The Doors
	Produced by Paul A. Rothchild
	Released on January 1967
	US CHART POSITION #1
	Find it at GEMM
EKS-74007 cover

T he Doors never had a natural affinity for the blues; if their sound was dark and relentless, it was so filtered through the drug-hazed environment of the ‘60s that little of the original sinew remained. What made The Doors compelling was Jim Morrison, whose visual and vocal presence served as an idol around which the remaining members laid their musical offerings. The band’s eponymous debut is regarded by many as their best record. Included here are some of their most memorable songs: searing blues rock like “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” and “Back Door Man,” the coolly delivered “Light My Fire,” and delicate magic spun on cuts like “The Crystal Ship.” However, the most important moment comes on “The End,” an eleven-minute epic that serves as a lightning rod for the record. The dreamy, intense music is the direct descendent of Paul Butterfield’s “East-West,” spacey Eastern-influenced sculptures that twisted and snaked like smoke from burning incense. But “The End” is where Morrison sets himself apart from his contemporaries (and aligns himself with alternative thinkers like Lou Reed), using forceful imagery that is pure brawn, a raging ego that stood in marked contrast to Bob Dylan’s analytical id. The rest of the record is less stunning, with Robby Krieger and to some degree John Densmore obscured by Ray Manzarek’s oppressive organ. Krieger especially played a larger role on later albums, but Morrison’s power (or willingness to invoke that power) seemed to wane with each record. Thus, this is probably Morrison’s best performance on a Doors album.

EKS-74007 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. BREAK ON THROUGH (TO THE OTHER SIDE)    2:25
2. SOUL KITCHEN    3:30
3. THE CRYSTAL SHIP    2:30
4. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX    2:30
5. ALABAMA SONG (WHISKY BAR)    (Kurt Weill/Bertol Brecht)    3:15
6. LIGHT MY FIRE    6:50
7. BACK DOOR MAN    (Willie Dixon/C. Burnett)    3:30
8. I LOOKED AT YOU    2:18
9. END OF THE NIGHT    2:49
10. TAKE IT AS IT COMES    2:13
11. THE END    11:35
    
    Words & music to all songs by The Doors unless noted

CREDITS

JOHN DENSMORE -- drums
ROBBY KRIEGER -- guitar
RAY MANZAREK -- organ, piano, bass
JIM MORRISON -- vocals
Jac Holzman -- production supervisor
Bruce Botnick -- engineer
Guy Webster -- front cover photo
Joel Brodsky -- back cover photo
William S. Harvey -- art direction & design

return to THE DOORS discography

© 2003 Connolly & Company. All rights reserved.