The Doors - Waiting for the Sun and 1968 tour 50th anniversary discussion

I agree! Last year was Absolutely Live I think. Year before was Aquarius,Fantastic release,I love it. It hope they release one every year! I would love something from the ‘68 tour this year!

 

I hate this "if you don't like it, don't buy it" line. Actually, liking music or a musical artist can and will become an emotional thing, particularly, I think, if it is music that one grew to like during one's younger days. It is more than a flippant two and half minutes of time spent listening to a greatest hit. It can be (and is, for me) something that one cares about, sometimes deeply.

It follows, then, that when something that one cares about appears not to have any self-respect, or at least not to have the self-respect that one feels it should have, it can hurt.

It further follows that when a band with a body of work that one cares about has been reduced to making cash from selling baby clothes and skateboards, when two complete shows from early '67 languish in the vaults, it hurts. Indeed it is offensive.

 

Looking forward to seeing it. Any home video (now there's a dated term!) release plans?

 

Yeah, I’m pretty positive it will get a dvd/Blu-ray release at some point after making the rounds at these festivals.

 

What makes you believe the recent LP's are "samplers"? To my mind a "Matrix sampler"implies that you are getting a teaser taster of something fuller to follow further down the line. I can't see any precedent in The Doors marketing campaign for such a release beyond the Bright Midnight CD sampler of 1999, which was literally sold as such and included tracks from various shows / venues. I'm not remotely convinced that the management actually wants to release a full Matrix set at all.

 

Sadly, a full Matrix set certainly isn't guaranteed. It may eventually show up (once every last penny is bled out of these RSD releases). However, I will never trust them nor give them the benefit of the doubt that they will do right by fans.

 

They do and will.

 

I believe when it is released the fans will love it for several reasons.

 

You may be right. Hope they put out a product that is near unanimously praised (they've done it before with the Felt Forum box set). With that said, I am not holding my breath.

 

43 days until the 50th anniversary of the original release date of Waiting For The Sun. July 3 1968.

 

Can we expect a hint or a pre order soon?

 

What makes you believe there will even be a 50th WFTS release? The evidence isn't exactly strong at this point.

 

The same people in charge of releasing actual music and making the clothing are two entirely different branches. Very little relation. By them selling stupid useless crap, it's not affecting any music releases in any way. It's just advertising. Most bands have toddler shirts. Who cares?
I care a hell of a lot about this band. They have truly touched my soul, but I could not care less about them selling this stuff. It says nothing of the music or the band, and it shouldn't.

 

I'd be surprised if they didn't. If it were only the debut that got one then I'd have full doubt this would happen but since Strange Days too, which isn't exactly considered a classic by many, I'm sure they'll keep on going. Especially with more money to be made.

 

Wait a second.....so Strange Days is not a classic? It's often ranked equal to or just below their stunning debut album and alongside L.A.Woman as one of the three best Doors albums. The thing is they obviously 'planned' a Deluxe of Strange Days but due to the backlash and lack of high sales for the debut 50th Anniversary edition, they shrunk SD down to a simple 2CD set with both mono and stereo mixes and told us all where to go. If anything it is WFTS and Soft Parade, especially, that are not considered classics and in both cases there are not even mono mixes available for each album. People freely speculate about live material being appended to the release but where is the precedent for that with The Doors? If anything the debut and Strange Days might have had the complete Matrix shows spread between them if they did not want to add studio rehearsals or demo material (which they clearly do not), which brings us back to WFTS. So what is there left? No mono mix, no out-takes and no live. To my mind that means a single disc 2018 remaster of the original album and that will be it!

 

I think the single disc WFTS is likely. Just as a way to release the SACD mastering on CD. But I wouldn't put it past them to do a 2-CD with the mono fold of WFTS.

 

It's a laughable proposition and I didn't dare mention it but seeing as you did, I'd have to agree with you!

 

I think it's a better album than the original and one of my favourites of all time, but it's rarely seen the same way. You are right, though, it is WFTS and Soft Parade who are definitely the least liked, and I actually agree with you now on the rest too. There isn't much left, so I think I'm wrong.

 

I wouldn’t mind having the 40th on vinyl.

 

I hear you but the chances are nearly zero, I'd say.

 

It says lots about the band - it says that the income stream needs to be supplemented by the marketing of crap to suckers. That is unpleasant. In terms of it being unrelated to the music, I don’t follow. The band was a musical group that, essentially, sold music. This is unrelated as a practice in isolation but it’s under the same umbrella of band product that ultimately is controlled by management and the surviving members and estates of the dead members (or whoever controls their share.)

It also isn’t just advertising. It presents an image - selling toddler outfits doesn’t seem to have much to do with “making myths” and the themes of the band’s music. I don’t recall any children’s lullabies in the albums.

Even just as advertising, it’s a tacky way to do it. Why try to use small children as an advertising platform?

 

I'm with you 100% on this!

As for "children's lullabies in the albums", would it be a stretch to cite "My Wild Love"?

 

I'd actually like the mono Waiting for the Sun should there be a 50th anniversary edition. There's at least one dedicated mono mix on there. Now I'll be the first to say that I know I'm in the minority here and I can fully understand why most people wouldn't want it included. But I have noticed labels releasing 100% folds (The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed on their mono box, and at least five from Elvis Presley via the FTD label) so there's a bit of precedent.

 

Has it been established that there is really a dedicated mix track? I thought there was disagreement over that. You're talking about "Wintertime Love", right?

I hate the trend of releasing folds. I fail to see any value in them. If there is a single track on an album with a dedicated mix (Sympathy for the Devil, Wintertime Love), then it can be a bonus track.

 

There can be things that are unique about a fold, though, right? Perhaps the channels aren't equally balanced or there may be compression or some EQ-ing? Folds never sound that good to me but it seems that there can be more to them just then "pressing the mono button"...although I could be wrong about that.

If there is a 50th for WFTS we can be sure it won't include interesting outtakes or useful liner notes going into detail about the recording sessions, including a chronology, the equipment, the session musician(s) and the mixing.