Morrison Hotel
The Doors
1970
Album Summary
Morrison Hotel is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on February 9, 1970, by Elektra Records. After the use of brass and string arrangements recommended by producer Paul A. Rothchild on their previous album, The Soft Parade (1969), the Doors returned to their blues rock style and this album was largely seen as a return to form for the band. The group entered Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in November 1969 to record the album which is divided into two separately titled sides, namely: "Hard Rock Café" and "Morrison Hotel". Blues rock guitar pioneer Lonnie Mack and Ray Neapolitan also contributed to the album as session bassists. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and performed better overseas than the preceding album (it was the group's highest-charting studio album in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 12). The accompanying "You Make Me Real" / "Roadhouse Blues" single peaked at No. 50 in May 1970 on the Billboard 100 chart. The cover photo was taken by Henry Diltz.
WikipediaLoved it. Never listened to an entire Doors album. This is down to my assumption that they were pretty depressing to listen. I’ve been missing out though. It had everything, and Maggie Magill the last song was sensational
Amazing album. Loved it from front to back. Lots of good blues stuff with killer keyboards
Such a weird, yet cool blend of blues and psychedelic rock. Normally this isn’t something I’d like but The Doors just pull it off so we’ll. I especially love “Waiting for the Sun”. Such a cool groove to it.
Well this album does nothing to change my perception that Rge Doors are the most overrated "great" band from the 60s.Even the one hit is pretty icing to me and no other song does anything to save this very ordinary album. 2 🌟
great album, pretty much all the songs are good, worthy of my 5 stars.
I reckon these guys have better and more adventurous albums than this. Sometimes there were moments when they diverted from the normal blues formula, but this was rare and fleeting. After some research...apparently these guys were the pioneers of edgy, social-outcast, counterculture (which I'm all about). But I think it's partly coz people fancied Jim Morrison and loved that he sang low and about ominous and dark subjects. "Peace Frog" and "Indian Summer" were good, but they're no "Riders on the Storm". They deserve credit but this album in particular is probably not the one for me.
Waiting for the Sun was good, but nothing else left much of an impression.
The Doors es una bandota que por alguna razón la evadí inconscientemente mucho tiempo y quizá me arrepiento un poco, pero no cuando puedo emocionarme por primera vez. Gran disco. Todo se oye lo más rockero. Mis preferidas: "Waiting for the Sun", "Ship of Fools", "Indian Summer" y "Roadhouse Blues", que sí conocía, rolón. 10/10
one of The Doors better albums. I thoroughly enjoyed it and give it seven deadly baths
This is probably my favorite Doors album. Incredible return to form after the Soft Parade, which is my least favorite Doors album. Everything about this album is great. 5 stars.
One of their best end-to-end listens, maybe second only to their debut.
One of the best blues albums I've come across. Not a bad song on there but special mention to Peace Frog and Queen of the Highway (obviously).
The Doors are absolutely LEGENDARY and this album is no exception. Jim was an enigma and blessing in one.
I'm 30 albums into this project and this is the first to come up that I actually own. And love. I had Jim Morrison on my dorm room wall -- you know that poster. The last album served me by the generator was by Living Color, which rocks but is let down by the lyrics, which remain relevant and are presumably heartfelt, but they aren't poetry. Morrison Hotel, on the other hand, is the whole package. Roadhouse Blues is a strong opener, very bluesy Doors-y with the music supporting/echoing/riffing on the sung melody, with some classic Morrison flourishes and lyrics like "The future's uncertain and the end is always near". Waiting for the Sun paints a darker picture, I think, and gives us the uber Doors line "This is the strangest life I've ever known." You Make Me Real is back to a rockin' good time love song, but then Peace Frog gives us the unsettling imagery of "Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding / Ghosts crowd the young child's eggshell mind." Even the (slightly) weaker tracks towards the end Queen of the Highway and Maggie M'Gill are like snuggling up in a thick velvet blanket, although admittedly one made of scotch and sex. TL;DR: This album is a journey. I was born in the wrong time and place and introduced to The Doors at the wrong age to have any genuine perspective on this music. This album mother's milk to me.
