Reviews (page 2 of 14)
Forgot how good this album was - Eat a falafel , kick back and put on Riders on the Storm. Perfect…
Really like the bluesy sound here. The voice has a lot of character.
Still mostly good. There were a couple chunks.
favorite in this listen through is "been down so long", feels relatable atm
5/10 My third and final album by The Doors. It's much the same as the others, although perhaps stronger than the middle one. It's very psychedelic rock, with an emphasis on the "rock," with the occasional soulful sound, particularly in the first half (the first side). On that note, I find Side One FAR stronger than Side Two - the vibes are just better, the rock is rockier, the groove is groovier. Side Two is much more dull, without the interest of the first side. Everything after L.A. Woman could have been omitted from the album and it would be all the more stronger for it.
Good opening tracks. Then the bluesy Been Down So Long is a tad basic. He sounds tired on Cars Hiss By My Window. Don’t really like the piano on LA Woman or his repetitive ‘mojo rising / riding’ towards the end. Not that keen on L’America either. From then on though the album ends pretty well - even the spoken word one. Do love Riders on the Storm. Seems harsh to give a 3, so 4 it is. 27 is no age to die or to have a baritone growl like that.
There's The Doors and then their alter ego The Boors. 3 tracks by the first lot (1,2 and 10) and 7 tracks by the second lot (the rest). So i guess that makes it 3/10. Will double up to 4/10 for ROTS
This has become my favourite Doors album over time - love the world weariness - or perhaps it's more ennui given he would shortly be interred at Pere Laichaise. I even like the two long songs - unlike The End/Music's Over. Hyacinth House says it best though - I need a brand new friend who doesn't bother me I need a brand new friend who doesn't trouble me I need someone, yeah, who doesn't need me Why did you throw the Jack of Hearts away? It was the only card in the deck that I had left to play
just be gay
This is a great album & I can appreciate that but I’m still not a big fan of the Doors
Most of the songs were not my thing, but i did enjoy 3 of them.
Pretty boring album
“Mr. Mojo Risin” = “I am Tom Marvolo Riddle”
Riders On The Storm is one of the best songs to listen to while silently driving down a long road at night while having toke with a good friend. The rest of this album feels misplaced and a bit jumbled, but I love the groove of L.A. Women and respect the blues these boys can belt out
This album is one of those that grow on you the more you listen to it. Luckily I’m quite the doors fan and have listened to it plenty of times to love it.
Bad blues cover band
that is nothing more than a zeitgeist to me, maybe if i were a lil bit older or knew more about blues rock it would hit me, but one thing i can say for sure is that it certainly hasnt aged well. it sounded promising on the first songs but then it got EXTRAAA boring and monotonous 2.5/5
Good album, indicative of the times. Sad, bluesy, moody feel. Yet it’s hard hitting honesty to the point of maybe bitterness and fait accompli is unforgettable. Jim Morrison’s last album Riders on the Storm is my favourite track off this album. The Wasp, shimmers like a mirage in its truth that once grasped, evaporates. A ☮️
Like the blues, few good songs
It got some bangers like "Riders of the Storm" and "L.A. Woman". In general, you can't go wrong with the songwriting majesty of Jim Morrison and the bluesy, Californian vibe of The Doors. I still prefer the homonymous album better though.
Afsluiten met een all time classic, mooi
Dacht dat ik dit album minimaal zo goed zou vinden als self-titled, maar dit valt vies tegen. Echt een paar snoozers van jawelste, en dat tikt aan met 10 nummers. Riders on the storm is uiteraard fenomenaal.
Ei ihan mun makuun, loppu kappaletta lukuun ottamatta vähän mitään sanomaton, ei huonolla tavalla mutta ei vain omaan makuun
Decent start, pretty good middle, great finish. I like the bluesy stuff most I think. 7/10
Morrison hotel é melhor
Great album.
it got better n better!!! classic for sure!
yayayayayay i love this album
Lots of classic Doors blusey jams.
This did nothing for me. It felt like a generic 1960’s influential rock album. It’s not even this albums fault but I’m a little played out on this genre atm.
Dette var ikke noe for meg
mt bom
очень скучно томным голосом мужики выдавливают из себя что-то да, есть хит вайб просто убило не переслушаю 2.8
Really cool album by a really cool band. Love the bluesy rock elements, there's some great songs on this album, the first half especially. Having Riders on the Storm as a closer is a great choice, it's a banger. 3.5/5.
