The Doors album by album

(Work progressing....Less stuff to do....)

I've always liked The Doors...... But they are an odd band - part lounge lizard easy pop, part sleazy rock, part hard driven blues, part psychedelic, part pretentious crap, and part awesome mythology.  As UCR say about "Light My Fire": it "sums up just about everything you need to know about The Doors. It's sexy, a little too long, a little too fussy, kinda pretentious and absolutely brilliant." 

The Doors were three musicians playing music behind the singer, lizard king, and rock god Jim Morrison. The band were good. Morrison was the coolest, sexiest, most outrageous rock star ever. 

Jim Morrison - the lizard king

Morrison, right, with his family. His father, George Morrison,
was a US Navy officer who became a rear admiral.   

Morrison, the son of a US rear admiral, is a sort of idealised rock god - sexy, mysterious, rebellious, good looking, romantic, poetic, trouble making and troubled, great voice, great postures, and he died young in Paris in mysterious circumstances. His voice is warm and attractive and sexy and dramatic, and he screeches and wails and yet croons seductively. It's not a conventional rock voice. It's more the voice of a mainstream crooner singing lounge music. His voice grew raspier and rougher and more interesting, and he started to discover how to use his voice, so the final recordings are where he's at his best - less mainstream lounge lizard pop, more lizard king rock god. On "Light My Fire" (1967) he sings very conventionally, hitting the beat, almost talking his way through the song rather than doing anything meaningful with his voice. He has an attractive deep warm voice which works on a crooning level. The key points in the song are not when he sings, but when he gently moans in the middle and then starts to scat-scream  at the end. Four years later on "The Changeling" (1971) he is semi-independent of the beat, sometimes with it or around it, but also sometimes across it - "I'm a changeling - see me change". His voice is raspy, he's pushing it all the way through the song, there is an intensity totally absent from the earlier recording, the scat-moans and whoops are more common.

Ray Manzarek debonair and demonic organist

The Doors was Manzarek's band which had started out as his brothers band, Rick & The Ravens, but which he gradually took over, later inviting in Morrison whom he admired as the creative, poetic wild man he wanted to be himself. His organ playing is, along with Morrison's voice, a distinctive characteristic of The Doors. 

The Doors of perception

The Doors started out as Rick & The Ravens, but with no members who would later be in The Doors. Rick & The Ravens were formed in 1961 with five members, including two brothers of  Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Ray joined the band in 1962 as singer and occasional pianist. They recorded three singles with Ray as vocalist, billed as Ray Daniels with Rick & The Ravens:  "Soul Train" / "Geraldine";  "Henrietta" / "Just For You", and "Big Bucket 'T'"/ "Rampage" (all 1965).  Morrison joined in the summer of 1965 after having been invited to join the band onstage by fellow UCLA student, Ray, during a gig at a bar then called Turkey Joint West (since 1974 a British pub themed restaurant called Ye Olde King's Head) on Santa Monica Boulevard, to sing "Louie Louie".  John Densmore joined on drums in August, and  - along with a female bassist, Patty Sullivan from Patty & The Esquires, and Ray's two brothers from the original Ravens, the reshuffled six piece band cut a six track demo containing "Moonlight Drive", "Hello, I Love You", "Summer's Almost Gone", "My Eyes Have Seen You", "End Of The Night", and "Go Insane".

Background

Wikipedia:

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison's lyrics, and his charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. Three of the band's studio albums, The Doors, L.A. Woman, and Strange Days, were placed in Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", at positions 42, 362, and 407 respectively. According to The Washington Post's Martin Weil, the band rose to the center of the counterculture of the 1960s. After Morrison's death in 1971, the remaining members continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973.

The band got its name at Morrison's suggestion^[7] from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception. The group signed with Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire", in 1967. The Doors released eight albums in five years. All but one hit the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum or better. The Doors (1967), their self-titled debut album, was the first in a series of Top 10 albums in the United States, followed by Strange Days (also 1967), Waiting for the Sun (1968), The Soft Parade(1969), Morrison Hotel (1970), Absolutely Live (1970) and L.A. Woman (1971), with 20 Gold, 14 Platinum, 5 Multi-Platinum and 1 Diamond album awards in the United States alone. By the end of 1971, it was reported that the Doors had sold 4,190,457 records domestically and 7,750,642 singles. The band had three million-selling singles in the U.S. with "Light My Fire", "Hello, I Love You" and "Touch Me".

After Morrison's death in 1971, the surviving trio released two albums Other Voices and Full Circle with Manzarek and Krieger sharing lead vocals. The three members also collaborated on the spoken word recording of Morrison's An American Prayer in 1978 and on the "Orange County Suite" for a 1997 boxed set. Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore reunited in 2000 for an episode of VH-1's Storytellers and subsequently recorded Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors with a variety of vocalists. In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger started playing together again, renaming themselves as the Doors of the 21st Century, with Ian Astbury of the Cult on vocals. Densmore opted to sit out and, along with the Morrison estate, sued the duo over proper use of the band's name and won. After a short time as Riders On the Storm, they settled on the name Manzarek-Krieger and continued to tour until Manzarek's death in 2013 at the age of 74.

