Something tells me the sound quality of Paris Blues is going be less than optimal since this is coming from a cassette copy. It will be interesting to hear how they managed to piece it together into something coherent….assuming they were able to do so.
The Cinemateque session is quite interesting ... Jim and his poetry with some Jim+Robby songs ... Always rumored to be an audience tape ... but now it seems that Frank L taped it ... which would mean a better quality ? Of course, depends on the tape recorder he used
Robby also said the following on page 348 of Set the Night On Fire - "One of the Blues Day outtakes was a song called "Paris Blues," and it became a source of intrigue for hard-core Doors fans for years. It wasn't good enough to make the album and we didn't put it out later because the master tapes and my personal cassette dub were lost. The only copy that survived was Ray's cassette dub, but one day he left it inside a tape recorder and his then-infant son, Pablo, started playing with the buttons. At several points on the tape the music abruptly cuts out and all you can hear is Pablo making gurgling noises. Even without Pablo's remixing, though, it's just not that great of a tune. There's a reason it was considered an outtake, and there's a reason we were never too concerned about the masters going missing. Pablo was probably trying to do us all a favor."
I’m not a Doors expert and there seems to be a few here. I’m hoping this show was recorded as several other artist were recorded here. The Doors Setlist at The Warehouse, New Orleans
The Doors don't want to pay for the tape, and/or the seller is asking too much. Unfortunately it's likely it will stay in private hands.
Haha - it's an interesting story - and outlined over here I think - the Doors last live performance was 50 years ago today If I try to retell it I'll get it wrong and get picked apart!
Will it say "Screaming Ray Daniels" on the back cover? Except for his singing this release has a lot going for it. Last known song in the Doors vault is interesting. Old Stone Road, 2 Matrix instrumentals are live only songs. Does studio Who Do You Love or Smokey Bear EXist? There's also maybe 5-6 Doors studio songs that have never been on vinyl.
Who do you love exists as a studio version but the doors don't have the tape. It's on YouTube but very hard to hear (someone recorded the tape being played at a private party)
A clean snippet was uploaded on the very old Doors message board in the early 2000s. The Doors can get their hands on a relatively clean copy, if they want to (and perhaps they already have).
Here's some info on the Cinematheque 16 Norman Mailer benefit performances: Jim Morrison at Cinematheque 16
Mythic Studio Recording Of “Paris Blues,” The Last Known Unreleased Song From The Doors’ Vault, Makes Its Long-Awaited Debut On New Blues-Themed Collection Available As A Limited Edition On Translucent Blue Vinyl Exclusively For Record Store Day’s Black Friday Event On November 25th “The blues is about the only original art form that America has created in 200 years . . . there are only two indigenous musical forms native to the United States, and one is the blues.” —Jim Morrison, introducing “Little Red Rooster,” Vancouver, June 6, 1970 The Doors are releasing the fabled studio outtake “Paris Blues” as the title track to a new blues-themed compilation coming out on vinyl for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event on November 25. The song – which is the last known unissued studio recording by The Doors – has been talked about by fans and band members for years. The long wait is finally over. PARIS BLUES will be available as a limited edition of 10,000 numbered copies on translucent blue vinyl at select independent music stores on November 25th. The LP’s cover art is an original painting by guitarist Robby Krieger and the set also includes liner notes by blues scholar Mary Katherine Aldin. “Paris Blues” traveled a long and winding path to its release, taking on a mythic quality among Doors’ fans along the way. An original blues song written by the band; the track was recorded during one of the band’s recording sessions for either The Soft Parade or L.A. Woman (no one seems to remember). The master tape of the song was lost and the only surviving copy was given to Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Sadly, this copy was partially damaged by his son Pablo (a toddler at the time), who recorded over a few short parts. Now, through some creative editing, the song has been rescued from obscurity for the new album. The band’s deep love for the blues shines throughout PARIS BLUES. Other highlights include two previously unreleased live recordings of singer Jim Morrison and Krieger performing as a duo at a benefit for Norman Mailer’s mayoral campaign on May 31, 1969 in West Hollywood. The first song is “I Will Never Be Untrue,” a band original written for, but left off of, 1970’s Morrison Hotel. The other is a cover of Robert Johnson’s “Me And The Devil Blues.” Both songs were recorded by Frank Lisciandro, a film maker who befriended Manzarek and Morrison when all three attended the film program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). PARIS BLUES also contains a pair of outtakes recorded during the band’s sessions for 1969’s The Soft Parade – “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” and “I’m Your Doctor.” Both feature Manzarek on vocals backed by Krieger and drummer John Densmore. In 2019, bass by Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots was added to the songs, which were included on Rhino’s 50th anniversary edition of the album. The flipside of PARIS BLUES collects three songs from Live in Vancouver 1970, a concert album released in 2010 by the Doors’ Bright Midnight Archive label. Recorded during the band’s 1970 tour, these live tracks spotlight legendary bluesman Albert King, who joined the band onstage during its June 6, 1970 show at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Morrison’s introduction of King is included along with live versions of “Little Red Rooster,” “Rock Me Baby,” and “Who Do You Love?” LP Track Listing Side A “Paris Blues” * “I Will Never Be Untrue” * “Me And The Devil Blues” * “(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” “I’m Your Doctor” Side B Jim’s Introduction “Little Red Rooster” – with Albert King “Rock Me Baby” – with Albert King “Who Do You Love?” with Albert King * previously unreleased
I actually quite like that cover! It doesn’t exactly scream “Doors” but it’s nice as a change. It reminds me of the drawings from Morrisons notebooks. The kind of things used in the artwork for an American Prayer.
Maybe someone knows the answer to this ... So Paris Blues was recorded before Jim actually went to Paris ... Where does the title come from? Was it given to a title-less song after Jim passed away? Was it immediately titled this was? Any info is welcome
