or
"...Spy In The House Of Love..."
Back when Rhino
were amongst the best reissue labels in the world (with access to unlimited
primo material from the prestigious WEA umbrella of labels) – they regularly
produced fabulous Box Sets like “The Complete Studio Recordings” by THE DOORS.
Their six studio albums from 1966 to 1971 plus one filled-out disc of
'Essential Rarities' – all of them in meticulously reproduced Mini LP Sleeves.
But while the
explosive and hugely influential self-titled debut album "The Doors"
along with winners like October 1967's "Strange Days" and July 1969's
"Soft Parade" have always gathered the plaudits – for me – my poison
has always been their cool Seventies output - especially the first two of the
decade – February 1970's "Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Café" and April
1971's "L.A. Woman".
Often shortened
to just "Morrison Hotel" – The DOORS' first LP of the new Hard Rock decade
was an accomplished blast – a band renewed and ready to take on all-comers.
Opening with the fantastic Rock-Blues of "Roadhouse Blues" and
working its way to the hooky "Peace Frog" and on the very-Doors sound
of "Maggie McGill" – I've always felt it's been overlooked in favour
of their more famous predecessors. Let's get to 'the spies in the house of
love'…
You can buy the
"Morrison/Hard Rock Cafe" album as a March 2007 Rhino single-disc
'Expanded Edition' with 10 Bonus Tracks fro less than six quid – but my
preferred tipple is part of a pricier box set that keeps it simple. USA
released November 1999 – "Morrison Hotel" the 11-track album is Disc
5 in "The Complete Studio Recordings" Box Set by THE DOORS on Rhino
62434-2 (Barcode 075596243421). This beautifully presented reissue is a 5½ x
5½-inch CUBE BOX with a flip-ribboned-lid (the artwork is a collage of Elektra
records album sleeves). Inside are 8 slots – one for the sumptuous booklet and
7 albums in oversized 5½” card repro sleeves (one of which is a Rarities set).
The STEREO mixes have been used for all six Studio albums and "Morrison
Hotel" plays out as follows (37:24 minutes):
Side 1 'Hard
Rock Café':
1. Roadhouse
Blues
2. Waiting For
The Sun
3. You Make Me
Real
4. Peace Frog
5. Blue Sunday
6. Ship Of Fools
Side 2 'Morrison
Hotel':
7. Land Ho!
8. The Spy
9. Queen Of The
Highway
10. Indian
Summer
11. Maggie
M’Gill
Tracks 1 to 11
are their 5th studio album "Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Café" - released
12 February 1970 in the USA on Elektra EKS 75007 (April 1970 in the UK with the
same catalogue number). Produced by PAUL A. ROTHCHILD – it peaked at No. 4 in the
USA and No. 12 in the UK.
This box set
hits you on two fronts – and in my book – the two that matter – sound and
presentation. Housed in individual slots
- the attention to detail on the Repro Card sleeves is just superb. The
CDs for 1 to 3 have Brown Elektra Records labels, 4 and 5 have Red and 6 is the
Butterfly variant as per the 1967 to 1971 vinyl albums. "Strange
Days", "The Soft Parade" and "Morrison Hotel" have
their Inner Bags repro’d with “The Doors” and “Waiting For The Sun” all with
Elektra Records Label Bags (and gatefolds where applicable). And of course
there’s the beautiful die-cut sleeve of “L.A. Woman” with its plastic and inner
yellow bag (very tasty indeed). The Essential Rarities Disc also sports a
gatefold card sleeve. The properly chunky and beautifully laid-out booklet is
over 60-pages long with essays on each album (time-lined), lyrics to all at the
rear and a plethora of period photos and memorabilia peppering the text
throughout (liner notes by DAVE DiMARTINO). It’s a fabulous read. And with
regard to "Morrison Hotel..." there’s gorgeous out-take photographs
by Henry Diltz of the album cover – colour snaps both inside and outside of the
'Hard Rock Café' on East 5th Street, Los Angeles that was featured on the
sleeve (the worldwide chain of restaurants filled with music memorabilia took
their name from this album).
