After owning the Doors Greatest Hits since high school (originally on tape and eventually double cd), I finally decided to start collecting the individual albums about 3 years ago.

Morrison Hotel was the first one I purchased.

I like it. Being that its the first album I purchased, it's probably the one that gets the most play from me.

I'm not the biggest Doors fan in the world. I like them when I'm in the mood, but I haven't lived with the full albums long enough to have a real personal connection with any particular disc. Most of my memories come from the hits discs that I would play back in my single days at the bachelor pad, staring at the lava lamp through clouds of smoke drifting up from the Scooby-Doo water bong.

Morrison Hotel used to be my fave Doors album back in the day but listening to it now it's lacking something I can't pinpoint. Still a very good album though, I have no complaints.

Faves: Roadhouse Blues, Waiting For The Sun, You Make Me Real, Ship Of Fools, Land Ho!, Indian Summer & Maggie M'Gill.

Originally released in 1970, with the original blue color cover, they changed the cover to the green tinted cover when the album was reissued on CD in 1997. The album was a live album taken from various concerts and sometimes two different performances from two different shows where used and spliced together on a few tracks on the album. During their 1970 tour the band recorded most of their American tour and these tapes were the source for various live cuts. The band let producer Paul Rothchild handle the choosing of the tracks and gave him free reign, the band insisted that no overdubs would be performed but Rothchild managed to get around that by his splice and dice method.

The CD tries to give the atmosphere as it was recorded at one show with CD beginning with a announcer speaking to the crowd, and the recording is uniquely organic. Jim Morrison's voice is not pitch perfect on all the songs and sometimes band fubs a note or two. The debut of 'Celebration of the Lizard' makes its debut on this disc, as does an original Doors blues tune 'Build Me A Woman'. The album is not perfect, and Jim Morrison himself was not happy with Paul Rothchild's production methods when it came to creating the album he felt it would have been better if it had only been one or two shows instead of a mish mash of different performances.





'Alive, She Cried' was released in 1983, and immediately went platinum, and IMO was a much better live album. 'Gloria' was a cover of a Van Morrison song but Jim Morrison changed the lyrics, and it is an instant classic, this was recorded at a soundcheck. 'Light My Fire' is also an excellent live version better then the studio version, and contains Jim Morrison's amusing graveyard poem in the middle section.





This EP was released as a teaser to the release of VHS of 'Live At the Hollywood Bowl' and the reason I bring them up is 'Alive, She Cried', 'Absolutely Live' and a few tracks of 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl' where compiled in 1991 and released as:




A double live CD set that consisted of the complete 'Absolutely Live' and "Alive..' CD's along with the unreleased version of 'The End' which is taken from 'Live at Hollywood Bowl' performance (video), which is amusing performance of the song, and demonstrates that Jim Morrison did not always take himself all that serious, other bonus track is 'Roadhouse Blues' which was taken from 'An American Prayer' CD that would be released for a few more years.

I will talk sometime down line on the Bright Midnight 1970 live recordings that Doors released on their website which IMO are superior to the live albums they released, all of those releases are of one show not comps of different shows.

If you are a fan of the Doors and live albums, this is a very good and entertaining live recordings.

Not a big fan of live albums yet I have Absolutely Live, Live @ Pittsburgh Civic Arena-May 2, 1970 & In Concert. I like the extended jams the Doors do live.

I have "absolutely live" and "alive she cried" on vinyl and enjoy the latter more. "Gloria" is a great song ! ( I enjoy alot of Van Morrison and Them)

I didn't listen to "absolutely" but I did spin "alive she cried" last evening.

In 1971 Jim Morrison proclaimed to his friends that at last he was making a blues album. This album the first to be recorded without producer Paul Rothchild would also turn out to be the last one recorded with Jim Morrison. A few months after this album was released Jim Morrison would die of a heart attack at the age of 27.


The band went for a rawer sound choosing to record most of the album live in the studio, with Jim Morrison using the bathroom as a recording booth, using the bathroom echo and the band employing Elvis Presley bassplayer Jerry Scheff and on a few tracks rhythm guitarist Mark Benno.

The albums lyrics and mood remain dark, and it seems to be one long poem of Jim Morrison saying goodbye to his beloved L.A..

The Changling kicks off the album with an excellent bassline from guest musician Scheff and driving rhythm from John Densmore. In the song Jim Morrison speaks of his need to escape but refuses to tied down to his environment, evoking his never been to broke to live town and change and shed identities.

Love Her Madly- A very cool and a classic cut wrote by Robby Krieger. Great performance and the most commercial song on the album.

Been Down So Long- Was inspired from a book Jim Morrison read that was popular in the late 60's/early 70's by Richard Farina. A great song in a vein of blues songs (lyrically) such as 'Born Under a Bad Sign'.

Car Hiss by the Window-A blues dirge of lyrics speak of one's life passing by. Alot of fans thought the solo in the song was Krieger but the sounds came from Jim Morrison mimicking the sound of Krieger's sound.

L.A. Woman-One of the best songs The Doors ever wrote and created. The song is an observation of returning to L.A. and literally just observing the scenery and inhabitants of L.A., a city personified as a woman, who's fields are filled with fire and who has also loved her. His name also appears as an anagram of Mr Mojo Risin'

L'America-Another great song that was to be for a film but was rejected due to the subject matter.

