Customer Reviews

The Doors

5 star:		(252)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is the one that introduced The Doors, and the gifted poet/singer/songwriter Jim Morrison, their enigmatic lead singer, to the world. At the time, it was like nothing anybody had ever heard, and to this day their sound remains unique. There have been many imitators over the years, but none have come close to achieving that special quality of sound that began here, with "The Doors." The album begins with "Break On Through (To The Other Side)," and includes their monster hit (which took them to the top of the charts, usurping the Beatles and Stones as the number one band in America) "Light My Fire," featuring dynamic solos by guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek. This debut album also features one of their most controversial (and best) songs ever, "The End," into which Morrison interjects his (and rock n' roll's only) version of Sophocles' play, "Oedipus the King," through dialogue spoken over the music; it is ethereal and hypnotic, with Morrison delivering the words from an almost trance-like state of being. The final cut on the album, it underscores the fact that there is much more to The Doors than hard-edged rock. Also worthy of note is that it was used (and very effectively) by director Francis Ford Coppola during the opening credits of his film, "Apocalypse Now." Never before or since has anyone fused hard rock with poetry and mixed it with the blues to create such aural and mental images as these, and it's all delivered with an energy and intensity that can set you free. The lyrics are sometimes cryptic ("Take the highway to the end of the night/take a journey to the bright midnight") and steeped in metaphor and allegory; while the songs themselves run an emotional gamut, from the wistfulness of "The Crystal Ship," to the primal scream of "Back Door Man." This is the first of the seven albums made by The Doors (six studio, one live), during their all too brief career, which began in the summer of 1965 and ended on July 3, 1971 with the death of Jim Morrison. If you've never experienced The Doors, it's time to start; do it with this album. To the casual fan, I suggest you take a step back and really listen this time, you may have missed something the first time around. The music of The Doors is timeless, and once it grabs hold of you, it's never going to let you go.

To put it bluntly, this album is magical. From start to finish, it is rock-solid. It contains classic rock, a beautiful ballad, a cover of a German opera song, a blues number, a surfer-type number, an eleven-minute epic and more. Yet despite the wide range of music types, make no mistake about it; these songs are done in true "Doors-ian" fashion. The sharp organ, the slide guitar, the fascinating, improvisational drumming and Jim's unmistakable baritone voice all converge to make this a masterful debut album, by any standards. Jim could sing a gentle ballad just as well as he could sing a harder-rocking number. Commercial favourites: "Break on Through" and "Light My Fire", but check out that powerful ballad "The Crystal Ship" as well. Honourable mention: The haunting, mysterious "End of the Night", and the rockin' "Take it as it Comes". The echo effect is used to perfection on the album as well. The music and themes of this LP are universal and thus will last forever, and the emotions that these eleven songs elicit can be applied to any listener's own life. A timeless album that I will always love, and listen to. A classic.

Albums weren't the main vehicle for artists back in the sixties. Seargeant Pepper's allegedly changed alot of that. However, another recording that had its hand in attracting listeners to rock n roll records was the debut Doors album. Before or since there has not been a musical group quite like the Doors. I'm not saying that no band has ever exceeded them in recording brilliance but the overall sound has yet to be duplicated. This sound was considered so unique because of Ray Manzarek's serial organ playing. The keyboards are the focal point of the Doors sound. Not that Robbie Kreiger's guitar was a mere minor part of the Doors sound, his solos and rhythms are quite excellent, but Ray's keyboard playing just takes you into another world. The intro to the classic Light My Fire is just mind blowing. The haunting tones to Take It As It Comes and Crystal Ship are simply mesmerizing. And the re-working of Alabama Song sounds beyond modern. And this was recorded in 1967. We can not forget Jim Morrison. The voice and poetry just kicks the whole sound home. Its shame he could not live forever. Or at least another decade or so. Lord knows where the Doors would have headed. Oh.. and John Densmore was a pretty cool drummer. Although The End is a bit overrated, it does discuss things that never were approached before and that's fairly interesting to say the least. Anyway, this disc belongs in any classic rock collection.

It's hard to find a better example of a band that defines the phrase "unique" than The Doors. They never quite fit squarely in the pigeonholes of psychedelic, blues, hard rock or pop, but they epitomized all of those attitudes and musical sensibilities at the same time, relying on the flamboyant vocal, poetic theatrics and undeniable songwriting talents of Jim Morrison. Jim, who joined the "27 Club" with his death at that age in 1971, is a hugely imitated personality - people make a point to say how the band's sound was never imitated as a whole, but this is one aspect of it that surely was. Listen to modern rock singers like Eddie Vedder, Michael Hutchence and Scott Weiland and tell me you can't hear a large Jim influence in their lyrical and vocal approach. I've always loved his provocative, interesting poetry and lyrics, and I don't think he was overrated at all as a frontman.

