Explore Jim Morrison and The Doors place in a unique timing, and the cultural, social and historical events which led up to that time



THE FOLLOWING EVENTS TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 18


1904 - The cornerstone is laid at 42nd Street and Broadway for the building that would house Alfred Ochs's New York Times offices. It would be the second tallest building in the city, and the triangle of land on which the building was located would become known as Times Square.

1904 - Born Archibald Leach in Bristol, England, Cary Grant would rise to become the number-one leading man in Hollywood in the '40s and '50s, although seldom in more than light roles.

1962 - The U.S. begins spraying defoliants in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas.

1964 - Plans are announced for the World Trade Center in New York City.

1964 - The Beatles' I Want to Hold Your Hand enters the Hot 100 at #45, just ten days after its release, making it the fastest-breaking and the fastest selling single in Capitol Records history.

1969 - Albums released this week include the Beatles' Yellow Submarine on Apple Records; Tommy James & the Shondells' Crimson and Clover on Roulette; Creedance Clearwater Revival's Bayou Country on Fantasy and the self-titled LP by Blood, Sweat and Tears on Columbia.

1970 - 1970 - This is the second of two nights for the Doors at the Felt Forum.

1973 - The final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus is aired on the BBC.

1973 - Pink Floyd begins recording their record breaking album, Dark Side Of The Moon.

1995 - A network of caves is discovered near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in southern France, containing paintings and engravings determined to be 17,000 to 20,000 years old.

Doors History Spotlight: The Felt Forum

The Doors open the early show with Roadhouse Blues, springing immediately into a particularly sarcastic version of Ship of Fools, which features some brusque vocals by Jim Morrison. Later they introduce their rarely performed Universal Mind as part of a medley which concludes with Five To One. Jim toys with the audience, repeating the final "One More" several times, as if he were about to end the song, then drifting off into a tangent and circling back to a rather bashful "Time!" The audience bursts into laughter and applause as the band finishes the song. Later, after back-to-back cover songs, (Who Do You Love and Money) Morrison acknowledges the crowd with "Hey, thank you all for being so patient with us tonight. It usually takes an hour or so to get warmed up, you know. So I hope nobody has to go anywhere for awhile (applause)." Then Jim concludes with "Why don't we do a famous radio song," and the Doors brreak into Light My Fire. After that, they bring the show to a close with a very good version of When the Music's Over.

Commenting on the early show, BIllboard reports: "The Elektra Records artists actually were more business like than often has been their wont, but Morrison conveyed none of his famed eroticism. His voice, however, was distinctive whether singing or screaming. The concentration was on blues and simple rock." (Fred Kirby, Billboard, January 1, 1970)

Jim opens their final performance with a display of his wry humor, saying "How you doing, man?! All right, everybody, (pause) everybody sit down - come on, listen! (pause) Hey! Get those people to sit down, man, there's too much activity around here!. You people spend much too much time in those restrooms, I'll tell you that! Yeah, we know what you're doing in there! Is everybody ready?"...

This final set is the stand-out performance of the four shows, including outstanding renditions of their songs and a generous finale featuring John Sebastian and Dallas Taylor. Jim is in high spirits, leading off with a strong Roadhouse Blues, from which they hardly pause before launching into Peace Frog. This flows into Alabama Song during which a mischievous Morrison follows the lyrics "We must die" with a jocular "Hope not!" Then, as they begin Back Door Man, Jim brings out his grating screams and yelps, while appreciative audience members yelp back.

One of the highlights of the evening is a rare performance of Celebration of the Lizard, which is met with hearty enthusiasm by the New York audience. Introducing the song, a cunning Morrison announces, "Alright, listen man, we've got a special treat for you right now. This is a special tour de force that we've only done a couple of times in front of strangers. And it starts out kind of quiet, so if everybody would just kind of relax, take a few deep breaths, think about your eventual end, and what's gonna happen tonight. (Laughter) And we'll try and do something good to your head...right man?" When the audience refuses to settle down, Jim continues: "Now listen, listen, I want to remind you of something very important. I don't know if you're aware of it, but this evening is being taped for eternity, and beyond that, too. (applause) And so listen, man, if you want to be represented in eternity by some uncouth language, (laughter) then I hope you'll stand up on the top of your seat and shout it out very clearly, or we're not gonna get it on tape, right?" (enthusiastic cheers and applause.)

After Celebration, the show continues with an excellent succession of songs, including an impressive Soul Kitchen. Later, Jim brings out Gotham City's own John Sebastian, who Jim simply introduces as "a very talented guy" to tumultuous applause, and they jam with him on a succession of numbers, some of which also include Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's drummer, Dallas Taylor.

This memorable night evokes the whole gamut of emotions and will not be forgotten for a long time.

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