The Cavern
Rock & Words
L.A. WOMAN (The Doors, 1971)
Artist: The Doors (B+)
Recording Dates: Dec ’70 – Ene ‘71
Release Date: April 11th, 1971. USA
Record Label: Elektra
Producer: The Doors y Bruce Botnick
Rating: 10 (MUST HAVE)
Era: Hard Rock (1968-???)
Subgenre: Hard Rock
Best Song: L.A. Woman, or Riders On The Storm…
Tracklist: 1) The Changeling; 2) Love Her Madly; 3) Been Down So Long; 4) Cars Hiss By My Window; 5) L. A. Woman; 6) L'America; 7) Hyacinth House; 8) Crawling King Snake; 9) The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat); 10) Riders On The Storm.
The Doors' swan song, at least with Jim still at the helm, released three months before his death in Paris. L.A. Woman is a plunge into the blues, a genre they had already explored on Morrison Hotel, but here they do so more frankly and directly, achieving better results, and undoubtedly becoming one of the Doors ' best albums , perhaps featuring Jim's finest vocal performance of the six studio albums he recorded with the band. In a way, it seems they all knew it would be the last…
LA Woman is a blues album with only hints of the psychedelic energy of the Doors ' early albums . You can sit back and enjoy it with your eyes closed, letting yourself be carried away by the different atmospheres, from the delicate and warm "Hyacinth House," the theatrical darkness of " L'America ," the bizarre but almost danceable "The Changeling ," "LA Woman," which makes you want to hop on a Harley and hit the road anywhere, or the elegant and sophisticated " Rider's In The Storm." It is undoubtedly the group's most varied album, with songs that take you through different moods, different rhythms, masterful arrangements, Robbie's best guitar work, two epic songs of over 7 minutes and another couple around 5, and with the band giving their all in the barely ten days it took to record, perhaps knowing it would be the last time before the band broke up, regardless of Jim's death.
However, it's necessary to delve into Morrison's history and that of the band to understand how such a gem came about. To begin with, Jim was in a deep depression, partly due to the legal troubles stemming from the Miami incident and the escalating harassment from the US government. Furthermore, Jim's artistic projects, such as his poetry collection, a film, and other endeavors, had stalled. Jim was at his lowest point in terms of addiction, drinking up to two bottles a day and completely immersed in cocaine, 40 pounds overweight and sporting a long beard, making him far from the sex symbol he once was. In reality, Jim didn't want to make another album. By then, due to his explosive temper, his lack of commitment to the band, and his tremendous apathy, he was on bad terms with the other three members. The last thing Jim wanted to do in October 1970 was record another album with the Doors ; he would have preferred to disappear, to go to Africa, as he himself stated, but they were contractually obligated to Elektra for one more album.
That same October, Pamela Courson went to Paris, and Jim began an affair with Eva Gardonyi, a stunning Hungarian woman with the air of a goddess, the wife of Frank Gardonyi, a friend of Jim's. It's said that Jim became so obsessed with her that as soon as Pam left for Paris, he went to find her, went into her room, and kept repeating, "I love you. " "You's " until she agreed to have sex with him. Eva would be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, she brought Jim back to life, inspiring him once again to write prolifically his poetry, some of which would become the lyrics for "Hyacinth House" and "Love Her Madly, " which were dedicated to Eva, not Pam, as everyone believes. Eva was the spark that ignited Jim's creative explosion for the creation of L.A. Woman. But in the long run, she would be extremely destructive for Morrison. The band then went into the studio with Paul Rothchild again as producer, since he had produced their previous albums, but he too had personal problems and was depressed about having to finish Janis's last album without their star, who had died during the sessions. However, Jim's rudeness—showing up drunk or summoning them in the middle of the night—made him snap. One early morning, Paul fell asleep at the mixing console while the band was attempting a take of "Riders on the Storm." Jim woke him up. Furious, Rothchild responded by throwing down his headphones and saying they were making "cocktail music." They tried to reach an agreement, but the producer abandoned them, saying, "The only way you and I are going to survive is if you make the record yourselves."
