THE DOORS

As its title may suggest, The Doors' second LP (and second of 1967) is a stranger and odder beast than its already psychedelic predecessor. Sadly, it's also a less accomplished offering, with the batch of songs on offer primarily made up of left-over material from The Doors sessions. But call it a cash-in on the mega success of their debut album at peril, because Strange Days, despite a few hold-ups, remains a highly enjoyable and artistically successful record, even if it didn't take the band anywhere new or to further popularity.

The bluesy undercurrent that flows under virtually all The Doors cuts is watered down more so than on their previous effort, with psychedelica arriving as it's more prominent replacement. It doesn't feel forced at all, thankfully, and gives the album a rather neat and united vibe, at the expense of little less variation perhaps. Opening with the squirrely Manzarek organs of 'Strange Days', one gains a picture of what to expect ? a slightly eerie, psychedelic rock exploration of alienation and feeling a little, ahem, 'spaced out', shall we say (it doesn't require much research to learn of Morrison's dabbling in LSD ? it was the summer of love after all). The melodic floatiness of 'You're Lost Little Girl', the catchy and tormented 'People Are Strange' and the bizarre, poetic interlude of 'Horse Latitudes' further the creepy, psych vibe to an equally exciting level.

The album isn't all tripped out paranoia, as the jaunty pop delights of single 'Love Me Two Times' and the almost funk of 'Moonlight Drive' point out so refreshingly. The remainder of the tracks aren't all that weak either ? 'Unhappy Girl' features a jumpy, rising and falling melody; 'My Eyes Have Seen You' isn't particularly spectacular but is still far from skip-worthy, and 'I Can't See Your Face in My Mind' is a crawling, ghostly little ditty.

The only song that oversteps the mark more than a little (by about 6 minutes if you require an exact label) is closer, 'When the Music's Over'. While the track was a well suited live set piece of The Doors' energetic and theatrical performance, plonked on the end of this fine LP it becomes a drag towards the end and just doesn't have enough interesting qualities to justify an entire 1/3rd of the disc's length. But with that slight snag aside, Strange Days shapes up as a quality release by a band that were riding higher than most contemporary artists could hope to, not to mention the fact that they could put out something as unique and challenging as this piece can sometimes be, just months after their legendary debut - further testament to its worth if any were needed.

Review originally posted at www.therocktologist.com

There's a famous concert place here in Mexico City called Auditorio Nacional, where bands and artists from the whole globe have come to play. Now, since a couple of weeks ago, the auditorium was also used to watch music DVDs in a giant screen, so imagine being in a place where 12k people can enter and watch a concert from a legendary band, with only fans, a great sound and a cool vision, some melancholy and excitement is the result.

So last Wednesday was programmed to the "Live at the Bowl 68'" concert by The Doors, a very popular band here in Mexico, a band I actually love. So I went with my friends and found that there were a lot of people, a nice combination of old and young fans who wanted to sing their favorite Doors tunes. But well, I am not reviewing the experience, but the DVD, so let's start.

The DVD represents one of the most memorable Doors concerts ever, at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968, sharing stage with Steppenwolf and another band whose name I don't remember now. In the special features of the DVD there are interviews with the three members of The Doors who are still alive, with Bruce Botnick (producer), and some other people who lived that show and share their memories. So with it we can have a background of the show, what happened before, some memories of the band and feelings at that moment, they actually narrate it as if they were living it, since that show was a special night for them, they can remember it very well. This descriptive part of the DVD is cool, nice addition.

Now the concert per se, it was a great one, with "When the Music's Over" as the opener track, ironically selected to say that it is not over, it is only beginning. What I love from their concerts is that they improvise in almost all the songs, they are not truly a jam band, but in they are capable to become one when it is necessary. I mention it because since this first song we can appreciate they improvised in some moments, showing their connection as a band.

