How Do You Rate The Doors?

Drugs are bad m'kay...

 

I went for 'Great' - I own all the original albums and still listen to them fairly frequently but the quality isn't that consistent and WFTS and TSP dropped the ball from the level they'd achieved before that and went on to achieve with their final two albums (there's actually no stronger finish than MH and LAW - and, no, I'm afraid I don't count the two Morrison-less follow-ups).

The ultimate pretentious teenager's band - far more so than the Smiths - and one I loved when I was a pretentious teenager myself and still have a lot of affection for now.

 

To me they were exceptional.
Great songs, marvelous poetry in the realm of Rimbaud. Fantastic sounds.
John Densmore, arguably one of the best drummers in rock and roll (and one of the best and coolest people).
Ray Manzarek, a fine keyboard player and producer.
Robby Krieger, with his unusual long finger nail intricate picking, also a fine musician.
Jim Morrison, a marvelous singer despite his infamous lack of ability at keeping Jimbo at bay.

 

Roller-rink music.

 

For me:
During their heyday- Exceptional. Indispensible. Wore them out.
From Morrison shuttling off this mortal coil to the late 70's- Great
From then until now- Good Plus to Great Minus.

A lot of it just has not aged well with me. Many of their songs still resonate with me but there are many that I used to love that I can now do without.

I grew up.

 

They seem to go in and out of favour but I chose option 2 "Great.." Always appreciated them.

 

Currently listening to Inner Voices, which I don't think I've heard before. I like it - I think it would have been even better had the jazz/fusion direction been embraced more fully (as Ray wanted).

 

Exceptional, of course.

 

They gave us a glimpse into the darker side of the '60's, for both better and worse. In that sense, they were iconic.

 

Exceptional. As I mentioned in another thread, listening to their debut was probably the only time music has literally stopped me in my tracks. I was just stunned by what I was hearing with the variety of styles displayed across the album. I think in Densmore and Manzarek they had two exceptional musical talents but Morrison does infuriate me though as he seems more intent on f***ing things up than putting on a good show. Hardly a day goes by without me listening to at least one Doors track and I never tire of listening to them.

 

Exceptional.
Along with Sibelius, the soundtrack of my teen and adult life.

 

Voted Great

 

I had to vote Exceptional, one of the greatest bands to ever exist simply because of their uniqueness. I can't think of any other band that actually sounded like them. I do think all the idol worship of Morrison starting in '79/'80 or so was daft (precisely because the band were so good), but the frontman always gets the attention and Morrison was certainly an 'out there' performer. But for me Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore (hugely underappreciated drummer IMO) were the perfect band to combine with Morrison's lyricism and vocal approach. Manzarek, in particular, produced a very evocative, moody, part jazz, part classical sound on the keyboard and since day one that is one of the biggest things that hooked me about The Doors.

The first, fatal hook, though, was hearing Break On Through in my sister's bedroom in 1967. To this day it is my favourite Doors tune.

 

I am biased here. Big fan of The Doors.

I voted "Exceptional" but understand those who say just "Great". Probably borderline between these two.
BUT
The Doors were active for 6-7 years, 5 to count their recorded period (I'm talking about The Doors with Morrison of course). And they at least four masterpiece songs - Light My Fire, The End, Break on Through, Riders on The Storm, you name it.

What I also would like to stress out is that how good they always sound. Their production on records is exceptional for that era.

 

I get what people are saying about them being original and no-one else sounding like them but, to me, it seems obvious they started off trying to sound like the Seeds. The line up is identical - charismatic singer, fiddly guitarist who would never strum a chord if he could avoid it, rinky-dink circus keyboards, jazzy drummer, NO BASS PLAYER - having said that, they don't actually sound like the Seeds and that's down to the idiosyncracies of the individual musicians. Jim Morrison does not sound like Sky Saxon, lol!

 

I'm a big fan, but voted for "Great" instead of "Exceptional" mostly because of the qualifier "one of the greatest bands to ever exist". Yeah, I'm not sure that I'd go that far.

 

one of those bands we will never have again......and they made those records..and sang and played those songs.......those albums.........hard to imagine what my life would have been like without the Doors........thankfully..i don't have to.........they did it...we listened and heard...........no one else like them.....and they dissaappeared and evaporated like coal underneath...........great time to be alive she cried

 

Exceptional

 

The Doors are stronger than dirt.

 

I agree with this completely.
When i was eighteen i would have said one of the best ever

 

Ask me again......when I was 16.

 

superband but it never come back

 

Had a few good songs, way overrated by many.

 

Or Milkin' The Turkey?

 

I like them but I have to be in the mood.