Lankum "False Lankum" 2023****

I was recently in Utrecht to see Lankum, an Irish group that's been the talk of last year in music magazines: their latest album topped end-of-the-year lists by Uncut and The Guardian, rose to No.3 in MOJO's list and No.2 here in The Netherlands (in OOR's list) - I can't remember another folk group ever receiving such honors! Nobody knew them before, and even now no-one I told about the concert had heard their name. But apparently the hype works, because Tivoli's grote zaal was sold out. The band justified all the great reviews, with a mesmerizing performance of their latest album - in sequence. Usually I don't care for concerts where the artist only focuses on their latest work, but this was billed as Lankum presents False Lankum, so I knew what I was getting into. The band played sitting down; theirs isn't music to dance to. If my mentioning Irish music had you thinking Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, you couldn't have been further from the truth. But they had great rapport with the audience: I can't remember another band getting such a warm reception in years, and they also chatted with the crowd like with old friends - their heavy Irish accent hampering communication only a tiny bit.

The concert started as starkly as the album does, with Radie Peat's enchanting voice singing the hair-rising lyrics acapella "Go dig my grave/ Both wide and deep/ Place a marble stone/ At my head and feet". Not exactly "Seven Drunken Nights", but as I already said, Lankum are drawn to the more somber side of Irish traditional music - and that's a pretty rich seam to mine. As the song progresses, other instruments join the singer's voice, the funereal drum and hollow drone dominating the second part of the song. In concert, the audience held their breath during the 8+ minute opener and the subdued follow up "Clear Away in the Morning", erupting in thunderous applause only after the medley (also including short instrumental "Fugue I") ended. These are followed by a seemingly traditional-style reel called "Master Crowley's". As Lankum are prone to do, halfway through the track they add a cacophony of screeching noises which lend a threatening tone to this simple instrumental tune. I don't know exactly how the droning background sound is produced; they feed the hurdy gurdy, concertina, and keyboards through a console which somehow distorts the sound, while during the concert they also had another guy at the sound desk, adding electronic effects - if I understood correctly, that was False Lankum producer John Murphy. In contrast to the disquieting instrumental that preceded it, "Newcastle" charms us with the fragile beauty of Radie Peat's lead vocal and excellent band harmonies. By the end of the concert, each member (apart from the drummer) had sung lead at least in one song; Radie isn't the only good singer in the band, and their ability to harmonize is among their greatest strengths. "Netta Perseus" begins with gentle acoustic guitar and violin, again descending into noise. This was, for me, the first misstep in the album; I felt that they ruined a perfectly good song by unnecessarily adding their trademark effects which not every tune calls for. "The New York Trader" now, yes. That story of a murdering captain, stormy seas, and mutinous crew calls for darkness and Lankum offer it plenty. The switch among light and dark continues, with the pastoral folk of  "Lord Abore and Mary Flynn" and "On a Monday Morning" alternating with more intense tracks like instrumental "Fugue III" and marathon closer "The Turn" which starts off with soothing harmonies but ends in dissonant feedback and electronic noise. This approach may not benefit each and every song, but it's Lankum's personal touch. It adds an extra layer of intensity to their otherwise morose song choices, it helped them rejuvenate traditional folk, and endeared them to both critics and fans of avantgarde/drone/math rock who wouldn't otherwise have come into contact with the treasure trove of the traditional Irish songbook. Despite its moments of spellbinding beauty and fierce intensity, False Lankum still makes for demanding listen. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the accolades it received were undeniably well deserved.

