LIGHT MY FIRE

I've read in some Russian book (to save author from disgrace, I don't want to name him): "After the release of the Doors first album Jim Morrison woke up famous". Funny. Definitely he woke up and probably got himself a beer, but that's all - fame found him and other Doors some months later, when single version of ''Light My Fire'' appeared on air.

You probably know that back then, in the beginning of 1967, US radio stations refused to play 7-minute album version of ''Light My Fire'' and demanded a 3-minute single. Paul Rothchild made edits and covinced the band that the single has to be a huge hit. He was right - if in March 1967 THE DOORS played at half-empty Matrix club in San Francisco (''Live at the Matrix '67'' album and memories of surviving Doors prove this), in July ''Light My Fire'' was at the top of US charts.

Strangely, this short version of THE DOORS most popular song changed the band's life but was never published on CD until 1991. I can only guess why it never appeared as a bonus track on numerous reissues of THE DOORS debut album. Even without solos it's a great song. You can also hear (on CD single, which contains both single and the album versions of the song) that besides edits single version of "Light My Fire" is in mono.

Other songs are taken from the band's first 2 albums and I think you've heard them countless times.

As far as I can tell, even now it's the only CD containing single version of "Light My Fire". In general it's a record for fans/collectors, but songs are indisputable classics and rating them low would be a crime.