Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Feb 2, 2012 22:12:41 GMT
JERRY EWING re-examines the influence of JIM MORRISON - PON, prophet anti pisshead;
The Doors
Re-Issues
(Elektra) Jim Morrison - poet, prophet or pisshead? Arguments over the relevant worth of the iconic front man jettisoned to international superstardom at the helm of The Doors have raged on since his passing in 1971. To this day some claim he was a piss-soaked, talentless lout, whilst others unashamedly worship at the Morrison altar. Yet there's no denying the singer's impact on the rock world, an influence emphasised by these tasty re-issues, aesthetically striking as they are with replica vinyl art packaging - and so much better than breakable plastic too.
However, listening to all six studio albums, as well as the additional `Essential Rarities' (*****) set culled from the recent boxed set, one is struck not just by Morrison's rich talent as a singer and lyricist, but also by the other members. Ray Manzarek conjured up the vision of The Doors with film student Morrison on LA's Venice Beach in 1965, and his strident organ work drives them as a musical force. What guitarist Robbie Krieger may have lacked in visual charisma he more than made up for with playing that was intricate, dynamic and performed with a dark psychedelic feel. And although John Densemore is often seen as one of 'the other two' with Krieger, his taut, jazz-based drumming sets the perfect base from which they would build their strikingly unique sound.
Perhaps one of the reasons The Doors retain their influence is that nobody ever sounded like them, at least not at the time. That, and the fact that they never made a bad studio record. Driven by Morrison's often drug-fuelled visions, and, equally hampered by Jim's notorious experimentation over their six year journey, it's also unsurprising that they took their name from a quote in
Aldous Huxley's The Doors Of
Perception, an exploration of mescaline trip, which read "all the other chemical Doors in the Wall are labelled Dope" - and not, as is often quoted, from Blake's line "There are things that are known and things that are unknown: in between are
doors" from his poem The Doors: Open And Closed.
More importantly, however, the band managed to hone their craft and combine the electrifying elements that made them not only stand out from their peers but stand tall as the defining band of the era on their 1967 debut album. They may have had three years to work at it, but `The Doors' (*****) is an epochal work, refusing to remain within the confines of the traditional rock framework and drawing instead on blues, jazz, pop, classical and even Eastern rhythms. It was a huge hit, thanks in no small part to the success of the grandiose, swirling 'Light My Fire', still the band's anthem. And despite the melodious appeal of "The Crystal Ship' and 'End Of The Night', an underlying sense of darkness and mystery often pervaded The Doors music. Typified by the brooding 'Back Door Man' and the epic, Oedipal horror of 'The End' which closes the album. And yet they could offset such tense drama with something as simple as 'I Looked At You', a bright slice of 60s pop. Not only is 'The Doors' a stunning debut from any band, it possibly remains their finest hour.
The same year they released 'Strange Days' (*****), another standout collection. Much of the material had been penned around the same time as their debut, and the band's initial impact may have eased, but 'Strange Days' is still a fine, fine release. Hits came in 'Love Me Two Times', 'Moonlight Drive', a supposed love song that ends with
the twisted line 'Baby's going to
drown tonight', perfectly reflecting Morrison's unpredictable nature, and the excellent 'People Are Strange'.
And whilst 'Unhappy Girl' and the misplaced prose of 'Horse Latitudes' didn't match the quality of 'The Doors', 'When The Music's Over' would prove to be a stunning addition to the band's live set.
1968's 'Waiting For The Sun' (*****) was deemed something of a disappointment upon its release.
And yet with the benefit of hindsight, one can only ask how an album that contains tunes like 'Love Street', 'Spanish Caravan', 'Wintertime Love' and 'Summer's Almost Gone' be deemed a failure?
And these paled against the anti-war blast of 'The Unknown Soldier', the smash hit 'Hello, I Love You' and the
prophetic 'Five To One' with it's 'No
one here gets out alive' line. Again The Doors set the standard.