***** for Go Dig My Grave, Clear Away in the Morning, Newcastle, The New York Trader

**** for Master Crowley's, Lord Abore and Mary Flynn, On a Monday Morning, The Turn

*** for Fugue I, Fugue II, Netta Perseus, Fugue III

Various "The Best of Country Swing as selected by Dancing Dan vol.1" 1980***

I found this LP in the $1 bin at the Right On!!! Napa record store in California. Judging purely from its cover, I thought this is the type of record I should bring back from the USA. The fact that the songs were personally selected by Dancing Dan enhanced my decision to buy it even though I didn't know who he was - I thought he'd probably be a famous DJ on some country radio station, but the truth turned out to be even more impressive, as, according to the liner notes, "Dancing Dan is the foremost authority on Country Swing dancing. Dan pioneered the dance and owns the nation's largest Country Swing dance school through which he graduates eight to ten thousand people a year. He is author of the best book ever written on the subject entitled, Dancing Dan's Official Guide to Country Swing. Dan also sponsors a national Country Swing contest each year. Every song on this album has been personally selected by Dan not only for its dancibility but also for its listening pleasure. We are proud to bring you this tremendous collection of fine artists. Be looking for Volume II!"

Now I'm not a C&W connoisseur, but I'd expect the name of at least one artist among the best of Country Swing to ring some bell - but no! And that's entirely understandable because while the album clearly states it's about Country Swing, I was translating it in my mind as Western Swing - that old illegitimate child of hillbilly folk and dixieland jazz. Instead, country swing isn't exactly a type of music, but a dance: imagine a bunch of couples wearing cowboy hats and boots doing all the turns, dips, and flips you're familiar with from swing ballroom dancing, but set to country music - although apparently not always in tune with it. I mean, I watched country swing videos on youtube before this review, and it's like watching people dance on a TV with the sound switched off while some different music plays on the stereo. Have you tried it? Occasionally, the music matches the dancers' moves with hilarious results, but it's not like ballet or ballroom where the music and dance are in harmony. Which is fine, because it allows for the inclusion of some non-dancey but very agreeable tunes including the Eagles-like country rock of The David Dollar Revue on "Looking For Love" that opens Side 2. On the other end of the spectrum, Side 1 opens with Troup Deluxe's "Cherokee Fiddle" - that fiddle will make your feet move to the beat whether you like it or not! Most of the tracks are recorded at the same studio in Tucson, Arizona, possibly specifically for inclusion here. Nevertheless many of them were included in previous albums by the said artists, so these are probably re-recordings? Not that any of them has a long discography behind them - with the exception of Chuck Wagon & The Wheels who, according to discogs, have released 5 albums to their name. The lyrical content of the songs is as banal as can expected: the suffering of love, the joys of the simple life, and the celebration of music and dancing - as in Chuck Wagon's "Dance Tonite" or, even better, The Saddle City Band's "Dancing Cowboys". I mean that one starts off with "We like boots and saddles/We like girls and guitars". These are words to live by, these are the words I want written on my gravestone. On second thought, probably not; people would think they've got the wrong grave and I'd never get flowers. Musically, it's all more or less typical country music from a time before it became overtly polished and commercial. I especially like the jaunty banjo on Frank & Woody's "Sometimes I Think" and the bar room piano of Two Crisp Bills' "Back Door Man". Duncan Stitt's (from The Saddle City Band) "It's The Music In Me" and Deadly Earnest's "Wheeler Inn Cafe" get me humming every time, too. But generally this is a compilation of, mostly nondescript, not highly danceable, C&W - from a time, I repeat, that country was still an organic and genuine music style - which counts for something.

**** for Cherokee Fiddle (Troupe Deluxe, John E. Mann), Looking For Love (The David Dollar Revue), It's The Music In Me (Duncan Stitt)

*** for A Hundred Miles From Denver (Chuck Wagon & The Wheels), Dancing Cowboys (The Saddle City Band), Wheeler Inn Cafe (Deadly Earnest And The Honky Tonk Heroes), Sometimes I Think (The Frank & Woody Show), Draw The Line (Billy Odom), Back Door Man (Two Crisp Bills),

** for Dance Tonite (Chuck Wagon & The Wheels), Haloed Hearts (The David Dollar Revue), Being Alone Is Better Than Going Back To You (Chuck Wagon & The Wheels)