Undoubtedly most responsible for the band's unique approach, Ray Manzarek had a carnival-esque and technically impressive sound to his playing, and it very much took on an eerie-sounding tone that added a majestic horror to the music. His playing is distinctive to the point where it's possible to recognize a Doors song strictly from this style. I should also mention that since the band never employed a bass player (using session musicians on their albums instead), he often had to fill in that void with keyboard bass in a live setting, which probably made the sound even more distinctive. And as for the rest of the lineup, Robbie Krieger had an inventive, bluesy style that was helped by his non-use of a guitar pick, and quite a few of his songwriting contributions are easily among the best songs the band ever did. John Densmore was a really efficient jazz-styled drummer who provided a steady backbeat for the sound.

This is unquestionably the album that defined The Doors sound as everyone knows them, the strikingly original style of the band breaks through immediately throughout these 11 tracks, with the mysterious organ sound in full force that gives the album its timeless atmosphere. Of course, the presence of Jim Morrison doesn't really hurt either - on his technical ability, he doesn't have much range, but his charisma and overall mystique gives the songs something they would have lacked otherwise. And these songs hold up today, showcasing nearly everything that made the band special. From catchy pop tunes, entertaining organ-led rockers, atmospheric ballads, raving epics, and even blues and 20's style interpretations, it's all covered here.

Everything begins explosively with the driving and intense "Break On Through," which has incredible energy, a fantastically catchy melody, and a distinct main organ part. The following "Soul Kitchen" is a great pop-oriented groove, and its pace is among the more lighthearted moments of the album. That uncertainty is allowed to break through a bit for the first time in the majestic ballad "The Crystal Ship," a dreamy mini-epic that sounds peaceful and calm, but it does have an edge to it. I dig the piano break there.

Like I hinted at before, though, the sound isn't just limited to renditions of the band's own material. There are also two cover versions performed here, and passing through the minds of musicians that had a real desire to achieve something different, they take on the Doors stamp, even when they're on completely different ends of the musical landscape. The 20's style musical number "Alabama Song" is entertaining as hell, with that cool organ groove leading an irresistible singalong. "Back Door Man" is actually an old blues from the Willie Dixon archives, and Jim plays that part well over the main organ riff and bluesy guitar, with the screams of "I'm your back door man!" and tone of his singing on "the men don't know but the little girls understand..." really working.

The ultimate highlight, though, is "Light My Fire." In one of the few coincidences of this sort, it was also their hugest hit single. One of two lengthy showcases on here, "Light My Fire" was the first song Robbie Krieger ever wrote for the band, and it begins on a simple, catchy melody. The catchiness of the tune alone, however, isn't what really makes the song. It is the stunning middle jam, with solos by Manzarek and Krieger respectively, and the effect of how they both seem to play off each other's parts and Densmore's rhythm with the effortlessly flowing, memorable structure of their showcases is exceptional, and the transition into the song's final verse is a perfect way of capping it off, with the vocal yell of "TRY TO SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE!"

The other extended track is the notorious 11-1/2 minute closer "The End," which gives insight into Jim's poetic dark side. The musical backing is quite eerie and hypnotizing, with the organ over haunting guitar lines. The whole thing might be somewhat overlong, but the lyrics are incredible (with disturbing bits such as the part where the killer murders his family, and that rave about the insane children) and the mood is interesting enough to justify its length. The way it crashes at the end is so powerful, too. It's built in like one chord sequence, but it still works well. "Take It As It Comes" is a minor pop classic on here, with breathtaking speedy organ. I hear people complaining about "I Looked At You," but damned if I know why - I love that song. Simplistic, but it's a very sweet little ditty. The clever "Twentieth Century Fox" is fun and catchy, and the haunting "End Of The Night" features more gloomy organ. This is my favorite Doors album and it is definitely the place to start as your introductory journey to the thrilling sound of The Doors.

This work was done during a period in which The Doors were experimental, lean, hungry and pushing on musical convention. Their sound, the lyrics, Morrison's on the edge vocals, all blended into a band beyond 1967 convention. That culminated in "Strange Days" and to a lesser extent, "Waiting For the Sun".
Unfortunately, Morrison's self-indulgence and the band's drifting indifference saw a decline that was only partially resurrected with "L.A. Woman". Too bad the hungry years didn't remain....

