PBS "Critique" Recording Sessions

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

“Critique was one of the only stages they were invited to play on after Miami which is why they are playing on that stage to cameras and no people in NYC.”
Danny Sugerman

April 28th 1969 see the start of the two day session that would become The Doors PBS Critique show. The 28th features the rehearsal and recording of the six tracks that made up the show and the following day an interview segment with host and long time Doors supporter Richard Goldstein.
One of the enduring myths about this period is that The Doors recorded a version of Light My Fire for the show. This mainly comes from Frank Lisciandros photo montage in his book 'An Hour For Magic' which he credits to being taken during Light My Fire....he later stated he was mistaken but like much in The Doors world the myth has a life of its own and takes no account of the facts......maybe one day this version of LMF that was never recorded will turn up.....
The show is broadcast on June 25th and features a panel discussion which concludes that The Doors are not very important in the scheme of things and will not be remembered much after the 60s. The band choose to highlight the as yet unreleased 'The Soft Parade' album once more refusing to go down the more established route of playing thier hits when given the opportunity to play live in the TV studio.
The show features what was to become the only complete record of the albums title track and an uncensored version of concert favourite to be 'Build Me A Woman'......

“On the PBS show and the Danish show I was noticing that all four of us...our concentration was so strong that we were kinda hypnotized ourselves and sorta in the subconscious... whatever..and riding that wave...somebody said that Jim rode the music like a horse but we all looked like we were kinda possessed to me”
John Densmore

“That was another tough show to do ‘cos there was no audience and it was a cold studio and nobody to play off.”
Robby Krieger

“Jim was very subdued on the PBS show because of the trial and he was sobered by all that but personally I think he was still one foot in the wine vat”
John Densmore

for a download of the complete show.....
newdoorstalk.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=boot&action=display&thread=1119041638

[eressie]

Thanks a lot for that link! I had not seen the whole thing before, just a few clips. Very cool, very interesting, I like that Jim is so focused in the interview. Still, I say what I said before, they do a great show there, but Jim looks so defeated and so tired. You can really see how all the hassle around him has affected him.

[jym]

I was disappointed by the Soundstage performances in that they didn't include the panel discussion. When Danny Sugarman was at Doorsfest he asked the audience if they wanted the panel included & it was overwheleming that everyone did want the panel discussion, I wonder why the inclusion of something that fans wanted A LOT was later not included. Ray was there that day & as a matter of fact I think was still in the bar so I'm sure he would have known Danny at least would have mentioned it.

[eressie]

Jim, there is a discussion in that show I downloaded from that link, are you talking about something else or did I misunderstand?

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

eressie said:

Jim, there is a discussion in that show I downloaded from that link, are you talking about something else or did I misunderstand?

The official DVDs never included the panel discussion Monica......the link is to a copy of the actual TV show that Sara had........Like much of the products the band put out fans get short changed....the only reason I can think of that the discussion was removed was because it was not fawning.......just look at the official forums....fawning is all these people want from fans......they don't want a critical viewpoint to get hold as the questions we fans would then ask would not be in keeping with The New Age Of Aquarius......

[eressie]

Ah! I see..thank you for explaining that to me Alex! Weird...that discussion would have been an interesting add to the DVDs.

[jym]

In the panel discussion doesn't have the very prescient statement by one of them that no one will remember The Doors in five years. That in itself should be enough for the egos. It seems to me that The Doors whenever they release something they always leave something out, trying to milk the cow for another anthology release with Celebration of the lizard on it, or some other thing fans are looking for, I guess that's what the new age of Aquarius means, treat your fans like morons and when they do voice an opinion contrary to the party line disparge them. Like I've said before, Ray should have taken marketing as one of his many majors in college.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Ray was an Economics Graduate from St Paul don't forget before he went on to study commercial law......then dumping it and doing film instead so its clear from that he was a very different character to Jim......Jim was more niave there is no doubt in my mind to me that is the case....a more 'innocent' soul so to speak than Ray....Ray was more in tune with the reality of the world than any of The Doors.....he had been in the Army, hung out on the rough side of Chicago and had a more colourful life to date in 1965 than any of the others......
I feel that is probably why their relationship was doomed to fail Ray sought the monetary side whilst Jim was steeped in the art of what he did......I doubt the Jim Morrison of Venice beach would ever find much to be comfortable with in the world of Ray and Jeff circa 2006.......for all his crazy excesses he was just an innocent when it came to what was actually expected of The Doors by both the audience and the men in suits who backed The Doors..........Jac Holzman may have been a cut above the usual music exec but he was a businessman nontheless.........The Doors have long since lost the integrity of the 60s and 70s and been replaced by The Doors PLC........and I find that very sad.....


Early January 1970: Elektra's New Office Party
Jim, Babe Hill, Tom Baker, and Danny Sugerman stand on Pamela's store Themis and watch people go into the party which is to show off the new office. Jim really didn't want to go to the party but finally suggests that he might as well make an appearance since he "paid for the fucking place" and "might as well see where the money went".
Tom Baker, once inside and after the crowd gives Jim a chance to get away, drags Morrison down a hallway and into the corporate office spaces. Tom antagonizes Jim by saying "you paid for all this corporate shit" "you hypocrite, Morrison, you're financing the very authority you claim interest in overthrowing." Jim tells Tom that none of it means anything to him but Tom won't stop. He knows how to get to Jim and finally he does. Jim blows up and pushes Baker over a desk and begins to destroy the office. Soon a bunch of people come in and get him back down the hallway, out the front door and into a limo out front. Vice President of Elektra hollars at the driver to "get him the hell away from here!"

[jym]

admin said:

hung out on the rough side of Chicago and

Early January 1970: Elektra's New Office Party
Jim, Babe Hill, Tom Baker, and Danny Sugerman stand on Pamela's store Themis and watch people go into the party which is to show off the new office. Jim really didn't want to go to the party but finally suggests that he might as well make an appearance since he "paid for the fucking place" and "might as well see where the money went".
Tom Baker, once inside and after the crowd gives Jim a chance to get away, drags Morrison down a hallway and into the corporate office spaces. Tom antagonizes Jim by saying "you paid for all this corporate shit" "you hypocrite, Morrison, you're financing the very authority you claim interest in overthrowing." Jim tells Tom that none of it means anything to him but Tom won't stop. He knows how to get to Jim and finally he does. Jim blows up and pushes Baker over a desk and begins to destroy the office. Soon a bunch of people come in and get him back down the hallway, out the front door and into a limo out front. Vice President of Elektra hollars at the driver to "get him the hell away from here!"

The area's of Chicago Ray went to weren't all that rough I was in those neighborhoods too, albeit 20 years later.