I have never really been a fan of The Doors and this did not change my mind. I have heard LA Woman and Love Her Madly too many times. I can deal with Riders on the Storm, and The Changeling isn't so bad, but L'America is a drag.
I’ve spent a long time not really caring about The Doors, mainly from listening to their most popular stuff. The opening of this album changed my feelings a little bit. I think it’s really just Jim Morrison that I’m not a huge fan of. Put somebody as the lead of this band and I think you may have one of my favorites. The funkiness of this album just doesn’t jive with Morrison’s vocals, which always seem like he’s forcing it a little too hard. He wants to be soulful and spooky but instead he just comes off as a try-hard. Been Down So Long is about the only place he hits for me, I guess because the bluesiness fits him a little better than the funky sex magic rock they try the rest of the album. Still solid but Morrison just really drags it down.
I prefer my rock music to hide the blues roots a bit more cleverly.
Detta var ett redligt album, även om det inte riktigt är lika bra som deras self-titled debutalbum. Det är bra men lite tråkigt, och har inte riktigt samma skönt sound som deras första. Jag ger det en 7/10!
Han inte lyssna genom hela, men nu verkar Simon kunna sätta scores utan att lyssna klart, så då ger jag detta album en 5/10
ok
Love the woozy, boozy blues feel to this album. 4.2/5.
Loved the hits on this one, and Morrison's vocals are singular and iconic. Overall, a very solid listen from a very solid band.
Okay, this is an album I have listened from my hippy days through now. I still listen to this album, and probably will until I no longer exist. This is classic! 5 "you can't beat this late hippy-banging early-punk shit" stars.
I know the singles, but have never listened to the full album. I was feeling 3 about this, but the last two songs, The WASP and Riders on the Storm, bring it up to a 4
Everything that is great about the Doors can be found on this album. Along with everything that is frustrating. For me, the greatness still outweighs the frustration.
I like Riders on the Storm, but the rest is fairly mid.
Impossibly good.
Weird
The Changelling - Really good song 8/10 Love Her Madly - Decent 7/10 Been down so Long - Sounds pretty good 8/10 Cars Hiss by My Window - Loved how Jim made his voice sound like an instrument 9/10 L.A Woman - Best song on the album so far 9.5/10 L'America - amazing 9/10 Crawling King Snake - really good 8/10 The WASP - really really good song 9/10 Riders on The Storm - it's alright 7/10
Top stuff.
It was alright. I'm struggling to find something of substance to say? Definitely a blues album with some rock intertwined. Again, suffers (for me) from "none of the songs really stuck out to me" syndrome. A decent enough listen but no intention to ever return back to the album
Thank god this is the last Doors album I get. Good riddance.
Stark angefangen, gegen Ende etwas schlechter. Aber nice. Titel track ist supi
Aun sin ser su mejor album es tremendo, Jim morrison mejor vocalista jamas y Riders on the Storm tremendo temazo
3 of the songs I knew from hearing on classic rock radio way too many times. I struggle with bluesy stuff, I just don’t like it. Riders on the Storm brings it up a bit though.
55 years ago. Creepy, groovy, I love the keys and guitars on this. Jim Morrison knew how to do it
i like the bluesy rock. Low four I'd say. Was between 3 and 4.
This is a very good album. Kinda bluesy and definitely rock and roll. “Riders on the Storm” is a great song as is the title track. I have also always loved “Texas Radio”. Teenage me loved the lyric “Soft driven, slow and mad like some new language.” Jim’s energy is hard to match and it comes through on this albums.
Iconic band and this is a solid album- even if Val Kilmer was falling apart lol
This was a huge favorite album for my friends and me in the early 80s. I couldn't listen to this today with hearing some of their voices singing along, and one doing his best Morrison as our part time garage band tried to do LA Woman. Today, just listening and trying to separate the actual music from the past experience, I could not rate this a 5 as I might have then.
The musicianship is excellent throughout but I had already heard everything I needed from this album years ago. The singles are more than sufficient for me. Riders on the Storm, Love Her Madly, and to a lesser extent LA Woman are classics. The rest is fine. I jeegle deegle down about a hour ago
Riders on the Storm is the only thing saving this from a one, and even then it’s dicey
Very good album, LA Woman and Riders really shine. High 4* 4/5
Not my type of album
I have never listened to the Doors, it's been a blind spot. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I will put this on again for sure and I think it will grow on me even more.