Hyacinth House-Maybe the saddest song Jim Morrison ever wrote, speaks of throwing the jack of hearts away and of course eludes to the legend of the birth of Hyacinth from Greek mythology

The one song that does not completely work for me is 'Crawling King Snake' their cover of John Lee Hooker classic, a song that had been performing for years but the studio version sounds a little flat.

WASP (Texas Radio and The Big Beat)-Is a poem/song that has been performed by the Doors since 1968, this song features great poetry from Morrison and John Densmore does an excellent job on this release.


Riders of the Storm-The final track on the album and the final track that Jim Morrison recorded. It featured a vocal track and then overdubbed a whisper track, features great interplaying from the four band members. A classic track that I never tire of.

The Doors would only perform a handful of concerts til Jim Morrison flew to Paris to get his head together but it was not to be.

^^^^
one of the few albums I would describe as PERFECT!

My favorite Doors album of all-time, followed closely by the debut. The Changeling is one of the absolute BADDEST tunes ever. Love Her Madly is a genius single, in a time when singles were about to be overtaken by LPs (at least as far as rock is concerned).

Riders On The Storm was a song that I seem to have known my entire life, I think it was in my DNA. My Uncle used to yell "RIDE THE SNAKE, TO THE LAKE!" when I was a kid, cracked me up every time.

I think I need to listen to this album right now.....

Did the Doors ever employ a bass player during live performances or did Ray emulate all the studio bass sounds on keyboard?

LA Woman=My favorite Doors album and the best album they ever done (IMHO)

God review/overview on LA Woman Manny. I agree on most points, except your opinion of the John Lee Hooker tune. Have you ever heard John Lee do that tune with Canned heat as backing band ?

I will check out the Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker release, and yes I am fan of old blues.

Also Jmes B to answer your question bassline on various Doors recordings where handled by Douglas Lubahn and Harvey Brooks.

L.A. Woman is a great album, I love the heavy Blues influence and sonically it their best IMO. This album is practically flawless.

Faves:The Changeling, Love Her Madly, Been Down So Long, L.A. Woman, Crawling King Snake & Riders On The Storm

On July 3, 1971 Jim Morrison died at the age of 27. Jim Morrison at the time of his death had become much more then just a rock star but had transformed to a cultural icon to rock fans and his death cemented that position. With Morrison's death both fans and critics also wrote the obituary for the band.

The band decided to continue as a three piece, that thought of replacing Jim Morrison was not even considered at that this point. The band continued working on music as a way of dealing with their self destructive singer's death. The album documents men who came out of the 60's with many experiences and stories but who didnot come out of this experience unscathed.

The title of the album was playfully titled 'Other Voices' and lead vocal duties would be shared Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek.

The album opens with 'In the Eye of the Sun' immediately the difference is evident. The song sung by Ray Manzarek and speaks about the circle of life, reincarnation and other hippie musings, musically it is not that different then the earlier material but the song is more pleasant romp then the darkness and immediacy of previous Doors opening numbers.

Variety is the Spice of Life-Is a song I could not imagine the original line up recording. This is amusing song about a man who is placed in front of judge due to his cheating ways. A good song but not one that would have fit in with previous Doors albums.

Ships with Sails-Is the most 'Doors' like song on the album, song by Manzarek, if Morrison had lived I imagine that this song would have been The Doors biggest hit since 'Light My Fire'. It features great percussion from John Densmore and an excellent extended solo from Kreiger.

Tightrope Ride-This song is the song that Manzarek expressed his anger at Jim Morrison's death.:

You're on a tightrope ride, nobody by your side
Well, you're all alone, gotta find a new home

Don't go over the line. You better keep on time
Or you'll lose your mind on your tightrope ride


and on the second stanza the lyrics ask Morrison:

Did you think we were all together?
Did you think we were all the same?
Did you think maybe I could help you
Remember your name, remember the game
What's the name of the game

The hurt and bewilderment are evident in Manzarek's voice.

A contrast to the final song on the album 'Hang Onto Your Life' where Manzarek seems to accept his friend's fate but still urges his friend even from the other side to Hang onto to his life.

Down on the Farm-A song that was originally presented to Jim Morrison for the L.A. Woman' and he rejected it. The song is hooky and amusing song about trying to keep one's feet on ground.

I'm Horney, I'm Stoned-Again another amusing song, sung by Krieger that talks about the crazy and insane life of a musician.

Wandering Musician-Is a song that sounds incomplete, like an unfinished thought, again explores the life of a touring musician, loss and price one pays for the choosing of this life.

Overall not a bad Doors album but Jim Morrison is missed and the band now admits that the band did not take enough time to mourn and may have made the album too soon after Jim Morrison's death.

Not a bad album, you can see the empty space JIm left though, the Doors was a truly symbiotic relationship of sorts. My fave song is Ships With Sails, I agree with you manny it would've been their biggest hit since Light My Fire had Jim sang it.

Fave: Ship With Sails

I can't say I have this one, so I checked it out on Pandora. It is a tad uneven but I like it. "Tightrope Ride" is my favorite. Manzarek has a pretty cool hard rock voice.