The Doors - remastered albums?

[Daniel S.]

I was told all of the Doors albums were remastered in 1999, but I can't find any record of this on internet searches except for a greatest hits compilation. Also, the cd release date for listings on amazon are all 1990.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

They say on the back of the album some jargon about being Remastered 24 bit. All the albums being sold through Amazon and most record stores should be the Remastered ones. The old ones are out of print. Make sure it says 24 bit on the back. There’s a box set of all the studio albums Remastered, if you want them all.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002NDBC/sr=8-2/qid=1150378430/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-5185964-5661731?%5Fencoding=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A1LSP/sr=8-1/qid=1150378452/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5185964-5661731?%5Fencoding=UTF8

[Music Machine]

Get ready to throw all those older versions away soon. I'm on the official Doors board, at the end of this year there's going to be a 12 disc boxed set (6 cds, 6 DVD- A discs) of all the studio albums with Morrison. The cds will have brand new re-mixes by Bruce Botnick and bonus tracks. The DVD-A discs will have 5.1 mixes and more bonus material including alternate takes and studio banter. Also improved pakaging and liner notes over the older Doors cds. There's also plans for a limited edition vinyl boxed set that will include the mono version of the first Doors album. Also planned is an improved reissue of Absolutley Live and possibly the first official cd release of the post Morrison Doors albums. The cd/ DVD-A packs will be avaliable individually next year.

[Daniel S.]

Thanks for the info. 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Other Voices on CD? Hot damn!

I'm glad I didn't buy the re-releases. If these things are worth a salt, I'll invest in these re-reissues.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Full Circle on CD ? Oh jeez...

Hmmmm... wonder if they'll reatin the origianl packaging ? 

[Sheriff John Stone]

I like Other Voices AND Full Circle.

Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore had a unique musical chemistry, and it's unfortunate that they closed The Doors in 1973, because I felt they had a lot of great music left in them.

It's understandable why Ray, Robby, and John were frustrated with their vocals, lyrics, and musical direction - Jim Morrison cast a large shadow. But just as Morrison's legend stayed alive, so did The Doors' music. I think audiences would've overlooked "the lack of Morrison" and EMBRACED the surviving Doors throughout the 80's, 90's, and 00's. They were/are that good.

Of course it wouldn't been the same, but expectations were already lowered when Jim died. I hoped that they would've gotten the Butts Band and solo albums out of their systems, and regrouped every 4-5 years to record and tour. I don't care who sings or what name they use, I just like to hear them play.

I'm still holding out hope for a Doors reunion, but it doesn't look good. Too many lawsuits, personality conflicts, the lead singer is still dead, and Densmore has tinnitus (does anyone know if there is a cure for this?). But 2007 is the 40th Anniversary of the first Doors album. Any other rooftops available in California? Is Dennis Jacob's rooftop, where Jim Morrison used to "live" before forming The Doors, still standing? Hey, if it's good enough for The Beach Boys... 

[Andreas]

The 1999 remasters are encoded in HDCD and are considered to be great and improvements over the older CDs. However, I much prefer the DCC Gold CDs of the albums "The Doors", "Strange Days", "Waiting For The Sun" and "L.A. Woman" for their richer, fuller and smoother sound..

I have heard that some or many examples of the box set mistakenly contain the unremastered Soft Parade CD. You can only find out by checking the HDCD code (e.g. on you HDCD player or with Windows Media Player). In my humble and minority opinion, I really like the unremastered Soft Parade CD...

I don't understand the comments that one should avoid the remasters because of the upcoming newer releases. There is no guarantee that these newer releases will be improvements, and if they are indeed remixes (as Music Machine above posted), I would rather stick to the current remasters. Mono mixes on CD would be splendid, though.

[Leo K]

I've found the Soft Parade album to be a kind of masterpiece after many years of listening. 

[b.dfzo]

I've found the Soft Parade album to be a kind of masterpiece after many years of listening. 

Word.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I've found the Soft Parade album to be a kind of masterpiece after many years of listening. 

Word.

Agree! The Soft Parade has taken too many unfair shots over the years. I think Jim did some of his best "singing" on the album.

[b.dfzo]

And this might be an obvious choice, but "Touch Me" is THE song that really showcases Morrison's voice in a beautiful way.  "I'm gonna love ya..." is worthy of a Sinatra, etc.  Better, in a sense.

[Sheriff John Stone]

And this might be an obvious choice, but "Touch Me" is THE song that really showcases Morrison's voice in a beautiful way.  "I'm gonna love ya..." is worthy of a Sinatra, etc.  Better, in a sense.

Good observation. Jim was a fan of Frank Sinatra.

This always gets me in trouble with purists (that's cool, I respect them), but I wish "Who Scared You" would've been included on the album, right after "Do It" and before "Easy Ride". It will probably be one of the bonus tracks on the new releases mentioned above. I hope they strategically place it within the album, but it will probably just be tacked on the end, like most bonus cuts.