Densmore seems not to be that crucial, but actually we can see his drums have the power to take decisions, he marks the rhythm and he says when to stop the jam and return to the original song. Manzarek always is a king, though he only plays keyboards we all know he also plays bass symbolically talking; Krieger is not that fine at the beginning, but he knows how to recover and make the crowd rock; and Morrison was unique, under drugs or clean, he was one of a kind.

Then the concert continued with a lot of classic songs, most of them are short tracks that live were combined with some of Jim's poetry, which at the same time was combined with musical improvisation and vivid emotions between band and audience. The following was a three-song chapter with "Alabama Song" ? "Back Door Man" ? "Five to One" combo that finished with a reprise of Back Door Man, it was really cool, none of those tracks were played completely as in the original albums, but as a kind of medley, which normally would be improvised, but for this concert they confessed they did rehearse.

Some other songs performed were "Moonlight Drive", "Spanish Caravan" or "Hello, I Love You", before the band decided to play "Light my Fire", which is probably the one that excited the audience the most, we can see it on the movie, people were screaming like crazy, while The Doors took over the stage and the night, it was theirs. With "The Unknown Soldier" we can see how they also were like actors, Krieger took the guitar and shot Jim, who fell down symbolically dead. The final song was "The End" with a memorable passage where Jim smiles before saying terrible words to his mother. What a way to finish a concert.

This DVD is excellent, a must have for Doors fan and a excellent addition to anyone's collection, it was a cool decision to record it almost 50 years ago, and to release it at last.

Enjoy it!

Almost 45 years later, we have now a restoration of that legendary concert in Hollywood Bowl from July 5, 1968. The result are quiet surprising in this Blu-Ray with no grainy spots in the picture and some nice black levels. But the main treat is the DTS surround mix that let you hear the guitar of Mr. Krieger circulating in the speakers. Naturally the picture of a old show can't be as sharp as a new concert, but they did a nice restoration of the picture and especially the sound, because in some songs, were missing the sound of Jim's voice on the original tape. These details are fully explained in the excellent documentary in the extras.

Seeing the young Jim Morrison clearly affected by LSD is kind of strange, but he managed to start the show with control, but as the show progress, he tend to extend the notes longer, his mind starting to slow down a bit, but it didn't affected the music that much.

This is a complete show even at 72 minutes long. It goes in a flash when you feel immersed in the music of this original classic rock band, that developed a original sound with a unique singer that add poetry to his singing. It's only sad that he died a few years later, because the band could have made a lot more music, who knows.

Has there been a more knockout opening to an album than the title track of Strange Days? There may well be, but I might be able to count them all, at least the ones I know of, on my fingers. I may be biased here on account of how much I love this track. But I find it utterly hypnotic in ways I find hard to put into words. It changed my views about Doors for good and 'converted' me.

My previous experiences of Doors were restricted to Morrison Hotel and some other tracks from across their discography. I did not find these particularly exciting and could not relate to (what I thought of as) all the hype around the band. But Strange Days revealed to me a band that could hold its own and then some with the very best of the 60s.

Sinister and tender, hard hitting and beguiling, twisted and infectious, these are some contrasting adjectives that I could use to describe this album without much exaggeration. As a demonstration of the band's range and width, the first two tracks of the album would suffice by themselves.

The eponymous opener, astonishingly, sounds like Krautrock a bit before Krautrock. And it achieves this without losing accessibility. The main hook is too exotic to sound generic even after all these years and yet, it is so catchy that it's almost danceable. It is when Morrison's ominous voice comes in that parallels to Krautrock are really evident. The riffs that follow the last line of each verse (or a chorus, if you would rather call it one) must have also been very influential for Krautrock and, once again, they possess hypnotic power.

Preceded by this menacing slab of psychedelia as it is, You're Lost Little Girl feels even more beguiling for it. This talented bunch of musicians almost seem to transform for this song and Krieger in particular plays a beautiful solo. A band that can write and perform either of these tracks would already have to be a talented one, but how do you beat a band that can come up with both, back to back and make the transition seamlessly? Once again, the immediate parallel is with the Syd Barrett-led Pink Floyd. But...I would argue Doors are even more effective at this stage. Their madness is much more channeled and focused. For all their success with Barrett, Pink Floyd were a bit all over the place at that stage while Doors on Strange Days is a band at the top of their game. And it shows.

