The Cavern
Rock & Words
STRANGE DAYS (The Doors, 1967)
Artist: The Doors (B+)
Recording Dates: May – Aug 1967
Release Date: Sep 25th, 1967. USA
Record Label: Elektra
Producer: Paul Rotchild
Rating: 10 (MUST HAVE)
Era: Psychedelia (1966-1969)
Subgenre: Acid Rock
Best Song: When The Music’s Over
Tracklist: 1) Strange Days; 2) You're Lost Little Girl; 3) Love Me Two Times; 4) Unhappy Girl; 5) Horse Latitudes; 6) Moonlight Drive; 7) People Are Strange; 8) My Eyes Have Seen You; 9) I Can't See Your Face In My Mind; 10) When The Music's Over.
Doors ' masterpiece Imho . Although this album wasn't as resounding a success as their debut, and despite the element of surprise having faded, the Doors managed to surpass themselves, delivering a more complete and solid album, more creative and elaborate, which arrived just in time to crown the great year of '67. Here we have the band at their peak: Ray at his most creative and audacious, Jim at his best as a mystical lyricist, Robbie with his finest riffs, and John with the most powerful build-up of tension from his drumming that we'll ever find on any other album—four musicians at the height of their respective talents. Together, we have a tremendous sound, four perfectly coordinated and complementary styles, with much more mature and grounded ideas, achieving sounds that follow the path of their previous work, but bordering on perfection.
Thus, we have a dark and dense album, as depressing as a Tolstoy novel, yet simultaneously catchy and rhythmic, brimming with solid and memorable melodies. In short, a majestic record that deserves a place among the top 10 of all time. No joke! The album is an excellent work of music, closer to pop than rock, less aggressive and rock-oriented than their debut, but more dangerous due to the atmospheres it creates, its greater darkness, and because, overall, it demonstrates that a song doesn't have to be a rocker like "Break On Through " to sound menacing and apocalyptic.
Ray still displays his genius on the keyboard, following the path of "The Doors " from earlier that year, creating acid and psychedelic atmospheres that intertwine throughout the songs. Subsequent albums would slightly alter this style, but here he presents what he masters best, at his full capacity, without the hesitations he may have shown on the debut. Krieger, for his part, also sounds more confident and continues to imbue the songs with bluesy nuances , without making an album as blues-heavy as the last two in their discography. Densmore plays the drums like never before, always sounding assured, tremendous, and devastating like a bomb when needed, and elegant, subtle, and sophisticated at other times, guiding the songs from dark abysses to explosive climaxes. Jim, for his part, continues to show that he is the best singer of his generation and on the other hand continues to present us with very well-achieved, bitter, cryptic and dark lyrical images, even daring to incorporate a poem that is practically recited rather than sung, "Horse Latitudes".
The album cover largely reveals what awaits inside. A strange journey filled with carnival and circus figures, from dwarves to giants, jugglers and acrobats dazzling us with their antics—images that always obsessed Jim in his madness and that fit perfectly into the surreal atmosphere of '67. Incidentally, this is perhaps the work in which Jim takes himself most seriously. He does a great job on his debut, but it was certainly a challenge to see if he could actually record an album. Here, he no longer has that pressure of success; he no longer has to worry about finding a roof over his head and a bottle at night (just a year earlier he was homeless, believe it or not). And although by this point he was already beginning to adopt the persona of a 60s sex symbol, he hadn't yet experienced the immense pressure that would fall upon him a few months later, so he seems quite comfortable, content, and free to be himself.
The album opens tremendously with the title track . "Strange Days" begins majestically; after a brief and subtle keyboard intro , the drums kick in, bombastically setting the rhythm, followed by a great bass line that, with a bit more energy, could split us in two. And what a phenomenal opening lyric: "Strange days have found us , strange days have dragged us " Down, " with Jim's voice heavy with echo to perfectly match the song's dark, anguished, and paranoid atmosphere, is undoubtedly one of the album's highlights. It's a song that I feel has been greatly underrated within the band's catalog. At the one-minute mark, the song ignites momentarily with a great bridge that sounds even more carnivalesque and powerful, before returning to the opening sequence. If you have the chance to listen with headphones, you'll notice that the bass track shifts from stereo to one side and then the other, creating a mind-blowing effect. Towards the end, the song's intensity builds almost imperceptibly, and Jim is now screaming, sounding increasingly ethereal until the abrupt end at the three-minute mark. A true classic!
