The Doors - Perception

[Kevy Baby]

I'm not sure how many people here are into The Doors, but there is a new box set coming out: Perception.

Rhino and Elektra Records salute the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest rock bands of all time with the November 21 release of Perception. The 6-CD/6-DVD boxed set presents all of The Doors’ classic studio albums with legendary vocalist Jim Morrison, each supplemented with rare and unreleased audio and video tracks.

Perception was produced in cooperation with surviving band members John Densmore (drums), Robby Krieger (guitar), and Ray Manzarek (keyboards), with The Doors’ longtime engineer Bruce Botnick back behind the boards. Each of the six albums is presented with bonus audio – much of it previously unreleased – on a remastered CD with an additional DVD including a 5.1 DTS encoded Surround Sound mix of the album and additional tracks as well as a photo gallery, lyrics and discography, and two videos of songs from that album.

More than anything, I am looking forward to the remastered sound (I hope they did it right).

Also, there will be live events with appearances/performances by the surviving members of The Doors

The launch of a yearlong celebration of the 40th anniversary recording debut of The Doors, one of the most important and influential American groups in the history of rock, is set for the famed Sunset Strip on Wednesday, November 8, 2006, in three separate locations.

Along with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum arriving to confer historic landmark status on the Whisky a Go Go (the nightclub where The Doors first gained notoriety) and unveiling a teaser version of a Doors exhibit that will be the museum’s major presentation of 2007, the evening will feature the debut of a retrospective coffeetable book and a preview of a massive boxed set of their music.

The various activities will take place between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Numerous invitation-only celebrity guests will be in attendance in special VIP areas. KLOS Radio DJ Jim Ladd and The Doors By The Doors co-author Ben Fong-Torres will host.

With the Doors' Jim Morrison omnipresent in spirit, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame plaque unveiling ceremony at the Whisky (8901 Sunset Blvd.) is tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m. Significantly, this is the first such dedication of an historic locale by the Hall of Fame outside of the museum’s home city of Cleveland. The remaining Doors -- Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore -- will be honored guests at three Doors - significant locations: Krieger will be at the Whisky for a listening party previewing the November 21st release of Perception from Rhino Records/Elektra Records.

Next to the Whisky, at The Cat Club (8911 Sunset Blvd., former home of The London Fog, where The Doors debuted), Manzarek will host the mini-version of The Doors’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit that opens next spring. The exhibit explores one of the most enigmatic and provocative groups in the history of contemporary music through one-of-a-kind artifacts, original manuscripts, rare concert posters, photographs and video. This marks the first time The Doors have given their blessing and cooperation to a presentation of this kind. Previous exhibits have headlined artists such as Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan.

Densmore will be at Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd., formerly the site of the Cinematheque 16 movie house where Morrison once read poetry) signing copies of The Doors By The Doors, set for release the previous day (November 7) by Hyperion. The Doors By The Doors, the first authorized autobiography by the band, includes never-before-seen photos and exclusive interviews, punctuated by the commentary of renowned rock reporter and former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres. Book sale tables will also be at the Whisky and Cat Club, making it possible for purchasers to easily walk to the other locations to have all of the Doors sign the book--and make what will certainly be an historic event in rock even more memorable.