But all of this
is nothing to the AUDIO… Remastered from the original analogue 2-track master
tapes to 96K/24-bit digital by BRUCE BOTNIK and BERNIE GRUNDMAN at Bernie
Grundman Studios in California in August 1999 – the sound quality is
mindblowingly good (Bruce Botnik was the original engineer). Sure there’s been
other remasters since and even fatter boxes – but for me – the audio detail
presented here has never been surpassed. The only obvious shame is the absence
of the rare MONO mixes on 1 to 3 – especially on the stunning debut where the
differences are acute (many fans prefer the MONO). But in my book that doesn’t
take away from the superlative warmth and presence these remasters have.
Side 1 of the
album is called 'Hard Rock Café' and opens with a bona-fide rocking winner –
the barroom swagger of "Roadhouse Blues" – a 12-bar tune so good that
Status Quo covered it for their "Piledriver" album on Vertigo in late
1972. We return to 60ts weird for "Waiting For The Sun" – a cleverly
paced mid-tempo ramble with a Rock riff pumping up the chorus (Robby Kreiger
playing up a storm on the guitar). Back to fights in saloons with the
barrelhouse piano boogie of "You Make Me Real" - Jim growling out the
song title while the band lets rip. But then we get the real deal - a truly
fantastic rocker in the shape of the short but brilliant "Peace
Frog". You would think with lyrics like "...Blood on the streets runs
a river of sadness..." and Jim getting all prophet during the spoken
bridge - that the tune is all doom and gloom - but for something so down - it's
impossibly poppy and 'so' Doors. The only annoying this is the dead-stop ending
that's crudely done on CD but segues into the lovely "Blue Sunday" on
the LP. The audio on both of these tracks is sensational. The Side 1 finisher
"Ship Of Fools" is another Audio winner - the bass, guitar and organ
- all crystal clear and full of presence.
Side 2 opens
with a sea-shanty rocker in the shape of "Land Ho!" - I used to
dismiss this track but now I love it - catchy as a Californian suntan.
"Queen Of The Highway" tells us "...she was a princess...he was
a monster...black dressed in leather..." - a chugger with a caustic lyric
at its poisonous centre (will things work out for the most beautiful people in
the world). Based on the 1954 novel by Anais Nin "Spy In The House Of
Love" - Morrison shortens it to "The Spy" - a wicked groove
allied with his literary fixations. The album’s most trippy track "Indian
Summer" wafts into existence - yet just when you think you have the
measure of its floating way - the melody just elevates into something special
with Krieger picking away as Jim sings "I love you" - and you can't
help but think he means it. It ends on the very-Doors "Maggie M'Gill"
where they sound like an angrier Dylan circa "Blonde On Blonde" where
Jim roars "...people down there really like to get it on!". If you do
buy the box set - Track 3 of the 73-minute 'Essential Rarities' disc offers up
a live version of “Roadhouse Blues” recorded at Madison Square Gardens in New
York. Superb...
Despite being
deleted pretty quickly – "The Complete Studio Recordings" was one of
those Box Sets you saw cropping up all of the time. But whilst common once – in
2016 it’s not so much any more - with some dealers trying to procure over £200
for a sealed copy. You can still nail it for under £50 in certain places - and
if you can't afford that (you're getting their whole catalogue remember) - then
just go for the 2007 'Expanded Edition' single-disc variant that can be
procured from many online sellers for less than a fiver (including P&P).
"...I'm a
spy in the house of love..." - Jim Morrison sang on "The Spy"
and "...I've been singing the Blues ever since the world began..." on
"Maggie M'Gill" - like fate was already hanging over him - passing
through - not staying - just observing before he moved on to something better.
Impossibly cool
and still brilliant - "Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe" by The Doors
needs to be in your home in any incarnation...
