The Doors - The Doors Are Open

Rating:
Summary: morrison's theatrical magic in full force
Review: this is the best doors concert on tape, no doubt about it. morrison screams violently, wails in agony, gyrates, dances shamanistically, and after watching this performance one can hardly deny that he was probably the most memorable and ingenious frontman that pop culture has ever seen. his haunting lyrics are given raw life in this unforgettable show that clearly displays why, despite all his grievous flaws and insane self destructiveness, jim morrison was a legend and a creative giant. "when the music's over" is the first song they play and you can tell right from the first piercing shout that morrison is baring his soul with all it's intense anguish and poetic sensitivity. the idea that morrison was possessed becomes much less fantastic and unbelievable after seeing this one. an absolute must.

Rating:
Summary: all in all, it's ok
Review: Well, i love the Doors and unfortunatly i havn't seen a whole lot of visual footage of them doing their thing, so i bought this dvd. I have to say that visually, the impression i had of the Doors was based on the Oliver Stone movie. After watching this dvd i realized that the Olvier Stone movie was the worst thing that could happen to the Doors. The Doors it seems, were nothing like the way they were depicted in that movie. So this dvd succeeds on the visual history/real personality front. The interview footage is short but revealing. However, musically, this dvd leaves much to be desired. The sound isn't terrible, but it's not great. The instruments are somewhat muddled together, it's a two-track recording. 4 instruments, but only two tracks...how good could that sound? Also, the "director" really screws the best song up. "When the Music's Over" is the main reason i bought this dvd being as how i've never heard it live, much less seen concert footage of it. Turns out the "director" tried to get "artsy" with someone elses art; he cuts the song in a few points, one of them being the most climatic, taking a great deal of energy AWAY from the song. "Spanish Caravan", on the other hand, is a real treat. Then again, "Hello, I Love You" is just a rehearsal/soundcheck without Jim.