Although the Doors' active career ended in 1973, their popularity has persisted. According to the RIAA, they have sold 33 million records in the US^[13] and over 100 million records worldwide,^[14] making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.^[15] The Doors have been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, which ranked them 41st on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".^[16] The Doors were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold and platinum LP's.^[17] The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

AllMusic:

The Doors mark the moment when the American rock underground of the 1960s came crashing into the mainstream. The group's massive influence on the course of rock music may been overshadowed by decades of lionization of their late lead singer Jim Morrison, whose early death wound up being a pivotal part of their legacy. He seemed to loom larger in his afterlife than he did when he roamed the earth, his posthumous popularity cresting in the '80s as the Doors returned to radio airwaves in the wake of their magnum opus "The End" soundtracking pivotal moments in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. "The End" never appeared as a single but its Oedipal melodrama zeroed in on the Doors' appeal back in 1967: the group seemed otherworldly and dangerous, drawing from inspirations not normally heard in rock music. Morrison's heated poetry and hedonism were genuinely new at the time the Doors released their self-titled debut in 1967, as were the droning guitars of Robby Krieger and cascading organ lines of Ray Manzarek, who also played keyboard bass in concert (on record, session musicians often laid down a bass part). Underneath their trippy surface, the Doors were veterans of the Los Angeles garage scene, and their affinity for blues and hard rock gave the band a flinty earthiness that served them well throughout their career; it's certainly evident on their biggest hit singles, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Hello, I Love You," "Touch Me," and "Love Her Madly." The blend of muscle and mysticism helped shape the parameters of punk and art-rock -- it's difficult to imagine Iggy Pop without the Doors -- and ultimately wound up being their biggest lasting influence, eclipsing the Morrison mythos and years of play on classic rock radio.

The albums and other recordings

 

Rick & The Ravens

Six track demo at World Pacific Studios

September 1965

A professional sounding demo, both in terms of quality and performance. This is not The Doors, this is Rick & The Ravens, but all the tracks would be recorded by The Doors later on. The songs and performance are fairly simple, based on the blues and rock n roll. There is little of the mood and atmosphere that defined The Doors. Morrison's voice is a little uncertain. Manzarek plays attractive straightforward piano without the whirling transcendental smoke he would get from his organ. Densmore's drumming is laid back, a little Latin in character. The bass is played quietly and simply by Patricia Sullivan of local band Patty and the Esquires. There is a fair amount of harmonica, but little lead guitar - the guitar is mainly used to fill in the rhythm. 

UCR; ProgArchives; 

1. Moonlight Drive (2:31)
2. Hello, I Love You (2:28)
3. Summer's Almost Gone (2:17)
4. My Eyes Have Seen You (2:01)
5. End of the Night (2:59)
6. Insane (A Little Game) (2:30)

Jim Morrison: lead vocals
Ray Manzarek: piano, vocals
John Densmore: drums
Rick Manzarek: guitar
Patricia Sullivan: bass guitar
Jim Manzarek: harmonica

London Fog 1966

During 1966, from Feb to May, the band played at The London Fog, Los Angeles, alongside acts like Rhonda Lane, Exotic Dancer. They played RnB standards while working up their own compositions. 

 

Playing at The London Fog

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tuning (I)"		0:41
2.	"Rock Me Baby"	Muddy Waters	5:35
3.	"Baby, Please Don't Go"	Joe Williams	5:27
4.	"You Make Me Real"	Jim Morrison	2:48

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tuning (II)"		0:13
2.	"Don't Fight It"	Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett	4:40
3.	"I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man"	Willie Dixon	5:16
4.	"Strange Days"	The Doors	3:46
5.	"Lucille"	Albert Collins, Richard Penniman	3:44

The band made a promo film for "Break On Through" in Nov 1966. 

The Doors (1967)  

The Doors was released in January 1967 with "Break On Through", the first track, released simultaneously as the lead single. The band appeared on Shebang on 1st January miming along to "Break On Through". The title was appropriate for the band's first release, first TV appearance, and as the first track on what would turn out to be a breakthrough album for rock/pop music and would become an acknowledged classic.  

It was recorded over a period of a month, from August 29 to September 23, in 1966 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, previously a film soundtrack studio, which moved over to rock bands, and would be used by Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Beach Boys and many others. 

Related music that was out while the album was being recorded: Midnight Ride (May '66) by Paul Revere & The Raiders; The Seeds (Apr '66) by The Seeds; Small Faces (May '66) by Small Faces;  (Apr '66) Aftermath by The Rolling Stones; Animalisms by The Animals; Roger The Engineer by The Yardbirds; Fifth Dimension by The Byrds; Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton by John Mayall; Takes Off  by Jefferson Airplane; Portrait by The Walker Brothers; De Capa by Love; East-West by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; The Kinks/You Really Got Me by The Kinks.

