Wanted - In The County Of Dade

Wanted: In The County Of Dade, issued by Beech Marten Records (catalog number BM 050) out of Italy in March 1992, is an eight-track CD documenting The Doors at the Seattle Center Coliseum on June 5, 1970, with the final two tracks sourced from the Vancouver show the following night, June 6, 1970. This Italian bootleg release sits in a crowded field of Seattle and Vancouver concert documents, and collectors should understand precisely what they are getting before pursuing a copy.

The cover art does most of the talking here, and it is immediately recognizable as bootleg-era graphic work. A bright, almost jarring yellow background dominates the front, with a large "WANTED" header printed in bold black lettering across the top, evoking a classic American outlaw poster. Centered below it is a cropped black-and-white photograph of Jim Morrison, a relatively familiar promotional-era portrait showing his face and upper chest, hair slightly disheveled, expression composed. Below the photo, the phrase "IN THE COUNTY OF DADE" continues the wanted-poster conceit, followed by smaller printed text listing charges: lewd and lascivious behavior in public, exposing his private parts, simulating masturbation and oral copulation, and a felony, referencing the infamous March 1969 Miami incident. The Doors logo appears twice in red, once on the left side and once on the right, rotated vertically. The overall design is cheap and functional; no attempt was made to disguise the bootleg nature of this release. There is no back cover photography worth noting beyond the standard track and label information. The disc itself carries no elaborate printing. Insert contents are minimal at best, with no meaningful liner notes to speak of. Packaging is a standard jewel case with no booklet, no session notes, and no credits beyond what appears on the tray card. Physical quality control on Beech Marten releases from this period was not a priority, and this one is no exception.

The source recording is where this CD runs into serious trouble. The Seattle Center Coliseum show from June 5, 1970 is one of the more documented late-period Doors performances, and multiple releases have drawn from that night's tape. What distinguishes this Beech Marten pressing negatively is the sound quality, which is noticeably inferior to competing releases covering the same material. The editing is also problematic, with cuts and transitions that feel abrupt and careless. Track listings between the physical release and Discogs data differ slightly in naming conventions: "Someday Soon" appears on the sleeve while Discogs lists it as "Some Soon / Harvest Moon," and "Mystery Train" corresponds to "Train Coming Around The Bend" on the database entry. These inconsistencies are typical of Italian bootleg releases from the early 1990s, where little attention was paid to accurate titling. Collectors interested in the June 5 Seattle material would be far better served by Live in Seattle: June 5th 1970, which presents the same concert with superior sound and more coherent editing. For the most complete and best-quality treatment of this tape, Jim's Alive: The Ultimate Seattle Tapes remains the benchmark. The Vancouver tracks appended at the end of this CD overlap with material covered on dedicated Vancouver concert releases; collectors chasing that June 6 performance specifically should look at Vancouver '70 or Superstar Concert Series: In Vancouver for more focused documentation. Beech Marten also issued Wanted: Jim Morrison And The Doors, a related title that collectors sometimes confuse with this one; they are distinct releases. On Discogs, BM 050 shows 48 collectors holding a copy and 14 wanting one, numbers that reflect modest but real collector interest rather than active demand.

This is a skippable release for anyone who already owns a cleaner document of the June 5, 1970 Seattle show. The sound is degraded, the editing is sloppy, and the packaging offers nothing of visual or informational value. It belongs in a complete Beech Marten catalog collection, or as a gap-filler if BM 050 is a specific target, but there is no practical sonic or historical reason to prioritize it over the alternatives already cited here.