Because there's still more, lots more to this album. My other absolute favourite from this album is the aptly titled closer, When The Music's Over. I would have more time for psychedelic jams if they were all as effective as this fabulous track. Doors create a powerful context that makes the jam engaging in the first place. It is improv, but not improv that simply sets a mood but improv that will compel you to listen to with full attention, every note of it. Improv that will transport you to a place that you will find thrilling and frightening at the same time. This music is simply not meant to be analysed but to be experienced to the hilt. I am not a huge fan of Morrison's singing but I do love his performance on this track and would have to consider it crucial to the power of the music.

There are some goodies amongst the rest of the tracks too. They are relatively simple and basic in terms of structure, but structure is not where it's at as far as this album goes. This is a bunch of compositions that cannot be easily emulated for sheer staying power. I particularly like Unhappy Girl, My Eyes Have Seen You and I Can't See Your Face in My Mind. I don't often listen to the rest but it's not like there's anything, other than Horse Latitudes, to avoid here.

To conclude, certainly an album that can rival the likes of Revolver, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Let It Bleed, Bringing it all Back Home as one of the shining lights of the 60s. Morrison may not quite be a match for the Zimmerman as a wordsmith and the musicians may not boast the eclecticism of the Beatles but none of these albums I mentioned are so purely mesmerising and, well, scary as Strange Days. Where this album shines is not so much in terms of its influence or its profundity but simply its ability to tap the power of aural sensation to make an indelible impression on the mind. This, I would argue, is much closer to the heart of music. In that sense, it rocks like few rock albums ever made.

Add me to the list of progsters that believe that STRANGE DAYS is an improvement over the self- titled debut. And it took me quite too long to follow up my first encounter with The Doors; about six and a half years is the gap between me getting the debut and me getting this. STRANGE DAYS made me feel like I had been missing out on something in all of those years.

I would argue that this is a proggier version of the Doors even though psychedelic music is a more proper term for the album. The span of keyboard sounds expands a bit to allow harpsichords in like on ''Moonlight Drive'' (likely influenced by SGT. PEPPER). I also get the feeling that while the tunes are still pop, The Doors stretch their sonic palette out a bit to avoid sounding ''normal''. That is, excluding the good ''Unhappy Girl'', a song that sounds like a debut leftover.

Compared to the more sunshine California happy material on the debut, STRANGE DAYS, for the most part, takes dark, twisted turns that bleed into the music. It's as if ''The End'' had sequel vignettes. The title track, ''You're Lost Little Girl'', ''People Are Strange'' and ''My Eyes Have Seen You'' are quite disturbing and creepy in presence. They all give me that cold chill down my back that you get whenever you see/hear/read something sinister yet you like it at the same time. And yet there's the snappy hit single ''Love Me Two Times'' to bring some balance.

The track that many want to know about here would be ''When the Music's Over''. It's at the end of the album and eleven minutes long, so comparison's to ''The End'' would be inevitable. ''The End'' wins for me because that track was spine-tingling and ground-breaking simultaneously; ''When the Music's Over'' is more or less a swirling jazzy jam that does climax, but not in the way ''The End'' does. A more proper comparison of this album's ender music-wise is Caravan's ''Where But For Caravan Would I?''.

STRANGE DAYS is not without its share of clunker tracks. Thankfully it's brief, but ''Horse Latitudes'' is simply awful. ''I Can't See Your Face in My Mind'' sounds too much like padding.

This album is creepy, but it's the kind of creepy that puts that evil smirk on your face and goosebumps on your arms. If you aren't sure of what I'm talking about, give this album a try and see if you get the same reaction.

When talking about The Doors, it's hard to deny their ability as a live band. Jim Morrison's stage presence as well as the other band members' great instrumental contributions are incredible and the overall concert experience is very real, the performances of every song top notch.