Released	January 4, 1967
Recorded	August 29 – September 23, 1966
Studio	Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre	Psychedelic rock  -  acid rock   -  blues rock
Length	44:48
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)"	2:29
2.	"Soul Kitchen"	3:35
3.	"The Crystal Ship"	2:34
4.	"Twentieth Century Fox"	2:33
5.	"Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill)	3:20
6.	"Light My Fire"	7:10

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Back Door Man" (Willie Dixon)	3:34
2.	"I Looked at You"	2:22
3.	"End of the Night"	2:53
4.	"Take It as It Comes"	2:17
5.	"The End"	11:51

• Jim Morrison – lead vocals, harmonica, percussion
• Ray Manzarek – keyboards, keyboard bass, vocals
• Robby Krieger – electric guitar, vocals
• John Densmore – drums, percussion, backing vocals

• Larry Knechtel - bass 

Larry Knechtel played bass, uncredited, to give sonic support to Manzarek's bass lines on organ. 

Background videos:
"Break On Through"
"Light My Fire" / "Light My Fire" live / The iconic "Light My Fire" on American TV.
"The End"
Classic Albums Part 1 / Part 2  / Part 3  / Part 4 / Part 5

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 10

 Strange Days (1967)

Great album.

Released	September 25, 1967
Recorded	May–August 1967
Studio	Sunset Sound Recorders Hollywood, California
Genre	Psychedelic rock  -  acid rock
Length	35:25
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side A (All tracks credited to The Doors)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Strange Days"	3:10
2.	"You're Lost Little Girl"	3:05
3.	"Love Me Two Times"	3:17
4.	"Unhappy Girl"	1:59
5.	"Horse Latitudes"	1:36
6.	"Moonlight Drive"	3:05

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"People Are Strange"	2:13
2.	"My Eyes Have Seen You"	2:29
3.	"I Can't See Your Face in My Mind"	3:26
4.	"When the Music's Over"	10:56

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 8

Waiting For The Sun  (1968)

Best tracks: "Hello, I Love You"; "The Unknown Soldier"; "Five To One". 

Released	July 3, 1968
Recorded	January–May 1968
Studio	TTG, Hollywood, California
Genre	Psychedelic rock  -  acid rock
Length	33:10
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side A  (All tracks credited to The Doors)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hello, I Love You"	2:14
2.	"Love Street"	2:53
3.	"Not to Touch the Earth"	3:56
4.	"Summer's Almost Gone"	3:22
5.	"Wintertime Love"	1:54
6.	"The Unknown Soldier"	3:22

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Spanish Caravan"	3:03
2.	"My Wild Love"	3:01
3.	"We Could Be So Good Together"	2:26
4.	"Yes, the River Knows"	2:36
5.	"Five to One"	4:26

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 6

The Soft Parade  (1969)

Widely regarded as the weakest Morrison period Doors album. Morrison wasn't that interested, and his contributions dropped, and Kriegar's contributions matched his own. Morrison insisted that individual song credits should be shown so people could see that he wasn't responsible for the lyrics of "Tell All The People". The album is fairly soft and poppy, with little bite, and though the title track has a bold opening and a slacker blues drive with no orchestration, it does come over as a lazy track lacking both effort and inspiration. Best track is "Touch Me".  

Released	July 18, 1969
Recorded	1968–1969
Studio	Elektra Sound West, West Hollywood, California
Genre	Psychedelic rock - jazz fusion blues rock - art rock
Length	33:50
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tell All the People"	Robby Krieger	3:21
2.	"Touch Me"	Krieger	3:12
3.	"Shaman's Blues"	Jim Morrison	4:49
4.	"Do It"	Morrison, Krieger	3:08
5.	"Easy Ride"	Morrison	2:43

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wild Child"	Morrison	2:36
2.	"Runnin' Blue"	Krieger	2:27
3.	"Wishful Sinful"	Krieger	2:58
4.	"The Soft Parade"	Morrison	8:36

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 4

Morrison Hotel  (1970)

For several months when living in an isolated cottage called Brink Top in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire this is one of the few albums we had, and so it got played a lot. I never quite got to love it. Yes, it's a solid album, but it seemed a little dull and stuffy and straight. I appreciate it a little more these days, but not a hell of a lot.

The album came at a bad time for the band. The Soft Parade, with its poppy lush sound, had not been well received, Morrison was in a bad place. He'd been sentenced to six months hard labour for his behaviour at the Miami concert - suspended while an appeal was in place, the band were not welcome at concert venues, his drinking was heavy and problematic, his interest and enthusiasm was waning - he only contributed half the songs on The Soft Parade, and he'd been arrested again, this time for drunken behaviour on a flight, for which he could be imprisoned for ten years. If the band could not dig deep and produce something worthwhile, they were finished....

Morrison Hotel opens with a successful if unambitious blues rocker which is driven by a combination of Krieger's crackling electric guitar and Morrison's snarling vocals, supported by excellent harmonica from John Sebastian, atmospheric bass from Lonnie Mack, solid drumming from Densmore (who is always solid rather than impressive), and some good time honky-tonk piano from Manzarek. Simple and straightforward it may be, but sometimes that's exactly what is wanted, and this is hot and sexy and primeval. It is the best track on the album, and one of The Door's overall great songs. It is this track which gives the album its reputation as a back to basic rock album. 

