Daily Staff Writer

Editor’s note: The following is the first of a two-part review of The Doors long-awaited “Box Set.” The second part will run in next Wednesday’s Daily.

“Box Set”

The Doors

At long last, the oft-rumored Doors box set has arrived and it was definitely worth the wait.

The set includes four CDs and a 56-page booklet full of photographs that have never been published before, several essays by some of the nation’s top music critics and plenty of commentary for every song, provided by the three remaining Doors.

The box set was not released with money signs in anyone’s eyes. Its purpose is to illuminate some of the mythology behind the band.

---

Disc One: “Without A Safety Net”

The first disc of the box set features a mixture of live material, alternate studio takes, demo versions and never-before released material.

The mixture is perfectly blended so nothing sounds out of place, and the disc serves to instill some logic and illumination into the chaotic world the group’s mythology (not the band itself) created.

The CD begins with a muffled live version of “Five To One” that hails from the infamous 1969 concert at Dinner Key Auditorium (Miami, Florida) in which Morrison allegedly showed his penis. The song begins with Morrison’s vehement screams that the audience is “all a bunch of slaves” and they should start a revolution.

The tumult is continued with a jazzy alternate take of “Queen of the Highway,” that presents the Doors at its lounge- lizard/cocktail music finest. A demo of “Hyacinth House” follows, complete with great Arabic-dunbek drumming from Densmore and seemingly obscure lyrics (the booklet sheds some light on them).

“My Eyes Have Seen You” and “Who Scared You” come next.

The former is a demo version that was recorded in ’65 with Morrison, Manzarek and his two brothers (this was before Densmore and Krieger joined the group).

The latter is an outtake from “The Soft Parade” that later appeared on “Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine” after Morrison’s death.

Other highlights of the first CD include demos of “End of the Night” and “Moonlight Drive,” and three outtakes: “Whiskey, Mystics and Men,” “Rock Is Dead” (played by an obviously smashed band) and a compilation titled “Black Train Song,” which melds Elvis Presley’s hit “Mystery Train” with “Away To India” with a lot of improvisation thrown in as well.

The best song on the first disc (and one of the best songs on the box set) is “Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor.”

The addition of a symphony makes this achingly beautiful song even prettier than the released version (“An American Prayer”) and demonstrates the brilliance of Krieger’s guitar musicianship.

---

Disc Two: “Live In New York”

The Door’s “In Concert” is one of the greatest live collections ever. Unbelievably, “Live In New York” (recorded at Madison Square Garden in ’70) bypasses “In Concert” and is actually worth the $45 price tag alone. This disc is absolutely incredible.

It begins with a blistering performance of “Roadhouse Blues” that comes complete with furious Krieger guitar solos and perfect, clear vocals from Morrison (who was notorious for killing concerts with his whiskey-trashed voice).

Morrison’s vocals are great throughout the concert and especially shine on “Ship of Fools,” which was rarely played live (be sure to check out Manzarek’s wonderful B-chord bridge), and a cover version of the John Lee Hooker classic, “Crawling King Snake.”

Also included are two more live rarities, “Peace Frog” and “Blue Sunday,” a decent version of “Money” and a particularly obscene medley of “Poontang Blues/Build Me A Woman/Sunday Trucker.”

The best songs on this disc are “Celebration of the Lizard,” “Gloria” and “The End.” Morrison’s unique audience rapport is displayed on “Celebration…,” which is particularly venomous and clocks in at over 17 minutes.

This CD’s version of “Gloria” has to be the best one ever recorded by any group, driven by an extremely tight band that is capable of throwing out golden vocals, phenomenal organ and guitar riffs and mind-numbing drum sections. This version is also the lewdest one available on compact disc.

Then there is “The End.” What can I possibly say about this version that can possibly do it justice?

Well, this is the only other recorded live version of the song (the other one is on “In Concert”) and it is the better version, hands down.