THE DOORS

 

"When the music is your special friend, 

Dance on fire as it intends,

Music is your only friend…

Until the end..." 

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"B+" 

Main Decade:

60's

Main Ages:

Psychedelia (1966-1969)

Hard Rock (1968-???)

Key Members:

Jim Morrison, Singer

Ray Manzarek, Keyboards And bass

Robbie Krieger, Guitar

John Densmore, Drums 

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Key Songs:

Light My Fire, The End, When The Music's Over, L.A. Woman, Love Me Two Times, RIders On The Storm, Heloo I Love You, People Are Strange, Gloria, Love Her Madly, The Crystal Ship, Roadhouse Blues, Break On Through, Alabama Song, Five To One, Backdoor Man, Touch Me, The Soft Parade, Maggie McGill, The Changeling, Spanish Caravan, Moonlight Drive , Strange Days, Not to Touch The Earth, The Unknown Soldier, Wild Child, Waiting for the Sun

 

 

The Doors were the third band that shook me from head to toe. The first thing I heard was a compilation of Electra hits, which contained the most basic elements, leaving aside epic songs like "The End" and "When The Music's Over." Even so, it was enough for me to discover the mystical and hypnotic sounds, the dark poetry of the lyrics, the furious voice that flirts with screaming, the psychedelic and acidic atmospheres that still have dark undertones, all of which managed to make the Doors a unique and unrepeatable sound in the history of rock.

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The Doors remain one of the most talked-about bands despite having lost their head more than 26 years ago. When I first heard them, they seemed to me like a band that made music mostly for the sake of sheer chaos. And it's easy to fall for the deception; many of those early songs were among the most upbeat and with the most banal lyrics, curiously the most well-known in the repertoire. Songs like "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," and "Break on Through" are sure to lift the spirits in any bar, and people sing along from beginning to end. But little by little, I realized that the Doors also knew how to take their work very seriously, producing excellent songs that, for the most part, aren't heard on FM radio and that have much more depth and musical value.

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The Doors burst onto the scene when the musical revolution was already in full swing, during that turbulent 1967. They weren't the creators, but they jumped on the bandwagon just in time and managed to take the lead with their sound and provocative lyrics, sometimes with clear sexual references, or with philosophical content and paraphrases of the cursed poets, at others. In any case, it wasn't just a case of inciting chaos for the sake of chaos. The Doors were inciting violence against the system and calling for a rebellion with direction: an internal direction. The drug chant isn't a mere act of self-destruction, but a ritual for finding oneself, a search for something one's environment couldn't provide, and which is a very strong reflection of Jim: anguish, rage, and dissatisfaction with life. Perhaps that's why they remain so relevant, isn't it? The experience with drugs and the chanting that follows them is more similar to a shamanic ritual than a party at the hottest club. Their epic songs, lasting over six minutes, are mostly grand musical catharses, which take one through different states of mind, from the anguished tranquility of reality to the visceral explosion of rhythm and voice.

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In this regard, I want to emphasize that the Doors are perhaps the best creators of musical tension there are. They work through the songs from a seemingly calm perspective, carrying on with almost jazzy drums, bluesy guitar flourishes and riffs, slow and hypnotic keyboard rhythms, and a slow, clean, and sometimes erotic voice… Without us even noticing, they almost imperceptibly begin a crescendo, building that tension that makes the collapse in the chorus or the solo inevitable, in a grand musical orgasm brought on by the instruments and Morrison's voice.

Musically speaking, the Doors are excellent on their instruments: Robby Krieger is no Pete Thousend or Jimmi Page, and he doesn't play brutal Hendrix-esque solos, but he knows how to be precise, he knows how to fit his bluesy soul into the band's style, and he knows how to create memorable riffs when he wants to. Who doesn't have the first 20 notes of the solo from "Light My Fire" tattooed on their faces? The guitar is an integral part of the Doors-esque sound. He's constantly adding flourishes, notes here and there, scales, arpeggios, and very discreet mini-solos that often remain in the background of the keyboard and vocals, but are decisive for the overall sound. I firmly believe that if Krieger had been in any average band, he would have been the figure to follow, but I much prefer him in his discreet role behind Jim and Ray.

