THE DOORS’ "HORSE LATITUDES": POETRY IN ROCK, LIVE

 

The fifth track on The Doors' second LP, "Strange Days", is a poem called "Horse Latitudes" (link here).

This juvenile yet astonishing work by Jim Morrison is recited by the frontman without instrumental accompaniment from the rest of the band.

The chaotic and dark background makes the already intense, heartbreaking, complex and evocative lyrics even more so.

In 1967, putting a poem at the center of a rock record was extremely innovative, a gamble intended to demonstrate the band's ability to offer more than just music.

From the beginning of 1967 onwards, The Doors began including improvised moments in their concerts, often in the middle of or between songs, dedicated to Morrison's poems.

During these unique live performances, the keyboard, electric guitar and drums were used to accompany the verses conceived and interpreted by Jim Morrison's extraordinary talent.

The Doors' live performances thus became shows that transcended music to incorporate elements of poetry and theatre.

The inclusion of an unaccompanied recited poem on the band's second album, which was recorded in late spring and early summer of 1967 and released on 25 September of that year, was intended to emphasize the significance of these moments.

Afterwards, “Horse Latitudes” appeared on and off in the set list for several years.

Here, we present two examples of how the band performed it for the public: two moments separated by just over two years yet connected by the poem's arrangement.

The first concert took place in Danbury, Connecticut, on 11 October 1967, two weeks after the release of the album "Strange Days".

The evening opens with an extended version of "Moonlight Drive", a track from the latter LP, which appears as the sixth track immediately after "Horse Latitudes".

In Danbury, once the final stages of "Moonlight Drive" have been reached, the group continues to keep the beat as a backdrop while Morrison begins to sing "Horse Latitudes" in a more melodic and mellow fashion than that created on the LP (here's the link).

The guitar effects created by R. Krieger as a background to the vocals are interesting and designed to translate Morrison's words into sound.

Immediately after "Horse Latitudes", The Doors repeat the final verse-chorus sequence of "Moonlight Drive" before ending the song after 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

The second concert we will consider is the one that took place at the Felt Forum in New York on 17 and 18 January 1970 (here is the link).

At this time, the Doors were in the final phase of their live performances, and the pattern described above for “Horse Latitudes” in Danbury was repeated unchanged, as was the chosen arrangement.

During "Moonlight Drive", Morrison delivers the "Horse Latitudes" verses in a relaxed manner, quietly laying them down on the sonic foundation provided by the other three band members.

Notably, Robby Krieger's guitar accompanies the recitation with restrained electric blasts, smoothed by the 'slide guitar' technique that was employed so originally and effectively in this case.

A few seconds before launching into "Horse Latitudes", Morrison gifts the New York audience (and us) with an additional improvised verse taken from one of his other poems.

This improvised verse is quite cryptic: “Children of the caves will let their secret fires glow”.

After this suggestive and fleeting line, “Horse Latitudes” flows smoothly, only to ripple in the finale. In fact, as in Danbury, the singer's voice soars for a few seconds at the end of the poem.

He thus once again presents a version of the poem that, despite its content, is neither tormented nor aggressive, unlike the version on the “Strange Days” LP.

While the October 1967 concert is a bootleg with inevitable audio issues, the New York recording is much better in terms of sound quality.

We recommend both recordings, especially the Danbury one, as they offer wonderful musical and artistic experiences.

They are two examples of how the Californian band was able to produce music of the highest caliber, alongside artistic, theatrical and poetic performances of great impact, unprecedented in the music scene of the time and beyond.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”