The Doors asked sound engineer Bruce Botnick to help them produce the album. In some ways, this was another great decision, as it first opened their eyes to the laziness and wasted time they were experiencing in the studio, and second, Botnick did an impeccable job. The rawest blues tracks sound dry and desert-like, with deep and perfect equalization; the softer, more ambient tracks have more echo and subtle delays on the instruments, which enhance the songs with ghostly atmospheres. Furthermore, he got the band playing live, and from then on, the recording sessions lasted only 10 days. Ray would add some keyboards a couple of days later, and Jim a couple of lyrics from the studio bathroom, but the fact that they recorded almost everything "live in the studio" restored the group's confidence, good humor, and cohesion, all of which is evident on the album. John said it was like going back to the time when they played in a garage , without pressure, just having fun.
While they were recording, Jim started feeling so good that he even stopped his excessive drinking and drug use. He seemed creative, contributing ideas, joking around… the old Jim. But as he distanced himself somewhat from his addictions, he became increasingly close to Eva, who introduced him to his addiction to human blood. They would lock themselves away, make small incisions on their wrists, and drink each other's blood. It's just a rumor, but it's said that Jim developed a heroin habit from the doses of the drug he drank because of Eva's blood.
To keep Jim interested in the project, Botnick brought in Jerry Scheff, Elvis's bassist at the time. One day, in a lighthearted moment, Jerry suggested that Ray was a keyboard bassist who sounded mediocre on a real instrument. Ray responded to the joke by challenging him to write a song in a key where the bass would really shine. And so they began putting together "L.A. Woman," as a mere game. That same afternoon, Jim had one of his crazy outbursts, ran out to grab a piece of paper, and wrote: Jim Morrison = Mr. Mojo Risin', an anagram of his own name, and began repeating it like a madman. Densmore suggested slowing the song down in the middle section, and Jim inserted the anagram for a spectacular crescendo. Morrison said that Mr. Mojo Risin' would be the name he would write under when he ran away to Africa. Nobody took him seriously. Mark Benno would also join as a rhythm guitarist on some songs.
On December 8th, his 27th birthday, Jim celebrated by recording his poetry in the studio for three hours, leaving behind the tapes that would later be used on " An American Prayer." Jim was so recovered and enthusiastic that he even agreed to play live again. There were two concerts presenting the material that would appear on LA Woman. The first was on December 11th in Dallas, without incident, and with Jim and the rest of the band performing well. The second was on December 12th in New Orleans. The concert started well, with Jim singing with considerable energy… but after a while, he broke down on stage, sat down, and began hitting the floor with the microphone until he shattered it and ripped a hole in the wooden floor. Ray would say that at that moment he knew all of Jim's energy was gone forever; something had broken inside him permanently. The concert was canceled. The others concluded that they could no longer count on the erratic Jim to perform any more concerts, as he was prone to making any kind of sudden decision mid-performance. The album wasn't finished yet; some recording details and the mixing, which would be completed in January, were still pending, but somehow the band knew at that moment that it was all over for them. Days later, Pam returned from Paris to spend Christmas with Jim… only to find him in bed with Patricia Kennealy, a fiction and witchcraft author, who greeted her with a wide grin and the news that she and Jim had married in a pagan ceremony. In the end, Patricia went to New York, and Pam forgave Jim, who returned to her arms like a frightened puppy.
The album was finished in February. Everyone was happy with the result, but despite wanting to continue with the band, they were all fed up with each other. Pam, still consumed by jealousy and seeing an opportunity, suggested to Jim that they move to Paris, selling him the idea of a Black poet in Parisian exile. She insisted that he didn't need the Doors to be someone and that there he could explore his other creative facets. Furthermore, the trial for the Miami incident was becoming more complicated, and Jim saw the possibility of going to jail looming ever closer. There was no official breakup, but when Morrison told the rest of the band that he was moving to France, no return date was set. Nor was there any talk of renewing his contract with Elektra or any other record label. By the time the album was released in April, Jim and Pamela were already settled in the City of Lights. The next thing they knew about him was that Pam found him dead on July 3rd under strange circumstances in the bathtub of his hotel room, presumably from a heroin overdose. Heroin was a drug he wasn't used to, but Pamela was addicted to it, and it's believed he inhaled it by mistake, thinking it was cocaine. The official version was a heart attack. With this, Morrison definitively closed the 1960s era and became the last member of the famous 27 Club, at least the original lineup that included the four J's : Jimi, Janis, Jones, and Jim. The Jim Morrison myth was beginning in all its grandeur.
