Other Voices

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

OTHER VOICES
Released: October, 1971
Produced by: The Doors and Bruce Botnick
Engineered by: Bruce Botnick
Cover Photo by: Ron Raffaelli
Label: Elektra EKS-75017





In The Eye Of The Sun (Ray Manzarek) (4:48)
Jack Conrad: bass

Variety Is The Spice Of Life (Robby Krieger) (2:50)
Jack Conrad: bass

Ships w/ Sails (Robby Krieger/John Densmore) (7:38)
Ray Neapolitan: bass
Willie Ruff: acoustic bass
Francisco Aguabella: percussion

Tightrope Ride (Ray Manzarek/Robby Krieger) (4:15)
Jack Conrad: bass




Down On The Farm (Robby Krieger) (4:15)
Jerry Scheff: bass
Emil Richards: marimba, kickshaws, whimwhams

I'm Horny, I'm Stoned (Robby Krieger) (3:55)
Jerry Scheff: bass

Wandering Musician (Robby Krieger) (6:25)
Jerry Scheff: bass

Hang On To Your Life (Ray Manzarek/Robby Krieger) (5:36) Wolfgang Meltz: bass
Francisco Aguabella: percussion

Total playing time 39:42
The Doors
Robby Krieger - guitars, vocals
Ray Manzarek - keyboards, vocals
John Densmore - drums

Other Voices
Released: October, 1971
Billboard peak: # 31



For lyrics, information and sheet music follow the links below.

Other Voices Song Links
Hang On To Your Life

Tightrope Ride

Variety is the Spice of Life

I'm Horny, I'm Stoned

Wandering Musician

Down On The Farm

Ships w/ Sails

In the Eye of the Sun


I got Other Voices in 1971 .....before I had gotten all The Morrison Doors albums (could not afford albums much back then just singles and the odd album...also Doors albums were not very easy to get in Stockton back then!) .....so I was able to look at it from the point of view of a Doors fan but not one who had heard ALL The Doors material and was not really up on the Morrison Mystique at the time.....to be honest I knew little about The Doors as people until after Morrisons death. Mike Jahns book was my first real insight into the band along with articles in the WFTS songbook.....which I had before Jim's death.

So I have always enjoyed the album and find it sad that it has never really got the credit it deserves from Doors fans. Ships w/ Sails is a superb song and Tightrope Ride is Ray at his kick ass Screaming Ray Daniels best......Hang On To your Life and Wandering Musician are great....
True a few of the tracks are a bit cheesy...Down On The Farm and Variety is The Spice of Life are hardly Doors masterpieces but the music is Doors without a doubt even if the lyric department is a bit knackered without Morrison. compared to LA Woman its a dud but it IS a Doors album......pity the Doors cannot see that as they don't even mention it on thier own site...shame really as its cool....nice cover too..

3 PIECE DOORS COMPLETE LP.
The Doors have re-signed to Elektra Records as a trio and will be releasing thier first album since the death of Jim Morrison in the near future. It will be titled 'Other Voices'. The outfits current line up is Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.
Disc & Music Echo November 1971.


The Doors: Other Voices [Elektra, 1971]
Anyone can sing rock, but that doesn't mean just anyone. Richard Nixon can't, and neither can Barbra Streisand, and I bet Peter Fonda can't either. Well, neither can Ray Manzarek or Robbie Krieger, whose voices share one salient quality: uptightness. This record has some terrific moments, starting with the first hook riff, and the musicians deserve their reputations. But even a good singer couldn't do much with a line like "To roam is my infection," and this band could use a good singer. C+
Robert Christgau
The Dean of American rock critics

