Album of the day (#506): The Doors by The Doors

[lancashirearab]

I really like this album. It was the first Doors album I listened to and bought. It led to me buying the rest of their Jim Morrison albums and at least two of my mates buying leather breeks.

[Facetious]

[Guest]

One of my first encounters with western popular music; It was a reason I tracked this way and it determined the sounds that attracted me afterwards. Although I kinda changed my tastes but still it's a source of pleasure and a sweet childhood memory.

[hairymarx1]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the metaphysical brilliance that is 'The Crystal Ship' - one of the greatest tracks of all-time by anyone. 'Break On Through' is a 'punk/garage' classic with deep psychological overtones. The Doors are the only band I know that were able to successfully bridge the rawness of the former with the poetic lyricism of the latter.

Of course, Morrison's poetry is a significant factor and centrpiece of the Doors' appeal, as is Ray Manzarek's stunning organ playing. The poetic mysticism of 'The End' is a fitting close to the album made famous of course by 'Apocolypse Now'. It's an epic masterpiece grand in scope and ambition without ever slipping into pretentiousness. I personally think that 'Light My Fire' is slightly overrated but that might be in part due to the fact I'm over-familiar with it. Manzarek's organ solo, though, is just sublime and therefore kind of makes up for the shortcomings.

The Doors brand of psychedelia (along with art-rock of the Velvets) were the two most influential bands of the post-punk indie scene of the early 1980s. The idea of the lead singer as artist was first popularized by Jim Morrison whose stage persona was virtually adopted by a successive generation of artists as wide ranging as Michael Hutchence (Inxs), Iggy Pop, Bono, Ian Curtis and Ian M'Culloch (Echo and the Bunnymen) amongst many others.

The Doors were also the stepping stone towards the hard rock genre that was to come in the wake of the Doors (and Morrison's) eventual demise. 'The Doors' is another one of those albums that ought to be in everybody's top 100 list.

[kidamnesiac]

i use to like the crystal ship a lot but not so much now
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