Rewind. It’s the year 1967. Music lies somewhere between the hip-happenin’ Beatles and total desolation. The scene is ripe for something new. That new something was the poetic genius of Jim Morrison and The Doors.
Jim Morrison was a rebellious figure, unwilling to compromise his words and feelings and poetry. This attitude was the basis for The Doors and what would ultimately lead to the band’s success and demise. Born in Florida on December 8, 1943, Morrison lived an increasingly turbulent life. He grew up an honor students and boy scout and upon graduation from high school and leaving Junior College in Florida, Morrison left for UCLA. It was there, in 1965, that he met the three men who would join him in making music.
The foursome including Morrison, Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums), and Robby Krieger (guitar) decided to call themselves The Doors. The name was a suggestion from the poetry-loving and philosophical Morrison who was a huge fan of William Blake. Blake introduced a novel from classic thinker, sci-fi writer Aldus Huxley titled The Doors of Perception.
The Doors were a different kind of band. Relying on free flowing thought and emotion (and Morrison’s often strange antics), they came to be known as wonderful live performers. In 1967, the band released their self-titled debut album. It’s also their best album on the whole. Morrison’s words and poetry were strange at times, but backed by the amazing band, the sound was bluesy and psychedelic. It was easy, natural, and entertaining. Best of all, it was rebellious.
It seems ridiculous (and impossible) to go into all of the problems that The Doors and Morrison faced. Their music was surely confrontational and controversial. But, the biggest problem was Morrison’s disillusionment with fame and his continuous problems with drugs and booze. Sufficed to say, Morrison died in Paris in 1971 of an apparent drug overdose. Yet, the band’s legend lives on. They have remained in the music industry’s psyche for the past thirty years. Renowned as an original rock band, their power and artistic prowess has yet to be equaled.
So, in leaving just seven original albums behind it is relatively easy to point to just one as exclaim “that album is the best!” Sure enough, The Doors debut album is just that…”the best.” Released by Elektra in 1967, it contains just eleven songs. Beginning with the hit ”Break On Through” and wrapping up with the eleven-minute epic ”The End”, this album is a complete vision shrouded in drugs and in mystery. The twirling lyrics to these classic rock tracks are written by Morrison. The music is written by the rest of the band. We all know that The Doors aren’t going away any time soon. It’s my duty to examine these eleven tracks and try to explain some of the reasons why the band remains so popular.
As I already mentioned, ”Break On Through” is the lead-off song to this album. Coming in at just 2:25, it’s also one of the shorter tracks on this album. The music on this track is amazing, with the band’s typical keyboards, singing guitars, and tight drums. Morrison’s voice really is the star of this song (and the others). Despite the genuine talent exhibited by Densmore, Krieger, and Manzarek, Morrison shines with his energy and smoothly rebellious vocals. He sings from his gut, uttering sounds and noises with the prodding of the instruments from his compatriots. So far as The Doors songs go, this one is a perennial classic. I wouldn’t say that it’s the ‘best,’ but it is surely one of the most popular among listeners.
”Soul Kitchen” is a groovy, keyboard driven track. It sounds like a mixture between blues and a psycho carnival. The song is light and loose, sounding as you can imagine it would have as performed by The Doors thirty five years ago. It’s only moderately interesting for much of the song. When it breaks into the chorus, Morrison’s quick and sharp lyrics are amazing. This is what I would consider to be a “low” track. It’s excited and fast, but somehow still manages to be depressing. Even though this was recorded a few years before Morrison’s demise, you can feel his strangeness…and his genius.
One of the most psychedelic songs from The Doors ever is ”Crystal Ship”. I will preface my comments by saying that I like a loud, aggressive sound more from The Doors than I like this slow, methodical, and trippy sound. That aside, I’m sure that some people really like the song. I don’t, but I’ll try not to be too critical. The main focus of this song is really Morrison’s lyrics. This is one of the songs that I can see Morrison lit by a spotlight, on stage whispering almost inaudibly into the microphone. The feel and the wonderful musicianship on this song is very typical of The Doors.