Despite the fact that Jim Morrison cast a long shadow, it must be remembered that the Doors were first and foremost a band. After Morrison's passing in Paris in the summer of 1971, the group received a generous offer from Elektra president Jac Holzman to continue their recording career. Most fans of the group wondered if the band would even have any appeal without Morrison. Would they still be powerful? Would they progress? Well, the answer is yes and no.
The Doors did a very smart thing on this record -- they didn't try to replace or approximate Morrison. The result is a less serious but still focused album that, in hindsight, has real appeal. "Ships W/Sails" basically takes off where "Riders on the Storm" left off: its Afro-Cuban groove is an absolute gas, and shows that three remaining Doors were indeed progressing as musicians. The vocals on the album, while not disastrous, certainly don't have the impact that the band had with Morrison.
The Doors knew this, and only tried to make an honest statement of where they were as musicians and not a social force. On this level, the effort succeeds admirably.
Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide

Although one must admire the trio for trying to carry on, Other Voices only proved that the Doors as we know them were over. Most of the vocals are by Manzarek; although he has a distinctive speaking voice, his singing voice is somewhat insipid. The record begins promisingly with two lively tracks, but by the time the third track, "Ships w/Sails", is over, it becomes apparent that the record is going nowhere. One of the Doors' most celebrated assets -- the ability to create an effective mood -- evidently died with Morrison; one can only dream of what some of these songs ("Ships w/Sails" in particular) would have sounded like with the Lizard King performing them. Only "Down On The Farm" keeps the album's second side from being a total loss; the remainder is tiresome filler. "I'm Horny, I'm Stoned" is an embarrassing hippie singalong that sounds like Country Joe and the Fish or something. Come on, guys! Note: the song "Tightrope Ride" is available on Elektra's Doors box set; it is the only song from these two albums to be included on that set. Interestingly, the so-called Complete Recordings box set contains nothing at all from these two albums.
RAREBIRD'S ROCK AND ROLL RARITY REVIEWS

Hmm. It appears that the three remaining Doors foolishly continued without Jim, under the name "The Doors," assuming, for some reason, that they, and not Jim, were in fact "The Doors." As a trio, they put out both this record and another one called Full Circle. I haven't heard Full Circle (and neither have most of the rest of the people in the world), but I did manage to snag a two-dollar copy of this one down at my local Japanese-owned used book shop. And it's just terrible! I mean, you would think to yourself, "Oh, Jim was just the singer; certainly the actual musicians in the band could put out a halfway decent album by themselves." But you would be mistaken. Not only are these "other voices" not terribly attractive, but the music is terrible, alternating between dipshit country honk numbers and overpretentious Santana-esque noodlings. Aside from the bluesy opening track, which would have fit perfectly on L.A. Woman, none of this nonsense has anything to do with The Doors as respected. Did you notice that it was released the same year as L.A. Woman? Pretty anxious to get rid of the old Lizard King, wouldn't you say? I shudder to think how his reputation might have suffered had he lived long enough to take part in this miserable project. Pass it up! Even if you're just curious, don't be!
Mark's Internet Record Reviews

Check these links
Vote for the Post Jim albums

Tightrope Ride

Best Post Jim Moment

Post Jim Singles

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

“It was with some trepidation that I approached the macabrely titled Other Voices. The Doors first album without Jim Morrison. But no need. From the first bars of opening cut ‘In The Eye Of The Sun’ with Manzarek’s jumping electric piano, it’s funky, straight from the shoulder Doors music, simpler and more easy assimilated than before. The heavy, spooky sound which the band used to complement Morrison’s voice has eased out a bit and Ray Manzarek in particular has seized the opportunity to switch to piano from organ. In fact the the instrumental talents of all three members stands out more prominently than before. Instanced on ‘Ships w/ Sails’ and ‘ Hang On To Your Life’ both with additional Latin percussion from Francisco Aguabella .
The heaviest tracks are ‘Tightrope Ride’ with searing fuzz riffs and ‘I’m Horny I’m Stoned’. On both of these you get a feeling rather like witnessing automatic writing. As though an ectoplasmic Jim Morrison was standing at their shoulders in the studio.
Playing apart the other voices don’t quite capture the moody aggression that these two songs deserve. ‘Wandering Musician’ again with Manzarek demonstrating his skill, but this time on a proper concert grand piano, perhaps indicates the direction The Doors will follow in the future. But this album is certainly a marvellous recovery for a band which one might reasonably have expected to sink into obscurity.”
M.H. Sounds 1971