Released	February 9, 1970
Recorded	November 1969 – January 1970
Studio	Elektra Sound Recorders, Los Angeles
Genre	Psychedelic rock  -  blues rock
Length	37:47
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side A: Hard Rock Café

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Jim Morrison, music by the Doors	4:03
2.	"Waiting for the Sun"	Morrison	3:58
3.	"You Make Me Real"	Morrison	2:53
4.	"Peace Frog"	Morrison, Krieger	2:51
5.	"Blue Sunday"	Morrison	2:13
6.	"Ship of Fools"	Morrison, Krieger	3:08

Side B: Morrison Hotel

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Land Ho!"	Morrison, Krieger	4:10
2.	"The Spy"	Morrison	4:17
3.	"Queen of the Highway"	Morrison, Krieger	2:47
4.	"Indian Summer"	Morrison, Krieger	2:36
5.	"Maggie M'Gill"	Morrison, music by the Doors	4:23

• Ray Neapolitan – bass guitar
• Lonnie Mack – bass guitar on "Roadhouse Blues" and "Maggie M'Gill"^[19]
• John Sebastian (as "G. Puglese") – harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues"

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 5

Absolutely Live  (July 1970)

Gawd this is a dull plodding album. Absolutely Lifeless would be a better title. The studio versions are better. Occasionally there's some interaction between Morrison and the audience, but they're not interesting enough to endure the poor quality performances. There are also songs not available on other albums: "Love Hides", "Build Me a Woman" (has a "Crawling King Snake" blues vibe), "Universal Mind", and "Dead Rats, Dead Cats" (which is "Break On Through" with different words), as well as cover versions of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and Willie Dixon's "Close to You" (sung by Ray Manzarek), but these again are not bothering with except for completists.  There isn't the magic here that there should be. Over-long, duller than it could have been, and mostly superfluous to the studio versions, it is however moderately listenable.

Released	July 20, 1970
Recorded	July 21, 1969–May 8, 1970 using a professional 8-track machine
Genre	Psychedelic rock  -  acid rock  -  blues rock
Length	77:02
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"House Announcer" (Spectrum Philadelphia May 1, 1970)	-	2:41
2.	"Who Do You Love?" (Felt Forum  Jan 1970 )	Ellas McDaniel	6:02
3.	"Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" (Felt Forum  Jan 1970)	Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht	1:52
4.	"Back Door Man" (Felt Forum  Jan 1970 )	Willie Dixon/Chester Burnett	2:23
5.	"Love Hides" (Spectrum Philadelphia May 1, 1970)	Jim Morrison	1:49
6.	"Five to One" (Felt Forum Jan 1970)	Morrison	4:35

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Build Me a Woman" (Felt Forum Jan 1970 )	Morrison	3:34
2.	"When the Music's Over" (Felt Forum Jan 1970)	The Doors	16:17

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Close to You" (Spoken intro)	Willie Dixon	4:05
2.	"Universal Mind" (Aquarius Theater July 21, 1969)	Morrison/Robby Krieger	4:45
3.	"Petition the Lord with Prayer" (Felt Forum Jan 1970)	Morrison	0:53
4.	"Dead Cats, Dead Rats" (Cobo Arena  May 1970)	Morrison	1:55
5.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" (Cobo Arena May 8, 1970)	The Doors	4:46

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Celebration of the Lizard" (Aquarius Theatre July 1969)	Morrison	14:25
2.	"Soul Kitchen" (Aquarius July 1969)             Morrison   7:16

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 4

13 (Nov 1970)

An OK selection.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Light My Fire"	Robby Krieger, Jim Morrison	The Doors (1967)	6:50
2.	"People Are Strange"	Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger	Strange Days (1967)	2:13
3.	"Back Door Man"	Willie Dixon	The Doors	3:34
4.	"Moonlight Drive"	Morrison	Strange Days	3:05
5.	"The Crystal Ship"	Morrison	The Doors	2:34
6.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel (1970)	4:03

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Touch Me"	Krieger	The Soft Parade (1969)	3:12
2.	"Love Me Two Times"	Krieger	Strange Days	3:18
3.	"You're Lost Little Girl"	Krieger	Strange Days	3:03
4.	"Hello, I Love You"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun (1968)	2:14
5.	"Land Ho!"	Morrison, Krieger	Morrison Hotel	4:10
6.	"Wild Child"	Morrison	The Soft Parade	2:38
7.	"The Unknown Soldier"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	3:23

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 4 1/2

L.A. Woman (1971)

The last proper Doors album. The last album with Morrison. A classic. Why are some albums classics? It's not necessarily to do with popularity or commercial sales - though if an album contains to sell decade after decade, then it could well become a classic based on enduring popularity alone, even if critics hate it. Mostly it is because the album provides something interesting and or meaningful. It may also be attractive or popular, but mainly it is because it somehow nourishes. I kind of compare it to food. Popular albums or artists are like sugar. Sugar is widely popular, but lacks character, variation, meaning, etc. Sugar is tasty, but it is addictive, simple, superficial, lacks proper nourishment, and can be harmful in more than modest doses, taking over from more meaningful, interesting,  and nourishing food. Classic albums are the more nourishing albums that sustain people for long periods. They withstand fads and retain their interest and nourishment over the years and over the generations. People may outgrow popular albums, but they don't outgrow classic albums. Indeed, over time, the classic album not only continues to impress, but it tends to increase in respect. Not all nourishing foods are tasty or instantly appealing; the same with classic albums - some can take a while to digest and appreciate. But when digested, the nourishing classic album then holds its interest and nourishment. Thankfully most, and the best, classic albums not only have an abundance of interest and nourishment, but they also come with a sprinkling of sugar. Such as here. I loved this album when I first heard it - which would have been end of '71, and I have never fallen out of love with it. It has grown and grown on me. 

