Customer Reviews

Morrison Hotel

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Although the Doors fourth album "The Soft Parade" (1969) had sold well and produced the smash hit "Touch Me," both fans and critics alike felt as though the band sold out. Compared to "The Doors" and "Strange Days" (both 1967) the band's more recent work had been viewed as overtly commercial. In the eyes of the Doors faithful, both "Waiting for the Sun" (1968) and "The Soft Parade" seemed to pale in comparison to the Doors first two albums. "The Soft Parade" in particular, with its strings and pop compositions, seemed to rub Doors fans and critics the wrong way. The negative feedback, however, ultimately worked to the Doors advantage. In response to the negative buzz, the Doors released what would ultimately be hailed as one of their finest albums "Morrison Hotel" (1970).

"Morrison Hotel" is neither a return to the sound of the Doors early albums nor is it a follow-up to the styling of its immediate predecessor "The Soft Parade." Rather, "Morrison Hotel" opens a new chapter in the Doors history all together. Gone were the psychedelic trimmings of the first two albums. Gone was the commercialism of the last two. "Morrison Hotel" is distinctly stripped down, and edgier. It was akin to what Credence Clearwater Revival were doing at the time. All in all, "Morrison Hotel" is an album of unadulterated, meat-and-potatoes, no-nonsense, blues-tinged, rock n' roll.

Although "Morrison Hotel" embraces a new sound, all the elements of the Doors are firmly in place; Jim Morrison's soulful baritone, John Densmore's jazzy percussion, Robbie Krieger's bluesy guitar, all the while peppered with Ray Manzarek's wholly unique signature organ and piano. So while "Morrison Hotel" sees the Doors exploring new ground, they do so in a way that doesn't forget what made the Doors, the Doors.

Some of Morrison's best poetry is on "Morrison Hotel." While all his work is good, with "Morrison Hotel," he was just starting to blossom as a writer and was becoming more refined.

In some respects, "Morrison Hotel" is a precursor or sister album to its more renowned follow-up, "LA Woman" (1971). Both albums are cut from the same cloth in the sense that they are both blues-tinged hard-rock, but "Morrison Hotel," while hardly cheerful, is distinctly less dark, perhaps because the listener knows that Morrison's death is not imminent.

The straight-forward "Roadhouse Blues" was the most rocking song the Doors recorded since "Break on though (to the other Side) from the Doors debut. John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful (though not credited by name) adds the perfect touch of harmonica to give the song a gritty edge. "Waiting for the Sun," which was originally penned for the album by that name, begins slowly and serene, with an underlining pressure slowly building up beneath the surface, as forceful keyboards pierce their way though from time to time. Then, as the chorus sets in, the song yields to Morrison, demanding to know "what went wrong." The upbeat "You Make Me Real," while not bad, lacks the grit of the rest of "Morrison Hotel," and is not one of the albums better songs. The highly underrated melodic "Peace Fog" gets the album back on track and features one of Krieger's best solos. The serene "Blue Sunday" is simply enchanting, and Morrison had never given a more soulful delivery (although by now his voice was not what it had been). Cut from the same cloth, the jazzy "Ship of Fools" and the bluesier "Land Ho!" acts effectively as a semi-medley. On the low-key, serene, "The Spy," one really believes that Morrison is omni-present, as he states he is. The easygoing "Queen of the Highway" follows nicely, keeping up the momentum. "Indian Summer" is simply one of the most beautiful Doors compositions ever. More than just another balled, Morrison never sounded so vulnerable or sincere. Though Morrison's voice is nearly shot for the closing "Maggie Mc'Gill," this bluesy rocker makes for a good finale.

Unfortunately for Morrison and the band as a whole, by the recording of "Morrison Hotel," Morrison's heavy drinking and drugs were beginning to take a toll on his voice. While his voice isn't a ghost of its former glory as it is in the follow-up "LA Woman," Morrison does sound strained.

Upon its release, "Morrison Hotel" was greeted with a warm reception among fans and critics alike, and the album was praised as the groups' best work since "Strange Days." While "Morrison Hotel" is held in high regard today, it is unfortunately sometimes overlooked due to the fact that fans and critics alike tend to cite the Doors first two albums, and Morrison's swan song, "LA Woman" as the bands best work. And while "Morrison Hotel" boasts such classics as "Roadhouse Blues" and "Waiting for the Sun," many other songs like "Indian Summer" and "The Spy" are overlooked and remain lost treasures.

Some critics will tell you only die-hard fans need to buy the Doors studio albums and that the casual fan is best served sticking to a "best of" CD. If you are on a budget, sure, otherwise, go ahead and buy all six classic Doors albums. While a hits album is good, each Doors album has its own unique flavor and flow, and one is best served experiencing the album as a whole, rather than just getting the highlights from a "greatest hits" or a "best of." If you followed the advice of critics who will tell you "all you need is a `best of'" you'd miss out in many of their best songs, like the aforementioned "Indian Summer" and "The Spy."