Other Voices (7/8 stars)
The “Doors” first stab at Morrison-less album. Unlike “Full Circle,” this features an undeniable country influence along with some occasionally low moments in the lyrical department.
Jon Blanton 2004

The Doors: Other Voices (EKS-75017 )
October 1971 saw the Elektra release of The Doors 7th studio album, Other Voices, produced by The Doors and Bruce Botnick, and engineered by Bruce Botnick.
An album title marking the groups first release without the now legendary front man and my personal hero, Jim Morrison. To the ardent Doors’ fan this album would be an abominable suggestion, for The Doors power came from the unit of four, diamond-shaped powering their messages of freedom and release through Jim, out there on the perimeter. Without him, surely, had to mark the end of a truly remarkable musical group. But The Doors were more than just Jim Morrison - as the man himself attested ‘they put out a hell of a lot of sound for just three guys’.
With Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger now handling the vocals and John Densmore continuing to fuel the engine room, Jim was not wrong.
All tracks have Krieger/Densmore/Manzarek credits.
I found my heart thumping with anticipation as the disc drawer closed and the first thumping bars of ‘In The Eye Of The Sun’ strummed out. Immediately it felt like familiar territory as Ray’s reassuringly harsh vocals sat over Robbie’s ‘Changeling’ riffs. A bit of a non-starter really with a slightly vague Krieger wah wah bottleneck solo twisting into a standard blues turnaround.
John rolls in to ‘Variety Is The Spice Of Life’ which kicks in with Robby on vocals, the first time since Poor Otis we have heard him in full voice, which was actually a pleasant though somewhat comical surprise. Ray’s saloon bar piano tinkles away beautifully behind an obvious tale of infidelity.
It is ‘Ships w/ Sails’ that properly grabs my attention, and I find myself wondering who is singing - and dare I say it - I thought perhaps Bryan Ferry on the intro. But it is Ray, at an octave lower than usual and quite clearly more at ease. The opus continues with a superb jam with the boys just getting loose with plenty of bongo backing from percussionist Francisco Aguabella. ‘Tightrope Ride’ we know from its inclusion in the 1997 Box Set, the only song deemed worthy, and should have been the album’s opener. John adds muscle to the piece with two simultaneous drum beats and lyrically, it is thinly disguised as a sonnet for their former front man. Robby rides the tightrope out with a blistering but simple solo and The Doors come together just as we love them.
‘Down On the Farm’ is the first track to give me goose-bumps as it sounds so Doors, especially with Jerry Scheff on bass. That is until after one and a half minutes into the song it tangents into a wonderfully ‘gooky’ middle eight with Emil Richards joining in on the marimba, kickshaws and whim whams. Soon enough though in true Doors tradition we’re back on the riff again, perfectly and unwittingly delivered. ‘Down on the Farm’ has the catchiest hook of all the tracks on this album, and I guarantee you’ll be humming the rainbow ragged. This is a good song to clank pints to and toast brotherhood.
‘I’m Horny, I’m Stoned’ is a cool foot tapper with a classic Krieger couplet ‘I feel my mind is shaking out of place, I look like a truck ran over my face’.
I think John enjoys this one, some lovely rolls and interplay with the bass, again from Jerry. ‘Wandering Musician’ has to be my least favorite track.
This is not Doors. Again, Ray’s voice is difficult to get close to, and I’m left wondering who squeezed his testicles for the high notes. You would have to be very drunk in a scrum of dance floor hangers on to enjoy this one. Wrapping the album up is the fantastic ‘Hang On To Your Life’. Very relaxed and taking it’s time to warm up, Wolfgang Meltz providing some truly exceptional bass work over bongo’s, cow bells and shakers. This song makes you feel good, optimistic and the blasting double time coda is a fitting high note for the album to end with.
Total playing time 39.42. Highest chart position No. 31

by Alex Wallis from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. 3rd July 2003.
The Doors4Scorpywag Summer 2003

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

THE DOORS - STUDIO WORK AFTER JIM

The remaining members soldiered on without their frontman after a vote of confidence from Elektra Records. But, I think it became rather apparant that one couldn't work without the other. Ray handled the vocal duty but he just wasn't able to sing the songs the way Jim did. But to the band's credit these albums wern't bad. Aware that their fallen singer had cast a rather long shadow the remaining members didn't attempt to recreate. They chose to look forward.

