The Doors Concerts - Bright Midnight Series Album-by-Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by masswriter, Feb 16, 2017.

  1. Buda

    Buda Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hungary
    The Philly show is overly underrated and the peak of it is definitely the best WTMO of all taped versions from 1970 which Robby crowns with such an overwhelmingly inspired solo, my jaw drops everytime I hear it. The guys managed to pull off a pretty neat show considering the fact there were no monitors available for them tonight, resulting constant struggle to hear themselves, causing even John missing some cues here and there. But apparently, this was a challenge they overcome with great success and with an amazed crowd ending the night victoriously with a rendition of Carol that quickly morphed into a careless Soul Kitchen featuring Jim's ad-libbed lyrics to the situation: "Well the cops said its time to close now, Guess we'd better go now. Really like to stay here all night..." The Spectrum's reaction is priceless as they erupt in acceptance - similarly to Jim's "Do ya feel all right?" which was unfortunately cut from an otherwise almost completely intact recording (as audience tape confirms) leaving a seemingly empty but crucial whole minute missing, up until Jim bursts into Wake Up!
     
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  2. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Not multitracked. I could be wrong, but I recall hearing that the Honolulu recording in question is allegedly just a better source of the same well known recording.
     
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  3. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    ...Bruce botnick recorded the doors performance in Honolulu 1970...if I remember correctly his master tape of the complete performance is belived to be lost....
     
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  4. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Via multitrack, or something similar to the Treanor stage recordings?
     
  5. Nope, they are hard to find and expensive. It's my impression that the distribution on most of them was very poor when they were in print and that they just don't exist in the same quantity as most CDs of similar vintage, especially for a major act like the Doors.
     
  6. Buda

    Buda Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hungary
    They have absolutely no sense of how to deal with all the materials they have. But let's just stick with these BMR stuff. For instance, why do they not start to release all the multitrack shows on vinyl, limited to only 3,000 pieces? Because most of them would sell in an instant? Why the hell they not re-release all the out-of-stock BMR CDs again in a box set, or separately again? Because there is need for it and it would be also something of a successful step finally, after decades of unprofessional misconduct?
     
  7. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    ... no multitrack, also not recorded like Vince did with his recordings....
     
  8. masswriter

    masswriter Minister At Large Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    I guess I'll just have to stick to being a digital b*tch.
     
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  9. tedg65

    tedg65 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Weymouth MA USA
    How 'bout the Felt Forum shows?.......I have an audience bootleg of the show from 18th which I still prefer over the actual soundboard....feels like you are right there in the audience...
     
  10. masswriter

    masswriter Minister At Large Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    are you saying it sounds better?
     
  11. tedg65

    tedg65 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Weymouth MA USA
    Not necessarily better, just has a different ambiance to it.......the soundboard version is smoother and the aud version is rougher but you really feel like you're in the first few rows....crowd comments and different mix makes for an interesting listen....I couldn't wait to hear a sndbrd version of the show but was actually kinda disappointed when I heard it!

    It's actually a very good recording for an audie!
     
  12. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Anyone have the new Aquarius Theatre clear triple vinyl? How does it sound? I have the CD but would love to get my hands on this as well as the Pittsburgh show if they ever reissue that.
     
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  13. Crungy

    Crungy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago USA
    I purchased Live at the Aquarius CD off of eBay and it did not come with the insert booklet. Could anyone who has this please email me a pdf of this. Thanks!
     
  14. Adam Bosman

    Adam Bosman Forum Resident

    Yeah I also missed that the first time around. Like someone else above posted, it seems like a vinyl reissue of the BMR catalog would be an easy sell.
     
  15. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    This is available right now fir $65-70 so I figured someone would have it on here. I also see the live in Pittsburgh show available for under $20 and per Discogs this is an official release and not a bootleg.
     
  16. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Well, I ordered both of these so I'll report back on the sound quality soon. Really, if the Pittsburgh show is of questionable quality it was only around $18. I think Pittsburgh and Aquarius are my two favorites of this whole run. Felt Forum is also incredible.
     
  17. Pierino

    Pierino Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canonsburg
    I have a question regarding the Bright Midnight series; I apologize if it has been addressed before. Simply, why did Bright Midnight cease the production and release of The Doors' live concerts? A quick look at the going prices on Ebay and other sources would indicate that there is still a significant demand for the product.
     
