The Doors The Doors (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1967) ***** The Doors Strange Days (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1967) ****
The Doors Waiting for the Sun (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1968) ****
The Doors The Soft Parade (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1969) ***
The Doors L.A. Woman (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1971) *****
The Doors Full Circle (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1972) ***
The Doors Absolutely Live (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1970) ***
The Doors Alive She Cried (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1983) *****
Genre: Rock, pop
A band Joan Didion described as 'the Norman Mailers of the top forty, missionaries of apocalyptic sex'. Yes, sometimes the sensational behaviours overshadowed the music. That's a shame because they were one of the best bands of the late sixties/ early seventies. And Jim could sing and he could sell a song when he was in the mood.
For those new to the band - Jim Morrison (a.k.a. The Lizard King) handles vocals, Ray Manzarek is the keyboardist, including bass, Robby Krieger plays guitar and bass, John Densmore is the drummer. Songs came from everyone.
It's hard to credit that their debut The Doors came in the year of Sgt. Pepper. It feels, in many ways, as if it came from a parallel universe. It really does feel like a unique experience as they trip their way through a dizzying array of styles from rock, blues, classical, jazz and poetry.
Light My Fire was what got them noticed but the album also has significant career highlights - Break on Through, The Crystal Ship, Soul Kitchen, End of the Night, Take It As It Comes, Twentieth Century Fox and, amazingly, all shaded by The End.
Strange Days is also from 1967 but it doesn't have the edge that The Doors has. Maybe because the debut is that stunning, their second album couldn't help being shadowed by it. Strange Days, nevertheless, is an excellent album - the title track and Moonlight Drive being highlights. When the Music's Over is another 11 minute epic and different to The End.
Third album, Waiting for the Sun is quite a short album and the material isn't as strong as the first two albums. Still, it went to number 1 on Billboard thanks to a mighty single - Hello, I Love You.
Some of the songs are quite experimental in approach - Spanish Caravan, The Unknown Soldier, Not to Touch the Earth and My Wild Love. The highlight for me is Five to One. Jim Morrison at his best on this song.
More experiments were undertaken for the next album. Following their esteemed producer's suggestion (Paul A. Rothchild) the band incorporates brass, and string arrangements. It's a brave move, which works at times - especially on Touch Me - the single.
Robbie Krieger supplies a lot of the songs and they aren't as inspired as Morrison's, but maybe it's those arrangements. I'm not sure, but this is the weakest album by The Doors with Jim as vocalist.
My two favourite Doors albums are Morrison Hotel and The Doors. The return to their previous blues rock style is very welcome. Every song is great but Roadhouse Blues, which starts the album, is sublime. The harmonica is by John Sebastian and it wails!
Peace Frog is similarly hugely impressive. Jim's vocals are always terrific when he is fully invested in the song. That's not often the case during a lot of the previous two albums, but Morrison Hotel is the real deal. Amazing too, as he was going through all sorts of personal stuff with arrests for lewd behaviour and whatnot. All up, Morrison Hotel is a stunning five-star classic.
L.A. Woman was the last Doors' album released in Jim's lifetime. I find it inconsistent. Maybe the pressure was getting to him by this point.
It has a couple of songs that don't move me especially - the title track and L'America, but it also has sublime moments that I rank amongst their best songs - Cars Hiss By My Window, Riders on the Storm, The WASP (Texas Rado and the Big Beat), and it has some really good songs - the rest.
After Jim's death the remaining members carried on for a spell - two albums in fact. I bought and sold Other Voices, but I've kept Full Circle. It has The Mosquito, The Piano Bird, It Slipped My Mind and Verdilac on it - songs I love. Plus, I love the cover. On the whole though - Jim's absence is keenly felt in the vocal department.
An American Prayer is a beautiful album, featuring Jim's poetry and spoken word sections with the remaining Doors providing the new musical accompaniment. It is superb full stop for both Jim and The Doors.
As AllMusic says: 'An American Prayer must be listened to in one sitting to be fully appreciated, preferably at nighttime when one is alone and can devote full attention to the listening experience. This album is not for everyone, but is a must-own for Doors completists and fans of Jim Morrison's poetry'.
On to the live albums: the only one that was released in Jim's lifetime was Absolutely Live. It's a double album and I find it tough going. My copies are the double album split into 2 single albums - Volume 1 and Volume 2.
The material comes from US tours in 1969 and 1970. It's a very loose selection with Jim doing loads of rambling improvisations, reciting poetry and sometimes singing. Not what I expected or wanted. But hey - it's The Doors live!
Alive She Cried is the second live album in my collection. Again, it's not one single concert, instead the recordings are from various concerts from 1968 to 1970 including shows in Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Boston and Copenhagen.
Highlights from this cobbled together collection are Gloria, an extended Light My Fire, and Little Red Rooster with John Sebastian back on blues harp.
Where do they all belong? A lot of live stuff has subsequently been released but I'll be sticking with what I've got in this list.
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