The Doors make yet another classic hard rock album here. They were getting pressured by new groups like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and the revamped Mach II Deep Purple. The Doors started moving away from the acid rock sound into bluesy hard rock in the vein of mid 70's Stones. Morrison is at his peak, and his lower voice is a nice change of pace from the other shreiking hard rock singers of his day... Check out this album, you can't lose.

After the critical brickbats that greeted "The Soft Parade" (1969), Jim Morrison and company made a smashing return to form with their most cohesive album. "Morrison Hotel" (1970) has no misfires. "Roadhouse Blues," "You Make Me Real" and "Peace Frog" are among the hard-rock highlights - punctuated by effective ballads such as "Blue Sunday" and "Indian Summer." The Doors would take their blues-oriented sound even further on "L.A. Woman" (1971), but "Morrison Hotel" evokes the perfect bar-band atmosphere.

The original pressing (AFZ 037) was defective as there were crackles on Roadhouse Blues. The replacement pressing (AFZ 037-X) suffered the same issue. The second replacement pressing (AFZ 037-2) does not have the defects of the previous two.

If you purchase this disc from any retailer, be sure to contact AF to get the replacement.

If you want the same version of Morrison Hotel you had way back when, you might avoid this version. You might be better off with the remastered edition from 1999. But if you want to hear this classic Doors album with some unused vocals and instruments mixed back in, pick up this latest release from Rhino/Elektra. If you're a longtime fan you'll probably want to have both in your collection. I have been digging these in a big way. Highly recommended!!!

After a couple of albums that were more noted for hit singles that smacked too much of pop music for their fans, namely 1968's "Waiting for the Sun" with "Hello, I Love You" and 1969's "The Soft Parade" with "Touch Me," the Doors got back to their roots with "Morrison Hotel." This is clear from the opening track on this 1970 album, the rock 'n' booze anthem "Roadhouse Blues," which blasts this album into the stratosphere. Robbie Krieger's opening riff sets the tone and Ray Manzarek pounds away on the piano to establish the mood, with the whole thing capped off by Jim Morrison's vocalized howls. You can hear live versions of "Roadhouse Blues," but unfortunately none of them were ever performed in the perfect locale, which would have been a bar. But you can imagine how great it would sound to hear this one blasting the top off of some juke joint.

There are not any hit singles on the group's fifth studio album, which is undoubtedly why it went over better with the fans of the Doors, even if it only made it to #4 on the Billboard album charts. To help validate the blues the Doors brought in the great sessions jazz guitarist Ray Neopolitan, albeit as a bass player (the Doors never really bothered with one). The requisite touch of the exotic can be found in songs like "Waiting for the Sun," "Queen of the Highway," and "Indian Summer." Morrison, who was noticeably disengaged in terms of both his lyrics and his singing on previous albums, is back to waxing poetic big time, as evidenced by "Ship of Fools," which mixes nihilistic imagery with prospects for hope. Again, Morrison is found commenting on the counterculture, singing about how "Everyone was hanging out/Hanging up and hanging down/Hanging in and holding fast." Musically the instrumental break is where the group gets to indulge in some showmanship where the emphasis is decidedly on jazz and no longer on pop.

The other great track is "Peace Frog," which comments on the "Blood in the streets," but is more notable for Morrison's musings on an episode from his childhood in some of his most searing imagery (e.g., "Indians scattered on dawn's highway, bleeding to death") and poetic (e.g., "Blood is the rose of mysterious union"). Again, Krieger and Manzarek provide the appropriate musical accompaniment to the verbal images of cultural unrest as the end of the turbulent Sixties being thrown out by Morrison. The Doors often commented on what was happening in the streets without ever offering a solution, and this song is one of their best efforts in that regard. One final track of note remains, and that would be the slow blues tune "The Spy," simply because its music, if not its lyrics (e.g., "I know the word that you long to hear/I know your deepest, secret fear"), anticipates the last great Doors song to come on their final album, "L.A. Woman."

This is about the 4th reincarnation of MORRISON HOTEL (one has to wonder if in years to come we'll be treated to takes 4,8 and 25 of "Roadhouse Blues" before the well runs dry) and I've owned them all. Basically, if you're a casual fan stick with the earlier remasterings as the 40th Anniversary will be a bit unusual to the ear...the extra vocalizations do not detract from the songs and they can be gotten used to and, what the heck, the remaining members need the money so shell out the bucks (they're bargain priced anyway). Of all the recent re-releases, this one is the best as there's lots of bonus tracks (uneven quality but different versions of Peace Frog, The Spy, Queen of the Highway are good for repeated listenings). Personally, MORRISON HOTEL is probably their most variable release: rocking out (Roadhouse, Peace Frog, Land Ho), spooky-beautiful ballads (Blue Sunday, Indian Summer, The Spy) and just plain Morrison wierd (Waiting for the Sun, Queen of the Highway) that only the Doors could do. One of the reasons people will continue to listen to these classics is the wonderful musicianship these guys (who were only in their early to mid 20s) displayed in their relatively short time together. It was obvious they would burn bright and if Morrison didn't die when he did (but how could he not) they'd be on their 5th reunion tour rehashing these classics. The Doors sounded like professionals right out of the gate and the 6 remasters will live on (how many versions is up the surviving members and their heirs). Great re-engineering, liner notes, pix, etc.

