=
Strange days have found us
Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys
We shall go on playing or find a new town
Strange eyes fill strange rooms
Voices will signal their tired end
The hostess is grinning
Her guests sleep from sinning
Hear me talk of sin and you know this is it
=

I remember the album artwork to Strange Days well. As stated in my first review, I was exposed to the multi-dimensional rock band The Doors at toddler status-- pre-kindergarten if my memory doesn't fail me. We had a long CD rack that rested aside the television set in the den, and at the bottom, my father's dusty CDs were kept beneath my mother's Celine Dion and Fleetwood Mac records. I was supposed to love this music; I was programmed to love every song on their greatest hits collections; I was to know their entire discography and be amazed at the two records release post-lead singer Jim Morrison's death. But this particular album, their second in a collection of eight, was off-limits, with my father giving the excuse that it wasn't meant for children. This was and still is very perplexing-- Riders on the Storm is okay for me to listen to, but not Strange Days? The album cover, features some makeshift carnival performers on the streets of New York, had been forever burned into my memory. Unfortunately, the music has not. It took me a very long time to listen to this album, mainly due to eventual disinterest and subconscious awareness that I was not allowed-- even well into my teens. When I realized I was not bound to his beliefs or wishes anymore, I still didn't listen. The mystery would be taken away. Of course, I've since listened to the album, and rather than understand my father, I am still confused.

Much like The Doors's eponymous debut record from the same year, the adult references and cryptically symbolic lyrics would have flown right over my head-- they still kind of do. But what I can understand is music on the surface; my ear do not need to go any further if don't wish to. With The Doors, they do require your attention, but there is something immediately different about this album from their first. To understand this, we have to look into the history of Strange Days. The entire record is comprised of left-overs from the previous album, meaning that is a sense of sloppiness to this album. The songs, overall, from this collection are slightly less precious and not quite up to snuff. Though there are enjoyable moments, it is nowhere near as consistent in terms of enjoyment, and this album doesn't leave me as breathless as their debut. Specifically, lyrical melodies fall short in comparison to classic moments on their debut like Crystal Ship. Musically, the record is just as eerie as ever. Their brand of psychedelic rock is combined with backwards guitar playing, muddy organs, and haunting flourishes from Jim's voice. Morrison's lyrics tend to take a slight nose dive and come second to his bandmates, who seem to be playing the material with soul and conviction. I'm not sold on a lot of these songs, and I probably never will be. There's something very lazy about the surface layer of this album, which is worth the listen for the awkward production than anything else.

This album is not a pop album. Very little of it is truly radio friendly, as the band find themselves scraping the barrel for the best leftovers. There is a big reason some of this material was excluded the first time around given its lack of mainstream potential. That in itself is not the reason for its lackluster presence (in my eyes anyway); its the lack of anything special that makes Strange Days an album that can stand on its on two friend. Some of the more classic moments include the two-minute diddy People Are Strange, which a starkly horrific song that works its way into your head and never wants to leave. If music were personified, this would be classified as an undead song with its haunting melody and blunt lyrics: "Faces come out of the rain when you're strange / No one remembers your name when you're strange." There's a keen vibe of paranoia and confusion of this album in addition to Jim being on his soapbox the entire time; but some of it just doesn't work. The slam-poetry break Horse Latitude is boring and predictable, as Morrison yelps and grips at the listener for about a minute and a half. His poetry readings have been done later and done better, so this one just seems to fall remarkably short, taking away from the overall product rather than adding another element to it. Songs like Unhappy Girl or You're Lost Little Girl have interesting musical productions but lack an interesting presence lyrically or vocally. Hm. Who knew. An entire record of b-side material wasn't a good idea? You're kidding. Perhaps I'm being too hard; these aren't terrible songs. Just boring in comparison. The music industry was starkly different than it was today, and there was pressure to release another album to stay visible-- there was no internet. While I usually like rush-job albums because the artist(s) must rely on first instinct, this is slightly different; The Doors had experience with these songs and tripped up majorly.

Some of the better moments include the warped and faded title-track, which has one of the most distorted and deconstructed rock melodies of all time. The hauntingly distant vocals from Morrison compliment the tattered keyboards and guitar playing from Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger respectively. My Eyes Have Seen You is one of the more original melodies that tends to stand out to me over the others, as Jim's voice growls with passion and a drug-induced fury. Moonlight Drive may be a fan-favorite, but I don't honestly know why. I feel like the melody flatlines despite a really keen and broken take on classic rock music. The militaristic vibe I get from this song is really cool, but it's not fully realized lyrically or vocally...again. This is the separate between poet and band, whereas their literary sound from The Doors was well combined and well written. Blues-rock track Love Me Two Times is another popular track about war, and it has one of those classic melodies that's instantly recognized-- many would be surprised that its words were penned by Robby and not the tragic poet. The clavinet that Ray jams on during the break was innovative and a cool twist on this weird baroque fad that was happening in music at the time. It's not exactly pop music, but it's the closest they get with this album. It's got way too much soul on all fronts to be written off as 60s pop. Of course this album ends on the subtly dramatic When the Music's Over, and it's quietly complex, but it loses steam quickly-- and that's not a good thing considering how it runs at about eleven minutes.

VERDICT
I know that Doors fans are probably getting ready to gas me in the hallway, but I have to be honest and admit that Strange Days is nowhere near as innovative or interesting as their debut record. It's got some wonderful moments, but they don't come as often as they did on The Doors. We hit a musical high but always hit a musical low.

01. Strange Days [5 Stars]
02. You're Lost Little Girl [3 Stars]
03. Love Me Two Times [5 Stars]
04. Unhappy Girl [3.5 Stars]
05. Horse Latitudes [1 Star]
06. Moonlight Drive [3.5 Stars]
07. People Are Strange [5 Stars]
08. My Eyes Have Seen You [4.5 Stars]
09. I Can't See Your Face in My Mind [3.5 Stars]
10. When the Music's Over [3 Stars]

BEST: Strange Days and People Are Strange
WORST: Horse Latitudes

SCORE: 4 STARS (3.7+ )

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THE DOORS
1967 - The Doors
1967 - Strange Days

Recommended: Yes