Don’t you love her madly is a jam, but ultimately I hate his voice. He has always sounded dead inside to me.
I would pay $5 if I saw this in the crates at my local record store but I wouldn't pay $7, which I guess makes it a 3.5/5. Rounded up to 4. Morrison's hard to take but Manzarek totally bops.
I see the appeal
Thank god for the Doors. I know Jim Morrison is a lot, but that's what makes him great. This is a classic. I adore almost every song on the album. Can I go higher than 5 stars?
It was fine. I was a bit disappointed, think my expectations were too high cuz I recognised the name. Riders on the storm goes hard tho
# An In-Depth Review of The Doors' *L.A. Woman* Released in April 1971, *L.A. Woman* is the sixth and final studio album by The Doors featuring Jim Morrison, who died just three months after its release. Recorded under the weight of the band's internal strife and Morrison's declining health, the album serves as both a return to their blues roots and a fitting, if accidental, epitaph. It is a raw, evocative, and ultimately brilliant portrait of a band and its frontman coming to terms with their end. ## Lyrical Themes: Ode to a City and a Final Testament Lyrically, the album is a cohesive and powerful ode to Los Angeles, a city Morrison simultaneously loved and loathed. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek noted that the songs all share this focus: "They're about L.A. They're about men, women, boys, girls, love, loss, lovers-lost, and lovers-found in Los Angeles". This theme elevates the album beyond a simple collection of songs into a unified artistic statement. - **The City as a Woman**: The title track, "L.A. Woman," personifies the city as a seductive and dangerous female figure. The lyrics paint a picture of a city that is both the "City of Light" and "City of Night," a place of glamour and seedy underbelly, of "Motel. Money. Murder. Madness" – a possible reference to the Manson Family murders. - **The Iconic Anagram**: The line "Mr. Mojo Risin'" is perhaps the song's most famous lyrical hook. It's an anagram of "Jim Morrison," turning the song into a form of self-mythologizing mantra. - **The Final Journey**: "Riders on the Storm" serves as the album's philosophical and thematic conclusion. With its opening rain sound effects (simulated by Manzarek on a Fender Rhodes keyboard), the song sets a deeply melancholic and ominous tone. It explores themes of fate, existence, and danger. The repeated line, "Into this world we're thrown," captures a profound sense of existential dread, making it a powerful and haunting farewell. The song was widely seen as a reflection of Morrison's own state of mind. ## Music and Production: Raw and Unvarnished The sound of *L.A. Woman* is a direct result of its tumultuous creation. Dissatisfied with the initial demos, long-time producer Paul Rothchild called the material "cocktail lounge music" and left the project. The band, left to their own devices, decided to record in their own rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard instead of a professional studio, crafting a stripped-down, unpolished sound. - **A Return to Blues**: This is The Doors' most overtly blues-oriented album. The band leaned heavily into 12-bar blues structures, with tracks like "Been Down So Long" and the cover of John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake" paying direct homage to their influences. - **Innovative Recording**: The "garage" feel is a key part of the album's charm. Morrison even recorded his vocals for the title track in the bathroom of the rehearsal space to achieve a natural reverb effect. - **Instrumental Mastery**: The performances are exceptional. Robby Krieger's guitar work, particularly his bluesy slide guitar and the "car engine" sound on the title track, is a highlight. Manzarek's keyboard work is equally vital, providing the hypnotic, jazz-influenced atmosphere on tracks like "Riders on the Storm". ## Critical Reception and Influence Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews but was a commercial success, selling nearly 3 million copies in the U.S. alone. While *Melody Maker* criticized it as "tired" and lacking originality, *Rolling Stone* hailed it as "The Doors' greatest album". Over time, the retrospective consensus has become overwhelmingly positive, with it now being regarded as one of the band's masterpieces. Its influence is immense. The album represents a high-water mark for blues-rock and set a template for how a band could channel personal turmoil and a sense of place into a cohesive and powerful artistic work. The songs, especially "Riders on the Storm" and "L.A. Woman," remain classic rock radio staples and are considered among the greatest of their era. ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | | :--- | :--- | | **Consistent Concept**: A powerful and unified lyrical vision celebrating and lamenting Los Angeles, turning the album into a cohesive piece of art. | **Unevenness**: While the peaks are legendary, some critics and listeners have felt that tracks like "Been Down So Long" or "L'America" can feel like "filler," making the album slightly uneven. | | **Musical Prowess**: Features some of the band's best and most inspired performances, from Krieger's slide guitar to Manzarek's iconic keyboard work on "Riders on the Storm". | **Controversial Lyrics**: Some of the lyrics on the title track, particularly in portraying the city as a "woman," have been viewed through a modern lens as objectifying. | | **Historic Significance**: Serves as a fitting and powerful final testament for Jim Morrison, capturing a band at its end yet creating its most enduring work. | **Morrison's Vocal State**: Morrison's voice is noticeably worn and "craggy" on some tracks, a testament to his declining health that, while adding to the album's raw atmosphere, may be off-putting to some. | | **Enduring Influence**: A cornerstone of blues-rock and classic rock, with "Riders on the Storm" being one of the most atmospheric and influential songs ever recorded. | | Ultimately, *L.A. Woman* is more than just a great album; it is a historical document, a raw and beautiful snapshot of a brilliant band in its final moments. Its flaws are part of its character, contributing to the feeling of a group pushing through chaos to create something timeless.