California Record Stores part 1: Los Angeles

I recently spent a few days in L.A. It was my first visit to the U.S. and I soaked it all in, curious to see if the movie cliches would come alive - and they did: the nutjobs preaching in the corners, luxury houses and the people sleeping in their cars, the palm trees and the waves, the stars on the pavements of Hollywood Boulevard, surfers in Malibu and bodybuilders at Venice beach (although the beach does attract all kinds), billboards advertising legal services -apparently if you have an accident in America, you don't call an ambulance, you call a lawyer. What else? Oh yeah, taxi/uber drivers are all foreign and speak broken English, and waitresses in diners will refill your coffee endlessly - of all the legends about America, that was the most unbelievable, yet it's true! On the other hand, there are many more hispanic ladies than blond bimbos, the sun doesn't shine all the time, there are way more tourists than in the movies -especially in Hollywood- and I did not see any evidence of gang activity even in places known from rap mythology like Compton and South Central (nowadays plain South L.A.). Not that I hanged around there much, mind you. Just long enough to switch buses on my way to do touristy things like visit the movie studios, take a guided tour of the city center, or embark on my doomed quest to visit as many record shops as possible; doomed because of the sprawling nature of the city and its lack of center. 

Travelling from one place of the city to another and back may take half a day, so I only got to visit those shops that didn't take me too far out of the way. During my first days in the city, I lodged in West Hollywood, a neighborhood I found quite agreeable. On the first night of the trip, right after dinner, I visited my first American record store. It was past 10pm and restaurants were closing while people gathered in front of the night clubs; yet there is one record store in town that stays up late, and that's The Record Parlour on 6408 Selma Ave, one road down from Hollywood Blvd. I enjoyed the relaxed vibe of the place and appreciated the huge variety - thousands of used LP's of all genres; soul, rock,country, alternative etc. A lot of good LP's for $7,98, some of the covers were a bit worse for wear but mostly in very good condition inside. Also a few random pieces on offer for $1,98, but I'd say the median price was about $15. From here it's just one block to "the world's largest independent record store" Amoeba Music (6200 Hollywood Blvd). This makes the notion of "independent" a bit hazy to me: Amoeba owns two more large shops in San Francisco and Berkeley, how many shops constitute a chain? Anyway, it's true: Amoeba is huge - and I mean that as in "the elephant is a huge animal" which nevertheless is less impressive if you've lived through the Jurassic Period. So, yeah, pretty impressive but still way smaller than the old Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street London, Fame Megastore on Dam Square Amsterdam, or even the multi-storied Metropolis in Athens Greece. There's a huge variety of ultra-cheap used CD (around $2) as well as some rare or new CDs in regular prices. Concerning vinyl, all kinds of music are amply represented: pop rock country soul international etc. New LPs $22-40, used mostly $8-15 but also some offers $1-4. Among the latter one can also find some good titles in below par condition. Furthermore, one can find all kinds of music-related merchandise including DVD's, T-shirts, books, posters etc. In-store performances by famous artists are a regular event; only last week Slash gave there an acoustic performances, while on a memorable occasion Sir Paul McCartney himself played Beatles and solo hits for an audience of lucky shoppers. Just don't go there on Record Store Day; there's a huge queue lining around the block for RSD special items which are also available in smaller record stores without all that fuss. Unless, that is, one wants to be able to brag to their friends that they stood in line for two hours to get a limited edition Fleetwood Mac picture disc. The story just makes it sound like a much more precious item than it really is. Another, much smaller, record shop on Hollywood Boulevard (no. 6727, near the world famous Chinese Theater where all the stars leave their hand/foot prints on cement) is As The Record Turns. Real easy to miss, as it's located in a small yard at the end of a narrow walkway. Despite its small size, it holds a great many records, all original issues. Especially good in R&B, but also rock jazz soundtracks exotica etc. Prices begin at about $30, going up according to collectability.