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John Densmore brings the jazzy touch to the drums. He may not be a virtuoso either, but he contributes a lot to the band's unmistakable sound. He's rather measured and seems to be the most moderate. However, after being in a band performing some of those songs, I know that the drummer in the Doors (unlike other groups) is the one who sets the rhythm, who gives guidelines, marks when it's calm and when it's stormy, guiding the rest of the instruments and the vocalist in shaping that tension. The others respond to the rhythm Densmore sets, and he is precise, achieving speed changes, interspersing triplets and other jazz effects with superb precision when the songs seem psychedelic or bluesy, so he is NOT an expendable element. Sometimes I think it's the kind of band Charlie Watts would have liked to be in, so he could fully express himself. And that's a huge quality of the Doors. I still can't shake the idea that they had a tremendous amount of fun creating that music; it's something that comes across. Despite how obscure some of the songs may be, each member handles themselves with complete freedom and independence, even in totally different styles that converge practically without explanation.

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Ray Manzarek is the brain, the genius of the band. The melodies flow through him and he provides the group's mystical and psychedelic touch. He's perhaps the only virtuoso, not because he's devilishly fast on the keyboard, but because he knows how to create exquisite harmonies in a wide variety of styles, recreating sounds from the classics or being extremely innovative. What would "Light My Fire" be without that incredibly complicated organ intro, or "Riders in the Storm" without that tremendous coda? Ray managed to combine seemingly impossible tonal sequences. At the same time, he's the one in charge of carrying the song's atmosphere on his shoulders. Whether it's dark, carnivalesque, festive, subtle, jazzy, etc. That is, if the drums are the foundation and the guitar is the soul, the keyboard is the finishing touch. For me, Manzarek would be a virtuoso because, as I've said before: quantity doesn't equal quality. Ray isn't as fast as other keyboardists, but he's much more diverse, daring, precise, and effective. As if that weren't enough, he's the one who plays the vast majority of the bass sequences in the songs through a small organ that he played with his left hand. Although in this regard he can be very repetitive (I play bass and sometimes fall asleep playing the Doors), it's very commendable that he manages some figures too complex for a standard bass, especially in the epic and single-tonal songs, and even more so that he plays them while masterfully handling the rest of the keyboards. Although they sometimes had a studio bassist, he was ultimately the one who designed the sequences to be performed live. A somewhat well-known anecdote is that Jerry Scheff, Elvis's bassist in the 1970s, commented that Ray was a mediocre bassist. Ray responded by challenging him to the recording session for L.A. Woman, a practically one-tone song in which Scheff tears his soul out and plays like never before in his life to shut Ray up. But that doesn't mean Manzarek is any less valuable as a bassist. All things considered, today's DJs have a lot to thank him for being the first to create these kinds of sequences, with far more mastery and complexity than many of the top tens played in clubs today.

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Morrison is a class apart. He's the frontman, the face and voice of the group. A sex symbol in the sixties and one of the best voices rock has ever had. But let's take it one step at a time. First of all, James Douglas Morrison supposedly considered himself a poet, quite literate and nourished by people like Walt Whitman, Baudelaire, Poe, Rimbaud, and the entire generation of cursed poets, and more indirectly, by Wilde, Kerouak, Bukowski, of course Huxley, and some of the Greek myths. The guy was literate, then, and many of his apparently sexual and wild references have a literary origin in one of these authors, either quoting or paraphrasing them. That's why he achieves a generally good lyrical effect, without necessarily plagiarizing them. He didn't talk about women the way the Beatles or the Beach Boys did on their early albums, in a timid, innocent, or indirect way. The lyrics were already mature on the Doors' first LPs, a result of years of rehearsals. Thus, each word seems far more calculated than the music itself, which sometimes gives the impression of being a sublime improvisation. The voice doesn't. Despite the improvisations or dialogues with the audience he displays live, Jim is essentially a shy guy who, in the beginning, would go on stage with his back to the audience so as not to be petrified by the thousand-headed monster. He would later be idolized, and this led him to become overly calculating, with the need to go on stage high to achieve the performance expected of him. Which sometimes overwhelmed him... True! Proof of this are his arrests for masturbating in the middle of a concert and the heroin overdose (which he wasn't used to) that killed him. Morrison became a much stronger icon over time than Lennon, Dylan, Jagger, or Hendrix, due in part to his tremendous presence and charisma (calculated or not), his tremendous voice, his overwhelming message from the turntables or from the stage, his status as a sex symbol, and because, ultimately, the mythical figure he generated was precisely what the sixties were eagerly waiting to absorb. It's about being in the right place at the right time... Don't get me wrong, I'm not disparaging Morrison in any way in terms of his voice, lyrical ability, or as a frontman, but it's very likely that if a similar figure were to emerge in these times, he wouldn't achieve the same deity-like status that Jim enjoys. Why? Because there's no longer a cause to attack; rock is no longer against the system, but in favor of it. The fight for sexual freedom for which he fought so hard no longer exists. Morrison has his place in history not for being part of the 27 club (and I still doubt it... If he hadn't died, would he still be the figure he is?), but for representing almost all the faces that the counterculture could represent in 1967, sending a political message without saying a single political word, as Dylan did, for example.

