The Doors - Critique (1969)

The Doors performing on the National Education Television program Critique in 1969. 00:00 - Tell All The People 03:36 - Alabama Song 05:17 - Back Door Man 09:44 - Wishful Sinful 13:10 - Build Me A Woman 17:26 - The Soft Parade Filmed for NET at Studio 55 in New York, NY on April 28, 1969 and first broadcast on WNDT/Channel 13 on June 25, 1969. (Note: WNDT was an affiliate of NET and would later merge with the station to form WNET in the fall of 1970.) Though often forgotten in favor of more sensational live performances, this understated television appearance represents a significant moment in the history of The Doors. Filmed less than two months after their infamous March 1, 1969 concert in Miami, it was the band's first public appearance since then and an attempt to rebuild their reputation ahead of the release of their fourth album, The Soft Parade, while in the midst of widespread negative press coverage and a spate of venue cancellations across the country. Jim Morrison was especially interested in performing on the NET network because it didn't adhere to traditional commercial standards and the group could play whatever they wanted, telling Rolling Stone's Jerry Hopkins: "There are no guest stars, no patter, and no dancing girls — just serious talk and serious music presented in an appropriate, professional, and respectful manner." As a result, the performance features several songs that were rarely played in concert and reveals The Doors at their purest — stripped down and unfiltered. Although this recording was officially issued as part of The Doors: Soundstage Performances DVD in 2002, the release used an inferior videotape copy suffering from audio/video damage as the original 2-inch quad videotape master could not be located. Curiously, the 1991 VHS release The Soft Parade: A Retrospective (later included on The Doors Collection DVD) appears to have used a superior videotape source for the three songs from this program featured on that release as no such audio/video damage is present. So it seems that at some point between 1991 and 2002, this superior source (said to be a 3/4-inch videotape copy of the original master made by an NET production assistant) went missing. While still not perfect, this is the best video copy I've been able to locate, restored with the best audio source available. Hopefully, the original videotape master will one day resurface and this rare performance can finally be properly preserved for fans to enjoy. Audio/Video Restoration: [email protected] Contact me if you know of a better quality copy of this television program or have any other tapes, films, or photos related to Jim Morrison and The Doors. Subscribe to The Doors Guide: https://www.youtube.com/TheDoorsGuide... #TheDoors #TheSoftParade #JimMorrison #ClassicRock #PBS ---