I love the doors; soulful, bluesy, groovy! Much derided, but extremely unfairly!
Hey, one I already own! There's a rockin' start to this album with 'Roadhouse Blues'. The album keeps it up mostly, though it stalls at times when it gets slower and more contemplative. Overall, however, the album comes together as a cohesive vision, which I really appreciate. So many albums feel fragmented and broken apart from song to song, but this one maintains a steadiness throughout that makes it an engaging listen from beginning to end. I also really like that it doesn't linger longer than it needs to. It's a little bit of a shorter album than some of the other's on here, and I can appreciate getting in, making your point, and getting out.
Kolejne Doorsy na liscie, jesli pamiec mnie nie myli bedzie to juz ich trzeci album, kolejna klasyczna pozycja ich dyskografii, czyli Morrison Hotel z 1970, chronologicznie piaty krazek, wydane po mocno srednim soft parade, ktory swoja eksperymentalnoscia brzmial tak jak polowa muzyki wydawana w tamtym okresie, Morrison Hotel byl powrotem do tego co Doorsy robily najlepiej czyli granie hardego rokowego bluesa, mniej tu psychodelciznosci z pierwszych materialow, a za to wiecej klimatycznego zawodzenia w akompaniamencie ktory nigdy sie nie nudzi, wiec przede wszystkim Manzarekowe klawisze, Kriegera gitara i Densmorowe drumsy, do tego goscinny bas od Raya Neapolitankiego, co do samych wokali Morrisonowych, to plyta powstawala w ciezkim okresie dla frontmena bandy, co slychac zarowno w glosie jak i w kontencie lirycznym albumu, bo sporo jest tutaj materialu z starszych nagran, najbardziej rzucajacym sie w oczy jest pojawienie sie kawalka waitining for the sun, ktory byl pisany na plyte o tym samym tytule, ale nie znalazl na niej dla siebie miejsca, a dostal drugie zycie tutaj, podobnie z peace frogiem czy indian summer, ale jak to bywa odpadki po poprzednich sesjach staja sie glownym daniem nastepnych, tak jest rowniez w tym wypadku, bo hajlajtowymi momentami plyty sa dla mnie wlasnie te dwa pierwsze wspomniane utwory, pewnie przemawia przeze mnie fangejowosc doorsowa, ale ciezko doszukac mi sie czegos co by mi nie pasowalo w tym 37 minutowym krazku, nagranym zgrabnie i dosc szybko, ale prosto i autentycznie, juz tyle odtworzen nabitych na last fmie, choc nadal nie jest to najbardziej osluchany album z dyskografii zespolu, dopiero teraz przy systematycznym sluchaniu nowych plyt czlowiek jest w stanie docenic prawdziwe perelki, nie ma jeszcze polowy listy, a juz pojawilo sie to co obstawialem, ze bedzie doorsowego, teraz tylko czekac na pozytywne zaskoczenie gdy pojawia sie kolejne dwie pozycje
This was released one day before my anniversary! (22 years before I was born.)
Not one of my favorite Doors albums but honestly The Doors were my first favorite band as a teen, and it still sounds as great to me two decades later.
In my opinion, this is not their best, but hey... how can I give under 5 stars to a Doors album?
Damn this is really great album. A couple stinkers but overall I loved it.
whoof what a ride. love love love the doors. they can manage to make any subject matter harrowing and expressive, that being said, the subject matter in Morrison Hotel is one track, and for that reason I'm docking as many points as I probably could for a 70s doors album 9.7/10
Peace Frog is a bop, and I enjoy the groovy keyboard action throughout the album. Morrison's lyrics are amusingly on-the-nose, at times. Not exactly wall-to-wall bangers tho.
Peace frog and roadhouse blues are in Unbelievable, rest of the album was very solid but those are timeless bangers
4,8/5 Kannte ich schon BANGER The doors sind premium haben aber NOCH bessere Alben
White boy blues, sure. But The Spy? Indian Summer? I'd never have lost my virginity without this album.