Released	April 19, 1971
Recorded	December 1970 – January 1971
Studio	The Doors' Workshop, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Blues rock psychedelic rock
Length	48:24
Label	Elektra
Producer	The Doors, Bruce Botnick

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Changeling"		4:21
2.	"Love Her Madly"	Robby Krieger	3:20
3.	"Been Down So Long"		4:41
4.	"Cars Hiss by My Window"		4:12
5.	"L.A. Woman"		7:49

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"L'America"		4:37
2.	"Hyacinth House"	Ray Manzarek, Morrison	3:11
3.	"Crawling King Snake"	John Lee Hooker[70]	5:00
4.	"The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"		4:16
5.	"Riders on the Storm"	The Doors	7:09

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 10

Other Voices (Oct 1971) 

The first album without Morrison. To be fair, it's not bad. There is the Doors groove going on, and when nobody sings it sounds like The Doors on an off day. But when either Manzarek or Krieger open their mouths the album sounds like something by any run of the mill band. The guys are decent musicians, but something more than the ability to play musical instruments is needed to lift music above the ordinary, and Morrison certainly could bring that indefinable extra something.

Released	October 18, 1971
Recorded	June–August 1971 using a professional 8-track machine
Genre	Rock
Length	39:42
Label	Elektra
Producer	The Doors Bruce Botnick

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocal	Length
1.	"In the Eye of the Sun"	Ray Manzarek	Manzarek	4:48
2.	"Variety Is the Spice of Life"	Robby Krieger	Krieger	2:50
3.	"Ships w/ Sails"	Krieger, John Densmore	Manzarek	7:38
4.	"Tightrope Ride"	Manzarek, Krieger	Manzarek	4:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocal	Length
5.	"Down on the Farm"	Krieger	Krieger	4:15
6.	"I'm Horny, I'm Stoned"	Krieger	Krieger	3:55
7.	"Wandering Musician"	Krieger	Manzarek	6:25
8.	"Hang On to Your Life"	Manzarek, Krieger	Manzarek	5:36

Wikipedia
AllMusic
Score: 3

Weird Scenes Inside The Goldmine (Jan 1972)

An interesting complication album. A little darker and deeper than the usual....

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Break On Through "	Jim Morrison	The Doors, 1967	2:25
2.	"Strange Days"	Morrison	Strange Days, 1967	3:05
3.	"Shaman's Blues"	Morrison	The Soft Parade, 1969	4:45
4.	"Love Street"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun, 1968	3:06
5.	"Peace Frog/Blue Sunday"	Morrison, Robby Krieger	Morrison Hotel, 1970	5:00
6.	"The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"	Morrison	L.A. Woman, 1971	4:12
7.	"End of the Night"	Morrison	The Doors	2:49

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Love Her Madly"	Krieger	L.A. Woman	3:18
2.	"Spanish Caravan"	The Doors	Waiting for the Sun	2:58
3.	"Ship of Fools"	Morrison, Krieger	Morrison Hotel	3:06
4.	"The Spy"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel	4:15
5.	"The End"	The Doors	The Doors	11:35

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Take It as It Comes"	Morrison	The Doors	2:13
2.	"Runnin' Blue"	Krieger	The Soft Parade	2:27
3.	"L.A. Woman"	Morrison	L.A. Woman	7:49
4.	"Five to One"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	4:22
5.	"Who Scared You"	The Doors	"Wishful Sinful"  B-side, 1969	3:51
6.	"Don't Go No Further"	Willie Dixon	"Love Her Madly" B-side1971	3:37

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Riders on the Storm"	The Doors	L.A. Woman	7:14
2.	"Maggie McGill"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel	4:25
3.	"Horse Latitudes"	Morrison	Strange Days	1:30
4.	"When the Music's Over"	The Doors	Strange Days	11:00

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 6

Full Circle  (1972)

This doesn't sound like The Doors. This is a bit of a mess.

Released	August 15, 1972[1]
Recorded	Spring 1972
Studio	A&M Studios, Hollywood, California[2] using a professional 16-track machine
Genre	Funk rock, jazz rock
Length	40:05
Label	Elektra
Producer	The Doors

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get Up and Dance"	Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek	2:26
2.	"4 Billion Souls"	Krieger	3:18
3.	"Verdilac"	Krieger, Manzarek	5:40
4.	"Hardwood Floor"	Krieger	3:38
5.	"Good Rockin'"	Roy Brown	4:22

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"The Mosquito"	John Densmore, Krieger, Manzarek	5:16
7.	"The Piano Bird"	Jack Conrad, Densmore	5:50
8.	"It Slipped My Mind"	Krieger	3:11
9.	"The Peking King and the New York Queen"	Manzarek	6:25

Wikipedia
AllMusic
Score: 2 1/2

An American Prayer (1978)

Some recordings of Morrison reciting/singing some poetry/words he'd written, backed with music from the remaining Doors.  It works but only just, and it's not great. This is for Morrison completists only.

