Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When The World Met Jim Morrison, July 15, 2000
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.
|
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST LP I'VE EVER HEARD. SHEER MAGIC. BUY IT NOW., September 10, 1999
By A Customer
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.
|
|
|
64 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groundbreaking, February 27, 2000
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.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by The Doors 