For pure fun don’t miss ”Twentieth Century Fox”. This is what I consider to be an underrated song. As one of my favorites, I love the sparse chorus with clap-along drums and guitars. Morrison’s voice is clear and concise in front of bluesy guitars and Manzarek’s organ/keyboard. This song is fast and emotional. It speaks about a woman who Morrison refers to as a ”Twentieth Century Fox”. Like I said, this is a truly wonderful song.
Drinkers everywhere love ”Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”. I think it’s a bit strange, but that’s not really the point here. Again, the listener feels that they are trapped inside of a strange carnival as hosted by the tripping The Doors. This track has a very eclectic feel, not relying on traditional instruments. Morrison whispers and chants in time with the music. As pure entertainment, this song is indispensable. I feel kind of dirty, kind of naughty for listening to ”Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”. How can you go wrong with that kind of influence?
The first song to help The Doors break onto the charts was ”Light My Fire”. As with other bands of the day, Ed Sullivan asked the foursome to be on his show to perform. He asked just one thing. For them not to utter the blasphemous line ”Girl we couldn’t get much higher”. Too bad that Sullivan didn’t know much about Morrison. He didn’t get his wish…not even close. Morrison not only sang the line, he enunciated it and sang it even louder than usual. ”Light My Fire” is a great song. It’s fun, fast, and easy to sing. Fortunately, it’s also the product of a bunch of mad geniuses. Morrison’s voice is rich and full, he sounds so real and so wonderful…like you could touch him even today thirty hears after his death. One of the major forces of this song is the keyboard. It’s loud and high-pitched, driving the song’s melody more so than the drums or guitar.
Bluesy and understated, ”Back Door Man” is another superb track from The Doors. Morrison sing-screams through the song. Despite me calling this a ‘superb track,’ it isn’t one of my favorites. It’s too low and understated for me to enjoy listening to the song. ”Back Door Man” also seems very tense and driven. Maybe the aura surrounding this song is indicative of tensions within the band.
”I Looked at You” isn’t usually seen as a one of the better tracks from The Doors. Who knows why. I think it’s impressive with Morrison singing aggressively and a wonderful blend of music with the keyboard and guitar seeming interchangeable. So far as entertainment value goes, this is one of the best from this album. The only bad thing is that it’s very, very short clocking in at just over two minutes.
Mysterious and strange ”End of the Night” is a means by which The Doors showcased Morrison’s poetry. He speaks more than sings, creating a very dark and dank vision. The instruments here are distorted, yet are just soft enough to give Morrison’s voice some room to move. It’s difficult at times to listen to this brilliant song at times thanks to its depressing feeling.
”Take It As It Comes” is another great song. Morrison is energetic, as are Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore. This track is very representative of the songs I most appreciate from The Doors. The lyrics in this song actually are much easier to pick apart and to comprehend than in some of Morrison’s more psychedelic outings. Sometimes it is impossible to understand what Morrison was trying to say. He thought about things in a very different way and from different angles.
The final track of this debut masterpiece is the long and winding ”The End”. This track was most notably the centerpiece of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 movie Apocalypse Now. ”The End” is a beautiful song that twists and twirls, winding its way around a melody. Morrison’s vocals are quiet compared to some of the other songs on this album. But, it’s undeniable that ”The End” is wonderful. Sure, it’s very dark and depressing, but that aside it’s difficult not to listen to this song and appreciate it for The Doors gift of music. The band was very talented, and this is their most wonderful song of all.
It’s my assumption that everybody has heard at least one of these songs. The Doors are one of the most visible and most innovative bands to have ever hailed from the United States. It’s sad that Morrison had to die so early, but if he hadn’t maybe the world wouldn’t remember the band in such a favorable light. If somebody picked the right time to die, it was Morrison. He was a poet, The Doors provided him a very public outlet.
This is an amazing album. It rests among the top ten in my CD catalog and earns a deserved 5/5 stars. I highly recommend this album to music lovers of every genre everywhere. I don’t care if you like boy bands. So what if you like rap. Even if you like country, this album is for you. It will open your eyes and broaden your horizons. Music will never seem quite the same after really sitting down and listening to The Doors.
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