The album kicks off with “The Changeling”, an experimental piece that recalls the band's intermediate period between experimental and pop, reminiscent of their earlier albums. However, the strange atmosphere is powerful, with a spectacular bass line—repetitive, admittedly, but fascinating for its darkness and menacing tone, yet capable of getting you moving. Ray gets creative here, somewhat psychedelic and experimental, with dark, melodic, and carnival-like arrangements reminiscent of their early days. Robbie cranks up his wah pedal and adds curious embellishments, from muting the strings with his hands to that spectacular crescendo bridge at 1:45 that precedes the explosive chorus, followed shortly by a pitch shift. Densmore adds jazzy flourishes amidst the rock rhythm. Then, at 2:45, we have a fascinating instrumental bridge with a fuzz- laden guitar creating a strange and somber atmosphere , building tension that finally explodes with Jim's jaguar-like roar. It's not a crowd favorite, nor does it appear on compilations, yet I find it hypnotic, somber, but at the same time seductive, driving, and incredibly vibrant. I think it's one of the band's most underrated songs, and one that most effectively combines the distinct qualities of the four members: Densmore's jazz, Manzarek 's dark psychedelia, Kriegger 's vibrant blues , and Morrison's explosive energy. A great start!
Next up is “Love Her Madly”, another fantastic song where the bass line is once again fundamental. Jerry Scheff takes charge of the bass and begins to demonstrate his creativity, guiding the rest of the band, making the song dynamic, but also giving it depth and power. It's one of my favorite bass lines; I even tried playing it once, and believe me, it's not as easy as it looks. The song was composed by Robbie, although Jim helped with some of the lyrics, drawing inspiration from Eva and the way he was becoming dangerously involved with her. From the very beginning, the song is spectacular, with a prominent strum, a brief drum roll, and the menacing bassline, before immediately launching into that powerful and fluid beat of the verses. Jim sings very well, this time without any dramatic flourishes, maintaining very convincing low and mid-range tones, and with an addictive vocal melody, both in the verses and in the perfect choruses. Ray's piano playfully weaves its way through the song, not as a central element, but adding a peculiar and festive touch, especially in the bridges and the solo at 1:30, where it shifts to a more carnival-like and colorful tone. It's Ray's best moment besides "Riders On The Storm." The changes and breaks are magnificent, keeping the song from becoming repetitive, once again demonstrating their mastery in creating tension: " All your love , all your love , all your "Loooooooooooooooove …" At 2:25 it seems to end with the marked "To-be- on -the- mark ," but the guitar riff we started with returns, and the spectacular intro is basically repeated , this time leading us to the guitar solo where Robbie reprises the vocal line in a delicate high note. A tremendous song. Elektra chose it as their first single, and it was one of the Doors ' highest-charting songs.
Next comes “Been Down So Long”, an ode to the blues in the purest Chicago style, with a very basic overall structure: a prominent bass line keeping time in the three basic chords, very basic drums, also barely marking the beat with occasional pauses and very timid fills. Robbie Krieger and Mark Benno's guitars are a delight, alternating slides , one with a very clean effect and the other with a touch of distortion. It's wonderful how they alternate and eventually converge on that main, rustic riff, and even on the simple solo at 1:35. Jim sings it very well. The whole album has an impressive vocal level, sounding as if Jim's voice had aged or matured 10 years since the last album. The thing is, Jim's voice was almost finished after a poorly treated bout of pneumonia in the summer and from the way he drank ice-cold beer (Mexican Tecate was his favorite at the time) with his throat warmed up after singing; Besides, by that point he was smoking up to three packs of cigarettes a day. Bruce Botnick even commented that he knew this was Jim's last album as a true singer. The deep, slightly raspy tone and the more mature voice were more circumstantial, but they suited the album's blues style perfectly. In short, "Been Down So Long" was inspired by Richard Farina 's book *Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me* , although the lyrics reflected Jim's depression just before recording began: "Well, I've been down so Goddamn long , that " It looks like it's up to me." Many accuse it of being a generic blues song. It's certainly not one of the Doors ' strongest points , but it's not bad. What about " Since I've Been Loving You” is not a generic blues?