[Music Machine]

I would have relegated Easy Ride to a b-side and had Who Scared You be the side one closer. I also think The Soft Parade's bad rep is mostly undeserved. For me, Tell All the People and Wishful Sinful are the only over-orchestrated songs. Also, I don't understand why Wild Child and Shaman's Blues aren't more recognized as classic Doors songs, I think those two songs are brilliant. In a way maybe it's a good thing, seeing as they haven't been tarnished by overplay on the radio. The Doors Sound Stage Performances DVD does offer up good Doors only versions of Tell All the People and Wishful Sinful and an incredible runthrough of the title track, all from a 1969 PBS TV special.

[Andrew G. Doe]

When I did my first book with Tobler (more years ago than I care to think about...), I listened to all the Doors' albums in sequence, and following The Doors, Strange Days and Waiting For The Sun, The Soft Parade was like a slap in the face. The band always referred to it as their Sgt. Pepper. I think it was the strings... that and the individal writing credits. In truth, it's not that bad, just nowhere near as good as that which preceded. 

[b.dfzo]

Same things could be said for Today!, Summer Days, and Pet Sounds...the payoff for those three was Smiley Smile, which barely resembles the previous three in terms of sound.  And I know I excluded Beach Boys' Party! from that list to make this work...

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Soft Parade used to be my favorite Doors album....switched to Morrison Hotel recently. Great guitar sound on that one.

[b.dfzo]

With Lonnie Mack on bass!  He should have played some guitar on "Roadhouse Blues"...but Krieger did alright.

[Music Machine]

Posted today on the Doors official website messabe board by Doors manager Jeff Lampool, here is a tentative (but not final) listing of bonus tracks on the Doors reissues:

THIS IS WHAT IS PLANNED, BUT NOT 100% FINALIZED YET, SO DO NOT HOLD US TO THIS!!!


The Doors:

Two different versions (aside from the album version) of Moonlight Drive
Indian Summer

Strange Days:

Alternate of People Are Strange
Studio dialogue
Love Me Two Times (Take 3)

Waiting For The Sun:

Celebration Of The Lizard
Adagio In D
Not To Touch The Earth (Takes 1, 2 and 5)

The Soft Parade:

Touch Me studio dialogue
Touch Me (Take 3)
Whiskey, Mystics & Men
Whiskey, Mystics & Men alternate version
Who Scared You
Push Push

Morrison Hotel:

Blues With Lonnie Mack
Roadhouse Talking Blues
Queen Of The Highway (jazz version)
Queen Of The Highway alternate (no Jim)
Various takes of Roadhouse Blues
Dirty Roadhouse
Spy In The House Of Love (jazz version)
Peace Frog studio dialogue


LA Woman:

You Need Meat
Orange County Suite


Morrison Hotel looks the best of the lot. This isn't exactly as relevatory as I hoped for. It does look pretty decent though, especially Morrison Hotel. There's a few missed opportunities here though, I would have loved to have seen some single versions/ mixes included. Particuarly "The Unknown Soldier" which is mixed very different to the album version and has a different sound effect track. Also "Tell all the People," "Touch Me", and "Wishful Sinful" with no orchestra tracks, and more demos like the one for Hiacynth House from the '97 boxed set. When I asked, people told me on the Doors message board that there are a few more demo recordings similar to that one. There's also a few rarities from the later years Jeff Lampool says are either in poor shape or not in the Doors' hands like "Paris Blues/ Queen of the Magazines" (tape is damaged, they are trying to repair it), potential studio takes of "Who Do You Love" and "Someday Soon" (these were done in the studio but the tapes haven't been located/ aren't in the Doors' hands) and "Smokey the Bear", a fun joking around improv from the Morrison Hotel sessions which is on bootlegs but the Doors don't have a copy.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I'm disappointed by this.

First, many of these tracks appeared on the Boxed Set. Second, they won't really ADD anything substantial to the original lineups. They might take away from the cohesion, because many of The Doors' album-closing songs were classics. Actually, all of them were.

It might be better to just stick 'em all on one CD, but that won't happen.

[Daniel S.]

Will there be a mono/stereo mix on each cd? Or just one and not the other?

[donald]

like the first album mucsically, like the second album for its cover, and I like




Well, I woke up this morning
And I got myself a beer.
Well, I woke up this morning
And I got myself a beer.

The futures uncertain
And the end is always near.

now THAT is poetry

[Music Machine]

It's going to be packaged as a cd and DVD-A disc together stereo mix on the cd, 5.1 on the DVD-A. There's also going to be a Doors vinyl boxed set that will include the mono version of the first album.

[Andreas]

What is really missing on CD are the single mixes.

[Music Machine]

Yeah, I said the same thing to Jeff on the Doors' board. I hope it didn't fall on deaf ears.