The Doors [Hardcover]

The Doors (Author), Ben Fong-Torres (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2006

The Doors are rock royalty. Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore reinvented rock 'n' roll in the 60s, and their influence can be felt even today. Now, for the first time, the living members of the band are opening up their personal archives to their fans, telling their story in their own words. This book is filled with untold anecdotes and never-before-seen photos from their private collections. Fans can learn first-hand what really went on in America's most enigmatic and mythical band.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

L.A.'s answer to the British Invasion, the Doors burned brightly, burned out and left behind a clouded legacy. The continued fascination with the band has everything to do with Jim Morrison, of course, the charismatic singer who died young. Talented, inconsistent and a raging alcoholic, Morrison intentionally tried to channel the contradictory energies of the era and became its shaman stud. In this photo-rich volume, longtime music writer and former Rolling Stone editor Fong-Torres has expertly woven together a narrative from interviews with the band members—Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore—as well as Morrison's family and closest friends. Collaboration created the Doors' sound and songs, and the biographies of each musician bring perspective to the more famous Morrison story. While there are no shocking revelations, it's useful to discover just how talented Morrison's band mates were in an age of three-chord wonders. Now middle-aged, the remaining Doors are clearheaded about their youthful extravagances and don't waste time with character assassination. Drug use is discussed openly, although Morrison's death is left needlessly vague (when a 27-year-old dies with only his junkie girlfriend, it's a good bet that heroin was involved). For the most part, though, this understated work further elucidates this iconic band. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

From 1966 on, the Doors established themselves as a wildly popular and influential act. They eventually burned out amid charges of indecent exposure on stage and increasingly spotty performance by singer-lyricist Jim Morrison. Introducing imagery strongly influenced by shamanism and psychedelia, the short-lived Morrison attracted a cultish fandom that regarded him as a sort of electric Rimbaud. The legend is on display again in this -illustration-heavy montage of interviews with band members, interested observers, and coconspirators. Keyboardist-cofounder Ray Manzarek observes that the group was "the Doors . . . [n]ever 'Jim Morrison and the Doors,'" which may be accurate as far as billing goes but was never true for the fans. Morrison, who remains the model for tragic rock star as romantic poet, was central to the band's appeal and is the main attraction here. A must for the rock shelves, the book may be the last word on Morrison. Nah, there'll be more. As Rolling Stone said so eloquently decades ago, "He's hot, he's sexy, he's dead." And the pictures live on. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140130303X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401303037
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth every penny, December 26, 2006

By 

Nina Bennett "author of Forgotten Tears A Gra... (Newark DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doors (Hardcover)

Ben Fong-Torres has demonstrated journalistic brilliance in the way this book is organized. Each section is laid out like a conversation; interspersed among comments and reflections by Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek, as well as members of the Morrison and Courson families, is just enough narrative for clarity. Fong-Torres smoothly inserts quotes from interviews with Jim Morrison, and the result is a unified presentation of The Doors as an entity. Inevitably, it is the Morrison persona that dominates, but this book does a credible job of portraying all of the Doors. The descriptions of the studio experience, particularly challenges of the technology of the late 60s, are fascinating. There is a great deal of insight into the creative process of the band. While Morrison's rampant alcohol and drug abuse is not the focus of the book, there is ample evidence of the ripple effect it had on his bandmates. The photos from the band's private collection justify the cost.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad addition, October 24, 2006

By 

B. G Hutchings "Thee Hutchenberg" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doors (Hardcover)

This book is not a bad addition to The Doors legacy. The book is thoughtfully designed and constructed and it contains a few new insights into members of the band - particularly Jim Morrison. Sadly, the book also contains many glaring errors with incorrect dates on photos. To some this may seem like a nit-picking grievance - but if they can't do the basic editing/fact-checking on the photos, it makes you wonder what else they got wrong. Still, as a Doors fan, it's nice to have some new product at long last. This would make a great birthday/holiday gift for any Doors fan out there.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to your Doors collection!, November 13, 2006

By 

J. R. Cagle (Saint Charles, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doors (Hardcover)

This is simply a beautiful book on a timeless band. The Doors by the Doors is a giant coffee table book loaded with great pictures. The ambitious book written with cooperation of the band gives a broad and detailed history of the band from family, friends, and most importantly the artists themselves. As someone who has almost every Doors book available this one is among the best of the bunch. Like others have mentioned the cover is rather cheap and flimsy and some of the information is wrong but those are minor comparred to the overall quality of the book.

What makes this book worthy is you get a full band perspective not just one primarily focoused on Jim Morrisson. I also liked finally getting some perspective from Morrison's family on Jim's success as they truly reveal a family who loved him despite being rather clueless on his continued success. I've been a Doors fan for 18 years now and books like this make me fall in love with them all over again. Definately a worthy purchase along with the Perception box set which will be out soon. Hearing the Doors in 5.1 was truly stunning!