Dissecting The Doors Live vs Studio
By Jayson Mello
Drummer for The Unknown Soldiers
On August 8, 1967, The Doors were scheduled to be filmed for a television special on a show called, “The Rock Scene – Like It Is!” which aired on television stations all throughout the Toronto, Ontario area months later. What people did not realize was this was the beginning of something that really set The Doors apart from any other band coming up during this time. The Doors played with the original arrangements in order to create a lasting impression on Doors fans everywhere. One could go to a Doors show and hear a completely revamped version of “Moonlight Drive” or the sutble dynamics of having John Densmore not play a part of “The Crystal Ship” so the vocals and words can take center stage.
To the all Doors fans everywhere, all are familiar with the studio versions of the songs. All classic of course but nothing compared to what The Doors did to the songs once they were performed live. Some songs had extra passages added while others had additional parts added to them to create a fresh perspective and sometimes, exciting way to hear the songs. For example, a song like “Break On Through” went from 2:25 on the first album to four minutes on their Live at the Matrix Club bootleg series. “The End” was the spearhead when it came to adding sections to the already dark but beautiful song. This single element is one of the biggest reasons why tribute bands thrive. While most tributes stay to the format and perform the songs exactly the way they are heard on the album, The Doors gave us, The Unknown Soldiers, a blueprint to consistently deliver a show that can change each and every time we perform.
For those of you who have never seen or heard this version of “The End”, I absolutely implore you to seek out and watch it. This is the version we perform simply because it is, in my opinion, the greatest version of this song. There are parts that have gone through a slight change while others are extended and sometimes sped up for effect. Also keep in mind, the original version, released on the iconic first album on January 4, 1967, in seven months time, The Doors had completely changed and added parts of this 11 plus minute song to create a haunting, chaotic, energetic but frenzied song. There are live versions of this song that have stretched very close to the 20 minute mark.
I won’t break down detail for detail of what makes the song great because that would take so much of your time. The only way you can experience the greatness of this version is to click on the link provided at the bottom of this story. These are the dynamics of why The Doors have lasted as long as they have. These are also the foundations for why we in The Unknown Soldiers truly enjoy playing this music for you. We have always been attracted to the live versions of the songs because we feel they give a different life to the music. We have dedicated our live show to bring you these live versions of these powerful songs. Sadly, there are still people who are unfamiliar with these live versions and that needs to be addressed. I hope to continue with this column and turn you onto some amazing versions of Doors songs we’ve all grown to love. And believe me, there is so much more out there! In the meantime, please go check out this amazing version of “The End” here –