The Doors made two further studio albums and provided some music to recordings of Jim's poetry.

1. Other Voices (1972) [elektra] - Credit where credit's due. This is not a bad effort at all. Continuing on from where 'L.A.Woman' left off 'Other Voices' makes for a rather surprising good listen.
Standout here would be 'Tightrope Ride' for me.
Worth a look if you become a fan.

ReleaseRoger from BBC Collective
Tuesday 10 February 2004

"Anyway...the conventional wisdom regarding those post-Jim, three-Door (hatchback!) albums, Other Voices and Full Circle is that “they were...OK...but it just wasn’t the same without Jim.” Well, duhhhhhhh... This is the same attitude a friend evinced when Star Trek: The Next Generation first came out. “It’s not going to be the same without Spock.” It was different; some would say it was better. (If you hate Jimbo but like the band, you might enjoy their post-Jim work.) As it turned out, ST:TNG lasted twice as long as the original show; while the (Hatchback) Doors were canceled after two seasons. And it is indeed a shame that the (Hatchback) Doors managed only two LPs, since they were much better than OK. I’d much rather listen to either of those than something contemporaneous like, say, Bloodrock, who weren’t laboring under Jim’s shadow but who weren’t very good either. I’d rather listen to either of these than their dispirited effort of 1969, The Soft Parade.

Both albums had lesser tracks (usually sung by Robbie), but the Doors had never before put out an album without a weak link somewhere, so one can hardly pile up on them for staying true to form. Other Voices in particular was fine work; some of these songs would have been on their post-L. A. Woman album even if Jim had stayed. Others had been rejected by Jim but were no less Doorsy for that (Robbie wrote more material as time went on anyway). A good chunk of it must have been in the can already, awaiting vocals. Their last B-side (issued when Jim was in Paris) was a lame little blues throwaway sung by Ray. Jim died in July of 1971. Other Voices was in the stores by November, and didn’t sound particularly rushed. It sounded great, in fact. “Eye Of the Sun,” the first tune, was a better piece of music than a plenty of previous Doors tracks. The groove the three of them established was intriguing, as stark as anything on L. A. Woman. Then Ray opened his mouth to sing and turned out to be perfectly adequate as a vocalist. Perfectly adequate but not Jim. What a shocker that was.

If nothing else you had to give them credit for trying, and for making the effort to tie up loose ends. They toured without Jim, and the bootleg tapes attest that they were well worth going to see. It wasn’t nearly the desecration one might have expected, although Ray was known on occasion to call out to Jim from onstage. Hokey, I know. Just on the off chance that Jim was indeed present in whatever spiritual or physical form, Ray did everything possible to ensure he was present and accounted for. But what the hell--that was then and this is now. Once that bit of business was out of the way, all you had to do was close your eyes and hear the music to realize this was a perfectly valid evening of live rock and roll, well-performed by exceptional musicians, (as usual) much more so than many of the bands who were topping the charts at the time.
The fact that it was there to be heard didn’t mean that anybody was ever gonna hear it. People tired of craning their neck for the Jimbo who never came, and no matter how good the material and how perfectly adequate Ray was as a singer, so long as the three of them played together nobody would ever quite forgive them for being unable to open Door #4.
By the time of Full Circle they’d come fully into their own, but public apathy was such that they could sustain themselves no further. (There was a final non-LP b-side, called “Treetrunk.” Does anybody own it or have a tape? It’s the only Doors release I’ve never heard.) I’ve wondered why they didn’t just retire the Doors name and carry on under another, but in retrospect it wouldn’t have done much good. Ray and Robbie were going in separate musical directions anyway. Both knew all too well, it’s a drag trying to make an album with someone who’d rather be elsewhere. (Still, if you’ve ever been curious what the Doors would have sounded like in the mid-70s, just bake Full Circle and American Prayer together in a pie along with four and twenty blackbirds, and you’ll know.)"
--melodylaughter-- Internet October 1999.