What a great album. Only an innovative band like The Doors could successfully mix Rolling Stones-style barroom blues-rock with beautiful, haunting poetry. The result is Morrison Hotel, The Doors' fifth and best album. It is at times raunchy, boisterous rock, and other times mysterious and poetic. Morrison and Kreiger have composed some mighty fine songs on this one (as always).

Musically, the band is top notch. Jim Morrison's vocals adapt beautifully from style to style, Robbie continues to show us why he's one of the best guitarists in rock, John's drumming is solid, and Manzarek's keyboards are particularly noteworthy. Especially worthy of mentioning is the bass playing. Ray Neopolitan, The Doors' session bassist on Morrison Hotel, lays down some fantastic bass grooves.

The Doors, unlike the Stones, give you great lyrics in addition to great music. The influence of this album can be plainly heard in the Rolling Stones' 1971 Sticky Fingers album. Morrison Hotel is truly an underrated classic of rock and roll.

Morrison Hotel strikes the perfect balance between a straight-ahead blues record and The Doors' signature, psychedelic sound. Following the underrated but spotty Soft Parade, Hotel is refreshingly focused. It's also probably the least "heavy" album that they made in terms of lyrics and musical pretension. They actually sound like they are having a blast on this album. Also, the changes within each song flow smoothly, as opposed to the abrupt shifts in style that plagued many of the tracks on Soft Parade. Musically, Robbie Krieger takes over the reigns from Ray Manzarek as the lead instrumentalist, and despite him being the less talented musician, the change suits the band at this point in their career. Ray is pretty much done with his mind-bending experimentation by now, anyway, and settled into more of a honky-tonk piano approach.

The dichotomy of blues and psychedelia is illustrated right off the bat. The opening track, now a rock-radio staple, is pure blues shouted out with conviction by Jim Morrison. (This is one of the songs that makes Morrison one of the all-time great sing-along vocalists, because he has a wonderful inflection that is fun to imitate, but he's not such a good singer that you would be intimidated to try.) The next track, however, is a throwback to the era of the album that bears its name. "Waiting for the Sun" would have sounded at home on The Doors first album, in fact, with cryptic lyrics, performed hauntingly by Morrison, and a surreal, acid-tinged soundscape provided by the rest of the group. Fortunately, these two extremes don't divide Morrison Hotel, but instead provide the boundaries in which the band is free to explore.

"Peace Frog" is one of the great pop-rock songs of all time, yet boasts lyrics about a river of blood flooding the streets of Los Angeles. Nearly as catchy is "Queen of the Highway", which, like "Peace Frog", boasts some fantastic Morrison lyrics that don't take themselves too seriously. Two of the ballads, "Blue Sunday" and "The Spy" are welcome changes in pace. The narcotic "Indian Summer" would drag a little bit if it weren't for such a short running time. As it stands, it is a sleepy and hypnotic gem that fits in the album nicely. There is filler, of course, like "You Make Me Real", but it's tremendously enjoyable filler nonetheless. Throughout all of these tracks, the band tries to find the right sound. They are experimenting, but in an off-hand way. Since they aren't making a big deal out of the experimentation, but simply enjoying the process, they never lose sight of their real goal: Making a great record.

Finally, consciously or not, The Doors find the sound that they are searching for. The album ends on a track that blends the psychedelic and the blues of the previous ten songs into a hard-nosed hybrid that prepares us for their next, and final, effort - L.A. Woman. It's impressive that they were able to wrangle all of the disparate ideas and self-conscious weirdness of Soft Parade and produce their most accessible album to date. Even more impressive is the fact that they would fine-tune their sound with renewed focus and go on to top themselves on their next release...

This album was released near the end of the era of the Doors. After slipping a bit from the level of the first two albums, this, their fifth, is a return to that earlier quality, if not the earlier style. The band had had many ups and downs by early 1970 when this was released. Concerts were being canceled all of the place due to Morrison's behavior on stage. Jim's alcohol abuse continued to be a problem, but in all of this, they managed to put together an excellent collection of songs. While his performance was hindered by his drinnking, his songwriting was not. This album received critical acclaim even though it produced no hit singles. So if you are unfamiliar with the songs, don't let that hold you back.