How Do You Rate The Doors?

I found them . . . um . . . uninspiring after the first two albums, which were both amazing.

 

Don't You Love Her Madly

 

king of the lizards

 

An amazingly musical band. I always marvel at what three instrumentalists can come up with, regardless of what the singer is doing. The Doors always intrigue my ears, and I think Robby Krieger was one of the more inventive guitarists of the 60's, and still sounds completely unique today. So, exceptional.

 

Whether one likes the band or not, they are the most unique sounding rock n roll group ever... sonically speaking that is... as much as I love the Yardbirds, they SOUND much like other Brit guitar bands... but the Doors soundscape stands by itself... I remember the first time I heard them in 1981... the combo of jazzy drums, trebley guitar and that organ was unlike anything this 13 year old had heard... 36 years later that still holds true... and I don't know exactly why... another organ-based band like, say, the Animals is traditional sounding... the Doors somehow occupy an aural space all their own.

Having said that, I also find it interesting that they are not what you would call "world-class" musicians... no virtuosos and they come across as very "garagey" at times... but somehow, it doesn't matter... they are a BAND and get across what they're trying to do better than a group of technical monsters could ever achieve... for me, the first two albums have that mythic "spook" I value highly... they lost it after that and became a more mundane unit with occasional flashes of brilliance, but the first two albums are where it's at for me. Enough to make them a Top 5 band for me, though.

 

in my top 3

 

The Jim Morrison era (1965-1971): Exceptional, one of the greatest bands to ever exist
The post-Morrison era (1971-1973): Below Average

 

Agree. Without pretension "rock music" wouldn't exist.

 

I voted Great-'One of which I am a Big fan of', as despite really being one of my favorite Bands and in my Top 4 from the 1960s(with Pink Floyd, The Kinks & Jefferson Airplane), but The Doors are #1 out of those 4 Bands for me, I could not vote 'Exceptional-One of the Greatest Bands to ever Exist', as Jim being Drunk hurt several live performances.

Their Debut ST Album, Strange Days & Waiting for the Sun are a perfect Trilogy for me.

It is no coincidence that I am a Massive Echo & the Bunnymen Fan, as they were a Post Punk Doors(they even did cover versions of 'People are Strange' and 'Soul Kitchen').

Also, one of my Top 5 Favorite Doors Song despite not being on any of their Best of Albums was this one(Link Below) from the L.A. Woman Album. The lyrics really were a cryptic message from Jim on his state of mind and maybe his reason for wanting to leave LA and the Band and move to France.

 

I call them exceptional mainly because they were just such a total original. They sound like no other band. Completely unique, and what they did, they did very, very well. If I'm in the mood for something like the Doors... well it has to be the Doors, cause there's nothing else even close, imo.

 

I think The Doors were exceptionally musically, with very strong songwriters/arrangers, and a lot of innovation.

Their primary limitation was when Morrison became self-indulgent. Some of his song writing is excellent, some - and I'm not saying all - of his poetry was ordinary (and pretentious). I think Morrison was maturing, with LA Woman as evidence. Had Morrison lived, I would have hoped he would have grown out of his adolescent angst (some people manage this by their late 20's), and I would have hoped that he would have gained control over his substance dependencies (he may or may not have achieved this). If he did manage these, I could see The Doors continue to mature and put out some amazing work.

 

Good, but not amazing. Never have been impressed with them. I just didn’t buy into the Jim Morrison hype. A mediocre vocalist, IMHO. The rest of the band: Robby, Ray, and John are all outstanding musicians, though.

 

I was into them for a summer while in junior high, largely inspired by the Sugarman book. That fascination soon ended the more I heard Ray Manzarek constantly praise Jim as a prophet in every radio interview.

Their singles are decent, but I've come to the belief that Morrison was an overrated drunk with a microphone and a notebook of fourth-rate poetry.

 

I always wondered about this, as Robbie wrote some of their Best Songs on the first 6 Albums, so even though Jim had passed away, wonder why the remaining 3 Members still could have not created Strong Albums or at least 5-6 Very Good Songs per Album.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

One of the greatest bands of all time. They weren't always on the top of their game, but when they were they were a complete force of nature that i'd put right up there with damn near anyone. Pretension is the most cliche critique thrown at the band (or Jim should I say) and I definitely get it, it's fair, but he was always an interesting or at least very entertaining lyricist and his voice is among the best from all the rock singers from his era.