Supervinyl (900 Sycamore Ave) earned nation-wide fame when Beyoncé took it over in order to launch her latest vinyl release with a record signing. She chose well; the shop is roomy and clean, and carries only selected titles in quality new vinyl as well as some hi fi equipment. Going further away from Hollywood towards Melrose, one finds Revolution Records (7305 Melrose Ave.) featuring mostly pre-owned vinyl (all genres, especially classic rock/ Latin/rock en español). Prices range from the very expensive ($40+) to the very cheap (crates $1-5). Also CD's ($3-7). A bit further down the road (7706), Headline Records is a punk rocker's paradise, a whole shop dedicated to punk music and fashion. There are CDs and LPs ($25-40) from bands from across the world representing a "wide" variety of musical genres: punk rock, ska punk, garage punk, hardcore, and even -surprise- metal! Now, I remember that when I was young there was a TV soap opera called Melrose Place. Never watched it, but I always assumed it was about "glamorous" people. Which is only partially true: Melrose Avenue does have a lot of fashionable shops, but that's mostly street fashion rather than any exclusive designer stuff. A pleasant place overall; on the day I visited (a really sunny one) there were a lot of young girls walking up and down the street with shopping bags, as well as some young boys giving an impromptu rap performance.

Still on Melrose Ave. (7809) one can find one of the worst-reviewed businesses ever: with more 1* reviews on google and yelp than any other I've seen, ladies and gentlemen it's The Record Collector! Now, apparently this is a legendary establishment, but I didn't know it at the time. I was working off a list of "the 46 best record stores in and around L.A." published recently in the L.A. Times, and was in Melrose to check out Headline from that list, then noticed on google maps that there were a couple of other shops in the neighborhood, and decided to visit them. Of course I saw the reviews before I got in, and steeled myself to face any abuse that might be thrown my way. Immediately as I entered the shop, a really old guy at the door asked me what my pleasure was. Now, I didn't necessarily go in to buy records, I was there to map the record store situation for my blog. Google reviews had warned me that I had to know exactly what I was looking for but I nevertheless replied "nothing in particular, 70's rock mostly". The old guy then shouts to his assistant somewhere deep inside the place (imagine a row of corridors packed floor-to-ceiling with vinyl) "Henry, show this gentleman to pop, section 5" or something like that. An even older guy emerges from the back and takes me to a corridor, getting down on his creaky knees (unnecessary, and painful to watch) to show me where the relevant section started. Browsing there quickly became quite uncomfortable: first of all, it was the bottom row, adjacent to the floor. Secondly, the records are so packed that one cannot flip through them. Thirdly, most of the spines are worn and unreadable, so that one has to take the album out to read the title. None of the records have prices on them, but despite worn album covers most of them are relatively clean inside. Under these circumstances, I only spent 10 minutes in the shop before leaving. I bade the owner goodbye and he gave me a nod. That's it! The man was almost courteous, belying everything you ever read about him. Apparently he is the terror of customers, people make "I visited the Record Collector and lived to tell the tale" videos on youtube. To be fair, this establishment is famous for more than its grumpy owner: the older surviving record store in the city (50 years going), sporting a selection of half-a-million albums, apparently unparalleled for jazz, classical, and even old 78 RPM records, and the only one that never succumbed to the digital age: even when vinyl was supposedly dying and CDs accounted for 96% of music sales, the Record Collector faithfully dealt only in vinyl. If only the guy knew I sold off most of my classic LPs in the early 00's to re-buy them on "deluxe" remastered CD, I bet he wouldn't have been so patient with me!

After West Hollywood, we moved to Venice Beach for a few days. Again most of he cliches were right, though not all of them: the sand and the waves were there, as well as the tall palm trees, but the sun only shone intermittently; in fact, the temperature was always a few degrees lower than downtown. But I did enjoy the relaxed and festive atmosphere. Like Hollywood, Venice was also full of touristy shops, but in this case it didn't strike me negatively. What else are you going to do at the beach than eat, drink, shop, buy stuff - and maybe play beach volley or surf? Well, we did everything except for the sporty bit. And the waterfront isn't the only attraction: there's the gorgeous and quiet Venice canal district, as well as the bustle and hustle of Abbot Kinney; my friend swears by the coffee at cafe Intelligentsia and burgers at the Win-dow, and we had great tacos and margharitas at the Tocaya; the tastes were much more sophisticated than the place looked, especially on the inside. For records, one has to take the road towards Santa Monica: Angel City Books and Records (218 Pier Ave, Santa Monica) offers a great selection of used books, and a slightly less impressive one of records (rock/jazz/folk for $5-45, depending on condition and collectability), 7' singles, CDs ($6-7) as well as a few cassettes. A long way from the pier, on 12346 Santa Monica Blvd, you can visit a big shop called Record Surplus.

