- Format: MP3
Amsterdam
tracks 01-07 - 1st gen recording w/Incomplete LMF
tracks 08-14 - Recording w/Complete LMF
Inferior sound quality but complete though Vince Treanor's intro is not on this recording
There were two tape sources for the Amsterdam show. The first cuts out during the 'Light My Fire' jam and the second which contains 'Light my Fire' in its entirety. However, neither tape seems to contain 'Unknown Soldier.' There is a rumour that floats around that 'Unknown Soldier' was played in Amsterdam, sung by Robbie, and a recording of this exists. I was merely asking why would almost the entire show surface, while one track would be "hoarded" or kept among the "inner circles" but we've already seen such cases.
NOTES
On September 19, 1968 a drugged and drunken Jim Morrison was taken to hospital after collapsing on the stage of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, having stumbled into the middle of a live set by Jefferson Airplane.
Morrison's consumption of alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs was legendary, but the incident suggested he might no longer be in control of his intake.
His collapse in Amsterdam came after a day of heavy drinking, and sources close to the band revealed he swallowed a sizeable block of hashish given to him by a fan immediately before the show. Ray sang quite good and included the usual poetry of Jim during 'Break On Through' and 'Soul Kitchen,' Robbiy started 'Unknown Soldier' and Ray continues it, is a shame that the song is incomplete in the most complete source avialable.
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The Doors Interactive Chronological History at www.doorshistory.com says:
Jim runs into a few problems. Before the show, members of The Jefferson Airplane and The Doors are walking around town and, since drugs are legal in Amsterdam, the fans in the streets are giving the members all sorts of drugs to either try some or to take with them for later. Well, Jim takes everything that is given to him and later ends up on stage during the Airplane's opening set dancing around and soon passes out cold. Jim is taken to the hospital and upset with Jim the other three members perform and go on without him doing an outstanding show with Ray handling the singing sounding incredibly like him. Jim recovers the next morning and reads rave reviews of the band going on without him. He jokes about the show but something else is going on. Jim realizes that he is not The Doors.
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The Doors play as a three piece. - In an interview Ray 'remembers' Amsterdam in 1968
Ray Manzarek : What a show that was. I'll never forget seeing Jim Morrison carried out on a stretcher ... It's an interesting story ... We were in Germany
and we were playing with Canned Heat and Canned Heat was doing a lot of hash ... "The Bear" had given Jim this large chunk of hash at the airport ... And we're about to cross a border ... And a rock and roll band and a bunch of "long-hairs" ... You know we're gonna get searched. So, our manager came up to us and said, "If anyone's got any dope then for God's sake ... get rid of it. We're going into Holland ... Get rid of it ... We're not gonna cross a border with anyone carrying anything" ... So Jim reached into his coat pocket and "Woops ... I've got this ball of hash ... Well,I guess I'll get rid of it ...gulp!"...And he shoved it into his mouth before any of us could anything. We all went, "Jim ... Oh ... No!" ... So, he started drinking on the airplane. Had a few drinks to wash it down you know ... We got to Amsterdam and he was no doubt feeling the effects of it by then ... And had a few more drinks at the hotel and was starting to get really out there ... We went to the auditorium and Jefferson Airplane was playing ... we were gonna go on second and then they were gonna go an again and we would go on again. It was two sets for each group ... By the time Jim got to the auditorium he was just blitzed ... absolutely gone ... Went on stage with the Jefferson Airplane ... Started dancing around in the middle of their set. He started singing with Grace Slick and hugging her ... I think he pinched her on the bottom or tried to do some obscene gesture with Grace Slick ... And then he finally sort of ... after five minutes ... danced off the stage. Went back into the dressing room and passed out cold ... Everyone tried to revive him, "Jim ... Jim!". Jefferson Airplane finished up their set, "Jim ... Jim!". The equipment is being changed ... Our equipment is ready to go and they've called the paramedics. The ambulance people come and take one look at him and say, "Listen, there's no way this guy's gonna go on. Are you kidding ... He can't go on and sing. We're taking him to hospital" ... They put him on a stretcher. They wrapped him up in a rubber sheet. They put an oxygen mask on his face ... I walked into the dressing room ... five minutes before it's time to go on stage ... And I walk in going, "Jim ... It's time to ..." And there goes Jim being carried out by two people. They put him into an ambulance, hit the siren and drove off. John and Robbie and I look at each other and go, "Wait a minute we're supposed to go on in two minutes" ... Our roadie is saying, "C'mon ... c'mon ... we're ready" ... "We're ready" ... What will we do.We've got two sets to do tonight ... And our manager said, "You can't cancel ... Just go out there and do it. You guys go out there" ... "Us ... well, we know the songs" ... And I said, "Okay Vince ... Give me a vocal mike". Put a mike on a boom - put it over the keyboards. "Give Robbie a vocal mike and we'll just go out and hope that everyone accepts the fact that Jim Morrison's not here ... Let's not say anything about it. Let's just go out and start to play ... Hopefully they won't really notice" ... And we got through it. They didn't notice. Nobody said, "Hey where's Morrison".
Wait a minute ... on the tape you come out and say he's been taken to hospital or something like that.
Ray Manzarek : Did I ... Well, thank God ... Okay, Good ... Did I actually tell
the audience, "We're sorry but Jim Morrison will not be here tonight" (laughs).
You told them something like that.
Ray Manzarek : "Jim Morrison is incapacitated and has been taken away to the hospital" ... So we told them ... Well,that's probably why they were so nice about it and said, "Well,okay ... just go ahead and play some Doors' songs" ... You know they didn't really care as long as they got to hear "Light My Fire" ... and they did. So everything worked out very nicely ... But it was the hardest night of the Doors' career. We did two sets ...
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Apprarantly John Densmore sort of blames Leon Barnard the publicist because at the time many people were supposed to "babysit" jim so he'd turn up to performances on time and on tours. I recall in John's book when he talked about this, he mentioned something about being in the local paper the next morning with very favorable reviews, and thought to himself "Check it out Jim!"
Leon Barnard (Doors' publicist, European assistant) has this to say about the
incident:
"After he collapsed backstage in Amsterdam from an overdose of hashish (eaten) and washed down with whiskey, I visited him the next day in the hospital. He sat up in bed with crystal clear blue eyes sparkling, and rosy cheeks looking like a picture of well being suitable for the cover of any health magazine. The doctors insisted on keeping him there for an extra day, and he requested some chewing gum and a Playboy magazine. When I told him about my own experience in a hospital, he looked at me with the kind of “special intensity” you’re asking about, and I felt right then and there that he was reading me on inner levels."