Best Of The Doors, The [Remastered] - Doors (The)

...up a copy of "The Best of the Doors" and album that highlights every facet of their versatility and originality.

This 2 CD 19 track odyssey begins with one of their better known songs, although even the those that think they don't know much about the band will probably find that many of the songs strike a chord of recognition within. "Break on Through" opens with a fuzz box guitar and the relentless rhythms of the ...
...yet it is easily their best known song.

"The Crystal Ship" carries us away to the other spectrum of the band. A vocal dominated mellow number that sees the music in a subservient role to Morrison's honey voice. I must admit that its not a song that I expected to see on an album such as this but it does show the band in their mellow reflective mood. It has to be said that drugs and in Morrison's case alcohol played a massive ... more

There seems to be a fallacy these days that the names Jim Morrison and The Doors are interchangeable, one pretty much equates to the other and the rest is just minor detail that we need not be too worried about. It's a common problem faced by bands that have a particularly strong and charismatic front man, and the mystique and dark brooding sex appeal of Jim Morrison cast a large shadow over the other three members of the band that has lasted to this day. But there was a lot more to the bands music than just Morrison's input, something that despite all the fights and clashes of ego, he was the first to admit. It is no mystery why Morrison never went solo; the other three in the band were so sympathetic to Morrison's vision for the band that it was an idea that was out of the question. The talents of the other three also meant that the doors could exist without their troubled front man, something that was often proved when the excessive of the lifestyle got the better of him, but Morrison was little without The Doors.

Formed from the student music scene of Venice Beach, California in 1965, The Doors were a seemingly odd match, but like many eclectic creations, it was the differences between them that contributed to the totally original sound that they went on to create.
Ray Manzarek, a classically trained pianist, raised in Chicago with a deep love for the blues, wrote the themes for many of the songs and played not only the keyboard parts but created the melodic driving bass lines through a combination of foot pedals and an original left hand style. It has to be noted that bass guitarists were sometimes used for recordings but as a live act the more freeform and open style generated between the four permanent members was always the chosen approach. John Densmore was a jazz drummer with an unbeatable knack for shamanic rhythm and theatrical timing who had honed his skills originally in the regimented world of marching bands. Robby Krieger, was a song writing secret weapon who could play any guitar, from classic flamenco to bottle-neck blues, to creating styles and sounds previously unheard on this planet. And Jim Morrison, the baritone, eclectic/electric poet with an innate compositional gift and the soul of a mystic. Together these men brought The Doors' songs to life, they were equal points of a musical diamond and created a band that was more than the sum of its parts, and for anyone who wants to experience this heady mix could do no better than pick up a copy of "The Best of the Doors" and album that highlights every facet of their versatility and originality.

This 2 CD 19 track odyssey begins with one of their better known songs, although even the those that think they don't know much about the band will probably find that many of the songs strike a chord of recognition within. "Break on Through" opens with a fuzz box guitar and the relentless rhythms of the bass. This dark blues-rock journey grinds ever forward with Manzarek's high-ended keyboards flitting in and out of the gaps and above it all Morrison's deep crooning vocals punching the poetry home. It's a short punchy number that shows the band in all their leather-clad rock and roll glory, merely one small facet of their myriad abilities. And if the opening salvo delivers one of their better-known songs, what follows is without doubt their biggest number. A single drum is struck and the instantly recognisable keyboard riff ensues like Bach on acid. "Light My Fire" as well as being an instant classic shows the band s deep understanding of the dynamic of music, mellowing out on the vocalised verses, building on the choruses and dancing on the edge of madness during the long instrumental passages. Again the keyboards take a dominant role initially but then we get to hear the brilliance of Robby Krieger's guitar work as he takes over the lead duties, reminiscent of Carlos Santana, a man who a few short years later would emerge from the same neck of the woods and take the world by storm. Again this is a song that shows what I was saying in the opening passage about the whole singer/band dynamic, not only is this song largely penned by Krieger, both words and music, Morrison doesn't have a massive role in this 7 minute anthem and yet it is easily their best known song.

