| No One Here Gets Out Alive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box set by The Doors | ||||
| Released | November 20, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1965-1971 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, acid rock, blues-rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 183:25 | |||
| Label | Rhino - Bright Midnight Archives | |||
| Producer | Bruce Botnick & The Doors | |||
| The Doors chronology | ||||
|
||||
No One Here Gets Out Alive is a box set by the band The Doors, released in 2001.
The box set consists of four shows, one on each disc, of a syndicated radio show called "Innerview". The show was a music interview series that was hosted by L.A. DJ Jim Ladd.[1]
The box set consists of music by the Doors and interviews of the surviving members of the band. Various topics are discussed, even the possibility of singer Morrison being alive and well in Africa. Drummer Densmore only answers the question regarding Morrison being alive after the tape recorder has been switched off, effectively furthering the Morrison myth.
Contents |
The shows themselves took two years to produce, and aired around the same time the book of the same name was released, during the summer of 1979, one one-hour episode per week.
The shows were initially released as a limited edition vinyl box set. The release was limited to 150 copies, many of which were kept by the radio station employees themselves. The CD box set was mastered by Bruce Botnick from the vinyl discs in the possession of then Doors manager Danny Sugermans younger brother Chip Sugerman. The vinyl source of the discs is noticeable in places.
All commercials present on the original vinyl records have been removed, with each disc thus ending up at roughly 45 minutes.
This is the first in-depth radio special for which all three Doors agreed to speak on the record about their whirlwind career from 1966 through Jim Morrison's death in 1971 and the mysterious circumstances under which he lived and died. Throughout the 1970s, L.A.'s top disc jockey Jim Ladd, had made no secret of his love for The Doors and always played them nightly on his shift. Ladd was also one of the very first pioneers of the "syndicated radio special," meaning he wrote, interviewed, hosted and distributed to 135 cities a weekly radio production about a band of his choice. In 1979, following the release of the 'An American Prayer' album and preceding the release of the bestseller No One Here Gets Out Alive book, I approached Jim about doing a four-hour special on The Doors. He almost laughed at me. The longest specials he had previously done were a two-part two-hour one for Pink Floyd and another two hourson Led Zeppelin. "Do The Doors even have four hours of music?" He asked. I told him I'd be able to deliver outtakes then-never before heard as well as interviews with the key players to be included in this special.I told him my goal was to have its airing be the same month as No One Here Gets Out Alive, the book, was to be published. We came very close.So in the Spring and Summer of 1979 the show aired, every Monday night for an hour, in 135 markets. All of the participating radio stations gave away copies of the book and complete sets of all of The Doors albums to the lucky winners who correctly answered questions culled from the book. No One Here Gets Out Alive soon became the best selling rock book ever written. Warner Books bought commercial time on the special and Ladd used the book as the basis for the show he ultimately produced. Since that time Jim Ladd has become the unofficial "voice" of The Doors. As of this writing, he has just completed another special, on the tribute album of Doors music, 'Stoned Immaculate,' featuring Creed, Stone Temple Pilots, Smash Mouth, The Cult and others performing their favorite Doors songs. The three Doors, Robby Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek, granted their only interview regarding this tribute album for a Jim Ladd written and hosted syndication special.Perhaps in the not too distant future, Bright Midnight Archives may obtain the rights to this new show and distribute it. But in the meantime, No One Here Gets Out Alive, this CD box set of the original Jim Ladd radio show which has now adopted the name of the book, remains the most enduring and definitive Doors story ever produced.Bootleg copies of this radio special, in its original 4-LP format, go for upwards of five hundred dollars and they are third- and fourth-generation copies and the sound is horrible. Only 150 copies of the 4-LP set were originally produced in 1979 and there never was a repressing. Almost without exception, the personnel at the radio stations that received those original copies kept them, and the black box which contained them, for their personal collections. They are impossible to find. My last copy went to Oliver Stone for research for The Doors film. Fortunately, my younger brother, Chip, had a copy he had only played once and taped. That original is the basis from which Bruce Botnick has worked his magic to turn out this compact disc edition.No One Here Gets Out Alive is more than a radio documentary of The Doors - it is a treasure and a must have for any Doors collector.
The Source For This Release Is One Of The Few Remaining Sets Of Vinyl Disks That Were The Medium At That Time For Delayed Playback On Radio Stations Around The Country. We Took The Disks, Cleaned Them And Transferred Them To Digital. The Digital Tapes Were Then Transferred To Sonic Solutions At DIGEFX Where A Light De-Crackling And De-Clicking Were Performed. The Commercials And Boiler Plate Were Edited Out And You Have Just The Meat Of The Show.As You Listen You Will Notice That You Are Listening To A Vinyl Disk, A Record. So If You Hear An Occasional Tick Or Orange Peeling Just Relax And Make Believe That It's 1979.
PART ONE: BEGINNING OF THE DOORS/VISIONARY DREAMS"After bringing some one hundred and fifty artists before these microphones, you may well ask, why a four-part special on The Doors? A band whose lead singer died eight years ago, and therefore can only be talked about, and not with. Well first, I've wanted to do a show honoring this group for a long, long time. Secondly, The Doors were an entity in rock and roll that was so completely ahead of it's time, not only lyrically and musically, but caused so much questioning of our perceptions, that to this day, The Doors remain an unexplained and mysterious incantation that we hear, but do not quite believe. Tonight, we will talk with keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. And we will talk about Jim Morrison, vocalist, lyricist and poet."
PART TWO: EXPLORATION AND MORRISON'S SOJOURN"The ceremony tonight will include a rather graphic interview of the lives of Ray, Robby, John and of course, the lead singer, lyricist and poet Jim Morrison. Plus we'll meet The Doors manager. Also a man who's writing a book on Morrison's life. Now, as I warned you last week, some of these stories MAY shock you. But they are real... As you listen to these accounts of The Doors as they unfold, I want you to keep in mind, these are not stories of self-indulgent party-goers, but the true life adventures of people who were exploring the limits of life and death, musically, chemically..."
PART THREE: CULTURAL EXCURSION INTO THE VOID"And The Doors were making music for the birth of a newborn awakening... Up until now, The Doors had enjoyed THE ultimate respect of their audiences and an almost religious-like following. But gradually as The Doors became internationally famous, Morrison was singled out as a sex symbol. Suddenly their audiences, who The Doors had always felt so close to, and at one with, changed. No longer were they willing to become participants in a Doors' concert excursion into the void. The crowds of rock and roll explorers became a mob of weekend voyeurs who came not for adventure but to see a freak show."
PART FOUR: JAMES DOUGLAS MORRISON: POET"Something in the combination of the lyrical and musical vibrations created by this band has yet to be explained. Given only 27 years on this planet, Jim Morrison became possibly the most mysterious and controversial rock and roll star in history. For tonight we will honor James Douglas Morrison: Poet."