By Bryan Wawzenek

Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.

In the early part of 1967, The Doors were floundering. Sure, they had been signed to a record deal and then recorded and released an album featuring most of the songs they had honed in concert, but the band’s future looked a bit bleak. Their debut album was flopping, as was their lead single, “Break on Through (To the Other Side),” which stalled at a lowly #126 on the Billboard charts. If things didn’t turn around, it’s possible The Doors could have been shown the door at Elektra Records.

But, the band and Elektra president Jac Holzman wanted to put out another single in the spring. Everyone seemed to think “Light My Fire” had hit potential. It was the first song guitarist Robby Krieger had ever written. Reportedly, Krieger was trying to write something about one of the elements (fire, air, water, earth). Frontman Jim Morrison assisted a bit on the second verse and organ player Ray Manzarek came up with the distinctive organ intro.

“Light My Fire” looked like a lock for the next single, except there was one problem – it was nearly seven minutes long. In 1967, a seven-minute pop hit was still unheard of; “Hey Jude” and “MacArthur Park” were still a year away. There was no way Elektra was going to sign off on a single with an extended instrumental break of organ and guitar solos.

“We had that huge problem with the time length,” Holzman told Mojo magazine in 2010. “Nobody could figure out how to cut it. Finally I said to [producer Paul] Rothchild, ‘Nobody can cut it but you.’ When he cut out the solo, there were screams. Except from Jim. Jim said, ‘Imagine a kid in Minneapolis hearing even the cut version over the radio, it’s going to turn his head around.’ So they said, ‘Go ahead, release it.’”

With everyone on board, the three-minute version of “Light My Fire” was put out in April. Slowly, but surely, it began to catch on. By the summer, The Doors were a full-blown sensation and the single topped the U.S. charts (where it stayed for three weeks) on this day in 1967. It was Elektra Records’ first-ever #1 single.

As AM radio embraced the shortened release of the song, the newly born, rock-oriented FM radio stations began playing the 6:50 version of “Light My Fire.” Elektra and The Doors had backed into a brilliant marketing strategy. Now, fans not only wanted to buy the three-minute single, but they craved owning the full-length track and, subsequently, bought the band’s self-titled album. As such, The Doors rocketed up to #2 on the U.S. album charts.

But the story doesn’t end there. With their newfound popularity, The Doors were getting asked to perform on television shows. In September, they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to perform “Light My Fire” live, in what would become one of the most notorious TV moments in rock history.

Because of the possible drug reference in the lyrics – “girl, we couldn’t get much higher” – Sullivan’s staff asked Morrison to changer “higher” to “better” when performing the song. Morrison and the band agreed to the change and rehearsed the altered version, but the singer either “forgot” or dismissed the idea on the live show and Morrison delivered the original line. Following the performance, Sullivan didn’t shake the singer’s hand and a proposed deal between the variety show and The Doors for six future appearances was nixed. Morrison appeared unfazed, telling a producer, “Hey man, we just did The Ed Sullivan Show.”

“Light My Fire” would have a life beyond The Doors, as well – including a successful cover version and an unsuccessful commercial jingle adaptation. In October 1968, Buick approached the band with the idea of turning “Light My Fire”’s chorus into “Come on, Buick, light my fire” for a television campaign. Krieger, Manzarek and drummer John Densmore initially agreed to the idea, but once Morrison found out about it, he called Buick and threatened to smash an Opel on TV if the ads were aired.

A more loving tribute to “Light My Fire” came via Latin pop singer/guitarist Jose Feliciano. He added a folkier, flamenco style to the song, which was released as a single and hit #3 in the U.S. in ’68. His cover version would win him a Grammy award in 1969, the same year he won the Best New Artist Grammy. Following in Feliciano’s footsteps, many artists tried their version of the song. In the 40-plus years since, musicians as diverse as Stevie Wonder, the Beastie Boys, Shirley Bassey, Jackie Wilson and UB40 have rekindled the flames of The Doors’ classic.

“It’s really a great feeling to have written a classic,” Krieger later said. “I think I owe a big debt to Jose Feliciano because he is actually the one, when he did it, everybody started doing it. He did a whole different arrangement on it.”

1946, Neal Doughty, keyboards, REO Speedwagon
1953, Geddy Lee, bass, vocals, Rush
1953, Patti Scialfa, singer, E Street Band
1959, John Sykes, guitar, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake
1973, Wanya Morris, vocals, Boyz II Men
1974, Afroman, rapper

1963, With the U.S. charts full of hot rod songs, Capitol Records sent disc jockeys a list of car terms and phrases to help promote The Beach Boys latest release “Little Deuce Coupe.”