SOME INTERNET FAN VIEWS

'Sure, the Doors required all four members to be complete. And the weak vocals by Robby Krieger make this clear. Ray Manzarek is a little stronger on the pipes, but always seems cheesy.
Other Voices was released 3 months after Jim's death in Paris and showed the band charting a similar sonic route to L.A.Woman. In fact, fans of that album may appreciate that semi-Latino early seventies, Santana-like California sound on the lengthy Ships W/ Sails, sung by Ray. Tightrope Ride is another Ray tune, and despite the subject (Jim's self-destruction), it is the most rocking, upbeat studio track the Doors have ever recorded, with or without Jim.
Robby's songs are even cornier than Ray's, especially Variety Is The Spice Of Life. On side two , both are corny, especially on Ray's I'm Horny, I'm Stoned. In summary, a worthy addition to any Doors fan's collection. The three main musicians were unquestioningly gifted, but this album only reinforces the critical need this band had for the presence of all four members to maintain focus and direction. '
astradyne2 Jun 06, 2004

'Sorry, the Doors would be nothing without Manzy or Robbie, so why should it be different with Morrison? '
misterknowal Mar 20, 2004

'WOW! THE DOORS RELEASED 2 MORE ALBUMS AFTER JIM MORRISON'S DEATH AS A TRIO. THE ALBUM'S TITLE REFERRED TO THAT THE VOCALS WERE BY THE SEPARATE BAND MEMBERS, AND ALSO THE DOORS ALWAYS HAVE BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL BAND CLAIMING TO BE "OTHER VOICES". THE FIRST SINGLE TO BE RELEASED FROM THIS ALBUM WAS "TIGHTROPE RIDE" AND IT'S LYRICS REFER TO THE INSECURE SITUATION OF THE BAND AFTER JIM MORRISON'S DEATH. RAY MANZAREK'S VOICE IS OF COURSE NO COMPARISON TO JIM'S, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL BAND MEMBERS HAVE A UNIQUE SOUND OF THEIR RESPECTIVE INSTRUMENTS. IN TIGHTROPE RIDE THE UNIQUE ORGAN SOUND OF RAY MANZAREK STANDS OUT, AND IT QUITE A CHEERFUL NUMBER, WITH SUDDEN CHANGES. THE SLEEK GUITAR SOUND OF ROBBY KRIEGER COMES OUT IN EACH SINGLE DOORS NUMBER, AND ALSO ON THIS ALBUM. I PERSONNALY SHARE THIS ALBUM AS A PLEASANT SURPRISE. SHIPS /W SAILS IS THE MASTERPIECE WITH LONG INSTRUMENTAN SOLO'S, LIKE CLASSICAL DOORS TITLES, FOR INSTANCE LIGHT MY FIRE AND RIDERS ON THE STORM. THIS NUMBER WAS RELEASED AS A SINGLE IN HOLLAND AND DID QUITE WELL. I LIKE THE INSTRUMENTAL OVERALL MELODY OF THIS MUSICPIECE. LATER JIM MORRISON BECAME A ROCK 'N ROLL MYTH AND A RESULT THESE 2 POST JIM MORRISON ALBUMS TUMBLED INTO OBSCURITY. THE DOORS MYTH HAD TO BE SOLD WITH A STRONG MARKETING POLICY, AND THEREBY THE DOORS LIVE ALBUM COVER CHANGED AND THESE TWO ALBUMS DID NOT GET A WIDE CD COVERAGE. THIS IS A BIG SHAME. LIKE ALL OTHER DOORS ALBUMS THE MORE YOU LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM THE MORE YOU LIKE IT. I JUST ADORE THESE TWO DOORS ALBUMS. YOU CAN CONTACT ME BY E-MAIL, IF YOU HAVE A CD COPY OF OTHER VOICES ANYTIME. GOOD OLD MEMORIES! '
albert22 Mar 15, 2002

