The Doors, best recordings?

cd or lp?

Rhino are about to release a vinyl box set of all the albums, fully remastered in a lizard skin box with all original artwork etc - should be nice. It was due for release this month but has been pushed back until the New Year.
All the latest HDCD / Cd versions of the albums available as standard sound excellent, particularily LA woman which was well produced in the first place.

quote:

Originally posted by count.d:
cd or lp?

cd


P

I've gone a bit mad on this album over the years and have collected many different pressings in both vinyl and cd, searching for the ultimate sound. I've paid crazy money for sealed copies of the DCC in both vinyl and cd.

My choice is for the HDCD masterings in the "The Complete Studio Recordings" boxset, mastered by Bruce Botnik & Bernie Grundman.

Both the vinyl and cd DCC are sweeter, but definitely lack punch and the live performance is lost. Riders On The Storm's mysterious magic is completely lost in Hoffman's hands.

Just to put my view into perspective, this Doors boxset and MFSL The Wall - Floyd, are the only cd's I prefer compared to their vinyl counterpart.

Count.d

Thank you for that. I shall buy this box set you refer to assuming it can still be bought.

Regards



P

"The Doors, best recording?"

Probably the one they never made!

Sorry, couldn't resist the cheap shot...

Claude

Just to throw in a little twist, I just got LA Woman on 7.5 IPS reel to reel that I play on my vintage TEAC that sounds pretty great through my 82/250 combo. Sounds like Jim is right there in my living room. Something about that analog tape that hits my ears right. I also have the first album at 7.5 ips which I paid a bit for, although not as much as a sealed DCC! I will definitely take a listen to the Grundman remasters!

JM

Whilst on the subject I had an album in my yoof(bootleg I think)Can't remember the name but it was of Jim reciting his poetry and various Doors tracks edited around this. I thought it was great. Can anyone tell me what this was and if it's still available?

It was 'An American Prayer' - not a boot, it was released after his death with the remaining group adding music to his spoken word - I used to love that album in my adolescent years -haven't listened to it in ages. |It is still available on CD & Vinyl

quote:

Just to throw in a little twist, I just got LA Woman on 7.5 IPS reel to reel that I play on my vintage TEAC that sounds pretty great through my 82/250 combo.

I'm not envious. NOT!

My guess is that you have the best sounding version of them all.

JohanR

quote:

It was 'An American Prayer' - not a boot

Thanks Von, I'll be ordering a copy forthwith. Interesting that it caught you in your prime as it did me. Was in Paris a couple of years ago and did a homage to Jim's grave, though not a huge fan (also visited Piaf,Chopin, Wilde,Rossini, Bellini , Bizet,. Pere Luchaise is a wonderful place to be planted. Such style Disc on it's way to me as we type.

Interesting you say that Munch, I've always felt the same way with The Jefferson Airplane LP's - always seemed a bit muddy on vinyl whereas the recently mastered CD's were far more pleasant to listen to ( Although I do Have a 45 version of Greasy Heart which sounds fantastic which totally fouls up my theory....hmm)

I also agree with Munch about the doors cds. As much as I prefer vinyl, they just dont match up to the DCC CDs which I have heard or the newer remasters I am guessing. The only caveat is that because I have a CDX/XPS my cds are always a little more "in your face" than the subtler vinyl presentation. But the Doors music, in my opinion, lends itself to that. I like to smell the booze on Jim's breath so to speak ha ha. I have the first album on vinyl stereo, mono, elektra gold labels and they just dont sound as good as the remaster/mixed(?) cds to my ears. Then there are the analog tapes i mentioned, but I wont repeat myself.

I guess I am enjoying this thread so much because I just did a road trip from South Beach (Miami) to northern Florida with a very drunk business partner in the back seat who would not shut up, blabbering on about business deals etc, and so I put on the doors first album, DCC CD version, and blasted him back into his seat. The rest of the trip he spent drumming on the hood and singing at the top of his lungs. And not too bad since he knew all the words. Happy little toad jumping around in the back. The sober front seaters/designated driver actually got into mood too. Next to me, riding shotgun was my other business partner, a viet nam war veteran to whom the doors had played an especially meaningful role in his coming of age. He doesnt talk about it much but he knew every lyric and lick. The doors never sounded better, windows down, warm ocean air, going as fast as we wanted, singing at the top of our lungs. Man, was that guy hung over the next day, and thank god he could barely talk.

And that, sir, is exactly what listening to the Doors is all about!!!

munch - sounds like a deal! Then I can give you the Syd show cd I promised you.....(is there an icon for sheepish shrug?)

My house is a Doors-free zone these days. The one that stayed longest was the one I bought first, in 1977. It was 'Absolutely Live'.

I lived in a Doors- free house once...didn't like the open plan layout...groan

I actually like the latest issues of their stuff on cd but Doors affecionados hate them with a vegenance. New mixes, missing bits etc.

quote:

Originally posted by ewemon:
I actually like the latest issues of their stuff on cd but Doors affecionados hate them with a vegenance. New mixes, missing bits etc.

I'm one of them - bloody awful. For example, most (if not all) of Waiting for the sun has the stereo channels reversed.

Yes, the audio quality is better, but the mixing just doesn't sound "right" when you've been listening to the original CD issues since 1991. I'm tempted to just give my remasters to my nephew or something...

BTW, I can beat the "LA Woman" reel-reel tape (not necessarily on quality though!); I have it on 8track

quote:

I lived in a Doors- free house once...didn't like the open plan layout..

..and we kept having our stuff stolen.

quote:

Originally posted by domfjbrown:

quote:

Originally posted by ewemon:
I actually like the latest issues of their stuff on cd but Doors affecionados hate them with a vegenance. New mixes, missing bits etc.

I'm one of them - bloody awful. For example, most (if not all) of Waiting for the sun has the stereo channels reversed.

Yes, the audio quality is better, but the mixing just doesn't sound "right" when you've been listening to the original CD issues since 1991. I'm tempted to just give my remasters to my nephew or something...

BTW, I can beat the "LA Woman" reel-reel tape (not necessarily on quality though!); I have it on 8track

Thing is I have always liked the Doors but never been really that into them so right channel etc doesn't bother me.

Now if you were talking about FREE, Wishbone Ash- Argus and Who- Who's Next those I really care about.

quote:

Now if you were talking about FREE, Wishbone Ash- Argus and Who- Who's Next those I really care about.

Me too. Those Free re-masters are superb.

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by Steve S1:

quote:

Now if you were talking about FREE, Wishbone Ash- Argus and Who- Who's Next those I really care about.

Me too. Those Free re-masters are superb.

Steve

I have a set of the FREE remasters as well as a set of the Japanese IMCD versions Steve apart from Live which is a first edition Japanese cd pressing.

Funny though the best versions I have heard is the original Island pressings which I sold to make way for my remasters. Now I can't pick them up on eBay as they are very rare and the fact that they were pressed by PDO during the cd rot period makes it difficult to get ones that aren't affected.

I managed to get a copy of an original Tons which blew me away sound wise but it had cd rot. I shall keep looking.

Hi E,

My previous Free CDs were not a patch on the re-masters - was there an initial batch that were better?

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by Steve S1:
Hi E,

My previous Free CDs were not a patch on the re-masters - was there an initial batch that were better?

Steve

Hi Steve, yeah the original Island discs were excellent. There weren't the later released Island Masters series which was remastered for cd. To me when they did it they took away some of the dynamics of the recording.

The early ones were IMHO flat transfers from the original master tapes.

The Masters series had cat no starting IMCD. Can't remember what the original cat no's were.