1966, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker made their live debut as Cream at The Twisted Wheel, Manchester, England.

1966, Datebook published Maureen Cleave’s interview with John Lennon in which he said, “We’re bigger than Jesus now.” American Christians reacted with outrage, organizing “Beatle bonfires” and burning the group’s records.

1967, The Doors started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Light My Fire.” The group’s first U.S. #1 only reached #49 on the U.K. chart. For more on this story, see today’s This Day in Music Spotlight.

1973, Led Zeppelin lost $180,000 in cash when a thief made off with their safe deposit box from two Madison Square Garden concerts in New York City.

1974, Mamas and the Papas singer Cass Elliot died in her sleep from a heart attack after playing a sold-out show in London, England. She was staying at Harry Nilsson’s London flat when she died. Her only solo hit was “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”

1988, American record producer and pedal steel guitar player Pete Drake died of lung disease. He worked with Elvis Presley, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and many others. He played on such hits as Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden,” Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors,” Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man.”

2006, Pamela Anderson married Kid Rock, on a yacht off the French resort of St. Tropez. The former Baywatch star got divorced from rock star Tommy Lee in 1998 and had recently got back together with Kid Rock, after a brief engagement ended in 2003. Anderson and Rock split after four months of marriage.

2007, Heart problems forced KISS singer and guitarist Paul Stanley to abandon a show in California. Paramedics stopped and restarted his heart to give it a regular rhythm after his heart spontaneously jumped to 190-plus beats per minute.

By Russell Hall

Cheap Trick are seeking answers in the wake of a frightening stage collapse that occurred during their July 17 performance at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The band and their crew narrowly escaped injury when the roof fell down during their show. Inclement weather was blamed, but the fact that other, less formidable structures went unscathed raises questions regarding that explanation.

“Was it a design flaw?” Cheap Trick manager Dave Frey asked, in a prepared statement. “Was it an implementation mistake? These are important questions that must be answered.”

Stephane Berger of Groupe Berger/Mega-Stage, the company that provided the stage for the performance, told Pollstar the collapse was caused by a “sudden, ascendant wind.” He said: “The engineers in charge of the investigation are presently working with a meteorologist expert to get precisions on the weather phenomenon everybody saw.”

Still, Berger agreed that it was “weird” that tents and other nearly temporary structures were unaffected. Ontario’s Ministry of Labour is also investigating the incident.

By Russell Hall

Ronnie Wood has gotten his very own TV show. As reported by NME.com, the 64-year-old Rolling Stones and Faces guitarist will host The Ronnie Wood Show beginning in February 2012, on the Sky Arts network.

The program will feature music-related interviews, specially recorded live performances and debate about the music industry. The program was conceived as a continuation of Wood’s Absolute Radio show, which garnered the veteran rocker a Music Personality of the Year honor at this year’s Sony Radio Academy Awards festivities.

Wood promises to offer viewers an up-close look at the inner workings of the music industry. “I’ve had so much fun doing my radio show and had lots of success with recent awards,” he said. “It’s now going to TV to give the audience the chance to see behind the scenes.”

You could just feel it…  This was the payback series for the Phillies fans.  How could the Left Coast Misfits steal the thunder from the vaunted Phils last year?  The Giants got lucky, they got all the breaks, they got hot at just the right time…they’re a fluke, and on and on and on.   But not this time, not in the Phillies ballpark.  The Phils pitching is the best in the bigs… their bats will maul you, and they haven’t lost two games in a row at home since April 19.  They’re the big dogs… and they know it.  But things got real quiet yesterday, as sick little Tim Lincecum and the Giants bullpen shut down Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Shane Victorino on the way to taking two of three.  Talk about putting a damper on the festivities…  kind of like that shower in the late innings.  Obviously I still think the Philadelphia Phillies are the team to beat, but on this day… the silence was deafening.  Oh, did I mention… the Phillies hadn’t lost two in a row at home since April 19^th?

hjwest photo

A group of guys have created a humanitarian group called Beer Bongs for World Peace. BBFWP sells beer bongs and their “Bear+Deer = Beer” shirt online, while donating the profits to feed hungry children. They claim that buying a beer bong feeds four children — and buying a tee shirt feeds eight. Yes, party animals, making the world a better place, one drunken debacle at a time. Check out their website BeerbongsForWorldPeace.org

This week a couple of concerts come to mind. It was 40 years ago at Madison Square Garden that George Harrison hosted the very first all star rock show for charity. It was the Concert For Bangladesh and it happened August lst 1971. To celebrate and remember this huge event 40 years ago, The concert will stream for free at The Concert for Bangladesh. Com. You can catch it sometime this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. It features Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Badfinger, Ringo Starr and Ravi Shankar, and of course George.