A remarkable comeback to formula. Fantastic dark blues with utterly beautiful themes. Morrison has some of his best works on the album, and also not to neglect Manzarek too. And oh, Kreiger does some great work and Densmore does his best work on this album. Ok, so all of them are on top of their game on this album. The album has some of the band's greatest songs. A strong recommendation!
Koja slučajnost da se baš nakon one žustre rasprave kod Ivana u stanu ko je zgodniji našao ovaj album. Nije čista petica, fali do toga, ali svejedno mislim da bez problema mogu dati toliko.
I've yet to hear a perfect Doors album, but they're clearly a band that has the ability to pull one off. The moment that convinces me of that fact in Morrison Hotel is the build-into-change in the middle of Waiting for the Sun. The rest of the A-side immediately appeals as well, while the backside is sparser in its spots of beauty. Powerful closer, though. I'm not sure if my feelings about The Doors make me too hard or too easy on them. The day I can rock out to an entire LP without thinking is when I'll know for sure.
Say what you will about Morrison being a bit pretentious, he and the other fine gentlemen of The Doors knew how to write a song. Fantastic blues rock with a very energetic performance. Two songs ("Indian Summer", "Queen of the Highway") feel superfluous. Favorite tracks: "Roadhouse Blues", "Peace Frog", "The Spy", "Maggie M'Gill"
Okay, I went into this album expecting to dislike it because of my general disdain for Jim Morrison. Honestly, I thought it was a pretty fun album. Morrison's attempts at poetry bog it down at times, but the music is great throughout. 4/5
This is right up my alley. Love it! I haven't really heard much of this album before, so it's like getting new Doors material. It's actually not that Doors'ey, they're very simple songs, bluesy stuff. Yes, love it.
The doors go bluesy. Didn’t realise how much I like the doors as I scarred myself as a child by listening to some of Jim Morrison’s drug fuelled poetry and therefore avoiding their music aside from the well known tracks. Enjoyable to hear again
First real listen to The Doors outside of House of the Rising Sun. I love their dirty, raw, bluesy rock. I get why they got so famous! I enjoyed the raw outtakes at the end of the 40th anniversary version of this album. The Frog song stood out the most to me, and I think Side A is stronger overall than Side B.
There’s no holier storm like Morrison, piano, guitar, and harmonica. A bit more honky tonk than I expected
The Doors have not weathered as well as one might have expected. It will be interesting to see if Nirvana suffers the same "fall from grace." With that said, this is their 2nd best, after their eponymous debut. "Peace Frog," alone makes this a solid 4.
Chido... supongo que he escuchado mejores de Las Puertas. Un disco divertido como eram de esperarse de estas banda, mis favs fueron Peace Frog que tiene un final super ritmico, super funky y Maggie M'Gill que suena sensualona. Mood: Esperando al sol contra la depresión tropical
Solid, nice n bluesy at the extremities with rock n roll center. Favorite was probably You Make Me Real, followed by Peace Frog (but what a title!)
Again a sound all of their own, a little too experimental to be a 5 though
Hadn’t listen to this in years. Wasn’t one that I thought of as being up there amongst their best when comparing to the first 3 albums but really enjoyed it. Peace Frog a stand out but almost rate the more bluesy standards such as road house and I’m a spy
Loved the bluesy feel on that first track. The staccato piano was refreshing and a fantastic opener. Same with ‘You Make Me Real’, guitar was brilliant on this one. Stand out for me was Peace Frog. Reminded me of The Charlatans with that crazy back beat. Very ‘Mad’chester, right up my street. Blue Sunday was also a welcomed calm before jittery Ship of Fools. Overall, really happy with this, tough to rate properly with a quick listen but I’ll go with a solid 4/5.
Peace frog is the standout, some good bluesy jams, complicated songs too
Like the previous Doors album from this list it's simply a very good album. Not much more to say - just good music.