4/5
One of my favourite Doors albums. Not a fan of Doors albums as the singles were always so good. This is the best.
Great album
standardna dorsovska solidnost
Review - ok I've hated The Doors all the way through this thing but this album was ok. Not great. But a few decent inoffensive fun bluesy tracks. A lot of dull ones too. I wouldn't choose to listen to this again but it at least didn't piss me off. Score - 5.5/10 Need to listen? YES
It's the Doors.
"It was their last album to feature Jim Morrison." Thank God. 2/5
3/6
Has there ever been a band with a bigger disconnect between the legend and the reality? If you believe the legend then The Doors are poets and prophets who peeled back the illusion of the American dream and exposed the heart of darkness underneath. And actually listening to the albums, you realise that they're a basic blues band with a sense of their own importance and a lack of skills to back it up. A singer with an average voice who writes some of the most pretentious lyrics imaginable. They seems to be at the level of "There was a young man of Nantucket," but without the laughs. A keyboard player whose idea of a solo is a couple of bars of "Carol of the Bells" or an irrelevant Chopin piece. A guitar player who is, at best, fair to middling. When they decide to "let out their inner James Brown" you realise that you can only let it out if it's there in the first place. It isn't. Love her madly tenderly describes a disfunctional relationship as though it's Romeo and Juliet and rhymes "madly," "badly," and "daddy" with all the confidence of William McGonagall and then, for good measure and no reason, assures us that "Seven horses seem to be on the mark" Their white boy version of Crawling King Snake achieves nothing but help you realise how good John Lee Hooker is. The WASP is like every teenage poetry slam you ever avoided. Riders on the Storm is probably the best thing here, but it's a low bar. Again the lyrics are all deep and meaningful in a shallow way, but at least the musical backing shows a restraint that the rest of the album lacks. Although the gimmick of storm sound effects wears pretty thin. It's all the sort of thing that people who need to get out more might find brilliant.
Not every song is great but LA Woman and Riders In The Rain push a 4 to a 5.
Used to really like the doors but I can't get on with them at all these days. It's just silly
This was ok. I'm not super into Jim Morrison's voice. I like blues rock though.
You have to be really confident of your own material to put multiple 12 bar blues songs on a 50 minute album in the early 70s. Unfortunately this confidence is mostly unearned.
some classics on here but good god why are all these old artists so misogynistic
that was a lot
Was a fun listen, and to cap it all off with "Riders on the Storm" at the end was a treat! I didn't know any of the others, but they were all good listens. No takeaways besides the last song, so probably a 3.5 as an album overall. Good, not great.
Pretty much uneventful except the Riders of the Storm, but that's just me - not a too big of a fan of The Doors 🙃
7/10 I didn't like this as much as their self titled album but that would be a high bar to pass.
It's an okay album. I liked a few of the songs which (to this day sound very good and complex). Some songs gave aged poorly and others are nothing that noteworthy
是我喜歡的西岸藍調！ 雖然不像是我最喜歡的芝加哥藍調這樣子吸引我，但覺得很棒~
Really good stuff, closer to 3.5
Every time one of these boomer staples is good I feel like throwing up.
Нарешті!!!!! Я вже чекав, ну коли ж і який буде альбом? Я не здивований)
I can live the rest of my life without hearing any more 20-something white Boomers play 12-bar blues, thank you very much; and, yes that includes the Door. On the other six songs, Krieger and Manzarek are in absolute top form, creating some truly glorious backing tracks. Unfortunately the arrogant doofus opens his mouth and ruins most of them. Of course, no one would have heard any of it without him; but still, musically he's like an over-indulged child at a dinner party who is constant interrupting great conversation to blather his nonsense, and as you and the host stare at each other, stunned, desperate to return to adult conversation, the toad's parents just keep encouraging him. All that said, Riders on the Storm is one of the greatest tracks of the 20th Century.