[wyldlizardking]

I got a copy, really not to bad, not the same sound without Jim, but showcases the others talents

[jimbo]

My favorite of the two post-morrison albums. Tightrope Ride is one helluva song imo. A perfect tune for Ray's voice

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Jimbo said:

My favorite of the two post-morrison albums. Tightrope Ride is one helluva song imo. A perfect tune for Ray's voice

Rays best moment which is why we gave it a thread of its own
Ray and his 'Screaming Ray' persona was always an asset for the band to me. Some people used to be driven nuts by his backing vocals during the likes of Moonlight Drive back in the early days of 1967 but I always enjoyed his vocal interuptions.
It would be amazing if anyone discovered a tape of Rick & The Ravens live....I'd love it anyhow....
The 1961 UCLA Trio Lighthouse gig gig turned up so its possible someone has a Ravens gig stashed away....
I for one (in 1972 anyway) would have liked to have seen another album in this vein come out in 1973 but at the end of the day The Doors were right to jack it in....

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Other Voices

The four Door saloon becomes the three Door hatchback. The obvious question is ‘why?’. Presumably because the others felt Morrison would’ve wanted them to. In retrospect it was the wrong decision, given the centrality of Morrison’s persona to The Doors music.
Manzarek took over on vocals and although he’d done some of the singing in the early days his only previously recorded vocals were to Willie Dixon’s ‘Close To You’ on Absolutely Live and ‘Don’t Go No Further’ as the flip side to ‘Love Her Madly’.
It’s not that Manzarek has a bad voice….he has all the blues inflextions off pat….it just sounds so thin after Morrison’s lived-in off kilter croon.
Then ‘In The Eye Of The Sun’ takes the riff from ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’ but is nowhere near as good. And you really can’t call a song ‘I’m Horny I’m Stoned’ and expect to be taken seriously.
The best is the fairly funky closing track ‘Hang On To Your Life’.
But the album is bereft of lyrical inspiration or musical ambition. What’s become of the band that cut ‘Riders On the Storm’ just a few months before?
But then perhaps it’s understandable in the circumstances. The cover tells its own story. Those three faces staring out at us only serve to highlight what was missing.
Record Collector July 2002

[hippieflowergirl67]

I LOVE Robby's voice! I wish John sang a song tho....

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Remembering the Other Voices sessions.


Perhaps it was Jim's untimely departure that galvanised the remaining members into action returning to The Doors Workshop in late July to develpop a number of the post LA Woman jams into material for a new album for which the band had just re-signed to Elektra for a further three years. But before heading studio wards there were two important considerations to be made.

First THE NAME:
"We were gonna change it. We had thought about changing it but nobody could come up with anything that didn't sound pretentious"
Robby Krieger.
'We even thought of calling ourselves 'And The Doors' because it had started out as The Doors and after a few years became 'Jim Morrison and The Doors. But we kept The Doors because thats who we were. There were four of us ....now there were three of us'
Ray Manzarek.

Also THE SINGER:
"Yes we thought about finding another singer but it seemed kinda impossible to bring in another personality. We'd been together so long the four of us that the psychic communication was so strong that it would take a long time to adapt and harmonise to a new guy. And it would always be hard on the new guy
as he'd always be Jim's replacement"
Ray Manzarek.

“At first we were very unsure of ourselves…we didn’t exactly know what we were going to sound like. We knew that the music would be OK but we weren’t too sure about the vocals. How they were gonna sound. We just didn’t know how it was going to gel but little by little it began falling together.’<br>Ray Manzarek.

Several tracks from the album were left over from the LA Woman session ‘Down On The Farm’ was a song Jim had rejected during the last session in LA.
It would seem logical that the other two songs ‘I’m Horny I’m Stoned’ & ‘Wandering Musician’ which feature Jerry Scheff are also from the LA Woman session which seems a reasonable indication that Jim Morrison and The Doors were drifting apart musically

"There were a lot of songs I had written that Jim didn't feel. That's why he didn't want to sing them and I can understand that. In a way that was a limitation on us"
Robby Krieger

“A couple of the songs had been around for a year or so but the rest are new….they might be songs we’d sort of thought of doing but it wasn’t right then”<br>John Densmore.