Next up is “Cars Hiss By My Window”, another song in the slow blues style, much underrated by many. Jim loses that roaring tone of “Been Down So Long” and instead sounds desolate, truly hopeless, with a distant, subdued voice (recorded in the studio bathroom) layered in the background. The atmosphere is slow and minimalist, with the rhythm section providing little structure, without much embellishment except for flourishes at the end of the verses. The guitar and electric piano barely whisper gently, almost at an amateurish level. But together they create a velvety, enveloping song that evokes that motel-like solitude Morrison describes: “A cold girl will kill you in a darkened " Room ." The slow, rhythmic tempo becomes a delight, almost sensual . Towards the end comes a solo by… Jim! At 3:30, a few notes sound like a very shrill, heavily effects-laden guitar, which contrasts sharply with what we've heard so far. Honestly, it takes you by surprise on first listen, and it's not until the end that you realize it's Jim imitating a guitar with his voice, and the song ends abruptly like that.
Now comes one of the album's gems. “L.A. Woman” is a true collector's item, and it's almost impossible to imagine it started as an improvised joke or challenge. The way it's constructed over its nearly 8 minutes is so perfect that it seems like months were spent crafting every detail. Especially since it's practically a one-key song. Jerry Scheff's bass playing is worthy of a monument. He certainly shut Ray up. It's a blistering bass line in A, which becomes incredibly tiresome after a while . But he also has lightning-fast arrangements in the "City of light , city of night " section. The bass guides and supports the entire song, while Ray has another of his brilliant moments, creating great piano arrangements that aren't the foundation, but definitely provide a great backdrop for Robbie to unleash his blues. At 2:40, Ray launches into his solo, in a carefree, lightning-fast style, throwing notes in a way that evokes an old West saloon. Immediately after, a very cool bridge at 3:15 (“I see your hair es “ burnin ’” with another lightning-fast bass line. Ray definitely couldn’t have done anything remotely similar live with his Fender Rhodes piano. At 4:20, the song slows down, becoming almost a whisper, and the “ Mr. Mojo Risin’” section begins, in a truly apocalyptic crescendo that makes you hold onto your seat to avoid falling over. By the 6-minute mark, we’re at full throttle, and the song explodes with Robbie’s incendiary guitar solo. Then we return to the initial structure, but with a frenetic Jim singing as if the world were about to end. The vocal melody is catchy from beginning to end, with countless hooks that keep the listener engaged, and the 7 minutes seem too short, while the monotone feels like a lot. The lyrics are very good. They say it’s about a rapist in the style of the Stones’ “Midnight Rambler.” The truth is that Jim improvised a bit, and the first thing that came to mind was a prostitute about whom he He was kind of smitten around that time. The song is about the strip club and the booth where the girl did her provocative dance: “Never saw a woman so alone, so alone…”. In the end, it became an anthem for the Los Angeles nightlife scene. A great, gigantic song, one of the greatest in the history of rock.
After one of the album's high points comes perhaps its lowest. “L'America” was an earlier recording, originally intended for the soundtrack of the film Zabriskie Point. Perhaps that's why it sounds so bizarre, with a rarefied and experimental atmosphere. Dark, fuzz -laden guitars and outlandish keyboards create an almost gothic ambiance. Jim's lyrics don't make much sense. I suppose they were meant to fit the film. The somber verses contrast sharply with the optimistic chorus. It's definitely not one of my favorites, and it's the weakest track on the album.
“Hyacinth House” is much better. A warm, bright, and gentle ballad, like a summer afternoon. Strummled guitars and a keyboard that carries the song with organ and, at times, a very delicate flute sound, creating grand arpeggios and inserting a fragment of Chopin at 2:20. The lyrics speak in part of how lonely Jim felt when Pamela went on holiday to Paris, and of his need for a “new friend” that he found in Eva. Also, given the time, he was reading a lot of Wilde, and there's some influence from him in the title. Finally, there's a funny little bit from Jom, with the line “I feel the bathroom es " Clear ," which he improvised when he re-recorded the lyrics, referring to when he had to wait in the bathroom for the cue to record a couple of tracks. It's not one of his classics, but it's a pretty cute song.