Have listened to the album through a few times… really enjoy.
2.5 stars. Nothing says rock and roll like an electric organ.
Riders on the storm ainoa kunnolla tuttu biisi ja onhan se toki komea teos mutta se ei kyllä albumia pelasta. No, L.A. woman erottuu myös edukseen mutta pääosinhan tämä on bluesia jossa ajoittain nostetaan hieman tempoa ja siinä se. Pääasiassa kuolettavan tylsä albumi. 2/5
Because of the three great songs "Love Her Madly", "L.A. Woman" and especially "Riders On The Storm" I would instantly give them the four stars. But, just because the other tracks do not convince me completely and it's not Morrisons best vocal performance, not easy for me to decide between three and four stars. 3,5
Completely fine. Nice swingy bass but otherwise not too notable 3/7
I think The Doors are an important band musically and culturally, and they evolved enough between albums to justify the inclusion of several on this list. L.A. Woman is an interesting album, it definitely has a looser, blues style - and coming as the last album before Jim Morrison died it serves as their final statement as a band. Its solid, and deserves inclusion. The only real weak spot in my opinion is "L'America", but the rest is a solid album.
It was ok 6/10 most songs were mid but there was a few good ones
Good set of blues drenched rock. 4
This is not my favorite Doors album (not sure what that is, probably their debut) but it's a good album. The title track may be my favorite Doors song. When that first verse comes around the second, just makes me want to turn it up. And 'Riders on the Storm', well, there's another one. Might have to go with a fiver here.
The doors are one of my favorite bands of all time and this album is just everything that makes them good in one album, it’s nice and bluesy but also a bit out there but both sides are brought together so well by Jim Morrisons vocal work his voice is somehow both haunting and also like joyful and danceable. Cars hiss by my window, the title track, Texas radio and the big beat, and riders on the storm are my personal favorites
Mmmmmm nose ingles pero tiene un buen ritmo
Temazo Riders on the strom
gotta listn again
I’ll never really get the Doors
perfectly adequate album, i have no real qualms - closer to a 3 than a 5, i just so happen to really enjoy a blues scale
Good old fashioned blues rock.
Never particularly listened to The Doors before but I thought this was excellent. Very atmospheric, bluesy album. LA Woman the stand out track.
Så många bra låtar från detta album!
A surprisingly enjoyable listen as I hadn’t really heard any Doors apart from the absolutely obvious starter songs. So much more bluesy than I expected. A great start to my 1001 albums journey.
I love this album. It's a rock and roll classic with a heavy blues influence, where every song is entirely listenable. I think the singles Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman and Riders on the Storm are the high points on the album, but the others songs are all still gems.
Favourite song: LA Woman
Some nice songs, but the blues songs seem to act as fillers, rather than good songs in their own right.
1.5 Kun Riders on the Storm er en god sang.
Är egentligen inte världens största fan av The Doors men L.A. Woman och Riders of the Storm är så jääääävla bra… Och resten av plattan är mer än okej, flummig blues med coola orgel-solon.
The Doors’ influence on generations of musicians is unquestionable. Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Stranglers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tame Impala and Stone Temple Pilots all grew, to varying degrees, from the soil they helped cultivate. And, as any tenured gardener will tell you, shit makes excellent fertiliser.
I'm usually not a big fan of blues rock from this era but something about the psychedelia and the vocals elevates it for me. Best: L'America, Riders on the Storm
Incredibly artistic songs. Analysing the depth of each one (regardless of relatively few distinct lines used for each) was mindbending. Astonishing.
Neurotic
Ugh it really wasn’t for me. I know they are acclaimed but I didn’t lkke the singing and the songs were not for me. I enjoyed Riders in the Storm though
No individual songs stuck out to me except riders on the storm cause I already knew it. Not nearly as polarizing as I expected. Seemed like a normal run of the mill classic rock album to me
Love Her Madly, Been Down So Long, Cars Hiss by My Window, L.A. Woman, The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat), Riders on the Storm
my final album by the doors, and it's another 2! what can i say, i just don't care for them
Heavy blues lean and strong playing
At this point I’ve definitely become a little grumpy about not having enough time to listen to Waxahatchee because I have to listen to albums like this one. Which is fine. The Doors are fine. But come on.