All american music. Vielleicht nur nach den letzten Alben aber viel eingängiger als erwartet
Наконец-то альбом, что я слушал до этого. Он даже на плеере имеется в составе дискографии The Doors. Впрочем, не относится к любимым: для меня после 2 первых и до L.A. Woman альбомы The Doors сливаются в какую-то единую аморфную кашу, которую я употребляю лишь при прослушивании дискографии от корки до корки. Употребляю, однако, не без удовольствия. Ныне прослушал 3 раза. Всё равно альбом не обрёл для меня лица. На следующий день уже без подсказки и не помню, что там за треки были. Кроме Waiting for the Sun, но этот трек я помню из-за того, что за 2 года до Morrison Hotel у The Doors был альбом Waiting for the Sun, где трека этого не было. Подобная бестактность обескураживает. На памяти аналогичным примером предстаёт дискография Queen, где спустя годы после альбома Sheer Heart Attack на альбоме News of the World выходит трек Sheer Heart Attack. У нормальных пацанов всё логичнее: группа Iron Maiden - альбом Iron Maiden - трек Iron Maiden, группа Black Sabbath - альбом Black Sabbath - трек Black Sabbath. Вот за такое уважаем. Да и за Morrison Hotel как альбом тоже The Doors уважаем, но меньше.
I like all of the songs on this album. I actually really like Jim Morrison's voice, it's very mysterious sounding and I think that's what draws me in to this band. Plus, I love the organ sound that they often used.
I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer. Mostly great album, has all the things I like about The Doors and only a bit of what I hate. Why they followed the stellar “Land Ho!” with the meandering “The Spy” is beyond me, but otherwise it’s pretty solid.
Not my favorite Doors album, but with Roadhouse Blues, Waiting for the Sun, Queen of the Highway, and Peace Frog, this is still a very strong album. As always, Ray Manzarek's keyboard work is incredible. I'm also a fan of Robbie Krieger's guitar work.
Constantly surprising and interesting - low key weird as hell, in a good way. Waiting for the Sun is a great track
Everything there is to say about this album has already been said. Diverse and utterly compelling.
Another fantastic album by The Doors. After their failure of Soft Parade, they returned to their initial sound, relying on psychedelic sound and poetic lyrics. This time many songs demonstrate a shift toward blues right that would be fully explored in LA Woman. "Peace Frogs" is a favorite of mine, but many of the tracks are great in their own ways. Some can be considered weaker until you listen to the fitting lyrics. Probably my 3rd favorite Doors album, maybe tied with Strange Days.
The Doors are great sometimes or, for me at other times, they can be a miss. Personally, never liked "Light my Fire," but always loved "L.A. Woman." This album has a lot of blues elements, and it falls into the great Doors category.
There's quite a mix of moods on this LP. The bluesy feel of Roadhouse, Maggie M’Gill, the funky protest Peace Frog, up against ballads and more run of the mill, 60s Doors songs. I think their following album was more consistent, but it doesn’t have the line "woke up this morning and got myself a beer". Could this sound be a little over the hill for its time? Spotify seemed to be implying that when it queued up The Stooges "Be your Dog" after this LP finished - something that came out a year earlier in 69!!!
My vinyl of this bad boy was chewed up to shreds. I searched high and low for it. The continual snap-crackle-pop made it difficult to listen to and I expect I may have sent it off to heaven a decade or so ago. This much wear and tear on an album is a badge of honour. Sure Roadhouse Blues and Peace Frog are insane but the song with the second lowest number of listens by Spotify's count is Ship of Fools which is also an amazing song. This album is raw and sounds like it was made to play live. Since I'm a big Doors fan, I need to reign in my "5s for all y'all" instinct. By way of comparison, while I quite like the line "When I was back there in seminary school . . . " on The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel is superior by a long shot. But it just isn't in the same league as their first album.
good but not great, some of the tunes are filler, but the good tunes (roadhouse blues, you make me real and peace frog) are really well made and stand the test of time. 7/10
i love the rhythm and experimentation with tempo on this record, it has such a good first half too. Blue Sunday is my fav track but will 100% need to listen to this more.
