What Do You Think Of the MUSIC of The Doors?

I think the music of The Doors is brilliant!

 

A LOT of American keyboard players played the exact same instrument that Ray Manzarek played, but I can't think of one who utilized it the way he did. He was definitely a one-off.

 

IMHO, the greatest American band off the Sixties. My favourite the Doors' album (and the song) is L.A. Woman.



Surely one of the best 'Rock' songs of all time.

 

And as for Jim Morrison, I think that he was at once one of the most original rock singers of his generation and one of the best rock singers of his generation, and it is almost certain that if he had teamed up with any other musicians, he would have been neither. The magical twilight world that the music of Ray, Robbie and John created summoned that sonorous croon from Morrison. And it's a testament to his creative intelligence that he was able to adapt to it so effectively in such a short time. But if he had joined other musicians who had not been able to create such an intriguing mood, he probably wouldn't have succeeded like he did.

 

"All the children are insane."

 

Brilliant insight!

I'm going to take a face from the ancient gallery. (but I think I already did.)

I've been listening to a lot of Doors tonight due to this thread.

 

There's a lot of rough doubletracking on the first record. There's also a whispered vocal track on Riders On The Storm. Could be what's being referred to.

 

Love it. They're great.

 

Didn't see this post before - this book looks really interesting. Strange confluence of Doors tonight, I was hanging out at a bar, Doors version of Alabama Song from Three Penny Opera played, so I checked in on this thread. Then Outlaws and whatever - I am starting this post, LA Woman starts playing, I said to a person nearby man I love this song - turns out he loves Jim Morrison, told me he was working on a marijuana farm in Mendocino County, the Native American guy running the place was the peyote distributor for the Native American Church in California, thousands of buttons, sounded like an impressive stock - took this fellow out to a local tribe who were the people who had taught Jim Morrison about peyote - they told him "Oh yeah, Jimbo, we remember him," . . . then he mentioned a fascinating detail, I have to listen for it, the peyote man told him that the drumbeat heard at the beginning of Riders On The Storm is a traditional peyote water drum, I don't know who was playing it. The water drum is sacred and preparing it for use is a lot of work, a ceremony repeatedly soaking the skin and stretching it, so it had to be someone who knew what they were about - a powerful Native American spiritual effect on the airwaves there - anyway a lot of Morrison kismet happening there in a few minutes. I told him about the Rimbaud-Morrison connection and he is after a copy now. Also tonight worked out a nice little butchery of Crystal Ship on my horribly out of tune 1948 50$ charity shop spinet. Pretty neat! Alright!

 

Well I suppose it’s just a matter of personal taste. I take no issue with what Morrison was trying to say, it’s just that sometimes his lyrics feel like second rate teenager’s poetry to me. But I also appreciate that many people love it, so it’s on me that I don’t get it I guess.

 

I love the Doors, but the iconic images get in the way of the music sometimes. As a musician, with this band I hear drama and power mixed with the blues and attempts to take the listener to interesting places - the same things I heard when I bought my 2 LP ‘Best Of The Doors’ set back in the mid to late 80’s.

I may not play them as regularly now, but I have my Studio Albums CD Box Set, so I’m always ready to take a Moonlight Drive.

 

First thing that comes to mind:

 

Beautiful melody & music, too; one of the highlights of their debut & career, for me.

 

Also a favourite of mine. Another beautiful tune. I really like this softer ballad side to The Doors; Blue Sunday is another that I love.

 

"Hypnotic" is the first word that comes to my mind..

 

Spot-on.

 

That was the first book I read, but not one I'd recommend.. "Friends Gathered Together", John and Ray's books, "Summer With Morrison", and the one about his time in Alexandria.

If you look on YouTube (and elsewhere online) you can find a ton of concerts where they're just playing.

 

I think his band mates' books fail to explain the mystique, but are obviously of significant historical importance. Hopkins & Sugerman delve into Morrison's literary influences, which is why I recommended it. Sure, it's most likely sanitized and sensationalized. I haven't read it in decades.

 

Cool story!

Jim's nephew (Anne's son) had a marijuana dispensary or farm in the LA area, but I think its defunct now.

 

One of the best bands to ever exist. They were pretty much the model of what a rock band should be - creative, talented and dangerous.

 

You may want to take a look at the following thread as it’s pretty similar to this one.

Why was Love not as successful as The Doors?

 

I enjoyed reading that very much. If I didn't comment, it was because everyone stated the reasons why Love was not as successful. I like a few of their songs, though.

 

I understand and appreciate your viewpoint, but it's not one I share. When it comes to the lyrics, the fundamental problem is that I don't believe a word that comes out of Morrison's mouth. Part of that is down to the off-Broadway aspect of his singing style that I've already mentioned. But it also has to do with his lyrics themselves, which sound -- and again, this is just how they land on my ears -- like he was more concerned with the language itself than the emotional impact. Morrison's lyrics don't make me feel anything. (For the record, I've always much preferred Verlaine to Rimbaud, and for exactly the same reason. The energy of Rimbaud's poetry is amazing, but...)

As for contemporaries whose lyrics I prefer, there's obviously Dylan, Cohen, Nyro, Davies, Mitchell, etc. But at the risk of reigniting a thread that was needlessly combative from jump, Arthur Lee's lyrics hit me emotionally far more than Morrison's, even at their most impressionistic. For example, "Maybe the People Will Be the Times, Or Between Clark and Hillsdale" captures an "alone in a crowd" sense of alienation and anxiety better than any other song I can think of.

 

I have always really liked “Soft Parade”.

 

IIRC there is an interview with Linda Ronstadt on YT

She is complimentary about John , Ray and Robbie but ...