"The Crystal Ship" carries us away to the other spectrum of the band. A vocal dominated mellow number that sees the music in a subservient role to Morrison's honey voice. I must admit that its not a song that I expected to see on an album such as this but it does show the band in their mellow reflective mood. It has to be said that drugs and in Morrison's case alcohol played a massive part in the bands creativity. Whilst this song is comparable to other bands, namely Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, whose creative engine ran on marijuana, The Doors in general have a darker and sharper edge to their work fuelled by Speed and LSD. Whilst most of the American west coast was trying to love the world, the Doors wanted to rip it to shreds.

The dulcet tones of the front man open up "People Are Strange" and you realise that whilst he wasn't a brilliant singer, there was a lot of versatility to his voice whether kicking out the razor rock epics or crooning in a mellow blues fashion of minimalist songs such as this. Many may remember a decent cover version of this recorded by Echo and The Bunnymen for the soundtrack of the film, the Lost Boys

Space dictates that I wont be able to cover all of the songs found on the CD so I will concentrate on those that demarcate the creative extremes of the band and "Love me Two Times" sits far out on one of those boundaries. The blues influences that come through in many of the bands of the late sixties sit proudly to the fore on this number. Driven very much by John Densmore's tight beats and simple fills and the pounding bass line. Also into this category falls the better known "Roadhouse Blues" that is found on the second CD a repetitive and foot tapping rhythm and blues groove that defies you to sit still in its presence.

"Waiting for the Sun" is another song with the sixties hallmark written all over it, again a dynamic that rises and falls in contrast to the vocals and which also gives Krieger a chance to basically solo throughout the entire song, something that works because of the natural space found within the bands music. "Spanish Caravan" also shows you how difficult to categorise the band were, beginning as a flamenco guitar piece and switching half way through to acid rock at its most insane. Its almost as if the band wanted to describe a trip using musical terms only.

The second CD begins with the almost Vaudeville "Hello, I Love You" the guitars crunch and fuzz in a distorted world of their own as the rest of the band groove on into oblivion. A short snappy song that combines a pop melody, rock attitude and Morrison's sly sexual charm.

Pure rock comes next as the band slowly builds into the dark and brooding leviathan of "L.A. Women" The dark heart of the band is laid bare here as Morrison mixes his favourite images of nighttimes urban landscapes and women. This song typifies the change of musical styles that occurred as the sixties gave way to the seventies, the song is more crowded, and the dark underbelly of the west coast drug culture that had raised its head at Altamont and with the killing of Sharon Tate was being worn on musicians sleeve. The summer of love was well and truly over. "Riders on the Storm" however takes that bleak realisation and reflects on it to make a gloriously laid back yet poignant poetical vision accompanied by some fine less-is-more musical backing.

Because the album isn't quite in the chronological order of the songs releases, "Touch Me" restores some of the optimism of the bands earlier work. Complete with orchestral backing and big band composition, saxophone and the usual tricks from the band itself, this song is at once very indicative of the bands theatrical nature and musically miles away from their normal sphere of habitation.

The last two songs of the set combine the apocalyptic vision that Morrison kept close to his heart and the sense of epic that the band did so well. "The Unknown Soldier" contains sound tracks of drum roll, marching troops and firing squads and is more reminiscent of the progressive era that was to raise its head a few years down the line. "The End" is a fitting sign off track 11 minutes of haunting vocals and reflective and reined in musicianship. Combining everything that made the band innovative and original, each member gets a chance to display their talents as the song builds and crashes headlong into its own self-destruction, a metaphor for the band itself perhaps.

The Doors didn't release more than half a dozen albums, so I would urge people to purchase those, which are cheap enough to be found in this age of downloads, on-line purchasing and bargain bins. If not, then this is a compilation that will sum up the shadowy and flawed majesty of one of the most influential bands of the rock era. Morrison once observed "No one here gets out alive" and we are left wondering what musical gems would have been offered up if he had stayed alive that bit longer, by 1971 Jim Morrison was dead, a mere seven years after the first stirrings of the band as film students on Venice Beach. Is it better to burn out or fade away…. we will never know.

 

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