MORRISON HOTEL

Touted as one of the greatest comebacks in music history, THE DOORS had a triumph return to form after the tumultuous year of 1969 which not only found the band's third album 'The Soft Parade' panned by fans and critics alike for straying too far from the psychedelic rock leanings by adding elaborate brass and string arrangements courtesy of producer Paul Rothchild but also found the band licking its wounds after Jim Morrison's altercations on March 1, 1969 at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove, Florida where Morrison was charged for indecent exposure which ultimately escalated in many gigs on the band's world tour to be cancelled. Despite the series of events that very well could've spelled the end of the band's career, the band's fourth album MORRISON HOTEL miraculously turned everything around and returned the band to the top of the charts. Despite Morrison's self- destructive behavior, the band was still churning out the product despite all the odds.

THE DOORS resorted to a tried and true trick in the music biz. When many a band took a wrong musical career turn that left the fanbase alienated, going back to the basics more often paid off then not and on MORRISON HOTEL, the band eschewed all the bloated budgets and grandiose pomp that resulted in 'The Soft Parade' costing more than all the other DOORS albums combined and instead focused on simple blues based tracks that also added that special 60s psychedelic sauce that made THE DOORS stand out in the first place. While the album was primarily made up of totally new tracks, the band also raided the vaults of unreleased material including 'Indian Summer' form the earliest recording sessions as well as 'Queen Of The Highway,' a leftover from 'The Soft Parade' and de-jazzified for inclusion. Likewise 'Waiting For The Sun,' which flirted with proto-prog tendencies was a reject from the band's third album of the same name but found a new lease on life on MORRISON HOTEL.

The original release was split into two sides, Side A known as 'Hard Rock Caf' which would inspire the future restaurant chain of the same name and the second side that adopted the name of the album, MORRISON HOTEL which was a real establishment in the downtown area of Los Angeles. The band took an impromptu photo of themselves in that very place which is on the album cover. While MORRISON HOTEL failed to yield any significant charting singles, the album shot up to No. 4 on the Billboard charts and performed well overseas as well thus establishing the band as an album band. Despite this many of the tracks have become popular on classic rock radio stations over the decades and while the blacklisting in more conservative areas of the USA continued to haunt the band, the negative publicity actually generated interest for many as well. Once again THE DOORS were back on top of their game.

The album starts off with one of THE DOORS' most distinctly recognizable tracks, the feisty 'Roadhouse Blues' which found Jim Morrison taking the role as a blues vocalist and keyboardist Ray Manzarek delivering one of his most memorable piano performances where he utilized a tack piano as well as a Wurlitzer electric. A different version of the track exists with John Lee Hooker sharing vocals and while the single only hit #50 and the tune has become one of THE DOORS' greatest hits over the years. The track created an instantly addictive bluesy guitar shuffle along with guest musician John Sebastian (from the Lovin' Spoonful) delivering a mean harmonica performance. 'Waiting For The Sun' returns to the zeitgeist of the psychedelic years of the band's early performances with trippy twangy guitar slides and offers the now rare glimpse into Morrison's early poetic contributions that had been all but exhausted at this point. Morrison was also still very much out of control with this alcoholism and the entire album was recorded with him being totally inebriated so it is said.

Much of the remaining tracks follow the bluesy shuffles and piano rolls of 'Roadhouse Blues.' 'You Make Me Real,' 'Land Ho!' and 'Maggie McGill' feature the most bluesy tracks whereas 'Blue Sunday,' 'Ship Of Fools,' 'The Spy' and 'Queen Of The Highway' focus more on the psychedelic rock aspects that made the band so popular in the first place. The track 'Peace Frog' stands out from the pack as it contains a guitar riff sequence that reminds me of what 90s grunge would sound like. The opening guitar heft is very much the stuff that bands like Nirvana was made of but the track also incarnates that California sound of the 60s with the psychedelic pop keyboard style and of course Morrison's charismatic frontman style that managed to shine through despite his persistent substance abuse. Much of Morrison's personal life was reflected in the tracks 'The Spy' and 'Queen Of The Highway' which lamented about his tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend Pamela Courson who must have endured a lot of nonsense!

It's fair to say that THE DOORS never successfully recaptured the sheer psychedelic pop rock perfection of the first two albums but the band was amazingly consistent at cranking out strong melodic tunes that showcased the tight instrumental interplay as well as Morrison's unique and outrageous vocal style. It seems that the world was ready to write THE DOORS off as just another has been 60s band after 'The Soft Parade' so the fact that the band was given a second chance to join the next wave of rock music developments of the early 1970s was nothing short of a miracle especially given Morrison's unpredictable and confrontationally grating personality. MORRISON HOTEL was indeed an excellent return to form although i still can't understand why 'The Soft Parade' received all the hate that it did. The album is chock full of catchy infectious blues oriented rock tracks as well as the expected psychedelic 60s charm. Only tracks like 'Indian Summer' sound like filler and in all honesty should have been left in the vaults for time immemorial. The strength of the majority of the tracks on MORRISON HOTEL make this yet another essential addition for your classic rock collection.