A year later and they finally faltered a touch. 'The Soft Parade' (*****) is perhaps The Doors at their most experimental - although given their constant drive for new soundscapes, such a statement seems somewhat ill-conceived. And despite wonderful moments like the brass- led 'Touch Me', Krieger's `Runnin' Blue' and Morrison's own 'Wild Child', tracks like 'Do It' seemed slightly lacklustre. However, in the closing title track they once more combined Morrison's often lateral poeticism with their own driving hard rock to maximum effect.
By the time the band released 'Morrison Hotel' (*****) in 1970, the singer's unpredictable nature, continuously driven by his passion for drink and drugs, had already landed The Doors in hot water.
Infamously, he was indicted for indecent exposure, public intoxication and lwed conduct in Miami prior to the release of 'The Soft Parade', but the band's standing was decidedly wobbly with wary critics and confused fans alike, which makes '...Hotel' all the more effective.
Elektra Records incurred Morrison's wrath for using an old cover shot of the singer, rather than confront the public with the bloated, bearded character he'd become, but the album is a hard hitting blues rock document that again encapsulated the times. Almost brutal tracks like the opening `Roadhouse Blues' and 'Land Ho!'
vied for attention with the catchier 'Waiting For The Sun'. And while Morrison's own rich baritone was showing signs of decay due to his indulgences, the simplistic beauty of `Indian Summer' displays a sensitivity that suggests he was still in control of his faculties.
In control to the extent that he'd begun to question his priorities prior to the release of 1971's 'L.A. Woman' (*****), threatening withdrawal from the band to become a Paris-based poet. Whether this fact makes the band's final album with Morrison such a defining statement is still open for debate. Yet within its earthy, blues base are such staple rock moments as the jazzy 'Riders On The Storm', the haunting title track and the hit `Love Her Madly'. The Doors managing to nail their short but effective Morrison career with melodramatic ease.
Within a month of its release, Morrison was found dead in a Parisian bathtub, of a heart attack. It was the same year that the rock world had lost Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, all three icons of an era. And yet it is Morrison (just ahead of Hendrix) whose ghostly presence continues to hover over the rock world.
Jim Morrison, then. Poet, prophet and pisshead! And a man who always carried it off with inimitable style.
Jerry Ewing
Classic Rock Magazine November 2000
The Doors
Re-Issues
(Elektra) Jim Morrison - poet, prophet or pisshead? Arguments over the relevant worth of the iconic front man jettisoned to international superstardom at the helm of The Doors have raged on since his passing in 1971. To this day some claim he was a piss-soaked, talentless lout, whilst others unashamedly worship at the Morrison altar. Yet there's no denying the singer's impact on the rock world, an influence emphasised by these tasty re-issues, aesthetically striking as they are with replica vinyl art packaging - and so much better than breakable plastic too.
However, listening to all six studio albums, as well as the additional `Essential Rarities' (*****) set culled from the recent boxed set, one is struck not just by Morrison's rich talent as a singer and lyricist, but also by the other members. Ray Manzarek conjured up the vision of The Doors with film student Morrison on LA's Venice Beach in 1965, and his strident organ work drives them as a musical force. What guitarist Robbie Krieger may have lacked in visual charisma he more than made up for with playing that was intricate, dynamic and performed with a dark psychedelic feel. And although John Densemore is often seen as one of 'the other two' with Krieger, his taut, jazz-based drumming sets the perfect base from which they would build their strikingly unique sound.
Perhaps one of the reasons The Doors retain their influence is that nobody ever sounded like them, at least not at the time. That, and the fact that they never made a bad studio record. Driven by Morrison's often drug-fuelled visions, and, equally hampered by Jim's notorious experimentation over their six year journey, it's also unsurprising that they took their name from a quote in
Aldous Huxley's The Doors Of
Perception, an exploration of mescaline trip, which read "all the other chemical Doors in the Wall are labelled Dope" - and not, as is often quoted, from Blake's line "There are things that are known and things that are unknown: in between are
doors" from his poem The Doors: Open And Closed.
