THE DOORS PLAY ON TV IN APRIL 1969: A RESTROSPECTIVE

Following the infamous Miami concert on 3 March 1969, The Doors' career was in danger of derailing. Ultimately, the live show would be remembered in the annals of contemporary music history, but the immediate aftermath foreshadowed significant problems for the band.

Not only was the band's lead singer, Jim Morrison, charged with several misdemeanors relating to his behavior on stage that night, but more than fifteen concerts were cancelled, including the entire tour which had just begun in Miami.

Against this difficult backdrop, The Doors were finishing the controversial and bumpy recording of their fourth album, “The Soft Parade”, which was released in July 1969.

Therefore, they were delighted to accept the opportunity to appear in a TV special called "Critique", which was filmed in New York on 28 and 29 April 1969.

This was a good opportunity to reappear in public, albeit via television, and try to make people forget the excesses of Miami.

The show, which aired about two months later, offered an educated and in-depth perspective on the music of the time. It broke away from the usual programming aimed at teenagers, which aimed to maximize the impact of sound and image.

Here, The Doors performed six songs and were also interviewed (before the last song) with all the band members present.

In line with the show's intellectual approach, the host steers the conversation towards more complex issues, such as the role of contemporary musicians compared to shamans in tribal communities, rather than covering the usual topics.

Clearly amused, Morrison maintains a stimulating conversation that has nothing to do with his ill-tempered role as a rock star or his recent vicissitudes on stage in Miami.

Drummer John Densmore recounts the fluidity that characterized the emergence of poetic and instrumental improvisations during the band's live shows. Morrison describes this process as a 'river of sound' shortly thereafter.

Manzarek, on the other hand, emphasized the sense of community that The Doors' concerts created among young people, wishing that this mystical bond formed around a musical ritual could be reflected in a more united and supportive society.

One of the most memorable statements collected in this interview is Jim Morrison's prediction of a not-too-distant future in which music would be composed by one person using only electronic technologies, without the aid of instruments.

This prophecy came true thirty years later in the form of the methods of sound production that still characterize contemporary music.

Compared to his last public appearance in Miami two months earlier, the frontman had a completely different look, to the extent that he was almost unrecognizable.

He was dressed in a suede jacket and was visibly affected by alcohol abuse. He was also hidden behind a long, wild beard and looked transgressively sophisticated because of the cigar he was smoking. He was just beginning the rapid descent down the inclined plane that would end with his death two years and two months later.

His singing has also changed here: it is less scratchy and more voluptuous and seductive. It now relies on a shadowy depth that generates a powerful shockwave, the ebb of which reveals the inner spasms of the suffering genius.

The voice we hear across the six tracks of this TV special seems to be questioning its own vices and virtues, evoking the loneliness caused by the disorientating balance between art and decadence.

The show opens with 'Tell All The People', composed by Krieger and released as a single in June 1969, before being included on the LP 'The Soft Parade' the following month.

Here, the bulky, bombastic horns of the vinyl version are fortunately replaced by the long, clear chords of Manzarek's electric organ. He also plays the bass part with his left hand on a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass.

Immediately afterwards, the group moves on to the medley 'Alabama Song'/'Back Door Man', both of which are from the first album, 'The Doors', released in January 1967.

The two tunes are performed as they were in the band's many live shows in previous years. They may not shine in terms of originality, but they have a remarkable sound impact, especially thanks to Morrison's vocals.

The third track is 'Whishful Sinful' (also by Krieger), which was released as a single in March 1969, one month before the television footage we are analyzing.

Once again, the absence of the strings and horns heavily featured in the official track greatly benefits the song, making it sharper and less contrived.

This is an important testimony: the only example of how 'Wishful Sinful' might have sounded without clumsy orchestral overdubs.

Additionally, the song features a brief solo by Manzarek, based on variations of the main melody, which is only heard in this broadcast.

The fifth song is one of the creative ideas that Morrison presented to the other band members in 1969. Unfortunately, and somewhat inexplicably, it was excluded from The Soft Parade.

The bluesy notes of 'Build Me a Woman' immediately evoke memories of the wild Miami concert. Morrison inserted the word 'motherfucker' twice in the lyrics, once again confirming his position at the forefront of provocation despite the legal troubles that were beginning to cause him great discomfort.

The program then continued with the aforementioned interview with the band before moving on to the final track: 'The Soft Parade'.

Still unreleased in April 1969, this version of the song is the only complete live recording known to exist.

Performed in front of the 'Critique' cameras, the lengthy song featured Jim Morrison's vocals prominently, simultaneously aggressive and expressive.

He had already adopted the dark, angular timbre that would characterize the final period of his artistic life.

This show indeed had the desired effect of putting the band back on track and partially restoring The Doors' image. After a few well-attended concerts, the band returned to the recording studio in autumn 1969 to record the LP "Morrison Hotel". 

Here is the link to The Doors' appearance on “Critique”, featuring the songs and the interview.

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, ca, it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”