Week 14: THE DOORS (420 to 30: A Music Retrospective)
Morrison's poetry and Manzarek's use of the keyboard as bass gave The Doors a distinct sound among the many emergent rock talents in the 60s. Decades later, my teenage self would discover the six albums made by this group in Jim Morrison's lifetime and become relatively obsessed with listening to them. Although I eventually tamed this obsession, they remain one of my favorite bands to this day.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Here's 7 of my favorites from The Doors.
Week 14: THE DOORS
#092/420 - The Doors, “The End”
One of my favorite albums is the debut from The Doors. Every song on here is a classic for me. I listened to this music a lot when I was younger and the conclusion is one of the album’s most memorable moments. It’s about as Doors as the Doors ever got.
#093/420 - The Doors, “The Crystal Ship”
Among the best lyrics Jim Morrison ever wrote in my opinion, this is a short and sweet gem from their debut album. Like many of The Doors’ best songs, its meaning is slightly mysterious. What is the crystal ship? Is it a mighty and elegant sailing vessel on the sea made of pure crystal, glimmering in arctic waters under a gentle rain? Or is it a euphemism for a glass pipe of drugs???
Up for interpretation… but always great imagery.
“You’d rather cry. I’d rather fly.”
#094/420 - The Doors, “Five to One”
Some of Jim Morrison’s best vocals and Robby Krieger’s best guitar playing, it’s also one of the best anthems to turn on when feeling cornered or in the need to overcome. Morrison sounds like an absolute wildman on this one and the band compliments him excellently, including the droning repetition of “get together one more time” that eventually takes over.
“They got the guns, but we got the numbers.”
Taking over. Peace on Earth.
#095/420 - The Doors, “Peace Frog”
Surprisingly this isn’t one of The Doors’ biggest hits. Krieger has one of his best guitar licks to start this song off, one of his best solos midway through, and then there’s Ray Manzarek bouncing in with that signature Doors bassline on the keyboard. It’s not one of their longest songs by any stretch, though definitely one of their funkiest, but it maneuvers quite a bit for less than 3 minutes. Memorable lines from Morrison, and I love the shift into the last section.
(beat)
“Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven
Blood stains the roofs and the palm trees of Venice
Blood in my love in the terrible summer
Bloody red sun of fantastic L.A.”
One of The Doors’ best.
“Blood on the rise, it’s following me…”
#096/420 - The Doors, “Hyacinth House”
“Work in progress, take one.”
Occasionally when I really get into an artist, I go full discography and end up privy to some “rare” or previously unreleased material. Even less common than that I find a track where I significantly prefer the demo and it becomes one of my favorite songs. That is this song.
There’s a few things this version has going for it that the album version doesn’t have. Jim’s vocals in the album version are a lot more staccato than here where each note slides into the next. I also greatly prefer John Densmore on the bongos here than the drum kit. It sounds like there’s possibly more than one pair going too, so perhaps Manzarek was on drums here as well? I’m not sure who to give the full credit to, but this demo has some of the sickest bongo playing I’ve ever heard. The atmosphere of this recording is also unmatched by the album. You get to basically sit in with Jim, John, Robby, and Ray and bang on some bongos, holler a great song, and strum the acoustic right along with them.
These are also my favorite lyrics by Jim Morrison and it has my favorite line of his, “I need somebody who doesn’t need me.” I’ve heard this line at many points in my life now and it always means something slightly different. In one way it seems to capture and latch onto a feeling of wanting a significant other who simply wants and does not actually need you. I need somebody who can make it on their own/doesn't rely on me, just appreciates me. But you could also take it is wanting someone in your bones that doesn’t reach out to you in the same way because of that same fact. It’s a bit hopeless but carried away on those rips on the bongos (and probably bongs too, or at least whiskey). “Why did you throw that Jack of Hearts away? It was the only card in the deck I had left to play.”
“I need a brand new friend. The end.”
#097/420 - The Doors, “Riders on the Storm”
The twinkling of Ray Manzarek’s keyboard amid the rain shower and distant thunder makes for the most relaxing atmosphere in The Doors’ catalog. It’s a great song for near an open window on a rainy night. Like most of this album, it’s also easy listening on a rainy night drive through anywhere in the American Southwest. But even without such real life ambiance, it’s easy to imagine yourself there while listening.
As it were, this would end up as the final track on The Doors’ final album with Jim Morrison. It’s a beautiful end to six excellent studio albums.
#098/420 - The Doors, “L.A. Woman”
Not only my favorite song by The Doors, but actually one of my favorite songs of all time. I once calculated years ago that I had spent over 2 full days worth of playtime listening to this track alone in my old computer’s iTunes. So I evidently really like it. And yes that is true.
Pretty much my favorite everything The Doors ever did in every respective way is present in this track. Morrison’s vocals are the best, Krieger’s guitar playing is the best, Manzarek’s keyboard playing is the best, Densmore’s drumming is the best, there’s even a little rhythm and bass thrown in for good measure. 2:38, great keyboard section, 3:00 some sick drumming, you got Mr. Mojo Risin’ at 4:54, and how about that guitar at 6:02 on the wings of Jim’s deranged yells which were recorded in a bathroom. It’s got great energy and all kinds of musical delights. Definitely one of the best, not to be passed up.
And yes, when I was 18, my friend snuck me into a bar, we drank a lot of whiskey, it was karaoke night, and after starting with the “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”, I indeed did this song. It was a one night only performance but I have to say it was well-received as I recall.
After L.A. Woman, that was it for The Doors as history would know them. Jim died in July of 1971. The rest of the group released two more albums without him before officially hanging it up. I have owned the first non-Morrison album The Doors did after L.A. Woman called Other Voices on vinyl for years. I have never listened to it.
Maybe one day.
Next week, rounding off this month’s members of the 27 Club is the founder of one of the most prolific, iconic, storied, and successful groups in the history of rock and roll. We’ll be remembering Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest
Week 4: Weezer
Week 5: Bob Dylan
Week 6: Led Zeppelin
Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli
Week 8: Billy Joel
Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra
Week 10: Elvis Presley
Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Week 13: Nirvana
View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)
Imagine it was kinda hard to limit it to just 7... but that's a good number... great post ;9)
Indeed. And honestly it is on most weeks!
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