Eagle Rock EntertainmentThe new audio/video release documenting The Doors‘ performance at the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight festival hits stores today. The Doors: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970, which is available as a DVD/CD, a Blu-ray/CD set and a digital download, boasts a recut and remixed version of the show.
Doors drummer John Densmore tells ABC Radio that the band’s set was “a strange concert,” while recalling that the event itself was “sort of chaotic.”
“The kids tore down the fences…and they demanded that [the festival] be free,” Densmore remembers. “It was kind of like the last pop festival.”
The festival took place at a tense time for The Doors, as Jim Morrison was facing a trial stemming from the infamous 1969 Miami concert where he was accused of lewd conduct. Densmore suggests that Morrison’s legal predicament may have affected his Isle of Wight performance.
“Jim was a little subdued [onstage],” John says. “I think he was feeling the pressure of being on trial, so he wasn’t theatrical physically, but his pipes were great. And…everyone was playing well.”
The 73-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer notes that Morrison’s performances often were unpredictable, and says that at the Isle of Wight, he “was just concentrating on being Frank Sinatra…and not being Mick Jagger.”
As for the audio quality of the newly remastered concert, Densmore says it sounds “really great,” and gives props to The Doors’ longtime engineer, Bruce Botnick.
“[H]e does the sound on everything, and he knows every note,” John gushes. “He’s the fifth Door.”
You can check out a couple of preview videos from The Doors’ Isle of Wight concert at the band’s VEVO YouTube channel.
Here’s the full Live at the Isle of Wight track list:
“Roadhouse Blues”
“Backdoor Man”
“Break On Through (to the Other Side)”
“When the Music’s Over”
“Ship of Fools”
“Light My Fire”
“The End” Medley: “Across the Sea/Away in India/Crossroads Blues/Wake Up”
Bonus Video Feature:
This Is the End featurette (includes archival interviews with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and manager Bill Siddons)
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