THE DOORS: THE RETURN OF "MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOU" IN JANUARY 1970

 

'My Eyes Have Seen You' is the ninth track on The Doors' second LP, "Strange Days", released on 25 September 1967. Despite its electrifying immediacy, this urgent rock song is not one of the band's most famous pieces.

It was rarely included in the group's concerts and was dropped from live setlists altogether shortly after the album's release.

However, about three years later, it made an unexpected return at the first concert of the tour to promote the Doors' fifth album, "Morrison Hotel", released on 9 February 1970.

This was the live show in New York (Felt Forum) on 17 and 18 January 1970, which included two shows on each of the two nights.

The final performance lasted over two hours and ended with the band launching into a 12-minute cover of "Gloria" (link here), a rhythm and blues song originally released by the British group Them in late 1964.

The Doors had been performing the song at their live shows since 1966, sometimes significantly extending its length. On this occasion, they further modified its structure, embellishing it with an unpredictable musical element.

The Doors' cover of "Gloria" at New York's Felt Forum begins with a long instrumental introduction that repeats the main riff until it slows down to accommodate Morrison's improvised lyrics.

Soon after, the melody of 'Gloria' fades out and is thrown into an electric maelstrom led by Robby Krieger's electric guitar.

At minute 9:02 it is again Krieger's rough guitar work that hints at the change that introduces the coda of "My Eyes Have Seen You”. Soon its theme is emphasized by the electric organ in an insistent way.

Finally, Morrison joins in, singing the final lyrics in a furious roar.

After another minute of the electric storm, the concert ended. It was a memorable and unexpected finale.

It should be noted that the band could have improvised the transition from 'Gloria' to 'My Eyes Have Seen You' on the spot. This would add to the charm of this stunning concert finale.

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”