Released	November 17, 1978
Recorded	March 1969 and December 1970 (spoken word) 1978 (music)
Genre	Words backed with soft rock music
Length	38:28
Label	Elektra/Asylum Records (1978 LP) Rhino (1995 CD) [1]
Producer	John Haeny, The Doors, Lisciandro

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Awake Ghost Song Dawn's Highway Newborn Awakening"	7:10
2.	"To Come of Age Black Polished Chrome Latino Chrome Angels and Sailors Stoned Immaculate"	8:41
3.	"The Poets Dreams The Movie Curses, Invocations"	3:28

Side two

No.	Title	Length
4.	"The World On Fire American Night Roadhouse Blues Lament The Hitchhiker"	11:59
5.	"An American Prayer"	6:52

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score:  4

Greatest Hits (1980)

A useful introduction.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Hello, I Love You"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun, 1968	2:23
2.	"Light My Fire"	Krieger	The Doors, 1967	7:05
3.	"People Are Strange"	Morrison, Krieger	Strange Days, 1967	2:10
4.	"Love Me Two Times"	Krieger	Strange Days	3.16
5.	"Riders on the Storm"	Morrison, Krieger, Manzarek, Densmore	L.A. Woman, 1971	7:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Break On Through"	Morrison	The Doors	2.25
2.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel, 1970	4:08
3.	"Not to Touch the Earth"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	3:56
4.	"Touch Me"	Krieger	The Soft Parade, 1969	3:10
5.	"L.A. Woman"	Morrison	L.A. Woman	7:47

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 4 1/2

Alive, She Cried (1983) 

At the time of release this was the best live Doors album. The opening track, a rehearsal version of Van Morrison's "Gloria", epitomises The Doors with its sexuality, energy, rocky lounge music, and childish naughtiness.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gloria"	Van Morrison	6:17
2.	"Light My Fire"	Robby Krieger	9:51
3.	"You Make Me Real"	Jim Morrison	3:06

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
4.	"The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"	Morrison	1:52
5.	"Love Me Two Times"	Krieger	3:17
6.	"Little Red Rooster"	Willie Dixon	7:05
7.	"Moonlight Drive" (including "Horse Latitudes")	Morrison	5:34

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 6

Live At The Hollywood Bowl (1987)
Live At The Bowl '68 (2012)

Released	May 1987
Recorded	July 5, 1968
Venue	Hollywood Bowl, L.A.
Genre	Psychedelic rock, acid rock, blues rock
Length	22:19
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wake Up!"	Jim Morrison	1.40
2.	"Light My Fire"	Robby Krieger	8:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
3.	"The Unknown Soldier"	The Doors	4:23
4.	"A Little Game"	Morrison	1:22
5.	"The Hill Dwellers"	Morrison	2:20
6.	"Spanish Caravan"	The Doors	1:19

3.3 2012 version (Live at the Bowl '68)[edit]

1. Show Start/Intro – 0:19
2. "When the Music's Over" – 12:52
3. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 1:33
4. "Back Door Man" (Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett) – 2:33
5. "Five to One" – 1:29
6. "Back Door Man" (reprise) (Dixon, Burnett) – 1:22
7. "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" – 1:52
8. "Hello, I Love You" – 2:14
9. "Moonlight Drive" – 3:21
10. "Horse Latitudes" – 1:08
11. "A Little Game" – 1:20
12. "The Hill Dwellers" – 2:22
13. "Spanish Caravan" – 3:04
14. "Hey, What Would You Guys Like To Hear?" – 0:40
15. "Wake Up!" – 1:30
16. "Light My Fire" – 9:32
17. "Light My Fire" (Segue) – 0:38
18. "The Unknown Soldier" – 4:43
19. "The End" (Segue) – 1:02
20. "The End" – 17:31

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score:

In Concert (1991) 

This is Absolutely Live and Alive, She Cried, together with a couple of other tracks.  Not sure what's the point (oh, of course, make some money).

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 3

Live In Detroit (2000)

A complete concert. And a good one.