It comes after “You're "Lost Little Girl" features one of the most exquisite and complex bass lines ever written. Jim sounds perfectly suited to the song, seducing the lost girl. However, this is not a banal song; it has considerable allegorical and philosophical content in its lyrics. Robbie's almost arpeggiated strumming is excellent, as is the short, high-pitched, echo-filled solo he plays at 1:40. This solo, by the way, has an impressive harmonic complexity, and even today I find it very difficult to pinpoint the sequence of tones they're following in this section, which sounds both devilishly strange and perfect. Ray is rather understated on this track with his Farfisa , creating background effects and some very cute little scales that serve only as embellishment. The song is slow and rhythmic, but when listened to carefully, it can also feel like a direct blow to the head. Another of the Doors ' underrated tracks .
Now comes one of the great classics in history, none other than “Love Me Two Times”, one of the band's biggest commercial hits. The riff Robbie starts with is one of the most majestic and clever, especially because it doesn't quite settle on a major or minor key; instead, the way he taps his finger leaves the key in between. At the same time, it has great ferocity and intensity, and the riff serves as the foundation for the entire song. Ray, for his part, plays a psychedelic keyboard that accompanies the guitar and adds brighter touches to the track. The plucked bass line, which achieves the same ambiguous effect as the riff, is spectacular and powerful, providing great support to the song. At :38 comes the brief chorus, with that harmonic complexity that can be attributed to Ray, since it's a strange sequence of tones that closely resembles the intro to "Light My " Fire ." At 1:25, after the second chorus, Ray treats us to a superb keyboard solo, complete with a harpsichord effect—a solo that has also become a classic in rock history. By 2:30, Jim is already screaming the verses, and the song becomes a steamroller without us even realizing how it happened. The final chorus is also screamed by Morrison with even more fury, and in the last two lines, Jim seems about to collapse, only to end abruptly again. A masterpiece, without a doubt. Even its length is perfect—not too long, not too short, just enough to leave us in awe and filled with adrenaline by its power and excellent construction.
The fourth song, “Unhappy Girl”, is relatively weaker than the rest. Even so, it features a great keyboard intro and excellent guitar work, with Krieger using slides that add a dizzying feel and combine with Manzarek to create a psychedelic atmosphere. The solo is also an effective combination of keyboard and slide . It's a testament to the fact that even in the album's less imaginative moments, they can still deliver solid tracks that would stand out on any other LP.
We continue with “Horse Latitudes”. which is more of a recited poem than a song, accompanied by a chaotic, almost psychotic instrumental backdrop that perfectly complements the unusual lyrics. Jim wrote the poem during his high school years. The result impressed Jim's teacher, but it seems that despite this, the teacher took it as a joke and punished the teenage poet. The poem deals with the horses that the conquistadors threw overboard from their ships during their voyage to America when faced with the threat of shipwreck, and the poem is just as stark as the image it depicts.
The sixth track is "Moonlight Drive", one of the first songs Jim wrote. It's said that this was one of the songs he presented to Ray Manzarek when they first met and began planning the band. This song was originally recorded during the debut album sessions but was ultimately left off. It's about the nighttime walks Jim enjoyed so much, bottle in hand, along Long Beach. Musically, the song repeats the formula of dialogue between Manzarek's piano and Krieger's slide and wah guitar , even more successfully than " Unhappy Girl." The musical interplay is quite interesting and provides a good foundation for the vocal melody, which builds to an explosion of energy towards the end. A good song, though not quite a classic, although the band loved playing it live.
Now comes another classic. "People Are Strange" is a somber song, with excellent keyboard work, meticulously crafted guitar solos, and a somewhat carnivalesque atmosphere achieved through the keyboard effects, which, combined with the overall darkness, gives the song a bizarre and strange feel. In other words, it's a perfect representation of the album cover. This was perhaps the album's biggest commercial success at the time.
