Doors; Miller Blues Band; Haji Baba; Moscoso, Victor; Hillyard, Roger; van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: Doors, Miller Blues Band, Haji Baba (April 14-15, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 13&7/8" x 20") announcing a "Dance Concert" with performances headlined by the Doors, along with the (Steve) Miller Blues Band & Haji Baba, during April 14-15, 1967 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The great Spanish-American artist Victor Moscoso (b. 1936) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "Moscoso" in red facsimile cursive handwriting is found below right edge/corner of image at lower orange border (see image). Also credited for "Lights" is the "North American Ibis Alchemical Co.," a memorably-named incarnation of Roger Hillyard, Ben van Meter & their associates. Hillyard (b. 1942) was highly involved with the exemplary psychedelic shows of this era, later became the proprietor of a popular coffee shop, & most recently the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & experimental filmmaker at this time, & still engages in cutting-edge creativity as of this writing. According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (which is similar in its depth to that of our underground comix from this period), this copy is a first printing, distinguishable from a reprint by the presence of a tiny blue dot at the middle-right area of lower orange border shortly to the left of "1967...," below ticket outlet information (again see image, at increased size). King, FD-57-OP-1, pg. 120. King writes: "The central image is a late 19th or early 20th-century photograph of a bare breasted woman. Superimposed over this photograph is a series of swirls which produce an effect similar to looking down a gun barrel with more than the usual amount of rifling. If the establishment was right during the '60s when they claimed that the Hippie movement was about nothing more than sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, then the posters of Victor Moscoso must have been right near the top of their list of evils. His art often was openly about sex and frequently was an homage to beautiful, nude women he found in late 19th and early 20th-century photographs. This poster for the Doors is probably his most popular Family Dog poster, and even the reprint tends to be expensive." (pg. 120) See also our item No.s 5587, 5746 (the other Moscoso Doors posters referred to above by King). An especially iconic exemplar of Moscoso's psychedelic style that was reaching its apex that year during the Spring just preceding the "Summer of Love," in its rarest contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a highly regarded artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other electrifying posters that symbolize a legendary time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our dazzled-but-decisive estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only a touch of wear, rubbing, & a few tiny bumps, faint creases at/near edges & corners within orange borders- the entire central image is bright & substantially mint. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5667]

Price: $1,000.00