"It was a matter of just standing in front of the microphone and doing it. Taking a deep breath and saying: 'Okay it's got to be done'. It came out pretty well and it got easier and easier. The first song was very hard"
Ray Manzarek

The bulk of the album was recorded in August and September 1971 with a host of supplemenntary musicians including a selection of bassists and percussion players.
John remembered Francisco Aguabella who contributed percussion to 'Ships w/ Sails' and 'Hang On To Your Life' as having purple congas and not speaking English whilst Ray remembered...'his drums looked like 1958 cadillacs with big fins on everything'.
Ray Manzarek cleared up the mystery of the kickshaws and whim whams featured in 'Down On The Farm' by Emil Richards.
"A Kickshaw or a whimwham is an archaic American term for little things clanking. Knick knacks...anything that makes a noise. Emil probably has the largest collection of them and he travels all over the world with them. He's a standard LA jazz figure around for quite a while. Played with Paul Horn. Most of the music you've heard in the big movies like 2001...all the weird sounds are probably him!"

From Zig-Zag magazine, BBC Interviews 1979 & The Doors: by John Tobler & Andrew Doe & Break On Through by Procknichy & Riordan

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

"The album titled with quiet humour 'Other Voices' was released toward the end of October 1971 and was handled with extreme caution by fans and reviewers alike. With some justification. Were this the debut album of a totally new band it would have received a fairer hearing. But this is The Doors and there's the nagging feeling that secure in the knowledge that long standing fans would buy it out of loyalty or curiosity The Doors eased up on creativity and explored a few too many avenues resulting in a generally inconclusive album musically.
Of the eight tracks half are of some vintage and it would not be unfair to say these are in general the better tracks.
'Ships W/ Sails' showcases the old Doors sparse but warm sound wedded to an almost Dave Brubeck style rythm. All the old hallmarks are there a cyclic structure, workable instrumental break (although an attempt to emulate a 'Light My Fire' climax does not quite come off) and excellent guitar from Robby.
Its almost as if the band were reluctant to leave the ground they'd known for so long despite assertions in the press that the post-Morriosn era was 'a further extension'. It's easily the best vocal performance on the album but hard on its heels came evidence that Ray had a little trouble with the lower register.
The subtle influences of J D Morrison is detectable on the first three songs on side two.
Jim had decided against using 'Down On The Farm' on LA Woman probably due to the songs middle eight which is reminiscent of 'Runnin' Blue'. This aside the song passes muster as a good 'second division' Doors song.
'I'm Horny I'm Stoned' as a title gives this song a head start and together with a stomping tack piano intro and fluid guitar lines leading into an all out fun singalong track. The number can be taken as a catalogue of life with The Doors.
Again there is a vague contryfied feeling but Robby pulls it off with great panache.
'Wandering Musician' could easily be said to be a song for Jim as indeed Ray once said it was and indirectly The Doors own tribute to him. Although the instrumental break never gets going the remainder of the song is more than acceptable.
The albums closing track 'Hang On To Your Life' (aside from having a somewhat tasteless title) would appear to be one of the newer truly post-Jim songs and demonstrates the extent of the indecision and lack of direction within the band. To the casual ear it might seem to be segments of three disparate songs spliced together at random opening with an old 'Doorsish' figure overlaid with a jazzy guitar riff from Robby. Then changing into a CSN&Y chorus and then becoming a weird frantic closing segment.
The albums opener 'In The Eye Of The Sun' sounds not unlike a sequel to 'Riders On The Storm' with a jazzy Doors strut and loose drums setting the tone for a Morrisonesque lyric and typically sparse guitar behind the verses. His solo a little further into the song is the equal of anything he'd previously done. The final wince-worthy line 'So I thought up the world and you did too' almost manages to undo all the preceeding good work.
'Variety Is the Spice Of Life' is pretty much your standard Krieger with some great multi tracked guitar in mid song and just to balance the scales some rather dubious rymes in the middle eight.
Closing side one is easily the best of the newer songs 'Tightrope Ride' a straight ahead thrash with few frills. Robbys best guitar of the entire album an a gritty no frills vocal from Ray. It came as no surprise therefore when this track was chosen as the single from the album reaching #72 in the USA.
The album made #31 and taking everything into consideration the album and single did rather better than could reasonably be expected. For although the musicianship of Krieger, Densmore and Manzarek is faultless the vocals are a cause for concern.
Rolling Stone hitting the nail on the head elequontly with
It is Doors music mainly due to its trappings....they still are The Doors but without a cause or passion. It is obvious that Jim Morrison was more than just a singer....

