Live In Seattle

Live In Seattle, issued by Second Records (catalog number SRFM0047) on December 15, 2023, is an Italian-pressed CD capturing the Doors' performance at the Seattle Center Coliseum on June 5, 1970, during what is commonly referenced as the Roadhouse Blues Tour. Second Records is a European budget reissue label, and this release falls squarely into that category: a no-frills, wide-distribution disc aimed at the casual buyer rather than the serious collector. The Discogs listing places this under a European release umbrella, though the pressing and label origin are Italian.

The cover art is stark and immediate. Against a plain black background, the band name appears in large, bold white lowercase lettering: the doors. Directly beneath it, in a slightly smaller but equally plain font, sits the subtitle Live In Seattle. There is no photograph, no band imagery, no psychedelic artwork, and no era-appropriate visual cues. In the lower-left corner, in small white lettering, reads Super Value, which leaves little ambiguity about the positioning of this release in the market. The entire design communicates economy over aesthetics. For a band whose original album artwork was carefully considered, this packaging feels entirely disconnected from that legacy. The disc itself is a standard silver CD with basic printed text; there are no elaborate labels or color treatments to speak of. Insert contents appear minimal, consistent with Second Records' typical output on similar budget compilations. Collectors accustomed to the rich booklets found in official Rhino or Elektra reissues will find nothing comparable here. The physical object is competently manufactured but unremarkable in every presentational respect. The sleeve is a standard jewel case configuration with no fold-out booklet, no session notes of substance, and no photography beyond what is on the front panel. If you are evaluating this as a physical artifact, it ranks at the lower end of what the secondary market produces for Doors-related material. Those seeking a more visually compelling object drawn from the same Seattle source recording should look at the Live In Seattle 1970 vinyl variants, which present the same concert in far more collector-oriented packaging.

The performance itself is historically significant regardless of the packaging. The June 5, 1970 Seattle show featured the classic four-piece lineup: Jim Morrison on vocals, Ray Manzarek on keys, Robby Krieger on guitar, and John Densmore on drums. It was recorded roughly a year before Morrison's death in July 1971, placing it among the final documented full-band performances of the original configuration. The track listing on this CD includes Roadhouse Blues, When The Music's Over, Mystery Train (extended jam), Break on Through, Someday Soon, Backdoor Man, and Little Red Rooster. However, the Discogs entry for this specific catalog number lists a different and shorter sequence: Roadhouse Blues, Back Door Man, People Get Ready/Baby Please Don't Go, and When The Music's Over on side B. This discrepancy between the printed track listing provided and the Discogs-verified content warrants caution. The Discogs notes specifically call out a 20-minute version of When The Music's Over featuring Morrison improvising with maracas and feedback, which is the most compelling documented element of this source recording. That extended reading of the song is well worth hearing for anyone following Morrison's late-period vocal performances; for context on other live recordings from this era, Blues Before Sunrise: The Black Angels Death Song and The Ceremony Continues cover adjacent territory. With 51 collectors listing ownership and 55 currently wanting it on Discogs, demand is modest but present. This is not a pressing that will appreciate substantially; it is a budget reissue with wide availability and no meaningful scarcity. Those who want the Seattle concert on vinyl in a more thoughtfully produced edition should consider the Live In Seattle 1970 Natural Clear Vinyl or the grey marbled variant, both of which offer greater collector appeal. A single-track vinyl release focusing on the extended When The Music's Over is also catalogued here on violet marbled vinyl for those focused on that specific performance.

This is a budget CD reissue on Second Records, easily found and reasonably priced, with no production qualities that distinguish it as a collectible. The underlying Seattle 1970 source material has genuine historical weight, but this particular edition, SRFM0047, does not add anything to justify seeking it out over other, better-presented versions of the same recording. Recommended only for those who want a low-cost entry point to the performance and have no interest in the physical object itself.