Doors Bright Midnight Question

[GuyDon]

Do these titles come in a standard jewel case or digipak (or does it vary release to release)? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[mcow1]

Well, the ones that I have seen have been jewel case.

[Sckott]

Saw one in a clear-tray jewel. Among the normal Doors Cds.

[GuyDon]

After re-reading my post, it is a bit vague. It implies the recently released (in stores) Bright Midnight sampler. Sorry for the confusion.
What I am really trying to ask about are the various releases (Detroit 1970, Aquarius Theater, etc.) that can be purchased through their website.

[Kayaker]

Can anybody comment on the sound quality? The Live Electra releases vary greatly. Thanks.

[Chris M]

The sound on the Detroit CD is pretty good, better than Absolutely Live for sure but just a little 'bright' for my taste. Bruce Botnick remixed all of the live stuff from the original 8 tracks and did the remastering as well. The one to get is 'Backstage and Dangerous.' It's a pro recorded rehearsal from the Aquarius theater that has some VERY different early versions of some of some Morrison Hotel stuff. Essential for Doors fans IMO. Morrison is in top form for all of the Aquarius stuff. I recently received a CD of some newly circulating studio outtakes. It has an early version of The Spy, a 16 min studio version of Celebration of the Lizard (not very good) and an alternate version of Queen of the HWY. Bruce Botnick has been busy preparing a studio outtakes release for Bright Midnight. I'm *really* looking forward to outtakes from the first LP.......

Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

I was actually slated to remaster some of that stuff, but my mastering tastes conflicted with the taste of others. Oh well. Would have been fun!

[Chris M]

Ahhh...that's too bad because the Bright Midnight stuff needs a little of that breath of life. Steve, do you mean you were slated to remaster the studio outtakes or some of the concerts recorded for Absloutley Live? As for the outtakes.....I've always been annoyed when an outtake of a particular LP is mixed to sound WAY different than the LP it was cut from. An example......the '66 version of Midnight Drive from The Doors '97 boxset. It was remixed from the 4 tracks for the box. It sounds OK but nothing like the s/t first Doors LP it was omitted from......know what I mean??

Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

I do indeed.

I was contacted about doing the entire Bright Midnight catalog.

That's Show Biz..

[Chris M]

Oh well, at least some of this stuff is finally being released. Did you by chance get to hear any outtakes? Are any of the Morrison Hotel fades much longer than what was on the LP?

Thanks,

Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

You know, I didn't see too many Doors' studio outtakes.

Remember, those were done on multi-track, so a lead vocal is only overdubbed on the final music tracks. So....Really nothing much.

As for longer fades, well, most of their songs go on until the band just stops playing, like any song that fades. A good fade is a thing of beauty. There is an art to fading at just the right spot. Why mess with it? ;)

[Ronflugelguy]

Yeah, in my high school days, we used to crank up the volume at the fades so we could hear as much as possible! Sometimes , that's where the best licks were!

[Chris M]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Steve Hoffman

[ Remember, those were done on multi-track, so a lead vocal is only overdubbed on the final music tracks. So....Really nothing much.

True, but if memory serves most of the first LP was cut live so there should be some early takes w/ vocals. This is probably old news to most Doors fans but I recently found out that Indian Summer from Morrison Hotel comes from The Doors first Elektra session on 8/29/66. A few overdubbs were added during the Morrison Hotel sessions....

Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

I don't want to shatter anyone's dreams around here (I'm not Tom Port) :D but most of the first Doors LP was done with a scratch vocal only, if even that. Jim dubbed his leads on a bounced second tape.

So, really not much. The outtakes I've heard of "Light My Fire" for example , (the tape that I found someone at the old vault using as a plate for his pizza lunch), had about five takes of the song, but no vocal at all, not until the first bounce. By that time, the music track was "in stone".

[Chris M]

Oh goodness.....Botnick did post something on the Bright Midnight message board about the archives not being in order.......


Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

Well, they are in order now. This pizza thing happened a long time ago. I've never forgotten it though. Imagine my surprise when I saw this vault dude using the "Light My Fire" session reel as a pizza support. I think Elektra STILL has some of it's tapes stored at this place (which shall be nameless). The Doors' stuff is all moved out of there though.:eek:

[Chris M]

That is an amazing story. So how were the LMF alternates? Were they similar to the LP version? I've always wondered how much of the solo section was improvised....

Thanks,

Chris

[Steve Hoffman]

I'm kind of fuzzy on it, but it was weird hearing the music without that nice bass guitar overdub or echo. Quite empty sounding actually.

The solos were similar, but not exact by any means. And, of course, the session tapes reveal that the song is taken at a faster tempo than the final edited/overdubbed version which was actually slowed down a great deal during mixing.

[Grant]

So, Steve, the 45 version is actually the correct speed or close to the correct speed?

Hmmmmm...

[Steve Hoffman]

It's still slowed down some. Remember that the song actually gets faster as it goes along (like Creedence's "Susie-Q") so they actually had to do a bunch of speed correcting when they cut the beginning and end together so the tempo would match.