DANBURY '67, THE DOORS' BEST CONCERT?

The Doors' second album, "Strange Days", was released on 25 September 1967. After about two weeks and several concerts, the group performed in Danbury, Connecticut, on 11 October.

Fortunately, a live tape of the concert exists: a one-hour bootleg of immense artistic and historical value (link here).

In the absence of any official live recordings documenting this phase of the band's career, this concert represents a valuable opportunity to hear the band in the period immediately following the release of "Strange Days".

Moreover, it is the only one to capture a full performance by the group during this wonderful period in their history.

Let's take a closer look at the musical development of this excellent bootleg, which is undoubtedly one of the most significant recordings that The Doors left behind.

The show opens with "Moonlight Drive", creating a relaxed and melodic atmosphere that includes the dramatic poem "Horse Latitudes". While Manzarek's organ punctuates the composition with short, rhythmic chords, R. Krieger's electric guitar takes center stage with its use of the slide technique. Both songs had just been released on "Strange Days".

Next, the Doors perform “Money”, a cover of Barret Strong's 1959 rhythm and blues song (link here) which was later made famous by The Beatles on their second album "With the Beatles" in November 1963 (link here).

Guitarist Robby Krieger's solo is remarkable, as he repeatedly quotes a typical electric phrase of the great bluesman Elmore James, once again using the slide technique.

Morrison performs the song with captivating intensity, dominating its rhythm and dictating its feel with a red-hot voice that matches the fervor of the instrumental backing.

"Break On Through (To The Other Side)" takes us back to the band's debut album, "The Doors" (released in January 1967). This time, it is keyboardist Ray Manzarek who steals the show with a solo that differs greatly from the original version of the song. He effectively varies the main theme of this historic rock song with remarkable creativity and taste.

Following the electric storm of "Break On Through", we move on to "Back Door Man" and "People Are Strange".

The former is a powerful and edgy rendition of Howlin' Wolf's 1960 blues song (link here), In this performance, Morrison's incomparable charisma shines through as he improvises a few verses and connects with the audience in a seductive way.

“People Are Strange”, from the album "Strange Days", is the most relaxed moment of the show and probably the best live version of the song available.

The first half of the concert ends with “The Crystal Ship”, from The Doors' debut album. This excellent performance is notable for Morrison's spontaneous and passionate singing.

However, it is Manzarek who astonishes listeners during his brief solo. His fragmented electric organ notes draw an extremely original and fragmented trajectory that is unexpected in the rock idiom and points decidedly towards hard bop jazz.

The first half of the concert has great artistic value, ranking it among The Doors' best live performances. The only drawback is the suboptimal audio quality, although this is still satisfactory for a bootleg.

The second part of the live show, which lasts another 30 minutes, consists of just two intense and amazing songs: "Light My Fire" and "The End".

The former is preceded by a poem recited by Morrison, beginning with the cry, "Wake up!", and continuing for around two minutes with verses alternating between eerie whispers and outbursts of biting rage. The accompaniment from the rest of the band is, once again, highly innovative and original for 1967.

"Light My Fire", the quartet's most famous song, is performed here dynamically and creatively, resulting in an overwhelming performance in which the audience can fully immerse themselves.

Ray Manzarek's extended solo on the electric organ is arguably the most thrilling part of the song, oscillating between individual notes and chords.

These notes create a texture similar to John Coltrane's modal jazz from the early 1960s, while the chords fill the hall with an electric tide that rises and falls rapidly over the audience. This is arguably the highlight of the entire concert.

Notably, between Manzarek's electric organ solo and Krieger's electric guitar solo, Morrison inserts two short verses, "Persian Night / See the Light", that originally belonged to the "religious" section of the masterpiece 'When the Music's Over' (from the "Strange Days" LP).

“The End” brings the concert to a close with one of its longest renditions, lasting around twenty minutes — twice the original length. It is an unforgettable, dreamlike journey winding between peaks of harsh distortion and wild screams. These alternate with obscure descents into mysterious and rarefied atmospheres.

This final song is extended through repeated improvisations that significantly alter its lyrics and musical passages. These improvisations, both musical and vocal, stand on the threshold of avant-garde theatre, showcasing the fascination that can only be achieved through unprecedented rock experimentation.

Although Jim Morrison's performance in 'The End' is outstanding, although it does not overwhelm the other members of the band. His singing vividly evokes astonishment and rapture.

Overall, it is no exaggeration to say that Danbury '67 is one of the best concerts you will ever hear. Don't be put off by the mediocre audio quality; the artistic and musical excellence contained within is well worth tolerating some muddy sound.

The live performance in Danbury adds many elements to the music recorded by The Doors, highlighting the more adventurous and unpredictable side of these truly great rock musicians.

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”