THE DOORS ON TV: TORONTO, AUGUST 1967

 

In August 1967, the Doors had just topped the US charts with the single "Light My Fire", which had been shortened to less than half its original length for radio play and to comply with 45 rpm vinyl time constraints.

Their newly acquired fame also had a positive effect on their debut album, "The Doors", released in January 1967, which reached number two on the best-selling albums chart. This also increased opportunities for the group to appear as guests on several national music programs.

In Toronto, Canada, they were invited to participate in the TV show "The Rock Scene – Like It Is!".

In August, they recorded one of their most engaging and controversial songs for this program, which was broadcast the following October: "The End" (link here), taken from the aforementioned first album.

Although the chosen composition was included in the Doors' debut album, at that time the group was completing the recordings of their second album, "Strange Days", which was released on 25 September 1967.

This second LP marked a turn towards psychedelia from their previous work, highlighting a period of change in their sound, the results of which were nonetheless top-notch.

The Toronto television recording featured a crowd of young people packed in front of the stage where The Doors played live. Several versions were filmed, eventually resulting in a final version of about twelve minutes.

However, the song does not include the most problematic section of the song — the part that, in the TV channel's view, could not be broadcast.

Clearly, the part where Morrison recites the famous verses inspired by the Greek Oedipus myth about killing his father and having sex with his mother was eliminated.

As a result, "The End" was deprived of its most intense moment, yet the band still performed it in a fascinating way. With the audience just inches away from Morrison, the footage begins with a scream from the singer that was not included on the original LP track: "Wake up!!".

This harsh and sudden shout was a staple of The Doors' concerts, typically introducing a poetic performance by the frontman, accompanied by sonic improvisations from the other band members. The performance would usually end with the main theme of "Light My Fire" bursting out over a stunned, cheering audience.

This time, it is followed by the mysterious introductory section with which 'The End' begins.

However, the absence of the Oedipus section, and the increased speed at which they play on this occasion, do not reduce the song’s length.

This is due to an extended instrumental part that takes up almost the entire second half of the TV recording. This stretches for about two minutes, building to a loud, cacophonous unison played by all the instruments and ending in a storm of abrasive screams from Morrison.

As always, the focus is on Morrison, who is wearing the leather trousers that had become a regular feature of his wardrobe just a few weeks earlier. He also wears a black shirt with psychedelic inserts and remains almost motionless with his eyes closed throughout the show.

This is an image that deliberately conflicts with what was usually required by live shows, let alone televised ones.

Two curiosities with which to end: at the climax of this rendition of "The End", both Morrison and Krieger kneel on stage while Manzarek plays the electric organ standing up. Their involvement in their music was real and heartfelt.

Another curiosity is that, at the end of the song, Morrison bows to the studio audience — a rather unusual way for the singer to end a public performance.

Although this short history fragment is deprived of a key part of the song, it is definitely worth watching and listening to more than once.

As well as showcasing The Doors' great expressive ability, this show allows us to witness a live performance from the "Strange Days" LP recording period.

This is a phase of their career for which there are unfortunately very few audio or video concert recordings, despite the large number of performances held by the band.

Fortunately, the performance we briefly described is available in good quality.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”