From 'The Doors' by John Tobler & Andrew Doe.

The album was recorded over a period of three months in a familiar surrounding. the Doors Workshop as they had done with LA Woman. The group produced themselves with the help of longtime engineer Bruce Botnick. The Doors decided who would sing which song with a process of trial and error. Each song was recorded with both Krieger and Manzarek singing it alone and in various combinations with each other and Demsmore. Whoever sounded best would cut a final take. Manzarek wound up doing most lead vocals but Krieger also did a lot of harmony.
Break On Through by Procknichy & Riordan

[ensenada]

been listenin to OV recently, i burnt it onto cd and had it on in the car along with the butts band. OV is really growing on me. It doesnt sound like the doors, but theres some really good music on there! ;D

[pep]

I think it is a great album and be given a proper cd reissue

[othercircles]

Totally.. and they should have "You Need Meat" as a bonus track

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Nice to see another 'post Jim' devotee....not many around but I do notice that when people actually give these albums a listen they appreciate how good Other Voices is and realise how crap Full Circle is.....

They will never officially release either album as Doors PLC see no profit in that and that after all is what The Doors are about in the 21st century

[othercircles]

Sadly true.

Ive heard some of the tracks on the net and off boots. Alot of songs were sourced really badly. "Im Horny, "IM Stoned" clips on nearly all the ones i've heard.

I recently aquired a mint UNOPENED origional LP pressing.. and I plan on making a CD of it. I'll scan the covers too.. make it like a real CD release as best as I can. And if I can get a clean source for "You Need Meat" i'll throw that in. Right now i just have a slightly scratched "Wierd Scenes Inside The Goldmine" but with some DePopper work and a little EQing that might be pretty good anyway.


If anyones interested I'd be glad to send some out at whatever it cost me to make/ship it. You're not buying a bootleg off me.... your just buying some plastic and paper that might have some stuff off it. :-P I wont be making any prophit.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

I made CD copies of both my vinyl copies in the 90s when the first CD copier came out and they are surprisingly good considering I bought both albums on the first week of thier release here in the UK.
It would be nice to se a proper remaster of both albums but I seem to remember during the course of many a discussion on the LL about post Doors albums someone mentioned The Doors do not even have a decent source for either album....no masters....
I find that sad really. When a band as legendary as The Doors cannot be bothered to safegaurd its own history its a damn shame.......never short of a Best of Remaster these people but thier own history.....if they can't make a buck out of it they don't wanna know.

[othercircles]

Yea but they'd spend 6 years tracking down a concert snippet of Jim Morrison farting or something.

They could find those master tapes if they really wanted to.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

They said that a tape of COTL did not exist and we all know how much crap that was.......someone will have them. Elektra will have one lying around somewhere......
But until someone in Doors PLC decides to do 'something for the fan' rather than just line thier pockets with endless re-releases of the first six albums we will never see any of that.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Thats an excellent pic HFG....similar in style to the famous 1967 Doors photo shoot with the disembodied heads effect......
It's from the Other Voices cover shoot as Ray and John are wearing the same clothes but Robby has taken off his shirt and put on a black top.....
I don't think I have seen that photo before....nice find....

[ensenada]

you gotta love ray's sideburns in that era of his life aint yah! that would be a pretty cool photo to get signed by the three remaining members.