Legend had it that it had an "attic" full of stuff for $1 or less. It must have dried up, though; nowadays, "the attic" is confined to a corner of the (ground level) shop; everything still costs $1, but that's mostly CDs and very little vinyl. I didn't find anything of interest there, but there was plenty at the rest of the shop: lots of used CDs around $5, used LPs (rock, folk, jazz,classical etc) mostly under $10 (I got some nice country LPs for $2-5), some new items at the usual prices, box sets, books, and singles. It's in the middle of nowhere, but there's a convenient bus stop right in front. Speaking for me, it was worth going a bit out of my way. The last neighborhood we visited in L.A. was downtown where we had a walking tour. Part of that tour was The Last Bookstore, a shop absolutely worth visiting. Housed in a huge 100-year old bank building (there's even a vault!) it's a paradise for the bibliophile as well as a must stop for record collectors: there's a random collection of used LPs (mostly under $10) as well as a bunch of new ones (around $25). A second guided tour I took on LA started from Little Tokyo - I slipped out for a bit to check the record stores in the area: Going underground is one of those shops one delights in: spacious and clean, with a curated collection (used LPs $5-15, new $25-40) centered on alternative, punk and indie, including some indie metal labels. Also CDs, cassettes, and books. Among the Japanese shops, there's one that supposedly carries a lot of Japanese vinyl, Ginza Gifts and Music. That sounded promising, until I realized that it only imported Japanese music (LPs mostly $20-30). Was it pop, folk, rock? Impossible to guess from the covers. I never felt so lost at a record store in my life; out of hundreds of titles, I recognized only a couple. That concludes my firsthand report on L.A. record stores; you will have to ask a real Angelano for a fuller presentation. 

I will add some others that seemed interesting but I didn't have the time to visit: Counterpoint Records & Books (5911 Franklin Ave.,Hollywood Hills) "vinyl and cd's cover all genres but with particular strengths in Classical, Jazz and Rock." Sick City (1381 Sunset Blvd.) "Tucked inside an Echo Park strip mall...specialty is 20th century alternative and 21st century indie artists. Band t-shirts and related merchandise...there’s a small barbershop in the back of the shop...opens at 13:00." Cosmic Vinyl (2149 Sunset Blvd) doubles as a vegan cafe "We carry a wide array of new and used vinyl records of all genres...hi-fi turntables, receivers, speakers etc...T-Shirt’s, Coffee Mugs and much more." Rubycon Records and Tapes (4850 Santa Monica Blvd) "a go-to spot for lovers of synth-pop, industrial and techno" Permanent Records Roadhouse (1906 Cypress Ave.,Cypress Park) is a music label/ record store/ bar/ live music venue. Arroyo Records (5132.1/2 York Blvd., Highland Park) "outstanding selection, fair prices...listening station" "heavy on the classics...hefty bargain bins" Estuario (5403 1/2 N. Figueroa St.,Highland Park) "ambitious music from across Latin America and the global south" Gimmie Gimmie Records (5810 N Figueroa St.) "excellent selection, condition, prices and variety"..."post-punk, hip-hop, classic rock" Mount Analog (2217 Hyperion Ave.,Silver Lake) "hub for techno, goth and experimental LPs" Sonido Del Valle (2108 1st St. Boyle Heights) "cumbia, mariachi, and other hot regional Mexican and Latin genres" Freakbeat Records (13616 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks) "Half the store is filled with new and used vinyl from all musical genres...The rock section is largest, but we're very aggressive about filling the jazz and soul bins too" Atomic Records (3812 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank) "A crate digger’s paradise, Atomic deals entirely with used records" High Fidelity (4765 W. Adams Blvd) "classic soul, rock and jazz records" Music Plaza (928 S. Western Ave., Koreatown) "biggest K-Pop shop" Record Recycler (17312  Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance) "the real joy is in finding a cheap, used and rare treasure somewhere way off the path". For more, try the L.A. Times article mentioned earlier. P.S. for visitors from abroad: Prices in California are always exclusive taxes and tips; record store clerks, however helpful, do not expect a tip from you, but the price you'll pay at the counter will be higher than what the sticker denotes - about 8%-10%, depending on the current sales tax rates of each city/county.

