Help me appreciate The Doors

[magiccarpetride]

I've never been into The Doors, despite the fact that I always thought how "Light My Fire" and "Riders On The Storm" are good songs. But somehow no other song I've listened to by them could hold my attention.

Finally decided that it is time to re-evaluate my position regarding The Doors. After all, they are one of the most respected big acts in the history of rock. Such level of adoration must indicate that some real quality must be hidden in there.

So I did some reading on this band's opus, and decided to give it another try with their allegedly 'best' album -- "Strange Days". I got me an original pressing of that LP, and was very excited to hear what the fuss is all about.

Well, I'm sorry to say, but that LP left me totally unimpressed. I still feel that their shtick is mostly a pretentious, oh-so-dark-and-messed-up faux bohemian drivel.

Can anyone help me clarify this confusion? On one hand so many people are raving about this band as being one of the greatest ever, but on the other hand all I'm hearing is vacuous posturing and rather amateurish musicianship. Plus, Morrison's vocals are quite lame, boiling down to nothing more than high-school level theatrical histrionics.

So where's the epiphany, what am I missing here?

[Macca]

Who says Strange Days was their best? Give them a slap from me.

The two best are the first album, imaginatively entitled 'The Doors' on which every tune is a classic, and 'LA Woman', their last album.

Then maybe 'Strange Days', and 'Morrison Hotel', with 'The Soft Parade' bringing up the rear.

Partly though, and the same is true for any band I feel, the adoration is based on getting into them when young and impressionable, instead of trying to do it when older and jaded.

Textbook-wise, the combination of superb classically trained musicians set against Morrison's old style crooning and interesting lyrics isn't something you get anymore. Nowdays anyone who knows a few chords and can think up half a hook sells millions. We have punk to blame for that. The 'Anyone can have a go' philosophy. True, but to do something special you have to be properly good. The Doors were.

[magiccarpetride]

Who says Strange Days was their best? Give them a slap from me.

The two best are the first album, imaginatively entitled 'The Doors' on which every tune is a classic, and 'LA Woman', their last album.

Then maybe 'Strange Days', and 'Morrison Hotel', with 'The Soft Parade' bringing up the rear.

Partly though, and the same is true for any band I feel, the adoration is based on getting into them when young and impressionable, instead of trying to do it when older and jaded.

Textbook-wise, the combination of superb classically trained musicians set against Morrison's old style crooning and interesting lyrics isn't something you get anymore. Nowdays anyone who knows a few chords and can think up half a hook sells millions. We have punk to blame for that. The 'Anyone can have a go' philosophy. True, but to do something special you have to be properly good. The Doors were.

Thanks for the clarification. So I'm not the only one who feels "Strange Days" sounds whacked and pretentious? Plus, I'm not hearing any stellar musicianship on there. The guitar is pretty amateurish, and the bass playing is your vanilla stock studio playing. The drums are unremarkable, it is only the keyboard that holds some interest, musically speaking.

[Macca]

Not sure about amateurish playing , but they did have to tone it down as these were pop records they were making; that did cause some unrest in the band IIRC.

[Joe]

So where's the epiphany, what am I missing here?

I think the Doors, like many other groups, are best appreciated via an intelligent compilation rather than a whole album, as the individual albums contain a lot of 'filler'. So for the Doors, 'Weird Scenes Inside Goldmine' is all you really need. I bought that first back in the '70s, then picked up the individual albums one by one as bargain CDs during the '90s, but really if I'd stuck with just 'Weird Scenes ....' I wouldn't have missed out on much. Having said that, I was always more of a Stooges/VU fan than a Doors fan.

[narabdela]

Help me appreciate The Doors

Tough call!

[Werner Berghofer]

Alex,

the bass playing is your vanilla stock studio playing

I guess you are aware that Ray Manzarek, the keyboarder, played ”bass“ on most of their records? I fully agree with your opinion about The Doors. Even 40 years ago as a young man I thought most of their stuff was embarrassing and ridiculous. However, their last album ”LA woman“ has some fine moments.

[Haselsh1]

LOL, I am so with you on this one

[struth]

Had a few decent songs but thats about all for me. Girls fancied Jim rotton though so that helped, as did the drugs in appreciation.

[Macca]

Philistines.