For harmonious truth, rarely heard

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Feb 13, 2002

FORT WORTH (NYT) -- A recording of the famously raucous, bluesy 1970 Doors concert in Detroit -- the longest show the band ever played -- can't be found in stores. Nor can Jimi Hendrix's blistering show from the Oakland Coliseum in 1969, which featured an 18-minute version of Voodoo Chile and a fiery take on Cream's Sunshine of Your Love. And you won't find the Grateful Dead's sparkling, two-and-a- half-hour 1968 show from Lake Tahoe, Calif., either. But they can be found on the World Wide Web. The Doors', the Dead's and Hendrix's official Web sites are offering previously unreleased live recordings that show rare, sometimes surprising glimpses of the three pioneering `60s acts.

The mail-order CDs come complete and unedited, offering a purity that many hard-core fans cherish. While traditional live rock albums have been in stores for decades, they are typically studio-enhanced efforts. Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek says the Internet releases feature the shows "as they went down." "It's a way to relive the concerts -- there we are in Boston, Detroit and New York City," Manzarek says in a phone interview. "The idea was just to make the concerts available to fans, and it's growing."

For `60s acts, the niche can help them stay commercially relevant in today's industry. Superstar acts such as the Dave Matthews Band, Radiohead and Phish all released live albums in 2001, along with popular charity efforts such as The Concert for New York City. But while bands like Dave Matthews rule the sales roost with today's chart-topping music, the Doors, the Dead, Hendrix and other classic- rock acts can offer history. The Doors have eight mail-order releases available -- two volumes of interviews, a radio show, a disc of 1969 rehearsal recordings, a disc of concert highlights, and three concerts from 1969 and 1970. There are four Hendrix releases -- two 1968 concerts, one 1969 show and a disc of demo recordings from 1969 and 1970. Hendrix's father and sister are releasing the discs through the Web site and company they established after winning the guitarist's copyrights in 1995. The family formed a label, Dagger Records, for the live releases.

"There is a huge base of fans out there who want more than the official (major label) releases B that's why there's bootlegs," said executive producer John McDermott, who helped launch both the Doors and Hendrix Web sites in 1998. "This was a way to look after the legitimate interest of those fans, without confusing the larger audience who want official releases."

Celebrating bluegrass once again

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) -- The International Bluegrass Music Museum plans to reopen permanently on April 11, kicking off four days of bluegrass music in downtown Owensboro. The museum originally opened in 1992 but closed in February 2000 for a $3 million renovation.

The announcement of the grand opening comes at a time when bluegrass is enjoying a surge of popularity. The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which has sold more than 4 million copies, is No. 10 on Billboard's pop charts this week, more than a year after its initial release. CMT, the country music channel, recently devoted an entire week to bluegrass music.

In defiance of the critics

BOSTON (NYT) -- To say rock critics and record buyers don't always agree is an understatement. They're on different planets when it comes to the band Creed, a Florida-based act that has sold 21 million albums in the last five years while being mercilessly pummeled by reviewers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has noted "the arrogant, hamfisted aura that the band projects." The Cleveland Plain Dealer has said that Creed singer Scott Stapp "resembles a fanatic using cliched religious imagery to suit his own purposes." And Entertainment Weekly has knocked him as "exceedingly self- important." Even some fellow performers have gotten into the act. Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst ripped Creed last year, whereupon Stapp actually challenged him to a boxing match (Durst declined).

Meanwhile, Creed continues to sell in the millions (its Weathered album has been No. 1 on the charts for most of the last two months) and fill concert halls. The band isn't talking to the press, or allowing photos. And Stapp hardly quelled the tensions when he inserted lyrics on the new album that said "I laugh aloud `cause my life has gotten inside someone else's mind" and "I'm trying to find a reason to live, but the mindless clutter my path."

So why is the band so popular? It is the quintessential arena- rock band of the day. The guys in Creed sing anthems, however simple, about bridging the disconnections of modern life. They're safe and sanitized -- Pearl Jam without the angst. And they espouse Christian teachings (Stapp came from a fundamentalist Christian background), even if their return swipes at the press don't look like turning the other cheek. They're also a perfect post-Sept. 11 act: Parents and children can take refuge in their positive lyrics, no matter how gushy or bombastic those lyrics might be. They play "Everyguy Rock," as Rolling Stone put it.