The Doorways are the celebs of our newest free CD, The Different Aspect, accessible with the June 2025 concern of Uncut.
The nine-track album contains rarities, alternate takes and reside cuts, together with a blistering efficiency from their closing present exterior America.
“In 1965, I hoped this band may pay my lease for a decade or so,” John Densmore tells Uncut, “however it’s 60 years and we’re nonetheless speaking about The Doorways. I’m very grateful and really proud. It’s so sort of Uncut to make this CD.”
It’s very a lot our pleasure to current this journey by way of an alternate historical past of the stellar LA band. Throughout 9 songs and 44 minutes, we make a journey with Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison from an alternate take of “Love Me Two Occasions”, proper as much as their beautiful efficiency at 1970’s Isle Of Wight Pageant.
Alongside the best way, there are outtakes from LA Lady, a demo from Ready For The Solar, a uncooked Comfortable Parade monitor stripped of its orchestration to disclose the raging group beneath, and plenty of extra.
“It’s very cool that your readers might be getting these 9 Doorways songs,” says Robby Krieger. “It’s a fantastic mixture of reside and studio from throughout our profession. In reality, I want I may get this CD – can I get one too?”
See under for extra on the tracklisting…
1 Love Me Two Occasions (Take 3)
We start with an alternate take of this hard-grooving swinger, initially launched because the third monitor on their second album, 1967’s Unusual Days. On the unique, Ray Manzarek is on baroque harpsichord, which actually offers the monitor a novel really feel; right here, nevertheless, he’s on his customary organ, giving Take 3 a maybe superior, and positively extra coherent, really feel. Morrison’s vocals start with a extra laidback vibe, however by the tip he’s actually letting it rip.
2 Peace Frog (Take 12)
A captivating alternate model of this monitor, showing in its authentic studio model on 1970’s stripped-back Morrison Resort. The Doorways maybe by no means sounded so downright filthy, with Krieger’s guitar slashing and soiled, and the solos a few of his most interesting. The group concocted the music first, with Morrison then including apocalyptic imagery from a choice of his poems. A high-quality take, solely ruined by… effectively, we’ll allow you to uncover that on the finish of the monitor.
3 Hey I Love You (Demo)
At all times an anomaly within the Doorways catalogue, on this demo model one of many group’s best-known songs sounds much more out of kilter with the remainder of their work. With its hazy sound high quality, vocal reverb and piano, it resembles a peppy single by a British Invasion group from the mid-’60s. Fascinating stuff, and a testomony to the distinctive spell woven by The Doorways’ distinctive instrumentation and Paul Rothchild’s manufacturing on the unique.
4 Riders On The Storm (Alternate Take)
This Doorways lodestone showcases two sides of the group right here: there’s a shocking, solemn and hypnotic model of the music, in fact, however there’s additionally two minutes of playful messing about in the beginning, together with Morrison’s rendition of the theme tune to obscure New Mexico TV present Okay Circle B Ranch: “Using on the path to Albuquerque/Saddlebags all full of beans and jerky…”
5 Contact Me (With out Horns & Strings)
This reduce from 1969’s divisive The Comfortable Parade discovered The Doorways incorporating soul, lounge and jazz into their sound, the end result lifted by Morrison’s crooniest vocals and horns, strings and a saxophone solo. Right here it’s stripped again to simply the group (plus bassist Harvey Brooks), with Manzarek overdubbing harpsichord over a primitive Gibson Kalamazoo organ. All of it ends with a nod to an Ajax business: “Stronger than dust…”
6 5 To One (Tough Combine)
One among their swampiest blues tracks, “5 To One” creeps and crawls over one chord and a darkish bass riff that lays naked their affect on The Stooges. The ultimate monitor on 1968’s Ready For The Solar, it was created within the studio, and as such is thrillingly uncooked: no time for chord adjustments, sophisticated keyboard solos or something however the drone, the relentless pulse and the Lizard King’s eldritch verse.
7 Roadhouse Blues (Dwell At Madison Sq. Backyard)
Taken from their 1970 efficiency at Madison Sq. Backyard (really the venue’s smaller Felt Discussion board), this raging model of “Roadhouse Blues” was the live performance’s opener. Jim Morrison’s on high-quality type on harmonica, teasing the gang with a blast of it earlier than greeting the gang. “All the pieces is fucked up as traditional,” he says, earlier than an unholy scream heralds the rolling blues riff.
8 LA Lady (Alternate Model)
One other alternate model from their final (and arguably best) album, that is the title monitor and Aspect One nearer, a hymn to Los Angeles in all its magnificence, weirdness and temptation. To painting this “metropolis of evening” – a time period borrowed from John Rechy’s novel of the identical title – they start with power-driving blues earlier than slowing down for the apocalyptic “Mr Mojo Risin’” break, then a return to the speedy first part.
9 Break On By (To The Different Aspect) (Dwell At The Isle Of Wight Pageant)
Showing midway by way of The Doorways’ closing ever live performance exterior the US, this efficiency of their debut single is as fiery and invigorating because the group ever received: Morrison nearly manifesting transformation by way of his blown-out vocals, Manzarek’s organ distorted and very important, and Krieger and Densmore savagely tearing on the closing refrain. The applause from the Isle Of Wight crowd is unsurprisingly ecstatic.
