How Do You Rate The Doors?

When they are on they are simply brilliant,

 

I don’t like them. I couldn’t bring myself to say they’re bad. Essentially, they’re competent musicians backing a decent singer who would’ve benefited from the services of an editor for his lyrics.

 

Whenever I see a poll like this or even begin to contemplate the question, right away I think surely the Beatles or Beach Boys or Rolling Stones or whoever is the better band. Surely The Doors can't be the greatest band of all time. Then I'll start to play their music again and realize the feeling I get which is, for me, the deciding factor. And it always seems to come out the same way. You can analyze it to death but there's something about the music that Jim, Ray, Robby, and John created that makes it the best for me, therefore they get my vote as the greatest band.

 

Love them!!

Self titled album is a masterpiece.

 

For me, one of the best ever.

 

I voted good, but not amazing. Really disliked them when I was younger, but I’m enjoying them more as I’ve grown up a bit (56).

 

Think this thread sets the record for use of the all time “music critic” word....here it is...
Pretentious.
That and “derivative” are the darlings to use...
Enuff, of that now....but
The Doors were
Brilliantly Great

The End

 

Exceptional. Easily one of the best bands ever.

The only thing frustrating about them is that they weren't a band for a longer period of time/that they have a relatively small discography. But unlike some others with that problem (Cream is one of them), their output is so superb that there's no way I could put them below the top tier. In Cream's case, the relative lack of output knocks them down one peg for me.

 

Unique and influential L.A. band. Weird mix of styles (hard blues, light jazz, flamenco, wonky garage psych,
lounge singing, beat poetry) held together by Morrison's powerful voice and performance art showmanship.
The adolescent hormonal/angst lyrics have eternal appeal to 16-year-olds across the generations. Lizard chic.

 

"Exceptional, one of the greatest bands to ever exist". Period. Given they're my fav group of all time I really had no choice

 

the only thing pretentious there is the idea of actual importance or merit.

 

Yeah I can definitely understand this. I’m grateful we got as much as we did in that short period of time.

Sad to hear for everything after, but totally agree about the first two albums!

Admittedly, I haven’t even heard the post-Morrison era and don’t plan to. An argument could be made that the two should be judged seperately, but oh well. Too late to fix anything.

Agreed!

Finally, something we can agree on

Not a big fan of the word overrated personally. I think they deserve all the credit they get and more.

One of, not the very greatest I meant, but glad to hear it

Haha. Seems to be the opposite of many!

Yep, that’s me now. No wonder they blew my mind when I discovered them.

 

Certainly one of the best bands of the 60's and I'm a big fan. Their reputation is almost entirely based on the first two albums though, a band that failed to grow and get better (although the it's a pretty high starting point). Their albums see a dramatic drop in quality after the first two as they forget how to write songs and Jim spends most of the time drunk or stoned it seems. A recovery for the last album at least gives the 'story' an ending.

Some bands burn brightly but then burn out. They are a classic example. I think John Densmore said it himself in one of those 'classic album' docs, that for the first two albums they seemed to have a force operating almost from above on them, like the gods of music bestowed on them some magic, which then left them and they had to struggle on. Like Dylan could hardly put a foot wrong for the first 7 albums and then it was gone. He said himself he doesn't know how he was able to make such amazing music so easily for that period.

Anyway, during that initial phase they were equal to anyone.

 

Which one--Larry Knechtel? Doug Lubahn? Harvey Brooks? Ray Neopolitan? Jerry Scheff?

 

You’re right, they did drop at WFTS. However, I think Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman are both better albums than their debut. I also love both WFTS and TSP, and therefore while they’re clearly not as good as Strange Days to me, I still love the shift in sound and variety that came with it, and so I don’t see them as disappointing in the slightest.

 

They do nothing for me.

 

All of 'em.

 

I personally don’t see ‘pretentious’ as being a negative at all. Well, not in this case anyway.
I do think it’s an easy way to dismiss the band due to just a few heavily psych songs and Jim’s love of poetry, and I don’t think it’s totally warranted. But again, totally see where people are coming from and don’t blame them for saying that in the slightest.

 

I voted exceptional. My favorite band since forever. Some spotty live shows aside, the Doors are unique and awesome.

 

Pure garbage for me

 

The Doors were my introduction intro great music in middle school.. My classmate sitting next to me made me Doors tape after Doors tape, and then a girl in that class made me a Hendrix tape (had a crush on her for years), and then I found Zeppelin, etc., but it always influenced me to always make others CDs/DVDs... Still my 3rd favorite after (Pink Floyd, Supertramp) all these years.

 

I actually love Jim's blind-drunk vocals on "Who Do You Love" off Absolutely Live. The only thing holding him up was probably the mike stand.

 

Really? In 1967 it was definitely 'fresh garbage'.

 

They were my introduction to 60s music back in the early 80s junior high/high school..........between the radio the Sugerman biography. I loved them, but as I then discovered the Grateful Dead, Jefferon Airplane, Hendrix, and others, they passed the Doors by as my favorites.

I still like the 6 core albums a lot (in the minority that Soft Parade is one of my favorites).....but voted great instead of exceptional.
I like the pretentious stuff too.

 

X's version of "Soul Kitchen" produced by Ray Manzarek is better than anything on The Doors' own records in my opinion.

They probably wouldn't be so annoying if Doors fanatics/Morrison worshippers weren't so annoying. I guess that part isn't their fault.