Ray Manzarek Post Doors Work

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Ray has certainly given us an eclectic selection of post-Door work and has proved his musical genius on more than one occasion but which side of Ray is indeed the best?

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

One of the most influential keyboard players in the history of rock music, Doors member Ray Manzarek was born on February 12, 1939. Born to Polish immigrants in Chicago, IL, he grew up admiring the boogie-woogie piano players that became popular in the '50s. After dropping out of U.C.L.A.'s law program, he reconsidered going to graduate school, eventually going back under their prestigious film program. It was in this environment that Manzarek helped form the Doors. Being one of the most influential rock bands in America, they would go on to release several albums before the untimely death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July of 1971. Devastating the band, they attempted two albums without Morrison featuring Manzarek on vocals, but fan support was low and the band slowly fell apart. In 1973, he released his first solo album, The Golden Scarab, and began to tour again. 1974's The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll, Now It's Out of Control came next, but Manzarek was itching to work with a band again and eventually started Ray Manzarek's Nite City. They released an eponymous album in 1976 and Golden Days Diamond Nights in 1977, but they failed to capitalize on the success of the original Doors and fell apart again. It was soon after that that the punk movement became a driving force in Los Angeles, and the band X contacted Manzarek about working with them in a production capacity. The end result was Los Angeles, one of the all-time most important punk albums. Reinvigorated, he began work on Carmina Burana, a high concept solo album about opera and minstrels that was released in 1983. Unfortunately, the effort was viewed as too pretentious and he quietly faded away for almost ten years. When Oliver Stone's film biography The Doors was released in 1991, Manzarek came out of semi-retirement to voice his displeasure in how the band was portrayed by the controversial filmmaker. In 1993, he released an album of Michael McClure's beat poetry over his keyboard playing, Lion Love, to a warm reception. The duo toured the country with the act, while Manzarek worked on his autobiography and a Doors tribute album. Both eventually came out, and he has continually voiced his desire to make a musical based on the career of his former band. At the turn of the century, he released an album with British musician/actor Darryl Read and saw his son score a major label record deal with his band A.I. Although he has made some challenging and interesting music since that time, his huge influence over the world of rock will forever associate him with the Doors, and luckily Manzarek seems completely comfortable with that legacy.
by Bradley Torreano
All Music Guide

[peter]

i like the song, i wake up screaming from the whole thing started with rock & roll
nice cat (your`s alex? ) and the jimbo poem real funny song great album

[othercircles]

I couldnt make out a damn word of that poem. It's so slathered in reverb and delay. Good track tho.... very very LA Woman era. It made me think of Jim singing it.

I prefer the Golden Scarab tho.. it sounds like Full Circle part 2 but with more impressive keyboard playing and no Robbie of course.. but the guitar playing and drumming is eerily Krieger/Densmore like.... excpet the drumming is a tad sloppy.. and the guitar isn't sloppy enough

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Any views of Ray Manzarek's post Doors work?
To give a 21st century perspective of Ray lets hear from any of his fans what they think of the guys work.