In 1966: The Doors at the Whisky A Go Go
Following on from our recent announcement about the official Doors anthology,
Night Divides the Day, this month marks the anniversary of the band's residency at the Whisky A Go Go nightclub.
The band had been recommended by the Whisky's booker, Ronnie Haran, who went to see them perform at the London Fog, a dive located down the road from the Whisky's prominent location on Sunset Boulevard.
In Night Divides the Day, she recalls the story.
'With the combination of blues and jazz and what they did with "Alabama Song" they were going to be the American Rolling Stones. Ray's countermelodies were brilliant, Robby's guitar playing was brilliant and Jim was mesmerising. It was about the combination of them all.' - Ronnie Haran
Shortly after, The Doors became the Whisky's first-ever house band and, during their stint at the venue, The Doors would create a whole host of moments that have found their place in music history. One such moment came in June 1966 when Van Morrison performed a two-week residency with his group Them, joined by The Doors for the run of shows. On the last night, 18th June, The Doors joined Van Morrison's band on stage to perform 'In the Midnight Hour' and a twenty-minute raucous jam session of Them's 'Gloria'.
This is the only time Jim Morrison and Van Morrison performed together, and in
Night Divides the Day, Van Morrison now speaks exclusively about the occasion.
'On the last night, the band and Jim joined me for "Gloria" and "Midnight Hour." It was a lot of fun, we were in the zone. Jim had extraordinary energy. He had the ability to embody the song so absolutely that the audience had no choice but to go on that journey...They were fortunate in that they were able to recreate the energy and spontaneity of their live performances in a studio environment. "Break on Through", "End of the Night" and "When the Music's Over", are the tracks that especially stand out for me.' - Van Morrison
During their tenure at the Whisky A Go Go, The Doors played every night and were fired by the club's owner, Elmer Valentine, nearly as frequently. Since then, the band has become synonymous with the iconic venue, which ultimately led to their signing to Elektra Records.
With the
Deluxe copies becoming fully subscribed within days of the announcement,
Collector copies are now also selling fast. With each handbound edition signed by John Densmore and Robby Krieger, secure your copy at
TheDoorsAnthology.com.