The Doors "Live At The Matrix 1967" 2008****

I just returned from a 2-week trip to California, including a few days in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Of course I made time to visit a bunch of record shops (around 30, actually), and I'm going to share my impressions in a series of relevant city posts. More than that, I sought places with relevance to my musical heroes, including of course The Doors: Venice Beach, where Jim and Ray formed the band; Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Strip, where they held a three-month residency in 1966 during which the band became a tighter unit, developing their material and stage show - until, that is, Morrison was banned from the place, after he uttered his infamous Oedipal lyric from "The End" on stage. And their regular spot in San Francisco, the Matrix club - now a cocktail bar going under the name of White Rabbit. In '66, The Matrix was co-owned and managed by Jefferson Airplane co-singer Marty Balin, which is why almost every artist passing through the city in the late 60's has appeared there, despite its low capacity of around 100 attendants. At the time it was a dark and windowless place, with a big mural depicting the 4 riders of the apocalypse. Today it seems to be the exact opposite: The whole of the street side consists of glass panels. When I passed by, the well-lit interior was sparsely strewn with comfy-looking couches where half a dozen customers were sipping cocktails while looking at their mobiles. To be fair, that was on a weekday evening; it's supposed to get livelier on weekends, with local DJ's spinning records and people dancing; there's certainly space enough for that. Apart from its name, the only other allusion to the bar's past is a psychedelic wall painting of a hippie girl posing with mushrooms and a white rabbit - as you may remember, Jefferson Airplane's 1967 hit "White Rabbit" famously drew analogies between Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and the experience of taking LSD. The song was written by Airplane's other singer Grace Slick, and the original version (by Slick's previous band The Great Society) was first recorded live in this club.

