MORRISON HOTEL

Although "Morrison Hotel" is clearly overrated as time passes by, I am personally very attached to it. If my memory serves me well, this was my first LP record that I bought personally, out of my own pocket money, in or around 1980, when I was a high school adolescent. At that time I even did not have a gramophone (turntable) to play it, but I nevertheless wanted to have this record. I was very attracted by the cover photographs of band members and having it in my collection almost guaranteed success in taking a girl on a date while talking about Morrison and THE DOORS. "Roadhouse Blues" was an obligatory repertoire on the local radio stations and discotheques so that the mere fact of owning a copy of this LP meant that you passed the test of loyalty when entering the club of teenage "hipsters".

In retrospect, the album didn't age well and now its flaws are evident. Still, "Waiting For the Sun", "Peace Frog", "Blue Sunday", "The Spy" and "Maggie McGill" are strong compositions in line with some earlier best moments, combining blues-rock foundation with mystical psyche arrangements and lyrics. Overall, the album bears a sort of semi-concept nature of dealing with "on the road" themes, starting with the cover pictures and including narratives of both physical, territorial and inner, spiritual travels. I always felt a connection with American literature and film classics like Kerouac, Shepard, Steinback or "Easy Rider" in depicting the life of the American Southwest, which is of course augmented by Morrison's druggy poems.

"Morrison Hotel" is not an essential album in THE DOORS' discography and even less interesting for the prog rock community. But I would do wrong should I give it anything less than 3 stars.