It's not been easy sticking your head above the parapet and admitting your long-term affection for THE DOORS since Oliver Stone's film in the early 90s. Basically a load of old pretentious twaddle, it took some pretty major liberties with the Jim Morrison myth, portrayed the rest of the band as muppets and went a long way to devaluing the group's worth in Rock history.
Thus, director Tom Dicillo's new film 'When You're Strange' purports to be valuable in the sense that it apparently gives the three remaining members of the band the opportunity to tell their real story. I must confess that I haven't seen it as I write, so I can't (as yet) attempt to judge its' real worth, but if it helps to redress the Oliver Stone debacle it sounds like a good idea.
As you'd probably imagine, Mr. Mojo and his mates supply the soundtrack and it is predictably tremendous. It's another 'Greatest Hits' package of sorts and while there are a few obvious omissions ('Love Me Two Times' and 'Love Her Madly' would have been nice), most of the incendiary stuff's here from 'Hello I Love You' and 'Soul Kitchen' to the epic 'LA Woman' and unfairly-derided 'Riders on the Storm'.
There are a few alternative 'live' versions, but most of these are expertly chosen. The tumultuous 'Light My Fire' comes from their controversial Ed Sullivan slot where Jim sang the word "higher" to the regret of their furious host. 'Break On Through' is culled from the band's last European show (the Isle of Wight Festival 1970) and it's way more bitchin' than I remember anything sounding from that gig. Perhaps best of all is a killer version of 'Roadhouse Blues' from the band's celebrated Felt Forum shows from 1970. The whole group are on lethal form and Morrison's kiss-off line ("the future's uncertain and the end is always near"Â) sounds especially ominous.
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Great though it all is, however, it's difficult to know who this album will really appeal to. The younger generation coming to The Doors through parents and older brothers already have several mid-price 'Best Ofs' to choose from and even the live tracks are from well-documented Doors shows which are available elsewhere. Hell, the New York Felt Forum shows already warranted their own exclusive 6CD box set release last year, so is further replication really necessary? Johnny Depp reads snatches of Jim's poems reverently 'tween songs, but most committed Doors heads already have 'The Lords & The New Creatures' and the 'American Prayer' album, so again this is ground well covered.
'When You're Strange' is for completists first and foremost, but if its' attendant visuals help restore The Doors' reputation as one of the most blazingly original bands to come out of the halcyon late '60s, it will have done its' job. Personally, I'd still point the curious towards the band's six studio albums. Now that's what I call breathtaking Rock'n'Roll.
Official movie site
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