The Doors - The Doors

1967 began with the January 4th release of the eponymous album by The Doors.

The band had formed in Los Angeles two years earlier and famously took their name from the Aldous Huxley book, 'The Doors of Perception'.  As the resident house band at the famous Whisky a Go Go, they were spotted by Elektra Records president, Jac Holzman and immediately signed to the label.

The sound of The Doors was instantly identifiable thanks to the unique guitar playing of Robby Krieger and the keyboard playing of Ray Manzarek. Add to that the poetic lyrics and sonorous voice of the charismatic but controversial Jim Morrison and the result was a winning combination.

Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood in August 1966, the album was released in rather different stereo and mono mixes. The mono version was soon deleted and has remained unreleased until 2010 when it was re-released on vinyl only. This mix remains unavailable on CD yet strangely is available as a digital download from certain media outlets. Because of the differences, it is certainly worthwhile having both stereo and mono versions.

Thanks to the sequencing of the tracks, the record is a classic example of how a vinyl album should be constructed with a very strong opening track and two absolute classics ending each side.

Break On Through (To The Other Side)
Beginning with a series of rim shots on John Densmore's snare drum, the bass soon takes up the rhythm which is ironic itself as The Doors never employed a permanent bass player. On this first album most of the bass parts were played by Manzarek on the keyboards.
On the repeated phrase 'She gets high', the final word was edited out of the recording because of the implied drug references. This has been reinstated in later CD releases but remains absent from the mono version.
A great opening song, this immediately introduces the distinctive sound of The Doors.

Soul Kitchen
This song was Morrison's tribute to Olivia's, a soul food restaurant in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. The bass on the track is played by session player, Larry Knechtel.

The Crystal Ship
This parting love song to a former girlfriend of Morrison features some beautiful piano from Manzarek embellishing Morrison's psychedelic imagery.

It has been suggested that the title may have been influenced by an oil rig off the coast of Santa Barbara which glittered like a crystal ship at night, or alternatively may have come from a story in a book of Celtic mythology, 'The Book of the Dun Cow'. Then again, it may have been just about the drug methedrine.

Twentieth Century Fox
Both Ray Manzarek and John Densmore have claimed in their autobiographies that the subject of this song was Manzarek's girlfriend of the time.

Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
This song by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill dates from 1927 and was used in the 1930 opera 'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'. Morrison changes the original English words 'Show me the way to the next pretty boy' to the more natural (for him) 'Show me the way to the next little girl'. Producer Paul Rothchild adds backing vocals to this track.

This leads into the final song on side one, the instantly recognisable:-

Light My Fire
The song was mainly written by guitarist Robby Krieger though Ray Manzarek created the distinctive keyboard opening part. When released as a single in April 1967, the seven minute track was cut to just under three minutes by editing out the superb organ and guitar solos. This is something of a travesty though it did gain the song a great deal of airplay which increased sales of the album, so not such a bad thing after all.

Back Door Man
This blues by Willie Dixon kicks off side two of the album in a much rockier arrangement than the original.

I Looked At You
End Of The Night
Take It As It Comes
Essentially these were three short filler songs before the main event of side two.

The End
The creepy but sexy opening guitar phrases lead into Morrison intoning 'This is the end, beautiful friend.' Beginning life as little more than another goodbye song to the girlfriend subject of 'The Crystal Ship', this number evolved over time and during several live performances until the band arrived at the finished product stretching to a little under twelve minutes. Unlike, 'Light My Fire', this number was never going to be cut down to make a radio friendly single. There is little friendly about this song particularly when midway through, Morrison takes the song into the famous (or infamous) spoken 'Oedipus' section beginning with the line 'The killer awoke before dawn'.

Throughout, the drone like keyboards and intricate guitar lines add to the mood though the wonderful drum and cymbal work of Densmore should not be overlooked. The song was recorded live in the studio with the second take being the released version.