More importantly, however, the band managed to hone their craft and combine the electrifying elements that made them not only stand out from their peers but stand tall as the defining band of the era on their 1967 debut album. They may have had three years to work at it, but `The Doors' (*****) is an epochal work, refusing to remain within the confines of the traditional rock framework and drawing instead on blues, jazz, pop, classical and even Eastern rhythms. It was a huge hit, thanks in no small part to the success of the grandiose, swirling 'Light My Fire', still the band's anthem. And despite the melodious appeal of "The Crystal Ship' and 'End Of The Night', an underlying sense of darkness and mystery often pervaded The Doors music. Typified by the brooding 'Back Door Man' and the epic, Oedipal horror of 'The End' which closes the album. And yet they could offset such tense drama with something as simple as 'I Looked At You', a bright slice of 60s pop. Not only is 'The Doors' a stunning debut from any band, it possibly remains their finest hour.
The same year they released 'Strange Days' (*****), another standout collection. Much of the material had been penned around the same time as their debut, and the band's initial impact may have eased, but 'Strange Days' is still a fine, fine release. Hits came in 'Love Me Two Times', 'Moonlight Drive', a supposed love song that ends with
the twisted line 'Baby's going to
drown tonight', perfectly reflecting Morrison's unpredictable nature, and the excellent 'People Are Strange'.
And whilst 'Unhappy Girl' and the misplaced prose of 'Horse Latitudes' didn't match the quality of 'The Doors', 'When The Music's Over' would prove to be a stunning addition to the band's live set.
1968's 'Waiting For The Sun' (*****) was deemed something of a disappointment upon its release.
And yet with the benefit of hindsight, one can only ask how an album that contains tunes like 'Love Street', 'Spanish Caravan', 'Wintertime Love' and 'Summer's Almost Gone' be deemed a failure?
And these paled against the anti-war blast of 'The Unknown Soldier', the smash hit 'Hello, I Love You' and the
prophetic 'Five To One' with it's 'No
one here gets out alive' line. Again The Doors set the standard.
A year later and they finally faltered a touch. 'The Soft Parade' (*****) is perhaps The Doors at their most experimental - although given their constant drive for new soundscapes, such a statement seems somewhat ill-conceived. And despite wonderful moments like the brass- led 'Touch Me', Krieger's `Runnin' Blue' and Morrison's own 'Wild Child', tracks like 'Do It' seemed slightly lacklustre. However, in the closing title track they once more combined Morrison's often lateral poeticism with their own driving hard rock to maximum effect.
By the time the band released 'Morrison Hotel' (*****) in 1970, the singer's unpredictable nature, continuously driven by his passion for drink and drugs, had already landed The Doors in hot water.
Infamously, he was indicted for indecent exposure, public intoxication and lwed conduct in Miami prior to the release of 'The Soft Parade', but the band's standing was decidedly wobbly with wary critics and confused fans alike, which makes '...Hotel' all the more effective.
Elektra Records incurred Morrison's wrath for using an old cover shot of the singer, rather than confront the public with the bloated, bearded character he'd become, but the album is a hard hitting blues rock document that again encapsulated the times. Almost brutal tracks like the opening `Roadhouse Blues' and 'Land Ho!'
vied for attention with the catchier 'Waiting For The Sun'. And while Morrison's own rich baritone was showing signs of decay due to his indulgences, the simplistic beauty of `Indian Summer' displays a sensitivity that suggests he was still in control of his faculties.
In control to the extent that he'd begun to question his priorities prior to the release of 1971's 'L.A. Woman' (*****), threatening withdrawal from the band to become a Paris-based poet. Whether this fact makes the band's final album with Morrison such a defining statement is still open for debate. Yet within its earthy, blues base are such staple rock moments as the jazzy 'Riders On The Storm', the haunting title track and the hit `Love Her Madly'. The Doors managing to nail their short but effective Morrison career with melodramatic ease.
Within a month of its release, Morrison was found dead in a Parisian bathtub, of a heart attack. It was the same year that the rock world had lost Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, all three icons of an era. And yet it is Morrison (just ahead of Hendrix) whose ghostly presence continues to hover over the rock world.
Jim Morrison, then. Poet, prophet and pisshead! And a man who always carried it off with inimitable style.
Jerry Ewing
Classic Rock Magazine November 2000