The other big concert anniversary is that of The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, at the Watkins Glen Raceway in New York State. It has the distinction of holding the Guinness record for largest attendance at a pop festival. The number was estimated at 600,000. Bigger than Woodstock by about 150 thousand. Even more amazing, there were only 3 bands on the bill. The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and The Band. The general opinion was that the performances were a little less than ideal. And the big jam at the end of the show sounded horrible due to the different drug and alcohol intake. The Dead were tripping, The Allman’s were coked out and The Band was drunk. Well that about covers it I guess. At the end of the day, everybody went home happy and inebriated. Watkins Glen, happened 38 years ago this week, The Concert for Bangladesh, 40 years ago… Were you at either one of them?

Seems even the Tooth Fairy is feeling the economic pinch.  According to a recent survey of kids, the national average for a lost tooth is $2.60, down from 3 bucks just a coupla years ago.  Children living on the West Coast are the Tooth Fairy’s favorites, with the average being $2.80–a bit more for front teeth & molars.  –I lost a tooth a coupla years ago…the Tooth Fairy brought ME a new implant–AND a $ 1500 dental bill.  That took a bite outta my budget. OUCH!  **(photo by patrikpaprika)

By Michael Leonard

ZZ Top’s new album is now finished, being mixed, and will be released in the fall of 2011. Billy Gibbons tells Mojo magazine, “It sounds and feels like Tres Hombres, with a few elements of the Eliminatorperiod thrown in. A pretty wide range, from basic blues to slightly more fancy stuff.

Songs recorded include “Flyin’ High,” “More Slower Blues.” “Chartreuse” and “Have A Little Mercy.” The latter is, says Gibbons, inspired by early B.B. King cuts.

The sessions have been executive-produced by Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Metallica, etc). Gibbons adds, “The thing about Rick is he pushes the artists to spend more time reaching down deeper than they normally would.”

ZZ top recorded at the famous Shangri La Studios in Malibu with engineeer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Jet). The trio then moved back to Texas, to Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with long-time engineer Joe Hardy. “It was the Sardy and Hardy party,” said Gibbons.

A version of “Flyin’ High,” which is not confirmed for the album, has already debuted: played en-route to the International Space Station on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft. “We figured it’d be the perfect song to pass along to the astronauts,” said Gibbons.

Not every song will be as as radio-friendly as “Flyin’ High”, insists Billy. “More Slower Blues” is “simply one chord, that never stops.”

ZZ Top have yet to reveal the album’s title and its final tracklisting.

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1943, Mike Bloomfield, guitarist
1943, Rick Wright, keyboards, vocals, Pink Floyd
1948, Gerald Casale, vocals, bass, Devo
1949, Simon Kirke, drums, Free
1949, Steve Took, percussion, vocals, T. Rex
1953, Steve Morse, guitar, Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs
1976, Jacoby Shaddix, vocals, Papa Roach

1954, The first press interview with 19-year-old Elvis Presley was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

1956, Gene Vincent made his first appearance on national TV in the U.S. on The Perry Como Show. Vincent had released “Woman Love” the previous month, but it was the B-side, “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” that eventually made the top 10. The song had been purchased from a fellow hospital patient when Vincent was recovering from leg injuries. A demo of the song made its way to Capitol Records as part of an Elvis sound-alike contest and a re-recorded version gave Vincent a hit.

1969, Police in Moscow reported that thousands of public phone booths had been vandalized after thieves were stealing parts of the phones to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A feature in a Russian youth magazine had shown details on how to do this.

1973, The Watkins Glen outdoor Summer Jam was held outside of Watkins Glen, New York with The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead and The Band. Over 600,000 rock fans attended. Many historians claimed the event was the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States. 150,000 tickets were sold for $10 each, but for all the other people, it was a free concert. The crowd was so huge that a large part of the audience was not able to see the stage.

1979, “I Don’t Like Mondays” gave The Boomtown Rats their second U.K. #1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer. For more on this story, see today’s This Day in Music Spotlight.

1982, Queen played the second of two nights at Madison Square Garden, New York City.

1996, Marge Ganser from The Shangri-Las died of breast cancer. The group scored more than 10 hits during the ’60s including the 1964 U.S. #1 “Leader of the Pack.”

2002, Dave Matthews Band went to #1 on the U.S. album chart with Busted Stuff.