Random selection came out with this CD about 4 years ago, but for some reason I never did get round to it. Now, at last, its time has come; for two reasons: The first is, of course, my recent Californian trip mentioned earlier. Another reason is that a new version has just been released on CD and ridiculously expensive vinyl box sets. The title is Doors - Live at the Matrix 1967: The Original Masters. It contains the complete recordings of The Doors' performances at this small San Francisco club, while the previous version reviewed here anthologizes said recordings to present them as a single long concert, when in fact the band played two or three short sets per night. As such, the new edition contains a lot of duplications, plus a previously unreleased instrumental jam only available on the vinyl version. Crucially, though, first generation tapes were used, while the previous ones came from a copy of a copy. I'm told that this doesn't significantly improve on the sound but hey, now you have two versions from which to choose. What's interesting about this live album is that it presents us the band at an early stage of their existence, only two months after the release of their debut. This is reflected by the audience attitude in what sounds like a half-full, at best, club. By September The Doors would become a nationwide sensation, their record eventually climbing to Billboard No.2, but these gigs took place on March 7 and 10. Remember, at the time the radio only played singles, and The Doors hadn't released a single yet, so for the locals they were just an unknown band from L.A. playing at the home turf of The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and of course The Airplane themselves. Judging from their reaction, they weren't all that impressed. The audio part of the concert sounds fine, but it seems that Morrison was still relatively timid as a performer. He croons sensually on the slower numbers, and sometimes shouts on the faster ones, but he doesn't exactly own the "lizard king" persona he was busy developing. He adlibs lyrics, seemingly on the spot, which is fine to hear - those alternative versions are one of the greatest draws of this album. The audience must have wondered whether they were witnessing a rock concert, an improvised drama performance, or a poetry reading with musical backing; nobody in rock was doing stuff like "The End" at the time. But, even if Morrison wasn't quite the star he would later become, the band is on top form. Especially Manzarek, whose keyboards are even more prominent than in the record, sounding like a cross between ? And The Mysterians' loud garage rock and Jimmy Smith's groovy jazz. I miss his neo-classical intro on "Light My Fire", and in general this isn't among the best live versions of that song I've heard by The Doors, but he repays us with excellent improvisations on other tracks that transform the songs e.g. the long intro on "Unhappy Girl", a then still-unreleased track from the Strange Days LP. Actually more than half of Strange Days is performed here, with the band trying out new material they were preparing for their next album. As Krieger states in the liner notes, it was like a paid rehearsal, a chance to work out the arrangements and hone their craft further. Other still unreleased songs, including "My Eyes Have Seen You," "People Are Strange," and "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind", sport rather simpler rock arrangements compared to their studio counterparts. "Summer's Almost Gone" (which would appear in the band's 3rd LP), on the other hand, has a nice jazz organ solo missing from the studio version. Songs from their debut do not deviate much from the studio versions; "Break On Through" followed by "Soul Kitchen" provide an explosive opening for this album, while "Moonlight Drive" is longer than the studio version, with extra, ad-libbed, lyrics, as well as prominent backing vocals by Ray. "The End" is, as expected, a tour de force, but their performance of their other epic "When The Music's Over" is arguably better, featuring great slide guitar by Robbie Krieger, and with slightly altered lyrics compared to the studio version. As with all relatively new groups, the setlist is fleshed out with covers, and that is another big draw for Doors fans, as some of them have never been recorded by them in the studio. These include garage rock standards "Money" and "Gloria", as well as blues tunes like Slim Harpo's "I'm A King Bee" and B.B.King's "Rock Me" (as a medley with their own -also previously unreleased- "Woman Is A Devil"). Two more blues included here did find their way into The Doors' studio LPs: Howlin' Wolf's "Back Door Man" on the first, and John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake" on the last. Both are included here in fine performances, Jim deploying his leering bluesman persona and Robbie letting his inner Clapton loose. Two other covers have appeared in different live versions on the band's first live LP Absolutely Live: Muddy Waters' "Close To You" which is sung by Ray, and Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love". The latter is here shorter and more in-your-face, arguably better than the one on Absolutely Live. Of more interest are some covers unique to this selection, including Allen Toussaint's New Orleans R&B "Get Out Of My Life Woman", and an instrumental version of Gershwin's "Summertime" proving that the band were quite adept in jazz as well as rock - Manzarek's improvisations in particular prove he was among the best organists of his generation. His keyboard is especially dominant in these live recordings as well as in early Doors albums; but while the advent of progressive rock freed his peers like Keith Emerson and Jon Lord to play longer solos and incorporate jazz and classical influences, Manzarek went the other way, gradually retreating to the role of a supporting player. Nevertheless, one can easily imagine the band taking a more progressive neo-classical/jazz route with the organ more to the fore. An intriguing proposition, but one can only speculate on how the band's sound might have evolved in the 70's. Alas, all they left behind was a handful of studio and live recordings. Most of the live ones were recorded during the 1969/1970 tour when Morrison was behaving erratically and struggling with the effects of fame and excessive alcohol consumption, so I can't emphasize enough how good it is to hear the Doors as ambitious young men getting ready to take on the world.

***** for Break On Through (To The Other Side), Soul Kitchen, Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), The End, People Are Strange, When The Music's Over

**** for Summer's Almost Gone, Light My Fire, Back Door Man, Who Do You Love, Unhappy Girl, Moonlight Drive, My Eyes Have Seen You , Crawling King Snake, I Can't See Your Face In My Mind, Summertime, Gloria

*** for Money, The Crystal Ship, Twentieth Century Fox, I'm A King Bee, Get Out Of My Life Woman, Woman Is A Devil / Rock Me, Close To You