The first thing you hear on the soundtrack CD to the film When You're Strange is the faux-English accent of one Johnny Depp (he reads Jim Morrison's poetry between tracks on the CD). Apparently, Johnny Depp is English now. To be fair, he only lapses into it, but it's hard to pretend it's not there. I guess it makes sense that they chose Depp to narrate the film as he loves The Doors, he too is a superstar and (like the latter day Morrison) he lives in France (which makes the English accent even more mystifying). It's obvious from the passion heard in Depp's voice that he's totally into being involved in this project. And who wouldn't want him involved in their movie?
The CD is the soundtrack to the recent Doors documentary, When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors. The reviews that I've seen for the film have been mixed.
Unfortunately (or fortunately for you), I haven't seen the film for which this soundtrack exists, but I've loved The Doors since Love Her Madly was a hit (the organ reminded of The Theme from The Munsters!). I read the Morrison biography No One Here Gets Out Alive immediately when it was published. I remember actually liking Jim Morrison less after reading it (he came off as quite a bit of a jerk to me), but I've since tempered my opinion of him (I'm older and less wise, I guess). Obviously, this paragraph serves to show that I've been a Doors fan for a long time. Oh; I went to see Riders On the Storm last time they hit Cleveland (Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger's touring outfit).
I highly recommend this CD. True, if you're a super-Doors fan, you probably have all this stuff, but if you just love them, you'll dig this one. The soundtrack caters to my personal taste as it contains some live cuts, even including the infamous Sullivan show performance where Jim infuriated the host by using the word 'high' throughout Light My Fire (he had promised otherwise, of course). Also included are performances from the Isle of Wight, New York City (1970) and one from Danish TV. Musically, the CD is evened out by the standard greatest hits you would expect.
Besides the poetry (all by Morrison and read intermittently by Depp and Morrison himself), interview excerpts are present by all four band members. One excerpt by Morrison made me laugh out loud (Track 14. You'll have to hear it.). The interviews that are included display the seriousness with which the band took its music. They understood that many saw them as any pop band, but they themselves were working toward something more than that.
It all congeals into a fun and interesting listen. The music is top-notch of course, and the soundbites add insight into the band. Something new? No, but it's a more interesting listen than just another greatest hits or the poetry-laden An American Prayer.
The CD insert includes notes by various folks, including Mr. Depp. Since he's on there, it's nice to hear what he has to say about the proceedings. The book folds out into a poster for the film, I guess, to remind us that there's a potential movie ticket (or DVD) to purchase. Despite my supposed cynicism, I will be doing just that.
The CD is the soundtrack to the recent Doors documentary, When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors. The reviews that I've seen for the film have been mixed.
Unfortunately (or fortunately for you), I haven't seen the film for which this soundtrack exists, but I've loved The Doors since Love Her Madly was a hit (the organ reminded of The Theme from The Munsters!). I read the Morrison biography No One Here Gets Out Alive immediately when it was published. I remember actually liking Jim Morrison less after reading it (he came off as quite a bit of a jerk to me), but I've since tempered my opinion of him (I'm older and less wise, I guess). Obviously, this paragraph serves to show that I've been a Doors fan for a long time. Oh; I went to see Riders On the Storm last time they hit Cleveland (Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger's touring outfit).
I highly recommend this CD. True, if you're a super-Doors fan, you probably have all this stuff, but if you just love them, you'll dig this one. The soundtrack caters to my personal taste as it contains some live cuts, even including the infamous Sullivan show performance where Jim infuriated the host by using the word 'high' throughout Light My Fire (he had promised otherwise, of course). Also included are performances from the Isle of Wight, New York City (1970) and one from Danish TV. Musically, the CD is evened out by the standard greatest hits you would expect.
Besides the poetry (all by Morrison and read intermittently by Depp and Morrison himself), interview excerpts are present by all four band members. One excerpt by Morrison made me laugh out loud (Track 14. You'll have to hear it.). The interviews that are included display the seriousness with which the band took its music. They understood that many saw them as any pop band, but they themselves were working toward something more than that.
It all congeals into a fun and interesting listen. The music is top-notch of course, and the soundbites add insight into the band. Something new? No, but it's a more interesting listen than just another greatest hits or the poetry-laden An American Prayer.
The CD insert includes notes by various folks, including Mr. Depp. Since he's on there, it's nice to hear what he has to say about the proceedings. The book folds out into a poster for the film, I guess, to remind us that there's a potential movie ticket (or DVD) to purchase. Despite my supposed cynicism, I will be doing just that.