That experience is just intensified during moments such as the one in "When the Music's Over" when Morrison tries to settle down some fans so they can continue the song. The interlude is very funny and practically seems intentional.

But yeah, how can one go wrong with this record? Not much to say about it other than there are some great performances of well known songs and some very interesting new pieces or pieces that are only played live such as "Build Me a Woman" and the absolutely (live?) epic "Celebration of the Lizard" piece.

Highly recommended to newcomers and fans of the band.

The Doors - Soundstrage Performances (2002)

'The Soundstage Performances'. This dvd shows live material from '67, '68 and '69. The material is played intimately in the studio (main footage) and the movie/sound-quality is good. The other material is from stage performances and the quality is mediocre, sometimes bad.

At first I had some problems accepting this tame version of the Doors playing in the studio. The band doens't just play it's songs, they re-arranged both the instrumental and the vocals parts. Back Door Man is therefore totally different than on the album. The sound of the band is OK, though of the keyboards sound less interesting. The performance of the band is good.

This the kind of dvd that came after most people first go a dvd-player. It's a low-budget project with raw material and no re-mastering of both film and sound material. Some interview with current members are ok, but not very interesting and the questions aren't important.

Conclusion. This is nice document for Doors fans. It does show some good material, they play some good songs, but it never amazes me. I'm not that fond of the dvd-concept and I will give this two stars. This is for fans of the Doors. The dvd isn't that expensive, so it might be interesting for collectors as well. For others I would recommend to listen to the first three studio albums first.

I like this album a lot as a whole. It is certainly grittier, fresher and bluesier than any other album by the Doors. "Changeling" is a very solid song and a ballsy way to start. This is followed by a really great song "Love Her Madly", which happens to be one of my all time favourites by the band. Other highlights are "LA Woman" and "Hyacinth House" another one of their most beautifully crafted pieces in my opinion. And the classic epic "Riders In The Storm" is really excellent. I love the stormy sound effects on that piece. Most of the tracks were recorded live, except for a few overdubbed keyboard parts by Ray Manzarek. I also heard Jim Morrison recorded his singing in the studios' bathroom to get a fuller sound. He sounds all the more edgy and manly for it. This is a very good album for your collection. Three solid stars.

"Morrison Hotel" was a return to form by The Doors. It's better than "Soft Parade" and the "Waiting For The Sun" album. It all kicks off with the blues-rock offering "Roadhouse Blues" where you can already hear the depth and soul back in Morrison's voice. The band's classic psychedelic sound is also back in many of the tracks, especially on the mellow "Blue Sunday" and "Indian Summer" (which sounds a bit different. It was recorded in 1966 during the same sessions as the band's first album). These are main highlights on the album. The blues and psych sounds sometimes have some funky twists, such as on "Peace Frog" and "Land Ho!" which are also really good songs. Overall, a very solid and interesting effort.

The Doors were some kind of revolution. They showed some new kind of sound which was keyboard-driven with poetic lyrics and subtle guitarplay and the made some major hits like Light My Fire. They belong to the great names of the psychedelic scene like Jimi Hendrix, The Greatful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe & the Fish, H.P. Lovecraft, 13th Floor Elevators e.a.

I must admit that this debut of the Doors did never really convince me. I'd like some of their song, like Break on Through, The Crystal Ship, Light My Fire and Back Door Man, but some of the other songs fail to entertain me. I do prefer the Doors lablemates Clear Light (1967), who did not differ that much in sound, except that they used double drums and more acid guitarplay instead of the guitar subtlety's Robby Krieger get's out of his guitar.

Especially side two contains to many songs that I should not rate aboth three stars, like "I looked at you", "End of the Night", "Take it as it comes" and "The End". These songs do lack some creative songwriting. Well I'll must admit that "The End" shows some new mystical concept, but I think I don't really get that one. There is no real instrumental brilliancy in it and it takes forth for 11,5 minutes.

The Doors debut is for me more important for it's influence than it's quality: 3,5 stars.