The Doors To Release Live Album From 1967

THE DOORS DIAL IN AT THE MATRIX

Two-Disc Collection Includes Unreleased Recordings of the Band Playing a Small Club in San Francisco Just Weeks Before “Light My Fire” Made Them Stars

Available November 18 from Bright Midnight Archives and Rhino


LOS ANGELES – Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives present LIVE AT THE MATRIX 1967, the latest installment in The Doors’ acclaimed series of archival concert releases. This two-disc addition to the band’s live canon contains two club shows witnessed by few, but bootlegged by many. Restored and carefully mastered from first generation tapes acquired by Elektra Records and The Doors 40 years ago, these historic shows never sounded better. The collection will be available November 18 at all retail outlets, including www.thedoors.com and www.rhino.com, for suggested list prices of $24.98 (CD) and $12.99 (digital).

Where the previous three Bright Midnight Archives releases documented The Doors’ final tour in 1970, LIVE AT THE MATRIX 1967 rewinds to the band’s early days for a pair of shows at a San Francisco club in March, 1967. Only a handful of people showed up, so Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek played for each other, exploring song arrangements and jamming on a few blues favorites. Ironically, only a few weeks after the Matrix shows, the band’s second single, “Light My Fire,” would make them famous, selling a million copies on its way to topping the chart during The Summer of Love. “It was early 1967 and The Doors were about to enter the consciousness of the nation. And this is the way it sounded,” Manzarek writes in the album’s liner notes.

In spite of the empty room, the band is fully engaged, using the time to give “The End” and “Back Door Man” extra lyrics and extended sections. “This is probably the closest we’ve come to a true document of The Doors without constraints,” says Bruce Botnick, the album’s producer and the band’s longtime co-producer and engineer.

The band performs much of its self-titled debut on the first disc, including “Soul Kitchen,” “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” and the first single, “Break On Through (To The Other Side).” Along with those early originals, the band indulges its love of the blues with Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” Muddy Waters’ “I’m A King Bee,” and Allen Toussaint’s “Get Out Of My Life, Woman,” which has never appeared on any previous Doors album. The second disc offers a glimpse of the band mapping out its future, working out early versions of several songs from upcoming albums: “Crawling King Snake” (LA Woman); “Summer’s Almost Gone” (Waiting For The Sun); and nearly half of the songs from The Doors’ second album, Strange Days.

Before LIVE AT THE MATRIX 1967 arrives, Rhino will offer a slipcase version of the acclaimed Perception boxed set. On September 30, this 6CD/6DVD collection will be available at all retail outlets for a suggested list price of $79.98. Originally released in 2006 in a deluxe, limited edition package, the set contains all six of the band’s studio albums as CD/DVD sets.


Each CD includes the original mix of the album expanded with rare recordings. The DVD contains a surround sound mix of the album, the 40th Anniversary stereo mix of the album, as well as photos, videos, lyrics and a discography.



LIVE AT THE MATRIX 1967
Track Listing

Disc One
1. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
2. “Soul Kitchen”
3. “Money”
4. “The Crystal Ship”
5. “Twentieth Century Fox”
6. “I’m A King Bee”
7. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
8. “Summer’s Almost Gone”
9. “Light My Fire”
10. “Get Out Of My Life, Woman”
11. “Back Door Man”
12. “Who Do You Love”
13. “The End”

Disc Two
1. “Unhappy Girl”
2. “Moonlight Drive”
3. “Woman Is A Devil/Rock Me”
4. “People Are Strange”
5. “Close To You”
6. “My Eyes Have Seen You”
7. “Crawling King Snake”
8. “I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind”
9. “Summertime”
10. “When The Music’s Over”
11. “Gloria”

I have had a bootleg version of the concert for several years on a bootleg titled " Crawlin' King Snakes" and the sound leaves a lot to be desired so I am looking forward to this release. It is a very cool show, but it is very mellow and loose, almost like they are running thru their set as a rehearsal as a opposed to a concert. My bootleg was only one disc so alot of this material will be new to me and I am especially looking forward to live version of " The End" which The Doors never performed the same way twice.

Went to the Riders on the Storm show last night, what a great show, so cool to see/hear Ray using the Vox again!

Awesome, I will be on the lookout! Thanks for the heads up. Peace.