“Crawling King Snake” is the album's only cover , a John Lee Hooker blues song they'd been playing live since their earliest concerts. Somber and slow, it attempts to recreate what they achieved with “Cars Hiss By My Window,” with minimal instrumentation and a greater focus on atmosphere. However, it doesn't quite work. Ironically, a song that sounds magnificent with the master Hooker sounds generic with the Doors , losing any hint of danger. Even the arrangements and solos sound lackluster. This is another weak point on the album, but it's not particularly offensive.
Next comes “The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)”, another somewhat experimental song, where John Densmore shines with a solo that practically lasts the entire track, throwing in drum hits left and right without wasting a beat. The song was written in '68, during the period of his most experimental songs, so it retains a certain aura of Waiting For The Sun or Soft Parade. It's a kind of jam where Morrison recites his dark and extravagant poetry: The Negroes in the forest brightly feathered They are saying, "Forget the night, live with us in forests of azure." It is not one of the band's great songs either.
Fortunately, we close with another masterful epic, one that stands apart from any other Doors song. Of course, I'm referring to "Riders in the Storm", which Rothchild dismissed as "cocktail music", and which would later be acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest songs of all time. "Riders in the Storm" is Jim's testament, his ode to solitude, to the somber and rainy realms of the soul. His swan song. The song's perfection is breathtaking. From the thunder that opens it, to the gentle rain falling like a breeze. Jim's whispered voice in the background, contrasting with the deep, resonant voice that carries the lead vocals. Ray never sounded so jazzy, creating sophisticated, elegant, and exquisitely intelligent arrangements that transport you to a melancholic, cold, and dark atmosphere. Densmore chooses to fade into the background somewhat, favoring the keyboards, barely keeping the rhythm with the backing vocals. The guitar work is exquisite, weaving tremolo arrangements that linger in the mind. In the first part, the guitar is more understated, but little by little it adds its intricate flourishes and embellishments. And the solos! The first is a guitar solo at 1:40, heavily featuring tremolo and alternating with the keyboard. A minute later comes Ray's solo, masterfully crafted and heavily influenced by jazz, with almost mathematical precision. This solo extends to 4:30 and forms the first coda, fading out . The song ends with a false ending, leaving us with the rain and lightning. John plays a brief drum roll to draw us back into the song, and Jim returns to the hypnotic opening verses. At 5:30, the guitar and keyboards combine in a new line that precedes the coda. Jim sings the title in a ghostly way as he fades into the rain, his voice a whisper. Then comes Ray's lightning-fast keyboard outro, as the other instruments fade away, leaving us stunned, drenched in the cold rain, with the sensation of having tasted a wine of the finest quality. The song's perfection is breathtaking. Without being a rocker or a ballad, the Doors manage to create tension throughout almost the entire song. Jim's lyrics this time reach a high level of poetic, existentialist depth, constructing somber images, this time truly, of his alter ego, a psychotic killer on the road. The bassline is hypnotic and repetitive, a small, circular pattern with barely any variation in the bridges, but it sounds elegant and serves as the glue that holds the whole song together. Definitely, if there's one song that defines Jim Morrison's loneliness and pain, it has to be this one. It's tragic that the last lines of the last song on his last album were precisely "Like a dog." without a bone , An actor out alone... Riders on the storm …” Magnificent song.
LA Woman is a superlative album. It's true that it has some lesser tracks, and others that are somewhat extravagant, but none of them are unbearable filler, and the level of the songs highlighted in red is enough to make it a resounding 10. I have the feeling that everyone knew it would be their last album, in a way, and they gave their best effort to make a perfect record. Ultimately, the fact that Jim died months after its release meant that the band "ended in a way" at their peak, with at least a couple of immortal tracks fresh out of the oven, which conferred upon Jim the status of a legend. I put "end of the band" in quotes because the leaderless Doors still released a couple more albums, but fortunately almost no one has heard them. Other Voices and Full Circle proved that Jim Morrison wasn't the Doors ; the others had talent, but the personality, the public face, the magnetism completely vanished without Jim. And I don't consider them for the band's overall rating.
I don't know if I dare say that this concludes my review of The Doors' discography . I'm not closing the door. Perhaps someday I'll review those two lost albums, but not anytime soon. And I won't be merciful…
For the moment, This This is the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend!!!
By Corvan
Jun/24/2011