Released	October 23, 2000 [1]
Recorded	May 8, 1970
Genre	Psychedelic rock, acid rock, blues rock
Length	135:03
Label	Rhino - Bright Midnight Archives
Producer	Bruce Botnick

Disc one

1. Tuning - 1:37
2. Roadhouse Vamp - 1:31
3. Hello to the Cities - 1:16
4. Dead Cats, Dead Rats - 1:54
5. Break On Through (To the Other Side) (Jim Morrison) - 4:45
6. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) (Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht) - 1:55
7. Back Door Man (Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett) - 2:24
8. Five to One (Morrison) - 6:44
9. Roadhouse Blues (Morrison) - 6:44
10. You Make Me Real (Morrison) - 2:57
11. Ship of Fools (Morrison, Robby Krieger) - 7:23
12. When the Music's Over - 17:40
13. People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield) - 0:36
14. Mystery Train (Junior Parker) - 7:03
15. Away in India - 2:07
16. Crossroads (Robert Johnson) - 4:01

Disc two

1. Tuning - 1:59
2. Carol (Chuck Berry) - 1:50
3. Light My Fire (Krieger) - 19:39
4. Been Down So Long (Morrison) - 9:07
5. Love Hides (Morrison) - 1:45
6. Mean Mustard Blues - 3:47
7. Carol (Reprise) (Berry) - 0:44
8. Close to You (Willie Dixon)^[5] - 1:38
9. I'm a King Bee (James Moore) - 2:37
10. Rock Me Baby (Arthur Crudup) / Heartbreak Hotel (Mae Boren Axton, Thomas Durden) - 5:40
11. The End - 17:35

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 6

The Best of The Doors (2000)

 Single disc:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"Riders on the Storm"		L.A. Woman, 1971	7:15
2.	"Light My Fire"	Robby Krieger	The Doors, 1967	7:07
3.	"Love Me Two Times"	Krieger	Strange Days, 1967	3:15
4.	"Roadhouse Blues (Live)"	Morrison	Box Set / Morrison Hotel, 1970	4:34
5.	"Strange Days"	Morrison	Strange Days	3:08
6.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)"	Morrison	The Doors	2:28
7.	"Five to One"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun, 1968	4:26
8.	"Moonlight Drive"	Morrison	Strange Days	3:02
9.	"Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"	Brecht, Weill	The Doors	3:19
10.	"Love Her Madly"	Krieger	L.A. Woman	3:19
11.	"People Are Strange"	Morrison, Krieger	Strange Days	2:11
12.	"Touch Me"	Krieger	The Soft Parade, 1969	3:13
13.	"Back Door Man"	Willie Dixon, Burnett	The Doors	3:33
14.	"The Unknown Soldier"		Waiting for the Sun	3:22
15.	"L.A. Woman"	Morrison	L.A. Woman	7:52
16.	"Hello, I Love You"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	2:15
17.	"The End"		The Doors	11:44

Double disc

 Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"Light My Fire"		The Doors	7:07
2.	"Hello, I Love You"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	2:15
3.	"People Are Strange"	Morrison, Krieger	Strange Days	2:11
4.	"Love Me Two Times"	Krieger	Strange Days	3:15
5.	"Touch Me"	Krieger	The Soft Parade	3:13
6.	"Strange Days"	Morrison	Strange Days	3:08
7.	"Spanish Caravan"		Waiting for the Sun	3:05
8.	"Moonlight Drive"	Morrison	Strange Days	3:02
9.	"We Could Be So Good Together"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	2:19
10.	"The Unknown Soldier"		Waiting for the Sun	3:22
11.	"Queen of the Highway"	Morrison, Krieger	Morrison Hotel	2:47
12.	"Shaman's Blues"	Morrison	The Soft Parade	4:48
13.	"The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"	Morrison	L.A. Woman	4:15
14.	"L.A. Woman"	Morrison	L.A. Woman	7:52
15.	"Whiskey, Mystics & Men"		BoxSet and Essential Rarities, 1997 & 1999/2000	2:20
16.	"Summer's Almost Gone"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	3:22
17.	"You're Lost Little Girl"	Krieger	Strange Days	3:02
18.	"When the Music's Over"		Strange Days	10:59
19.	"No Me Moleste Mosquito"	John Densmore, Ray Manzarek, Krieger	"The Mosquito" from Full Circle, 1972	5:15

Disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"Riders on the Storm"		L.A. Woman	7:15
2.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)"	Morrison	The Doors	2:28
3.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Morrison/The Doors	Morrison Hotel	4:02
4.	"Soul Kitchen"	Morrison	The Doors	3:35
5.	"Love Her Madly"	Krieger	L.A. Woman	3:19
6.	"Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"	Brecht, Weill	The Doors	3:19
7.	"Peace Frog"	Morrison, Krieger	Morrison Hotel	2:58
8.	"Waiting for the Sun"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel	3:59
9.	"Who Scared You"	Morrison, Krieger	B-side of the "Wishful Sinful" single, 1969	3:54
10.	"The Crystal Ship"	Morrison	The Doors	2:33
11.	"Wishful Sinful"	Krieger	The Soft Parade	3:00
12.	"Love Street"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	2:52
13.	"Wintertime Love"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	1:53
14.	"The Spy"	Morrison	Morrison Hotel	4:18
15.	"Back Door Man"	Dixon, Burnett	The Doors	3:34
16.	"My Eyes Have Seen You"	Morrison	Strange Days	2:32
17.	"Five to One"	Morrison	Waiting for the Sun	4:26
18.	"The End"		The Doors	11:44

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score:

Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 (2018)

"Subdued but intense" according to Ray Manzarek. Morrison was in the midst of the Miami trial, but they had been allowed to come to fulfil their contract. They came on stage at 2am on a cold and breezy night and played a fairly quiet and dark set for one hour, then went back to America. Morrison telling the film makers that he didn't want film spotlights as they always performed with low lights. Morrison sang strongly and clearly, but with little animation or emotion. The band were tight but not joyful. It feels like a set performed to meet an obligation, and done with gritty professional determination.  This was their last filmed performance, and their last live performance outside America. Despite the subdued nature of the performance, it's a listenable and attractive set. The quality of the production is very crisp, though there is a distinct lack of atmosphere - much of the time it sounds as though it was recorded clinically in a studio.