Ah, a test of my Doors fandom. Aside from the self-titled, I think I have only listened to some greatest hits albums prior to this. This is a solid album too. It includes some of the recognizable for hits for me, like Waiting for the Sun and Peace Frog. A bit more blues influence in this one, which isn't bad, though maybe less interesting to me than the psychedelics. Not as memorable as the self-titled, but a great and enjoyable album nonetheless. Favorite tracks: Waiting for the Sun, Peace Frog, Ship of Fools, Blue Sunday. Album art: Another fantastic one from the Doors. Not just a band photo, but the band posing like a shot from some wicked '70s thriller. Once again, Jim Morrison's narcissism on full display, which is hilarious. Bright white shirt, smolder, and you just know he picked the spot for the name. 4/5
This is the 100th album I’ve been served by the wonderful 1001 project (big thank you!). To celebrate this, here is my first review. For sure it will make some people happy. Apart from a few songs, the Doors were actually unknown territory for me. I was prepared for some tedious stuff but this turned out to be a lovely collection of bluesy tunes. If I need to pick a favourite, it is 'Waiting for the Sun'. A quite enjoyable album for the Sunday afternoon indeed. Ok, it’s not anywhere near the level of ‘Siamese Dream’, but man what a relief after yesterday’s unlistenable ‘A Wizard/A True Star’!
Listening to this, I hear where a lot of more contemporary bands got their sound; while some tracks seem to meander, the album is strong overall and certainly reminiscent of its time.
The Doors invite us all to "Morrison Hotel", getting down to brass tacks with dirty blues, sleazy rock and roll and some spectacular songwriting. I've been a casual Doors fan for many years, but have never gone far beyond their self-titled debut, a masterclass in pseudo-intellectual psych. As far as this album, I'd only heard "Roadhouse Blues" a couple of times and didn't realise the ride I was in for. The first thing that hit me was how rip-roaringly tight the band are. "Morrison Hotel" showcases The Doors at their most primal, with Morrison's philosophising toned down and the amps dialled up. Robby Krieger's guitar is searing throughout, and there's really strong interplay between the band- it feels leaner, more developed from their Manzarek/organ-dominated early sound. "Roadhouse Blues" is a raunchy, twisted take on a familiar blues, with the doors blown off and a smoke bomb thrown in. Straight afterwards, "Waiting for the Sun" treats us to a psychedelic assault of fuzzed out bass, with a thick and crunchy sound and a powerful climactic bridge. "Ship of Fools" is the most riotous, swinging apocalypse I could ever hope to be part of, but "Peace Frog" is the real standout for me: boasting a palpable crossover funk flavour, with a classic bit of Jim Morrison poetry seeping in the middle. It had a stronger groove than any other Doors track I've heard, and a killer bassline carrying it for an exhilarating three minutes. Crucially, it's not all rockers here: the band's sensitive side comes out in the understated, plaintive "Blue Sunday". Meanwhile, "Indian Summer" is a gorgeous exercise in restraint, structured almost entirely around one chord until it shifts towards mantra territory. Some may argue this album isn't as innovative or groundbreaking as the band's earlier material: there are no 11 minute odysseys, no Oedipal howls, no spoken word poetry recitals. But in the same way those trademarks can feel stagey and hokey, here the Doors are more grounded, tied to the physical. It's not as though the lyrics are lacking: the doom-laden content of "Peace Frog" and "Ship of Fools" show the band haven't abandoned Morrison's knack for poetry or voicing some of the anxieties of his generation. Altogether, it makes for a dynamic listen which - at its best - is The Doors firing on all cylinders. It lags at times: "The Spy" is a meandering and "Maggie M'Gill" is a poor way to end, but there are so many great songs here and I was surprised by the quality of the material across the rest of the record. Definitely worth a listen for anyone getting into The Doors!
I did enjoy this but I feel as if it's something I need to be in a specific mood for. It has that 60s rock sound to a T. I can see how this would be great to listen to while smoking some weed. I just can't see it being something I put on every single time I'm in the car. But for a specific mood or vibe, it's great.
Best Song: Waiting for the Sun. Maggie M'Gill. Psychedelic, with moments where Morrison lets loose. Worst Song: Land Ho. The whole song sounds restrained. Overall: Bluesy, with a sort of drugged and drunken swagger. Is at its best when Jim Morrison is wild and uninhibited, and at its worst when he tries scatting.