Upon this album's release, rock music was never the same again. This is the album that changed everything. The Doors were simply the greatest American blues/rock band of all time. Some would say they were "overrated". I say THE BEATLES are overrated. The Doors, however, deserve every acolade and every ounce of respect they ever got.
The lovely, fluid guitar lines of Robby Krieger; the charming keyboards of Ray Manzarek; the extemporaneous thrashing of John Densmore; and the haunting poetic lyrics and vocals of Jim Morrison, the greatest frontman in rock history, hands down. Yeah, talk about Mick Jagger all you want, but he sounded like a weakling compared to the mighty Jimbo.
The Doors had already garnered quite an infamous reputation, mainly due to their legendary incident at the Whiskey A Go-Go club in early '66, in which Jim stunned the crowd by singing the Oedipal section of "The End", complete with the f-word. In 1966, that was pretty much unheard of, and Jim was already showing that he had more balls than any other rock singer. The word on the street was "Hey, have you heard about The Doors? The singer is this crazy poet who's unlike anyone else you've ever seen". And for the women, it was "Hey, dig that super-sexy guy in the leather pants". Anyway, this, their first album, was the first album ever to combine poetry with rock 'n roll in such an eerie way. It quickly established the band as something original, ingenious and, above all, unique.

"BREAK ON THROUGH": Probably the first true 'heavy metal' song ever recorded. Fast, dark, heavy, unusual and powerful, the perfect formula for a Doors song. Totally rocks.

"SOUL KITCHEN": This one's about a restaurant called Olivia's that Jim frequented. Features great organ and guitar.

"THE CRYSTAL SHIP": If this isn't beautiful, nothing is. It really shows the softer, more emotional side of Jim's voice, and the guitar playing is gorgeous, not to mention the lyrics.

"20TH CENTURY FOX": Great, upbeat guitar-oriented shuffle. Shows more of a 'pop' side to the band.

"ALABAMA SONG (WHISKEY BAR)": This one was taken from a 1929 German opera, believe it or not. Musically, it's definitely not The Doors at their best, but it's very catchy and has a great 'sing-along' feel to it. And how did Ray get his piano to sound like that? Or is it a harpsichord? Whatever it is, it sounds wonderful.

"LIGHT MY FIRE": Ah yes, their biggest single ever. The instrumental break is fascinating. An anthem for the Summer Of Love.

"BACK DOOR MAN": Excellent blues tune. Jim's trademark grunts and growls really add to the excitement. Gets very intense and ferocious at the end.

"I LOOKED AT YOU": A silly but enjoyable Beatles-ish song. And I never really cared for the Fab Four in the first place.

"END OF THE NIGHT": My God, this might be the best song on the album. So dark and eerie that it might send shivers down your spine. Possibly the most haunting song the Doors ever recorded. It's pure, hypnotic bliss.

"TAKE IT AS IT COMES": Great upbeat song, one of the only 'happy' songs that Jim ever wrote.

"THE END": Lyrically, this is a masterpiece. Musically, it's not all that memorable, other than a creepy guitar line from Robby. Contains a brief section that talks about the Greek legend of Oedipus, who murdered his father and married his mother. Originally, this was a simple song about faded love. But as they played it more and more, Jim turned it into an ode to death.

This album changed the world of rock 'n roll forever. And NOBODY else defined 'cool and charismatic' like Jim Morrison. Nobody.

The debut album of The Doors is I personally believe one of the greatest albums of all time.Jim Morrison, otherwise known as the Lizard King, was quite possibly one of the greatest rock n roll frontmen of all time.

Though all songs are excellent, the highlights would have to be Break On Through, Alabama Song, Light My Fire, and The End. Break On Through is an excellent rocker, Alabama Song is extremely catchy, Light My Fire features an amazing organ solo, and The End is as beatiful as it is contoversial.

As for the other songs, The Crystal Ship, is a nice a nice slower song.Twentieth Century Century Fox is also a good song, though not as good as Break On Through.I think Take It As It Comes is an icredibly good song, but was never really ever considered a hit.I have the same opinion for End Of The Night.

Soul Kitchen, Back Door Man, and I Looked At You are my least favorites, bot they are not in no way bad songs.

This first work from The Doors is a must have for any fan of rock music.

One of the greatest debuts in rock history. "The Doors" is a brilliant combination of rock, pop, blues, jazz, hard rock, psychedelia, and, even noise rock. And this was released just at the right time... in 1967. There were many great releases such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Are You Experienced?," "The Velvet Underground & Nico," and "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn." But the Doors' debut isn't any of those albums. It's all those albums combined. The hard rock and brilliant guitar work of Hendrix, the beautiful and melodic sounds of the Beatles, the haunting and prophetic visuals of the Velvet Underground, and the psychedelic drug trips of Pink Floyd.

