The Doors
Three musicians and a drunk...
Albums
9/10
Producer: Paul A. Rothchild
-
Break on Through (To The Other Side)
-
Soul Kitchen
-
Crystal Ship
-
Twentieth Century Fox
-
Alabama Song
-
Light My Fire
-
Back Door Man
-
I Looked At You
-
End Of The Night
-
Take It As It Comes
-
The End
The Doors were formed in 1965 and had a relatively short recording career, primarily due to the death of front man and lyricist, Jim Morrison. That’s what most of you probably know all ready, but how many of us of late have actually sat down and listened to their incredibly good back catalogue?
The first thing that strikes you about The Doors is that they had it all. Guitarist Robby Krieger was incredibly adept at writing memorable riffs and performing blues solos that can get your toe tapping and your head bopping in an instant. Yet, he isn’t the most significant figure of the band. Maybe it was Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who even manages to trump almost every Krieger riff by some incredibly intuitive keyboard line. See the solo in Light My Fire that lasts for a good few several minutes, it is entirely hypnotic. Yet still, even he wasn’t the greatest member of The Doors. Ladies and Gentleman, I introduce to you… Drummer John Densmore... JUST KIDDING! While no slouch on the drums, you didn’t think I was going to hand over the ‘definite 1960’s rock ‘n’ roll star’ award to a drummer *giggles*! I’m talking about none other than self-destructive icon for the 20th century, Jim Morrison. And this is why the band disbanded after his death. He is what made The Doors and what carried them. His cryptic lyrics, his unpredictable on stage performances and his bar room baritone.
It’s very rare that you find a band with 100% suited members. I can think of about five bands, and even then it’s a struggle. Which brings me nicely to my next point – whichever song you are listening to with The Doors, whether it be the oh-so-very-good opening number Break on Through or the aforementioned 7 minute strut of Light My Fire, you are left entirely convinced that these songs couldn’t in any way, shape or form, be improved upon. This is how they were meant to be sung, this is how they were meant to be arranged and this is how they were meant to be performed.
Well, I’d like to nominate Soul Kitchen as the best song on the album. It is the zenith of bluesy funk and the way Krieger’s guitar mimics Manzarek’s keyboard is a thing of beauty! The cherry on the cake though is the way Morrison delivers the lyric, “Well, your fingers weave quick min-a-rets; speak in se-cret alpha-bets, I light another cig-a-rette!” It is the epitome of cool, and you just know that Morrison wrote that lyric from memory. Also memorable is Take It as It Comes, which really encompasses what rock ‘n’ roll from The Doors is to me - energetic drumming, terrific keyboards, spiralling guitar and Morrison’s largely nonsensical, yet enchanting lyrics.
I’m not going to tell you much about the closing song, The End, other than it is a masterpiece. It consists of some of Morrison’s most darkly surreal lyrics/poetry married to some of the best music The Doors ever composed. It is a beautifully realised piece of music in which everything comes together and in turn allows the listener to experience something extraordinary. I’m not saying it should last for over 11 minutes. But when it is good, it is flawless.
There is little else I can say about this album really. It’s one of those solid gold classics that you really need to hear yourself to appreciate.
Want to share your thoughts? Click here to leave a comment!
8/10
Producer: Paul A. Rothchild
-
Roadhouse Blues
-
Waiting for the Sun
-
You Make Me Real
-
Peace Frog
-
Blue Sunday
-
Ship of Fools
-
Land Ho!
-
The Spy
-
Queen of the Highway
-
Indian Summer
-
Maggie M’Gill
After their previous album, The Soft Parade, was not well received by either fans or critics due to its experimental edge, The Doors reverted back to their original style for album number five, with a new significance given to the blues. This tactic worked and saw the band receive glowing reviews from critics, and fans had their faith in the band re-established. The LP sleeve photo, The Doors inside the Morrison Hotel in
Chicago, was a difficult one to get, as the owners of the Hotel refused the band access to take the photo. So, when nobody was looking, the band snuck in and quickly took the shots they needed, as you do.
This new found enthusiasm for the blues can be heard on the scorching opening track, Roadhouse Blues. Jim Morrison has never acted out the barroom drunk better than here, his words fighting for prominence as they fall from his intoxicated lips one after the other. The harmonica is rocking out hard and I love the way it mimics Morrison’s yells at the 3 minute mark, “Save our city!!” This will be more than enough to please most listeners, but the fact that it also contains an insane guitar solo from Robby Krieger and killer piano work from Ray Manzarek only confirms The Doors’ greatness. You Make Me Real is less than 3 minutes long, and is, in a word, perfection. The playful piano piece from Manzarek is up there with his best work, but I feel it is Krieger’s fondness for leaning towards the blues which truly shines. It’s honest, downright gripping, simplified rock ‘n’ roll. You just know it’s going to be great from the first moment Morrison announces, “I really want you!”
Peace Frog is funkadelic and is one of my favourite songs from the band. Morrison allegedly wrote the lyrics, when as a child he saw an accident take place where two vehicles had collided. He claims to have seen the victims scattered everywhere and bleeding, “Indians scattered on Dawn’s Highway bleeding, and ghosts crowd the young child’s fragile egg-shell mind.” With all this myth and legend circling Morrison’s lyrics, it is perhaps easy to forget the momentum which the band had at this point for creating instinctive riffs and watertight melodies. Peace Frog is no different and will have you playing air-guitar if you know what is good for you.
The Spy is very, very cool and a calculated attempt to bring the sleazy clubs of the night to those of us with less than exciting lives. The spindly guitar work is very clever and conjures up images of people sneaking around. Hell, each band member brings something to the table during The Spy; you can quite easily see Manzarek playing his piano in the corner of a nameless club, with smoke spiralling amongst his hosts and the seedy low-life going about their day-to-day lives. Queen of the Highway is psychedelic, featuring some captivating guitar work by Krieger, and again, more stellar keyboard playing from Manzarek. I mean, you’d be lucky to have any one member of The Doors in a band, but the fact that they had Morrison, Krieger and Manzarek all shooting for the stars simply meant that they could not fail. Indian Summer shows a more gentle side to the band. It is a carefully considered ballad, in which Morrison has rarely sounded quite as welcoming as he does here.
The final song, Maggie M’Gill, is somewhat different to previous album closers by The Doors. It doesn’t boast a massive running time, a la The End or When the Music’s Over, but on the other hand it possesses a more refined sound than the closers from their two previous albums, the raw Five to One and the preachy The Soft Parade. Maybe comparisons shouldn’t be made with previous efforts, but I feel that it falls a little short of some of the band’s other recordings.
The Doors have few rivals when they get down to the direct thrills and excitement that rock ‘n’ roll can provide. Morrison Hotel is a wonderful showcase for their talents and makes for a very strong entry in their catalogue. Sure, it has nothing on their debut, but not many things do. So, just sit back and enjoy a fantastic LP!
Want to share your thoughts? Click here to leave a comment! |
The Doors
