The Doors - STILL Underrated

Written by Eric Olsen
Published October 14, 2003

By 1965 Johnny Rivers and the Byrds had put Hollywood's Sunset Strip and clubs like the Whiskey-a-Go-Go and Ciro's on the map. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer/songwriter Jim Morrison had met in film school at UCLA and decided to form a band together. In the best '60s tradition, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore were in Manzarek's meditation class, and when they all got together, it clicked.

Elektra scout/producer Paul Rothchild saw the band live at the Whiskey in July, 1966 and was astonished - so much so that he wanted to create a studio album that was an "aural documentary" of their live set. Manzarek's inventive organ dominated the live sound, complemented well by Krieger's blues riffs, jazzy runs, and Spanish finger picking on guitar, and Densmore's fluid, interpretive drumming. Morrison was the focal point, his commanding baritone grabbing the ear while his erratic antics and arresting good looks captured the eye.

Rothchild's most enduring achievement is capturing that sound in the studio. Rothchild's first sessions at Sunset Sound for The Doors went well - the band was well prepared by a year's worth of nightly gigs - and several songs were recorded in only two or three takes. But that was not to last as they prepared to record "The End."

Per Jerry Hopkins in No One Here Gets Out Alive, for the "End" session, Morrison was inebriated, laying on the floor in the corner of the Sunset Sound studio near the drums, softly mumbling the words to his Oedipal nightmare: "Fuck the mother, kill the father, fuck the mother, kill the father, fuck the mother, kill the father..."

As Rothchild tried to capture his attention, Morrison picked up a television set and threw it toward the control room. Rothchild ended the session and sent Morrison off with a girlfriend. As the young woman drove down Sunset, Morrison suddenly opened the car door and bolted down the street on foot. He dashed to the studio, scaled the gate, penetrated an outer and an inner door, then panting, peeled off his clothes.

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Comments

#1 — October 14, 2003 @ 20:12PM — Bruce Kratofil [URL]

I second the motion --

When it came time to move from albums to CDs, this and "LA Women" were towards the top of the list.

#2 — October 14, 2003 @ 22:31PM — James Bondage

I agree with Lester Bang's line in the movie Almost Famous: "Jim Morrison is a drunken buffoon".

#3 — October 15, 2003 @ 00:39AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

morrison was most defintely a drunken buffoon...but there's no denying that the first Doors records was great.

no holes in it. none.

then, The End.

perfect.

...and kudos to Eric for writing about the Doors and managing to not use the word "Dionysus".

#4 — October 15, 2003 @ 04:46AM — Steve Rhodes [URL]

Ray Manzarek is rather full of himself, but very entertaining talking about the early days of the doors if you ever have a chance to hear him speak.

And as a former filmmaking student, he says he gave Oliver Stone all sorts of great ideas for the movie which were ignored.

#5 — October 15, 2003 @ 07:36AM — Chris Arabia [URL]

or bacchanalian. never forget bacchanalian.

unless i'm mistaken, the doors recorded two albums after jimbo "died." not quite as weak as would have been another jimi hendrix exp album, but still pretty bad.

#6 — October 15, 2003 @ 08:18AM — Eric Olsen

I think the fascination with Morrison is that he was a drunken buffoon AND a great singer/performer/figurehead/lyricist (only sometimes on the latter) - again with the duality.

#7 — October 15, 2003 @ 15:28PM — andy

the question is...was he only great at what he did because of the drugs and alcohol? in other words, could he do it sober?

#8 — October 15, 2003 @ 15:34PM — TDavid [URL]

Val Kilmer played a great Morrison, I thought, but I'm not sure how accurate that movie was portraying Morrison's life though. The Doors have some great songs, but I haven't bought much of their music. Sad, but true. Crystal Ship, now that's an interesting song.

#9 — October 15, 2003 @ 15:38PM — Mark Saleski [URL]

so i've read "No One Gets Out Of Here Alive" and also Manzarek's book...both books had big problems (including using that danged Dionysus word a bazillion times)...

is there a good book on the Doors?

Densmore's?

#10 — October 15, 2003 @ 18:06PM — Eric Olsen

Mark, my favorite Doors/Morrison book is "Break On Through" by James Riordan. He is a FAN, but not a nut, and is sickened by the decline.

#11 — October 16, 2003 @ 21:35PM — David

I like the 2nd album best. I like the single version of Light My Fire with long crappy solos chopped out.

I heard Manzerik on the radio, talking about how he had his "chops together" when he was with the Doors.

Wrong.

#12 — October 17, 2003 @ 08:05AM — Eric Olsen

Clearly you like the "pop" side of the Doors, which is fine, but ultimately not their greatest strength from my perspective.

#13 — October 17, 2003 @ 08:23AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

i agree...some of the stuff on The Soft Parade was just plain icky.

#14 — October 17, 2003 @ 08:37AM — Eric Olsen

In general, the first and last (with Morrison) seem the most real to me, although there are plenty of great songs scattered between.

#15 — July 7, 2005 @ 15:51PM — Eric Berlin [URL]

Great take on the album -- EO. Fascinating how the story of "The End"'s recording both heralds the birth and death of the band.

Maybe Morrison wouldn't have had it any other way.