's gravesite in Pere-Lachaise. Hello, I Love You shows the band members lip-syncing the song in the streets of England, intercut with footage of the guys and arbitrary people hanging out. Live in Europe: 1968 is probably not for the casual Doors fan. There are better compilations from this era, such as Soundstage Performances. There are no extras, and the surround sound doesn't help the mono recordings of the Roundhouse concert much. But dedicated Doors collectors will likely find enough here to make it worth the money. Malcolm X Abram can be reached at 330-996-3758 or mabram@thebeaconjournal.com

`Live' DVD for true Doors fans