Put that voice with one of the most underrated drummers, an absolute musical force of a keyboard player, and a truly inspired guitarist that has an incredibly great and unique style that stood out in a time where they must have been an incredibly difficult task considering the competition, and you get one of the greatest musical gifts that came out of California since the Beach Boys(which is like the highest of praises, coming from me)

In other words, I think they're exceptional lol

 

Good, but not amazing. First two records are very good. I like some singles after that, but not entire albums. I think Morrison could be brilliant at times, but overall, I think he’s overrated as a lyricist and “poet”.

 

Robby did write some great tracks during the Morrison era, but not prolifically. A couple of them just happened to be major hits. Still, Morrison's vocal execution cannot be undervalued -- can anyone really hear Robby or Ray pulling off a credible lead vocal for "Touch Me" or "Light My Fire?" Or on a lesser track like "Running Blue?" If Robby was good for one-to-two quality songs per Morrison-era album on average, the average remained the same after Morrison's passing, so the band was essentially left with uneven writing and substandard vocals.

 

Appreciate the reply. I was not referring to the Vocals, as obviously the other 3 Members could have the Vocal impact of Jim, but just figured they could have written Good Songs for their Post Jim Albums, but guess they missed someone to 'Light Their Fire'(Creatively). Certainly, a case of the Sum being better than the Individual Parts(which is true of several Bands).

 

Exceptional. Great art.

 

Ahh, so that describes Radiohead's 'Kid A', where Fans were claiming how groundbreaking an album it was, but in reality some of the Music on that Album was already done by Autechre and Aphex Twins and the Ambient Song was not Groundbreaking, as Ambient Music was done 3 decades earlier(Brian Eno). Also describes most of their -B-Sides from 'Amnesiac' & 'Hail to the Thief', but guess after you make what I considered the GOAT of Albums in 'OK Computer', they got scared and did not want to be labeled a 'Rock' Band anymore(Hey Jonny, put the Guitar away and plug these cords into this Device to make a few Sounds), as how were they ever gonna top 'OKC'?

Pretentious: Also See, Roger Waters Bloated PF Album 'The Wall' and 'The Final Leftovers'(errr.-The Final Cut).

 

I'll just repeat my longtime mantra about The Doors:

I never for a minute bought into all the "Morrison as shaman" BS. I don't mythologize him in any way. (In truth, he was somewhat of an a-hole, no?) And I feel sorry for anyone who would feel the need to make a pilgrimage just to wail and moan at his grave.

I simply think that The Doors were one hell of a band. Densmore is one of my favorite drummers, a master of dynamics. Krieger and Manzarek each took a very different and instantly identifiable approach to their instruments. And yes, Morrison was a one-of-a-kind vocalist, perfect for the music they made. Between him and Krieger, they wrote some great songs that are unique in the rock canon. And together, the four of them created a good deal of magic (and inevitably, a certain amount of dreck, too).

No one else before sounded anything like them, and anyone who came after them and dared to ended up sounding weak and foolish by comparison. I think their place in rock history is secure, and I don't get those who dismiss them.

 

Since others have mentioned this, I want to add that I have almost no use for The Doors as a live band. Despite Manzarek's best efforts with the piano bass, they inevitably sounded thin. And as noted, Morrison went off the rails more often than not, and I just really don't want to know when that happens. Though I imagine that when they first started out at The Whiskey (small club vs. big concert venues), before Morrison's ego and whatever else afflicted him took hold, they were probably damn good.

The point is I judge The Doors strictly on their albums, when the production created a unique sonic landscape for them to live in. While I find much of The Soft Parade (including the title song) to be weak, I like most everything else on all their other albums.

 

I do not consider the Echo & the Bunnymen 'weak and foolish' and like I wrote in a prior post they were a Post Punk Doors(although Ian McCulloch was a Big Fan of David Bowie, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, so he was not all Doors Solely influenced), but Music Taste is Subjective.

 

Since when has being pretentious been a barrier for a rock 'n' roll star? We'd have no Mick Jagger otherwise, and he did pretty well for himself. I wouldn't say that The Doors are one of my very favourite bands, but of course they were exceptional. They had a huge impact on the direction rock music would take, and if only for the eponymous debut, and L.A. Woman albums, their place at the top table is assured.