SUPERSTARS OF CLASSIC ROCK HONOR THE LEGACY OF THE DOORS

 

Superstars Of Classic Rock Honor The Music & Legacy Of The Doors Feat. Members of Deep Purple, Foreigner, Yes, Rainbow, Mountain, Moody Blues, ELP and Others!

Featuring Todd Rundgren, Ian Gillan, Edgar Winter, Steve Morse, David Johansen, Larry Coryell, Mark Farner, Patrick Moraz, Mick Box, Keith Emerson, Lou Gramm, Leslie West, Thijs Van Leer, Steve Cropper, Rick Wakeman, Roye Albrighton, Nik Turner, Billy Sherwood, Steve Hillage, Zoot Horn Rollo and Others!

Los Angeles, CA - A star-studded syndicate of rock virtuosos have gathered together to pay tribute to one of the best loved and most influential bands of all-time, The Doors, on a new CD release titled Light My Fire - A Classic Rock Salute To The Doors to be released by Purple Pyramid Records on June 24th! Produced by the extraordinarily talented Billy Sherwood, the album features brand new interpretations of classic Doors cuts that defined an entire generation, songs such as “Light My Fire,” “Riders On The Storm,” “Break On Through (To The Other Side),” “Love Her Madly,” “L.A. Woman,” “People Are Strange,” and lots more!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear some of The Doors’ peers and prodigies tackle these seminal songs. Not one but TWO members of the quintessential prog rock band Yes, keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman and lead guitarist Steve Howe, joined Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan on the signature song, “Light My Fire,” which as Wakeman explains, “has always been one of those iconic tracks that keyboard players listen to because of the fact that there are so few tracks with keyboard/organ solos on them compared to our six-stringed buddies.

It’s also a solo area that is totally open to interpretation so whatever you do is not comparable to the original, so it was an absolute joy to do.” Howe likewise enthuses, “I was delighted to play on this album as The Doors were a band I heard a lot as everywhere I went in the late ‘60s their music was playing, at friend’s, in restaurants, gigs & bars throughout London. I’m sure I saw them play at Middle Earth, a then hip club. Then, when the reissue more recently came out, I got totally back into their music, especially ‘Light My Fire.’”

Another keyboard legend, Geoff Downes, likewise extolled the genius of Doors’ organist Ray Manzarek saying, “It was a real privilege to be asked to participate in this project. Ray Manzarek was one of the pioneers of keyboard playing in rock music, and had a major influence on me and many others. His style was totally unique, and an integral element into what made The Doors sound the way they did.”

1. L.A. Woman - Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Ted Turner (Wishbone Ash) & Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues)
2. Love Me Two Times - Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Thijs van Leer (Focus) & Larry Coryell
3. Roadhouse Blues - Leslie West (Mountain), Brian Auger & Rod Piazza
4. Love Her Madly - Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) & Mick Box (Uriah Heep)
5. Riders On The Storm - Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Tony Kaye (Yes) & Steve Cropper (Booker T. & The M.G.’s)
6. The Crystal Ship - Edgar Winter & Chris Spedding
7. Intro (People Are Strange) - Keith Emerson, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter & Joel Druckman (John Fahey)
8. People Are Strange - David Johansen (NY Dolls) & Billy Sherwood (Yes)
9. Touch Me - Robert Gordon, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Steve Morse & Nik Turner (Hawkwind)
10. The Soft Parade - Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Christopher North (Ambrosia) & Steve Hillage (Gong)
11. Hello, I Love You - Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) & Roye Albrighton (Nektar)
12. Spanish Caravan - Eric Martin (Mr. Big) & Elliot Easton (The Cars)
13. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) - Todd Rundgren & Geoff Downes (Yes / Asia) & Zoot Horn Rollo (Captain Beefheart)
14. Break On Through (To The Other Side) - Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) & Chick Churchill (Ten Years After)
15. Light My Fire - Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Rick Wakeman (Yes) & Steve Howe (Yes)
16. The End - Pat Travers & Jimmy Greenspoon (Three Dog Night)

RAY MANZAREK DIED TODAY IN GERMANY AT AGE 74

Ray Manzarek died today and it mmade me feel sad.  A lot of my friends worked with him over the years.  They just loved him....

ROLLING STONE
By Andy Greene
May 20, 2013 5:50 PM ET

Doors co-founder and keyboardist Ray Manzarek died today in Rosenheim, Germany after a long battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74.

"I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," Doors guitarist Robby Krieger said in a statement. "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."

Manzarek grew up in Chicago, then moved to Los Angeles in 1962 to study film at UCLA. It was there he first met Doors singer Jim Morrison, though they didn't talk about forming a band until they bumped into each other on a beach in Venice, California in the summer of 1965 and Morrison told Manzarek that he had been working on some music. "And there it was!" Manzarek wrote in his 1998 biography, Light My Fire. "It dropped quite simply, quite innocently from his lips, but it changed our collective destinies."

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JIM MORRISON PARDONED

Jim Morrison of The Doors

Just saw this article and it gave me pause... Should we worry about pardoning Jim for his indecent exposure charges? Is there any family left that would care? Or is this governor using this opportunity to get some free publicity in the name of righteous rock n roll? What do you think? I say yeah why not clear the books on this trivial conviction...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Outgoing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is looking to pardon long-dead rocker Jim Morrison who was convicted of exposing himself at a raucous 1969 concert in Miami.

Morrison was lead singer for top 1960s rock act The Doors and a Florida native. He was appealing the indecent exposure and profanity conviction when he died in 1971 in a Paris bathtub at age 27.

Crist told the St. Petersburg Times Tuesday that the more he looked into what happened that night, the more he thought it was right to seek a pardon. Morrison was fined and sentenced to six months in jail but never served that time.

A message left by The Associated Press with Crist's spokesman wasn't immediately returned.

Crist, a Republican-turned-independent, lost his bid for a U.S. Senate seat earlier this month.

JIM MORRISON: THE LAST 24 HOURS

Jim Morrison 1943-1971 was the epitome of the "Rock Star" There never was a better looking more attractive rock singer before or since... sorry Elvis...

Jim was a military brat like myself and he must have caused his father great stress with his rebellious personality. No doubt as a military kid you always wonder if your teen age behavior is going to destroy your father's career.

Jim was a poet long before he attempted singing in front of huge crowds. He had a hard time in the beginning and often sang with his back to the audience.

While in college at UCLA he met Ray Manzarek and together they formed their band The Doors

There's been so much written about Jim and many speculations about his motivations and thought process. Who will ever really know what he really wanted from his life. It seemed like he lived his life for the moment as if he knew he didn't have much time... Was he a success despite himself? Maybe.

Years after he died the book No One Here Gets Out Alive was released and I read it. It came out in the decadent 80's when I was working in a big chain of hair salons. After I finished reading that book I had this urge to dye my blonde hair dark brown and got a loose perm to look like Morrison. What was I thinking?? Oh well I also had the urge to party like mad and read deep poetry too. Well... that phase didn't last very long... But I still love Morrison with that haunting voice and that gorgeous face. Here's a bit of bio