The eighth song, which opens side B on the acetates, is “My Eyes Have Seen You". This track is a bit more rock-oriented in sections, again alternating between slow, slow passages and frenetic parts. The song begins with a bass line to which the rest of the instruments slowly add themselves, including that sharp, bluesy guitar that plays with the same effect until, in "Show Me Some Love," it becomes a more incisive fuzz , which, after the second chorus, transforms into a short but effective solo. Finally, everyone goes wild during the coda, and it all ends with a tremendous wall of sound.
The penultimate track is “I Can't See Your Face In My Mind”. It's not particularly impressive, but it's a nice, well -constructed ballad with groovy sounds from the delay -heavy keyboard and the slide and wah-wah guitar (it seems this was Robbie's preferred formula during this recording process). The vocal melodies and harmonies, however, are a bit weak, which ultimately makes the song less memorable, though it's not exactly offensive either.
The album closes with what I consider the best creation the Doors ever made . It's the epic "When The Music's Over", a multi-part track that clocks in at over 10 minutes. The best image I have to describe this song is a rollercoaster. A very big, powerful, long, and enjoyable one. The song is a whirlwind of variety and resources, constantly playing with timing and intensity. We start with a playful keyboard intro that's shattered by a tremendous roar from Morrison, followed by another from the guitar, leading us into a mid- tempo groove . The song begins its ups and downs right from the start, with slow, flowing verses and Jim's almost pained vocals. The instrumentation is impressive throughout, from Robbie's spidery guitar work and Ray's background sounds to the drum fills John pulls out of his hat to keep the song alive, building tension and perfectly calculated crescendos. Around 2:20 the roller coaster picks up speed slightly in that chorus “ When The Music is your special friend , dance on fire as it "Intends ..." One of my favorite Jim lines to take us to the vertigo of that roar: " Until the EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEND!" After this, we're plunged into a lysergic guitar solo; in fact, a lysergic solo from TWO guitars at the same time while Densmore transforms into an octopus on the drums. The result is mind-blowing, and we're just getting started. When the solo ends, the rollercoaster returns to calm: "Cancel My “Subscription to the Resurrection .” Anyone who says Morrison couldn’t write should apologize and shoot themselves. This opening section becomes a delightful dialogue between Jim and his guitar, while the others playfully build the tension. A tense calm hangs in the air. We slowly gain altitude, feeling the rails gently lifting us… “Before I sink into the big sleep, I want to hear the scream of the butterfly.” Nobody had written that type of images previously for a rock song. The cart continues its slow ascent, the drums barely perceptible, the bassline slow and shifting to create a sense of calm. Soon we'll plummet at full speed, but for now Jim barely whispers a kind of psychedelic eco-poem. We're at the peak, neither rising nor falling, almost in silence, when Jim says at 7:55 “ We want the world and we want "It ... now . Now?" A pause where the world stops, and now we truly begin our downward spiral at breakneck speed as he answers himself with that Morrisonian roar : "NOOOOW!!!!!" The instruments go wild, and we are experiencing one of the greatest and most beautiful musical orgasms of all time. The guitar with a fuzz , the keyboard playing a solo simultaneously, and the tremendous drums in the background, creating figures that seem more fitting for jazz than this Apocalypse. At the nine-minute mark, John shifts to a driving rhythm, and with a precise drum roll, the flight of this great descent ends, returning us to a relative calm. Phew . "So When The Music's Over," and we return to the verse sequence. The calm doesn't last long, as Jim screams the chorus at the top of his lungs, with an unprecedented fury tearing his throat and soul apart. In the midst of this euphoria, the song is suspended for one last glorious return: "... Until the end, until the end , until the EEEEEEEEEEEND!!!!! And with this final scream, as if Jim were collapsing into the microphone, this tremendous song ends, this rollercoaster ride not for the faint of heart; it transports us to the image of a steamroller sweeping everything away, and then to that of a butterfly delicately fluttering in the air. Impressive. Doors detractors may not like this work, but they can't leave without admitting that it is simply IM-PRE-SIO-NING.
Nothing more needs to be said. This is one of those albums that absolutely must be in everyone's rock collection, for any reason. An undisputed must-have and one of the pinnacles of rock.
By Corvan
Jan/27/2009