The band doesn't include a bassist, and none is needed. It's all in Ray Manzarek's work on the keyboard. He keeps the band together. He puts out the most brilliant keyboard work. And he's what makes this band distintive from every other band. Without him, the show wouldn't go on. Robby isn't as brilliant as other guitarists like Page or Hendrix, but his simplicity would inspire other guitarists later on (think of him as a 1960s version of Kurt Cobain). John, like any other drummer, wold keep the beat just right. That just leaves the Lizard King himself: Jim Morrison.

Instead of just delivering plain rock lyrics, he added a twist: He delivered poetry instead. And he delivered them with such a beautiful voice. And his stage performance would set the standard for a rock performance. He was wild and rebellious. Spontaneous at every time. And speaking of rebellious, he would also bring birth to what would become punk rock.

Darkness and mystery is what the Doors brought in the time of what was supposed to be peace and love. Some people would say that the Velvet Underground brought that first. Not a chance. They shocked people, and that was it. The Doors were the guys that made people dance, bang their heads, and go crazy.

This is one of the greatest rock albums made and one of the most influential as well. The Doors went beyond what rock can be. They showed that rock can be art not just with Morrison's poetic lyrics, but with the epic sound experimentation in the songs "Light My Fire" and "The End." This is nothing like "Sgt. Pepper" or those other albums released in that year. "The Doors" remains as a timeless classic and landmark in rock music. This is THE album of 1967. And this will remain as this reviewer's all-time favorite album.

Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin...

The Doors' debut album is one of the greatest in the history rock. So much of what Jim Morrison and the band established here has influenced rock n' roll and how it's performed for more than the last 30 years. In "The Doors" the band brilliantly portrayed a world of poetry, dark realms and romantic, sometimes violent visions. The opening, "Break On Through," is exhilarating hard rock with a brilliant set of poetic lyrics ("I found an island in your arms, a country in your eyes"). "Soul Kitchen" is a fun number with an edge. The following track, "The Crystal Ship," is one of the gems from this album. It is hypnotic, romantic, poetic and timeless with Morrison's alluring lyrics and vocals and the band's overall playing, especially Ray Manzarek's dreamy organ work. The Doors also showed a wide variety of musical tastes here and it shows in tracks like the European-feeling "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)," taken from a German opera called "The Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahogoney," it shows the band were keen on art and the lyrics were fitting for Morrison. "Backdoor Man" is hard rock blues and no one has ever done a better version of this Willie Dixon tune. And of course, there's "Light My Fire," the trademark Doors tune that everyone has heard at some point or another in their lives wether it be by The Doors or being covered by someone else. Of course this is the best version, the original with the classic organ intro and Robby Krieger solo. Though it pales lyrically next to many of the other songs, it is still a hypnotic, classic piece of rock history. A great song backed by great instrumentals."End Of The Night" is a dreamy ballad, inspired by the novel by Celine, it is one of the band's best, most alluring songs (check out Rhea's Obsession's fantastic cover). The masterpiece here though, is still "The End." It is one of the most hypnotic of all rock songs, it is a poetic, dark journey into unknown realms and for Morrison, it is a fitting homage to choas and self-discovery. The lyrics are unforgettable ("Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain, and all the children are insane") and the playing oriental and groundbreaking. Morrison brilliantly adapts the Oedipus theory into it and comes out at his most menacing and deep. "The Doors" remains a timeless album, the music is still as alive today as it ever has been. So many artists like The Cult, Iggy Pop, Creed, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Billy Idol, U2, and many others are what this album helped inspire and will continue to inspire for years to come. Here is a true classic for the ages.

Okay, your making a rock 'n' roll time-capsule to be opened in ten-thousand years by an alien civilization after man is extinct, so that the aliens will have a template to work from so as to carry on rock music. Question: What albums go in the time-capsule? Well, something by the Beatles probably (Sgt.Pepper?). Led Zeppelin IV, no doubt. Dark Side of the Moon maybe? Born to Run? And absolutely the Doors' debut album. This record is like fine wine - it gets better with age. Unlike the Beatles, whose albums tend to have been shrunken by decades, the Doors have a timeless quality, particularly this first album, which sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday - it's that fresh. There are, of course, hits a'plenty here ("Light My Fire", "Break on Through", etc.), but the real crux is in the lesser know tracks. "Soul Kitchen", "Take It As It Comes", "Back Door Man", even the whimsical "Alabama Song" - all instantly recognizeable. And, of course, Jim Morrison's darkly poetic visions make it all quite unforgettable. Sure the Doors barely glimpsed this lofty perch on any of their subsequent records, but it's not their fault that this very first release was a greatest hits album.