The Doors - Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine (1972)

(U.S 1965 - 1973)

Originally released in 1972, Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine was one of the earliest "best-of" Doors collections, compiling 22 tracks (on double LP) and 19 tracks (Cassette), not just limited to their many ubiquitous hits but including some more experimental tunes and a few obscure B-sides. This strange and sprawling playlist is heavy on material from L.A. Woman, and seems particularly invested in the darker, more sinister side of the band.

Lesser-known songs here include "Who Scared You" and the goofy, awkward blues run "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" sung by keyboardist Ray Manzarek. With the exception of a few pop moments, this lengthy collection sets a heavy and sometimes menacing mood, highlighting the Doors' most depraved, shamanistic moments in tracks like the brooding "The End," "Maggie McGill," and the absolutely evil groove of "When the Music's Over."

Two of the songs on the compilation, "Who Scared You" and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further," were originally released as B-sides to 1969's "Wishful Sinful" and 1971's "Love Her Madly," respectively. They were not available again until "Who Scared You" appeared in The Doors: Box Set in 1997 and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" appeared in the 2006 Perception box set.

The version of "Who Scared You" that was released on The Doors: Box Set is an edited version, as part of the last verse is omitted. The full length song was released in 1999 on Essential Rarities and later on the 2006 remastered release of The Soft Parade as a bonus track.

Unlike the previous compilation "13", this collection focuses less on obvious hits but more on the band's musical diversity, avant-garde and "progressive" leaning. Only the song "The Soft Parade" is missing from the picture that was supposed to present more artistic and less commercial aspect of The Doors. Irrespective, this is an excellent compilation and together with "13" can offer a compact package of this band's musical importance in the context of 20th century popular culture, for those who had no wish to collect individual albums.

Official Band Member Biographies

Robbie Krieger (Guitar)

FULL REAL NAME: Robert Alan Krieger
BIRTH DATE & PLACE: January 8, 1946, in Los Angeles

The first music I heard that I liked was Peter and the Wolf. I accidentally sat and broke the record (I was about seven). Then I listened to rock'n'roll - l listened to the radio a lot - Fats
Domino, Elvis, The Platters.
I started surfing at fourteen. There was lots of classical music in my house. My father liked march music. There was a piano at home. I studied trumpet at ten, but nothing come of it.
Then I started playing blues on the piano - no lessons though. When I was seventeen, I started playing guitar. I used my friend's guitar. I didn't get my own until I was eighteen. It was a Mexican flamenco guitar. I took flamenco lessons for a few months. I switched around from folk to flamenco to blues to rock 'n' roll.

Records got me into the blues. Some of the newer rock 'n' roll, such as The Paul Butterfield Blues
Band. lf it hadn't been for Butterfield going electric, I probably wouldn't have gone rock 'n' roll.
I didn't plan on rock 'n' roll. I wanted to learn jazz; I got to know some people doing
rock 'n' roll with jazz, and I thought I could make money playing music.
In rock 'n' roll you can realize anything that you can in Jazz or anything. There's no
limitation other than the beat. You have more freedom than you do in anything except Jazz-
which is dying - as far as making any money is concerned.

In The Doors we have both musicians and poets, and both know of each other's art, so
we can effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man's ideas. Most
groups today aren't groups. ln a true group all the members create the arrangements among
themselves.

John Densmore (Drums)

FULL REAL NAME, John Paul Densmore

BIRTH DATE & PLACE, December 1, 1944, in Santa Monica, California

I've been playing for six years. l don't really have too much to say about all of this. l took piano lessons when l was ten. My parents tried to get me to play Bach. They tried for two years.

When I was in junior high I got my first set of drums. I played symphonic music in high school (tympani snare), then I played jazz for three years. I used to play sessions in Compton and Topanga Canyon. Since last year it's been rock 'n' roll and these creeps.

Ray Manzarek   (Organ) 

FULL REAL NAM:  Raymond Daniel Manzarek

BIRTH DATE & PLACE: February 12, l939, in Chicago

I grew up in Chicago and left when I was 21 for Los Angeles. My parents gave me piano lessons when I was around nine or ten. I hated it for the first four years - until I learned how to do it - then it became fun, which is about the same time I first heard Negro music. I was about 12 or 13, playing baseball in a playground; someone had a radio tuned into a Negro station.

From then on l was hooked, I used to listen to Al Benson and Big Bill Hill - they were disk jockeys in Chicago. From then on all the music I listened to was on the radio. My piano playing

changed; I became influenced by Jazz. I learned how to play that stride piano with my left hand, and I knew that was it: stuff with a beat - jazz, blues, rock.

At school l was primarily interested in film. It seemed to combine my interests in drama,

visual art, music and the profit motive. Before I left Chicago I was interested in theatre. These

days, I think we want our theatre, our entertainment to be larger than life. I think the total

environmental thing will come in. Probably Cinerama will develop further.

I think The Doors is a representative American group. America is a melting pot and so
are we. Our influences spring from a myriad of sources which we have amalgamated, blending
divergent styles into our own thing. We're like the country itself. America must seem to be a
ridiculous hodgepodge to an outsider. It's like The Doors. We come from different areas,
different musical areas. We're put together with a lot of sweat, a lot of fighting. All of the
things people say about America can be said about The Doors.
All of us have the freedom to explore and improvise within a framework. Jim is an
improviser with words.

Jim Morrison (Vocals / Lyrics)

FULL REAL NAME, James Douglas Morrison

BIRTH DATE & PLACE, December 8, 1943, Melbourne, Florida

You could say it's an that I was ideally suited for the work I am doing. It's the feeling of a bowstring being pulled back for 22 years and suddenly being let go. I am primarily an American, second, a Californian, third, a Los Angeles resident. I've always been attracted to ideas that were about revolt against authority. I like ideas about the breaking away or overthrowing of established order. 

I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos - especially activity that seems to have no meaning. It seems to me to be the road toward freedom - external revolt is a way to bring about internal freedom. Rather than starting inside, I start outside - reach the mental through the physical.

I am a Sagittarian - if astrology has anything to do with it - the Centaur - the Archer - The Hunt - But the main thing is that we are The Doors.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my trusty Elektra Cassette Tape release. This one was played countless times in my first car - an Orange VW (Beetle) and kept me company while driving around during my Uni Days. I'm amazed it has lasted as long as it has, and actually outlived my beloved Beetle.    It was only years later that I realised that the cassette playlist was 3 tracks short of the Double LP set that was released at the same time. Consequently, I have included these 3 missing tracks  - "L.A Woman", "Spanish Caravan" and "The Spy". to make this post complete.

Full album artwork is included for CD, Vinyl and of course Cassette Tape

.

Cassette Tracklist
A1 Break On Through 2:25

A2 Strange Days 3:05
A3 Shaman's Blues 4:45
A4 Love Street 3:06
A5 Peace Frog / Blue Sunday 5:00
A6 The Wasp (Texas Radio & The Big Beat) 4:12
A7 End Of The Night 2:49
A8 Love Her Madly 3:18
A10 Ship Of Fools 3:06
A11 The End 11:35
B1 Take It As It Comes 2:13
B2 Running Blue 2:27
B3 Five To One 4:22
B4 Who Scared You 3:51
B5 (You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further 3:37
B6 Riders On The Storm 7:14
B7 Maggie McGill 4:25
B8 Horse Latitudes 1:30
B9 When The Music's Over 11:00

The Doors Link (594Mb) New Link 19/12/2023