“He was unhappy with his role as a national sex symbol, and after the Miami obscenity trial he did everything in his power to obliterate that, He gained enormous weight, he grew a beard. Paul Rothchild was now in the latter group. (Image credit: Elektra)īy 1970, the people prepared to buy Morrison’s antics, and those who weren’t, were divided into two camps. He’d slogged over Morrison Hotel, cobbled together Absolutely Live, had a song rejected for the movie Zabriskie Point, and was emotionally drained after producing Janis Joplin’s Pearl, only for the singer to die before it’s release. Woman, producer Paul Rothchild had had enough. It was the last straw.īy the time of L.A. Carousing with Jim one night the singer had mumbled, “Brian, Janis, Jimi – you’re drinkin’ with number four”. Joplin died before its completion – aged 27, like Brian Jones. He’d also endured the trauma of producing Janis Joplin’s Pearl album. He’d spent a fractious time in 1970 producing Morrison Hotel and then sifted through hours of stage tapes for Absolutely Live. The Elektra Records soundman had fallen out with label boss Jac Holzman and gone freelance. As soon as he left the room, that’s when L.A. We didn’t want to be back in Sunset, and Paul couldn’t bring us back to life. We played the songs very badly – with Jim – but there was no chi, no energy. “We were giving Paul a preview and he was bored. Bombshell dropped, Rothchild sweeps up his belongings, including a bag of grass he calls his ‘Killer Destroyer’ stash, gives everyone a brief hug, and exits to stunned silence.

Jla morrison