DID YOU KNOW ?
Celebration of the Lizard, the canceled album
At the end of May 1967, the DOORS entered TTG Studios in Hollywood to record their 3rd album there, this one follows on from the excellent "Strange Days", released the previous year.
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Jim Morrison then suggests the idea of including one of his long poems: "Celebration Of The Lizard", so that it occupies an entire side of the LP and gives its title to the future album.
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The cover as for it, would like to be sober, without the slightest visual. A cover imitating the skin of a reptile on which would appear the name of the group in golden lettering.
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Faced with Morrison's inability to record a workable version of this poem, which lasts about twenty minutes, the drink altering his concentration, the DOORS decide to cancel the project. The album will be called "Waiting For The Sun", photographer Paul Ferrara will take care of the cover while "Celebration Of The Lizard" will be printed in the booklet accompanying the disc.
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Faced with the abandonment of this project which was close to his heart, Jim Morrison ceased to be fully involved in the work of composing the album. To make matters worse, the members of the group decide, without consulting him, to sell the rights to their hit "Light My Fire" to the car brand Buick. A decision that Morrison will take as a real betrayal on the part of his comrades...
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Listening to the demos, Jac Holzman, the president of the Elektra label, thinks that the upcoming album does not have enough hits that can be played on the radio. On the suggestions of his son, he offers DOORS to come out of the closet, a piece recorded in 1965, entitled "Hello, I Love You" and its B side "Summer's Almost Gone".
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Finally, "Not to Touch the Earth" will be the only excerpt from the poem "Celebration Of The Lizard" to appear on the album "Waiting For The Sun". The poem in its entirety will be played a few times live to calm the crowds who are a little too active...
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Here is, in a 1st time, what should have probably looked like the list of tracks of the album project "Celebration Of The Lizard"
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In front of:
1. Five To One
2. Love Street
3. We Could Be So Good Together
4. Yes, The River Knows
5. My Wild Love
6. The Unknown Soldier
B-side:
7. Spanish Caravan
8. Wintertime Love
9. Celebration of the Lizard
And now here is the list of songs on "Waiting For The Sun":
In front of:
1. Hello, I Love You
2. Love Street
3. Not To Touch The Earth
4. Summer’s Almost Gone
5. Wintertime Love
6. The Unknown Soldier
B-side:
7 . Spanish Caravan
8 . My Wild Love
9. We Could Be So Good Together
10. Yes, The River Knows
11. Five To One
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Below is an idea of what the "Celebration Of The Lizard" album cover should look like:
