Customer Reviews

Other Voices / The Doors

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like the most recent reviewer, I also am more than just a casual listener of the Doors. I have all their albums as well as several bootlegs and have been listening to them for well over 40 years.

When "Other Voices" came out I bought the album with a degree of trepidation because I wasn't sure what the post Jim Morrison Doors would sound like. I was pleasantly surprised. "In the Eye of the Storm", except for Ray Manzarek's vocal, has the sound and feel of a Doors song. "Variety is the Spice of Life" also has that sound and feel although Robby Krieger's vocals are a little litle easier on my ear than Manzarek's. "Tightrope Ride" is a great song that features one of Krieger's best guitar solos of all time. I have read that Ray Manzarek had said the group was working on some of the songs on this album before Jim Morrison went to Paris, never to return. "Down on the Farm", a Robby Krieger composition, was one of the songs that had already been written. Whether Morrison recorded any vocals for it is probably a question that will never be answered but I have no reason to doubt Manzarek's claim. "I'm Horny I'm Stoned" is a fun track to listen to and the album's closing song "Hang on to Your Life" has a somewhat eery presence to it that makes you wonder whether the band was thinking about their deceased singer when they recorded it.

Overall, I consider "Other Voices" to be a good Doors album albeit not quite as ballsy as "Morrison Hotel" or as psychedelic as "Strange Days". There's no "almost" about this album, and to say it doesn't deserve to be considered a Doors album is an ignorant statement that disrespects the surviving members and their talents. No rock band, even the Doors, is about one person. Apparently the rather uninformed person who wrote the "1 star" review believes that the Doors without Jim Morrison is something less than the Doors and this album is not worth a listen. Nevertheless, for those who want to know where the band went musically after Morrison's passing this album and their followup, "Full Circle", are well worth owning.

"I'm nervous, I'm lonely, I,m bored, I'm stoned" You gotta love a song with these lyrics.Different music after Morrison died, but very very good rock and roll.

Almost all the reviewers on youtube say this album is trash because there is no Jim Morrison...well hell, shallow people.

This album, many of the tracks were rehearsed while Jim was alive and wouda been the next album. Ray Manzerik comes in on most of the vocals and does a very good job.

You can sense the songs structure and feel were made for Jim Morrison to come in the studio and lay down his vocals on the tracks, but it didnt happen.

"Tightrope Ride" was the single released and I am amazed it wasnt atleast a top 40 hit, the album must not have been promoted too much by the label, although it did reach No. 35 on the charts and thats not bad, having the 35th most popular album in America.

The song "Ships with Sails" is a amazing song and if you heard it, you'd KNOW it's classic Doors all the way, a great 6+ min tune that kinda resembles "Riders on the storm".

The opening song "In the Eye of the Sun" is also a great Doors song that has that great Doors sound.

This album has been ignored long enough, bring it back, release it on CD, its not a Morrison release, but its the Doors and it's a great album!

I just got this 2 days ago and already listend to it 3 times, pretty good for a "double ablbum". I dont think there is a bad song, If you like the longer musical doors songs (light my fire, LA women,riders, when the musics over) you should love this. besides thier various greatest hits comps, this is the best music from start to finish. In fact some of these songs would go right well on a cd w/ those songs.
If you like the music tune in, turn on, and turn off the lights.This is great stuff wish they would have made more.

I happened upon this album doing some random surfing on YouTube one evening. I never had a clue that the Doors had released any albums post Morrison. I have to admit that upon first listen I cringed somewhat. Many of the tunes are somewhat more "light" than music you are used to hearing from the Doors, especially considering their prior album was the very bluesy LA Woman. A weird thing happened however..I popped the CD in my car and listened to it off and on over the course of the week. Songs I had originally knocked...were stuck in my head. Once I began listening to the album on its on merits and not as a Morrison era Doors album I realized it is in fact a really good album. I believe the best song on the album is the haunting Ship with Sails, a song I would have dearly loved to hear Morrison sing. "Tightrope Ride" is a nice rocker. "Variety is the Spice of Life" and "I'm Horny, I'm Stoned" are carefree rides driven by Ray Manzerek's barreling piano cords. Is it a great Doors album? Probably not. It is a very good rock album for that era though.

Ok, I'm not your casual listener. I've been listening to The Doors for 30+ years. I bought their box set and anything else released that hints of their genius. I've know of this LP but didn't have it until recently. I thought I'd still hear the magic that made their music sans the Jim Morrison effect. In fact Robbie Krieger's guitar style and song writing are of great interest to me. Same goes for Manzarek's organ sound. This LP includes nothing interesting and wreaks of self indulgence as to their singing talent. Morrison Hotel and LA Woman moved the Doors back to their bluesy sound and helped to propel their popularity when things were disintegrating within and around them. I wonder like many fans where their music would have gone in the 70's. If this is the direction, I think they would have surely broke up after this release had Morrison not self imploded. I've read how Morrison may have rehearsed some of this stuff, maybe maybe not. Funny how there is no known recording of him doing this outside of Manzarek's assertion. For all I know, Morrison would have thought this being dribble in comparison to everything else they've done up then and refuse its release. Sorry, not even those doubtful endorsement stories can help this disappointing LP that has The Doors name on it. Maybe that's what annoys me the most.