In these early dark days of 2012 I’ve been content to lay low and mind my own business. Until however, I was reading, in this very publication, that the Doors (among sundry others) are considered by certain leading authorities to be one of the more overrated musical acts.
Historically speaking of course - considering that 1965, the year poet/singer Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek (keyboards, vocals), Robbie Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) formed the Doors, was arguably the opening year of what can now be considered the Classic Rock Era.
Needless to say I found this appalling. If you didn’t care for Morrison’s disturbed poetry and shamanistic exploits, it was perfectly understandable, you didn’t have to like Mick Jagger’s lips or John Lennon’s glasses either – if you were an adult at the time you may not have liked any of it, nor would you have readily admitted to voting for Tricky Dick, and yet none of you can deny that any and all of these things shaped the landscape of this, the undisputedly greatest era in rock music.
Despite or due to the plethora of unlikely, Technicolor, and often hilarious portraits of the band’s history on film and in print, little need be said here about the origins and development of the Doors, save to mention the name itself, taken from Aldous Huxley’s pre-war study of the psychedelic experience “The Doors Of Perception,” which Huxley had in turn borrowed from a line in a William Blake poem. The spare, dark line running through the words of Blake shot through the life of the Doors.
Where Were You?
Presumably, most of us heard The Doors at some point more or less distant from it’s original release in January of 1967. Whether it was on the later vinyl pressings of the 70’s or CD re-issues from the 90’s we were somewhere along our early stretch of the journey down Classic Rock Lane when confronted with the shockingly spare, yet highly burnished debut recording from a legendary rock band destined for an early demise.
From John Densmore’s opening ride symbal on the lead track “Break On Through To The Other Side,” there can be no mistake, regardless of what generation our first time listener belongs to, of the absolute dead seriousness of the music – Ray Manzarek’s out of the box organ followed by Robbie Krieger’s naked guitar leave no doubt as to what lies ahead. I can’t possibly imagine what effect disliking Jim Morrison’s voice would have on the songs, from the first lyric, he comes on so strong and direct that by the chorus, he is the song.
The second track “Soul Kitchen” is the perfect blues, really the only way to proceed after the inferno of “Break On Through”. Opening with Manzarek’s calliope driven organ joined by a crisp, thundering bass, this amazing little tune generates a huge beat, with lyrics to match for the post-beat generation. I’d love to know who the bass player on the session is, I’ve yet to find an accurate source. In live performances, Manzarek himself played all of the bass parts with his left hand. I’ll take the opportunity here to mention that the officially released live recordings of the band are, for the most part, electrifying, one of a kind events.
Doors Are There For A Reason
“The Crystal Ship” announces the arrival of the torch song delivered in it’s newly donned psychedelic garments. Morrison serenades not just the lady, but the night itself. “Twentieth Century Fox,” (a tribute to Ray Manzarek’s girlfriend at the time) has an anthemic feel to it, liberating the woman of the new age from the girl of the post-war past. Brecht and Weill’s “Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” is one of two covers on the album. The seemingly odd inclusion of the tune becomes clear immediately; only Morrison could have delivered this lyric so gravely, his sincerity against the sparse arrangement takes us again to the outer reaches of the already known.
In an album full of hits “Light My Fire” was the hit. One of the most revered and covered songs in the book of rock, “Light My Fire” was also one of if not the first single to be issued (45 rpm) clocking in at more than six minutes, along with the initial radio edit, rarely heard, owing to the excitement in every measure and layer of this magnificent piece. Who can really tell how the lyric would stand by itself – it’s indelibly stamped into the song, constructed with a long break for guitar and organ solos, which in this case still stand as one of the best arguments for letting solos tell the story. The shimmering, ultra-defined production of Paul Rothchild strips away every last veil covering the instruments; rarely has such a naked sound been revealed on a landmark status recording.
Lock Up Your Daughters
The other cover tune on the record, Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man” is given a positively savage treatment. Manzarek states the classic blues theme, overdubbing a piano track, birthing the song a new identity. Morrison’s barking and howling destroys whatever’s still standing. More than a hint of menace is near at hand…
Laser sharp syncopation sets “I Looked At You” in motion, generating plenty of movement and humor as well, including a “That’s All Folks!” false ending. “End Of The Night” floats us back into waters “The Crystal Ship” left us in; more abstract and distant yet.
“Take It As It Comes” comes on quick, delivering the big punch in the chorus. The playing here is tight as a wire, as is Morrison’s delivery, which can be heard up in the hills. Every track on this and every other Doors album is a testimony to Morrison’s power, carried through total conviction; his life and career ended before any hint of complacency could set in. Everything the Doors recorded from 1966 until their final album, 1971’s brilliant, brooding, “L.A Woman” was fresh, utterly different from everything else.
A Movie About A Song From A Book About An Idea From A 2500 Year Old Play
Ending the record “The End” stood, and yet stands as a complete event unto itself – a gruesome mini-drama perhaps reminiscent of Faulkner (via Aeschylus) at the time it was recorded. For those of us coming up in the following generation, this 11½ minute extravaganza is inextricably tied up with the scene it was used in for the movie “Apocalypse Now” (based on Joseph Conrad’s “Heart Of Darkness”).
In any event, history has woven the music of the Doors into one of America’s permanent cultural icons.
Scott Cramer - Scott lives in Chicago and is an insufferable know-it-all on certain topics. He writes fiction (primarily short stories) much of which ...