My knowledge of The Doors is embarrassingly poor, but this seems like a step away from psych-rock and towards noodley blues.
As with all Doors albums the heady mix of filthy blues, psychedelia and that great voice and disturbed lyrics creates a great music.
Starts out Bluesy with, well, Roadhouse Blues - this is the Doors at their best for me. Steady rhythm with commanding vocals and big time harmonica. After roadhouse it dabbles with a few styles and recording effects including old time keys/organ and distortion. Highlights RH Blues, Peace Frog, Maggie MGill. Not as tight as LA woman but still a great listen altogether.
There’s a Kids in the Hall sketch where a deranged record store owner tells Kevin McDonald’s character that he won’t know the Doors until he goes on a three week bender, listening to nothing but Morrison Hotel until he finds himself behind the wheel of a stolen car driving into the middle of the desert. I don’t know the Doors THAT well, but I have enjoyed listening to Morrison Hotel.
Honestly, that was a mostly okay Doors album. Nothing to hate and it's The Doors so there was a lot to like. Problem is, there wasn't much to LOVE. So it gets four stars instead of five.
Af hverju er Roadhouse blues vinsælasta lagið? Það er bleh. Friðarfroskurinn og Sólarbiðin eru t.d. mun skemmtilegri. Fín plata, betri en ég taldi að hún yrði, Doors eru verri í minningunni en í raun.
Much much better than the last doors album I had to listen to. It has a couple of classics on here and all of the rest of the songs were really good
FULL DISCLOSURE! I love The Doors. While this isn’t their best effort Morrison is undeniably the man and the rest of his merry band sound extra crisp thanks to great production.
4.4 - Another Doors album I slept on because it contained only some of their slightly lesser hits ("Waiting..." and "Roadhouse Blues"). But this is a great record. What this album doesn't have is some of their meandering explorations (e.g. "The End", "L.A. Woman"), instead showcasing tight song structures mostly under 4 minutes. I love the way the freaky "Peace Frog" flows quietly into the gorgeous "Blue Sunday." The mix of songs shows restraint and balance - there are blues-tinged rockers and pretty ballads.
I'm a sucker for the doors, this is however not their best album. Still got some huge tunes on it.
The greatest soundtrack to a movie that does not exist. Barry Adamson is a maestro. Side note, if you are a fan of the classic, first Bad Seeds album, this should appeal
Stomping start but ends with a whimper. Definitely a side 1 side 2 album. Side 2 improves on listening Cover art 4/5
Maybe I'm just dumb, but I always assumed the doors were more dour and depressing, this shit rocked and was much more up tempo and lively
Great album, loved the mix of psychedelic and blues. Though I think this album just falls short of the masterpiece status of their debut and LA women.
I’m sure I heard it when I was a kid but don’t quite remember. It is a classic alright! My approach to The Doors is mainly via the hits but albums are good alright!
Another band I never gave a chance to. This is awesome. {prior rating} Also rocks a lot better than the later album on this list!
Awesome album. I was disappointed with LA Woman and I’m not sure this record is all that different, but it just struck me as more solid. Jim’s voice is legendary.
One of the most consistent Doors albums, I think. But while it has no real filler, it also kinda lacks in truly glorious and magical moments, save for the two first songs.
Non-troglodytic classic rock. Morrison’s got the archetypal rock star voice and mien and the band are so tight and polished behind, even when they are aiming to show rough edges. Opens with an all-time lick and, after a few weaker cuts, excels from “Peace Frog” right through to the end. It all feels fresh and even a bit fun, too. One always worries about the Doors taking themselves a bit too seriously, and one suspected this would have not aged well (one took it so seriously when one was younger, that how could one take it seriously now?) but there’s still a vitality and relevance to the mood and tone. They were in a groove about this time and it plays out to pretty powerful and enjoyable effect overall. And we’ve all had time enough away and one is comfortable enough of his own skin not to not feel embarrassed about liking it now.