London Fog 1966

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London Fog 1966
Bright Midnight Archives
ProducerBruce Botnick
The Doors chronology
Strange Nights of Stone: The Doors Bright Midnight Archives Concerts Vol. II
(2013) 		London Fog 1966
(2016) 		The Doors (50th Anniversary Edition)
(2017)

London Fog 1966 is a

covers of blues
standards.

Issued to coincide with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Doors' first album, London Fog 1966 was overseen by the band's longtime sound engineer/producer Bruce Botnick and Peña. Among the lavish packaging for the live album, each disc appears in an enlarged box set, and each copy of the set is individually numbered.

Background

A few months after

Strange Days – also adding improvised solos to extend the set times.[1]

In May 1966,

Strange Days).[2] The remaining recordings on the album are renditions of blues standards, including B. B. King's "Rock Me Baby", Little Richard's "Lucille", and "Baby, Please Don't Go", which was recorded by Them in 1964 and hence became a rock standard.[3] However, "You're really only hearing half of that evening's performance" John Densmore said as he alluded to early versions of "Light My Fire" and "The End" that were performed during that gig.[4]

Release and design

The box set was issued on

Rhino Records on December 16, 2016; it features the earliest known live recordings of the Doors.[4] Originally, London Fog 1966 was intended for release in 2012 – the "Year of the Doors" – when the reel-to-reels were discovered a year prior.[3] Announcing the release in December 2016, The Guardian described it as "genuinely important" in comparison to the cache of live material by the Doors that has been distributed over the years[5] while Rhino noted Peña was a "pivotal force in this release coming together".[6] London Fog 1966 coincided with Rhino's reissues of the group's studio albums in 2017, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut.[4]

London Fog 1966 was presented in an unusually lavish package designed by David Gorman. Housed in a box set that appears like a vintage storage container, the album features the Doors performance on

sound engineer Bruce Botnick mastered the audio for the collection. A limited-edition release, each copy of London Fog 1966 came individually numbered.[7]

The liner notes were penned by Peña and former Whisky a Go Go talent booker Ronnie Haran-Mellen, commenting on the band's early years and the music represented on the discs.[7] Peña supplied five previously unpublished photographs of the Doors, while Densmore supplied the hand-written track listing of the set. In addition, the collection is supplemented with replica memorabilia, including a poster of the Royce Hall UCLA student film screening and a London Fog coaster.[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Classic Rock[10]
PopMatters(mixed)[11]
Relix(favorable)[12]

Team Rock, Gavin Martin wrote "The Doors have more ambition in them and two originals – an unfettered 'You Make Me Real', four years from being recorded, and second album title track 'Strange Days' – show just how far ahead they are".[10]

John Paul of PopMatters notes the historical significance of London Fog 1966 but found "the performances themselves leave much to be desired".[11] Paul elaborated: "In other words, London Fog 1966 could well be subtitled 'First Band Rehearsal' (not literally, of course, but it would give a better idea of what to expect, sound-wise)".[11] Jeff Tamarkin for Relix wrote that London Fog 1966 shows the Doors' "sound and attitude are in place".[12] "All but the most hardcore fans should take heed", he adds, "despite the fascinating and often exciting performance, the sound quality is fairly abysmal".[12]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tuning (I)" 0:41
2."Rock Me Baby"Muddy Waters5:35
3."Baby, Please Don't Go"Joe Williams5:27
4."You Make Me Real"Jim Morrison2:48
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tuning (II)" 0:13
2."Don't Fight It"
Richard Penniman
3:44

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d Weidman 2011, pp. 58–59.
  2. ^ Giles, Jeff. "The Doors' 'London Fog 1966′ Uncovers Previously Unreleased Early Live Performances". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  3. ^
    Rhino Records
    . 2016. R1-557774.
  4. ^ a b c Graff, Gary. "The Doors Release Limited Edition 'London Fog 1966'". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  5. ^ Simpson, David. "The Doors: London Fog 1966". The Guardian. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Now Available: The Doors, LONDON FOG 1966". Rhino Entertainment. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Marchese, Joe. "Strange Days: Early Doors Show Arrives In December On 'London Fog 1966'". The Second Disc. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Paul. "The Doors / London Fog 1966 box set". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Erlewine, Thomas Stephen. "London Fog 1966 – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Martin, Garvin. "The Doors London Fog 1966". Classic Rock. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Paul, John. "The Doors: London Fog 1966". PopMatters. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Tamarkin, Jeff. "The Doors: London Fog 1966". Relix. Retrieved July 22, 2017.

Bibliography

  • Weidman, Rich (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Backbeat Books.
    ISBN 978-1-61713-017-5
    .
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