One Here Gets Out Alive, Morrison hated the album cover for Absolutely Live. He had changed his appearance dramatically since the band's early days, growing a beard and discarding his onstage leather attire in an attempt to overcome his "rock god" image, but was dismayed to find that his record label opted for an earlier photograph of him for the cover. In his book Krautrocksampler, the British rock musician and writer Julian Cope described the photo of Morrison as one of his "two favorite all-time images of rock 'n' roll singers". Release and reception Absolutely Live sold only 225,000 copies, half of what their previous studio album Morrison Hotel had sold. Critic Gloria Vanjak of Rolling Stone magazine wrote a scathing review of the album, singling out Morrison's performance in particular and referring to "Celebration of the Lizard" as "rancid". Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave a more favorable review, praising its "strong performances and audio," but concluded that "I don't happen to be into reptiles when the music's over, much less while it's on." In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann observed that the album "demonstrated that, in concert, the Doors could be an enervating as well as an elevating experience." However, he bemoaned the fact that Morrison seemed to "treat the whole exercise as a charade" and opined that several tracks "flag considerably in comparison to the sleeker studio versions." Writing for Classic Rock, critic Max Bell praised the album, noting that it remains the "organic documentary" that the band envisaged. Reissues In 1991, Absolutely Live was issued on compact disc as part of the two-CD set In Concert, which also included the Doors' live albums Alive, She Cried and Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Absolutely Live was later reissued as a single CD by Elektra in 1996, featuring new artwork different from the original LP. In 2010, it was reissued on 180 gram vinyl by Rhino Records in its original double LP format and featuring its original artwork, in both the U.S. and UK. Track listing Songwriters and LP side total lengths are taken from the original 1970 Elektra Records album (individual song timings are not listed) and may differ from other sources. Personnel Per liner notes: The Doors Jim Morrisonvocals Ray Manzarekorgan, keyboard bass, lead vocals on "Close to You", backing vocals Robby Kriegerguitar John Densmoredrums Technical Paul A. Rothchildproducer Bruce Botnickengineer Remote recording