  18. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    It is a bit complicated. Around 2000 when it was established, Bright Midnight was called Bright Midnight Records (BMR), then around 2005, Bright Midnight became Bright Midnight Archives (BMA). The music released through BMR was largely mail-order, premium priced product. Allegedly, The Doors made a deal with Warner/Elektra to license the live multitracks for release, which cost the band six figures per concert even before mixing, mastering, distributing, etc. Apparently, the releases were not making a profit, and coupled with Danny Sugerman's health, the label's productivity came to a standstill. After Jampol took over management, BMR transitioned to BMA, and it appears that a new business arrangement with Warner/Elektra was established where BMA releases became mainstream retail product and normalized pricing. However, most of the BMR and BMA live sets in CD format have gone out of print and it is unclear why additional production runs have not been approved. Additionally, there are no longer any remaining multitracked live shows except for the 1970 Isle Of Wight gig (the audio which may be partially owned by Sony) for BMA to release, so that is another primary reason why BMA is no longer releasing live sets (although, there some lower fidelity live tapes the label could conceivably release).
     
  19. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    ...it's not completed at all, old deal now a new deal.., there is more multi track recordings
     
  20. Greenblues

    Greenblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    I've been quite a late devotee of the Bright Midnight Releases. This is partly because it took quite a long time for me to really cherish the Doors in general. At the age of 14/15 I'd first encountered them through "Weired Scenes Inside The Gold Mine" (which I still think is a great collection of exquisitely compiled Doors highlights and also a stunning example of successful self-mythologization). I liked what I heard, even then, but on the whole discounted Morrison as being a mere "poser" and - even worse - I couldn't warm up to Manzarek's "band organ" sound, that stuck out on just too many tracks for my liking. Maybe I was a little jealous too, because all the girls at my age fell for Jim Morrison, when in my mind they should have worshipped Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Paul Weller or me instead. It was only much later that I discovered what makes Jim Morrsion, the pathetic genius, and the Doors as a whole so unique.

    I first encountered the Absolutely Live recordings through "In Concert" which was the first Doors release tailored for (if you will) and discovered by me on CD, ca. 1990. I thought there were many great moments on it, and judging from our knowedge today, you could say, they covered many of the highlights from Detroit, NY and the other shows recorded, but - presumably because of it's botch-job nature - the album was lacking "atmosphere" and somehow turned out to be less than the sum of it's parts. And I had a similar impression when I discovered the Bright Midnight Sampler in a used CD store, some years ago. But it still proved to be interesting enough for me to wet my appetite. Next came the Boston 3-CD-release which was one of the BMA mainstream releases, widely available here in Germany. I was really impressed by this release, especially the great/wild ensemble playing, most notably Robbie Krieger. After obtaining - and liking - some further releases, readily available, like the 16-track-Aquarius collection, I started my search for the earlier releases and finally got them one-by-one. It proved to be an expensive project in some cases, but at least in one case I was very lucky, when I decided it was time to search for the Felt Forum box set in a certain second hand store and then spotted a brand new sealed item in the shop window for 35 €.

    If I had to choose one quintessential BMA release it would be the stunning Detroit show minus the last few tracks or one of the Felt Forum shows (most probably Jan 17, second show). Pittsburgh is another impressive performance. As far as Philadelphia is concerned, I remember being disappointed at first and then - on second listen - discovering that it's one of those performances, where they take some time to get into it and then - right in the middle of the second or third number, they suddenly klick - and the performance gets better and better, which is something I really love. So I'd say this is something of a sleeper or fan's highlight.

    On the whole, I must say every one of these releases presents some interesting aspect that's not covered as strong on the others. For example the more intimate theater setting presented on the Aquarius recordings. Or the restrained approach to be experienced while listening to the first Aquarius show.
     
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  21. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    In terms of live multitracks, what else is there other than Isle of Wight, damaged '67 Winterland or Fillmore tape, and the lost Hawaii tape?
     
  22. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    ...well how was pbs recorded
    As well as the danish tv performance, to just name a few...
     
  23. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    ...also 67 winterland- Fillmore recording is not damaged , drums are missing
     
  24. lovemygirl

    lovemygirl Forum Resident

    .... and the complete Rock is Dead as well !
     
  25. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    The PBS tape does not appear to be multitracked, rather sourced from a video feed.
    The drum track as well as the keyboard track, at least according to Danny circa 2000. Sugerman talked about having John and Ray re-record their parts, but nothing came of it. It was a controversial topic back then with a faction of fans digging the idea of having new instrumentation recorded, others adamant that no new recording should take place. Regardless, it didn't happen. Hard to imagine that tape having much of a future.
    Not a live show. Jampol stated on the old Doors message board he was not in favor of releasing it, and said had he been managing the band in the early 2000's, he would not have approved Backstage and Dangerous.

    The bottom line is that there are not many remaining viable options for future BMA concert releases via Warner Music mainstream retail releases.
     

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