The CD follows the song arrangement of the film which puts "Roadhouse Blues" first for the opening credits because that song wasn't filmed or didn't come out well. This means the introduction comes after the opening song. "Roundhouse Blues" was played between "Ship of Fools" and "Light My Fire".

Film clips:
"Break On Through"
"When The Music's Over"
"Light My Fire"

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Morrison/The Doors	5:45
	"Introduction"		1:00
2.	"Back Door Man"	Willie Dixon	4:49
3.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)"	The Doors	5:15
4.	"When the Music's Over"	The Doors	13:55
5.	"Ship Of Fools"	Morrison/Krieger	7:20
6.	"Light My Fire"	The Doors	14:00
7.	"The End" (Medley: "Across The Sea" / "Away In India" / "Crossroads Blues" / "Wake Up")	The Doors	17:56

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 4

Summary 

Voice/Musicianship

Morrison had a distinctive baritone which he used to both croon and to power his rock style vocal performances. He would howl, scream, murmur, as well as sing; he also spoke or declaimed poetry. His voice was highly attractive, and while at times he sounded like a lounge lizard, he had that rebellious edge, and that hippie intellectual fascination with art and theatre that gave his delivery and performance a compelling depth. The band were not just backing musicians - well, they were, because The Doors was Morrison, but like The Band with Dylan, they put the body to his spiritual and ghostly legend, and at times grooved hypnotically without him. While the bulk of the material is Morrison in that he was mostly responsible for the lyrics and the musical, structural, and theatrical direction of the songs, the other three added their weight, and Krieger sometimes took over completely. 14/15

Image/Star quality 

There are only a few artists with such an iconic image. 5/5

Lyrics/Music

Compelling lyrics and music. 18/20 

Impact/Influence

They had a huge impact from their first release. 7/10 

Popularity

They were hugely popular in their day, reaching a broad audience; and have retained that popularity, helped by films using their music, such as Apocalypse Now!, and films about them, such as The Doors. Their albums still sell in big quantities, so they tend to be included in various all time best-selling artists lists, such as CSPC and Wikipedia.  For a band that were effectively only active for four years, that is very special.  5/5

Emotional appeal 

Yes. 4/5

Authenticity 

Some of the music is a little commercial. But Morrison was the real deal. 13/15

Art 

The Doors trod an interesting line in mainstream popularity with songs like "Light My Fire", and innovative art with "The End", and Morrison's theatrical and poetic approach to performance. The art is there, but it's almost entirely from Morrison, and his poetry as poetry is dubious, though works well as an enricher of the rock and entertainment experience.   3/5

Classic albums/songs

The Doors (1967), LA Woman (1971), and "The End" (1967) 3/5 

Originality/Innovation 

(5), 

Legacy

Bands and new audiences keep discovering them and learning from them 8/10

Total: 87/100

and Legacy (10). Total: 100

Voice/Musicianship (15), Image/Star quality (5), Lyrics/Music (20), Impact/Influence (10), Popularity (5),  Emotional appeal (5), Authenticity (15), Art (5), Classic albums/songs (5), Originality/Innovation (5), and Legacy (10). Total: 100


Links

* Hoffman album by album discussion
* Pitchfork on Perception 

* Doors bass players 

Albums ranked

The firm consensus for the ranking order of the albums is first the debut album, The Doors (1967),  then LA Woman  (1971), Strange Days  (1967), Waiting For The Sun  (1968), and Morrison Hotel  (1970), with The Soft Parade  (1969) last.   Some people may swap LA Woman and The Doors; and some may have the middle three in a slightly different arrangement, but The Soft Parade always goes last.

* UCR
* BEA
* CoS
* TGA
* RYM
* Ranker
* Stereogum
* RoR

Best songs

Essential songs for an 80 minute CD

"Break On Through"  2:28
"Light My Fire" 7:07
"Five To One" 4:26
"Hello I Love You"  2:14
"Roadhouse Blues" (Live NY) 4:20
"The Wasp" 4:15
"Love Her Madly" 3:19
"Gloria" (Live) 6:17
"The Changeling"  4:21
"People Are Strange"  2:13
"L.A. Woman" 7:52
"Riders on the Storm"  7:15
"When the Music's Over" 10:56
"The End" 11:44

* Final 24 - 2007 TV documentary  on Morrison's death

* The Guardian
* LouderSound
* UCR
* GuitarsExchange
* Paste
* CRH 
* TopTens

***

Kitchen Table Music Blogs

Best Of The Best

Views by Jan 2021: 3175