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THE DOORS - THE DOORS
A promising LA underground band, The Doors came up with this memorable debut album. Straight to the point, with the rumbustious 'Break On Through (To The Other Side)', a nice rhythmic groove on 'Soul Kitchen', Jim Morrison's beautiful vocal on 'The Crystal Ship', and Ray Manzarek's deft piano touches. The catchy, wittily titled 'Twentieth Century Fox', and the inventive take on the Weill/Brecht 'Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)' (though lyrically it seems dodgy now...). The classic 'Light My Fire', with Manzarek's immediately recognisable classical intro - and this is Ray's song as much as anyone's. John Densmore has a good workout on drums, and Robby Krieger's experimental guitar solo blends in well in the long instrumental section, and Jim's voice soars as he dares to sing the word "higher" in a still puritanical 1967. That's side one. 'Back Door Man' has Morrison in lustful form, accompanied by Krieger's earthy guitar work, as side two begins with a W. Dixon and C. Burnett song. This is followed by the lively pop of 'I Looked At You'. 'End Of The Night' is a dreamy song of impressive inventiveness, and the album's penultimate track is the more upbeat, 'Take It As It Comes'. Then it's The Doors greatest masterpiece, 'The End'. From it's dark and moody beginning, with Krieger's subtle guitar to the fore, and Morrison's beguiling vocal, 'The End' takes us on a dark journey. Where to exactly, I'm not sure, but it's a bumpy ride. Manzarek's organ work murmurs in the background, his repetitive bass lines and Densmore's theatrical explosions all fighting for attention, as the Lizard King wails about "The blue bus is calling us". The Doors debut album must rank as one of the most outstanding in rock music history. - Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com. |
booksmusicfilmstv.com Classic Albums - Reviews The Beatles - Abbey Road
booksmusicfilmstv.com 1960s Music Index |