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Finally, his voice alone is enough to make Morrison one of rock's legendary figures. His voice, somewhere between baritone and tenor—that is, Jim's deep but powerful range—makes it one of the best and most educated in history... I still can't believe that at the beginning he didn't dare sing in front of an audience.

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The Doors, ultimately, are a well-rounded band, who know how to combine and play with styles, theories, and schools, both lyrical and musical, to create unique musical schemes, creating seemingly banal atmospheres when they're expressing something very serious. The Doors are revered by both the average person (I already mentioned they're a must-have in any cover band) and the most specialized critics. They're not a band that's stuck with a message of chaos, but in their time, and even now, their message remains very relevant, managing to create a sense of introspection unlike Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, or the Rolling Stones.

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That's why it doesn't bother me anymore to see more Doors or Morrison T-shirts than Beatles or Stones ones, because the message of some has certainly expired and is no longer in the global context, but the message of the Doors of Perception, like the book itself, will remain open to anyone who wants to read it for many, many years to come. Curiously, those who wear these T-shirts the most are those from the lowest social strata, and curiously, they will never wear a TRI T-shirt. They're not as bad as they seem... They just understand the message better these days.

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The Doors, ladies and gentlemen, are one of the greatest influences of our time, and if you can't resist the lesser-known songs like I did in the beginning, if you let yourself be carried away by the range of figures, rhythms, and atmospheres they were able to deliver on six studio albums (I'm not counting the two post-Morrison albums), you will find a diversity of textures, sounds, and messages that is difficult to find in any other band from the distant '67 to the present. It should be said that since that time, you will not find such a great diversity among the band members until today, a diversity so well combined that the overall result is UNIQUE!!!
This is the end...

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Lineup:

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John Densmore: The jazzy soul on the drums. Say what you will, and despite Jim being the generational guru, he was the band's musical guru, adding touches of jazz where you least expect it.

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Robby Krieger: It's not spectacular, but it's perhaps more essential than the Densomore sound. The band's bluesy signature, necessary to understand the group's sound, especially on the last two albums with Jim. In this, the only instance I know of, where the guitar is masterful and essential, but overshadowed by the keyboard.

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Ray Manzarek: If it weren't for Jim trying to successfully contradict me, killing himself, I'd say Ray is the essence of the Doors. One of the best keyboardists in rock, versatile, from the understated piano to the primordial solos. In my very personal opinion, much better than Keith Emerson.

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Jim Morrison: A devilish voice, the frontman and the feeling of the Doors, the cry of the jaguar, the guy who puts his stamp on the duality of lyrics and voice. Occasionally with harmonica and more occasionally with maracas or tambourine. Diva and guru of the 60s. One of the best voices in rock. His death, along with the stubbornness of the rest of the band, proved that without personality, a band is dead, no matter how talented they are.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, from Los Angeles, California… THE DOOOOOOOOOOORS!!!

 

 

By Corvan  

Sep/15/2007

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