Quite enjoyed this. The singles are outstanding.
The Doors are one of those bands I've listened to so many times ever since I was a kid that I feel like there's nothing left to say that hasn't already been said. One thing I can say about this album is that it's definitely more on the blues rock side, and it has a much rawer, more stripped down production. That's because it was recorded in the band's rehearsal space instead of a traditional studio, which gives it a more live atmosphere. Also, right after completing this album, Jim Morrison moved to Paris, and just a few months later, he passed away.
I enjoyed the hits, but the rest feels like filler to me. ★★★
Great album, second favorite so far. No real notes on why it’s not a five, just didn’t get to that level for me despite how good it is
Riders on the storm is a really amazing song. LA Woman has always been a favorite as is The Wasp. Then you have Love Her Madly. Grassy stuff.
As always with The Doors, the instrumentation and production is good here. The strength of this band is that it feels new and fresh for it's time, and you can also hear the influences for future bands and genres, like for example in The Stranglers' music and in Post-Punk.
own
wow such highs and such lows
Besides the bigger tunes the Doors have I really don't get them at all. They undoubtedly sound like the archetype sixties counterculture band but the rest of it it does very little for me. Can't quite get my head around them.
May be my favorite Doors album
p235. 1971. 3 stars. 60s drug and booze addled hippies partly discover their blues roots and do it surprisingly well. Points deducted for early 70s wankage and Jim Morrisons abstract lyrics, but there are some great tracks on this.
Not sure how to comment on this album - I felt that when listening to this album I should have been smoking dope and ranting about "the man".
Bit boring, trite, bluesy chord progressions, and the voice was surprisingly underwhelming for Jim.
Classic
While much has been written about the Doors, little discusses what a great blues band they truly were in order to expand that palate into the psychedelic rock and beyond. You just have to look no further than the cover of John Lee Hookers Crawling King Snake as the focal point for this record. Sure Love Her Madly, Riders On The Storm, and L.A. Woman are widely regarded classics and rightly so, but those tracks don’t exist without the blues. And unlike The Soft Parade, the recording on this record is far less busy and over produced giving Morrison’s vocals room to breathe and demonstrating both the power and the nuance of his voice. As with Morrison Hotel, the band is at its best when it is playing the blues rock it is comfortable with. This record is not perfect but it is a cut above average and for me the best Doors album. 3.5/5
Great album
All the songs that I didn’t know kind of sounded the same
Classic
I feel like this album is basically the perfect early 70s rock album. It captures so much of the sound of the 60s with the synths and the blues influence, but it also feels super modern at the same time. I think they did so much with genre, and obviously it’s got some classic songs on it. We’re never gonna have a guy like Jim Morrison again. Favorites: Been Down So Long, L’America, Riders On The Storm
Trying to be nice here and fair. I fucking hate the Doors man but I’ve also been thinking about them a lot - I recently watched the Oliver Stone Doors movie and found it “fine.” A well made movie about one of the most annoying people to ever live. It did not convince me that Jim Morrison was some sort of tortured poet. It confirmed to me that he was a beautiful idiot who liked to drink, drug, and fuck. And I already knew I fucking hated the title track. One of my least favorite songs of all time. Just the worst. But I wanted to give this a fair shake. I came with open ears. The instrumentals are fine. The other members of the band are good at playing. I don’t really like any of the songs though. Maybe one or two. Jim Morrison is still the worst. Just yelping and screaming, wildly drunk, all over this album. It’s exhausting. His lyrics are terrible, he rhymes “friend” with “end” about 15 times.
A few cool surprises, but not many.
Cool doors, i prefer the debut album more tho
Fine shyt good instrumental
7.75/10
Такая стильная, сексуальная музыка. Прекрасный альбом. Музыка The Doors состоящая из загадочных текстов Моррисона, его уникального голоса, клавиши и гитары восхитительны
Great
Excellent
Fave song from album Hyacinth House!
понравились пару песен оттуда, немного мрачновато, рокнрольно, в целом похвально
Nastyyyyyy instrumentals...amazing guitar solos. The vocal style can feel a bit repetitive, though.
Verassend leuk, wel veel herhaling
I'm a huge fan of the doors, so bias incoming I have this album on vinyl, put it on for a fresh listen. Not my favorite doors album, but still great. LA Woman and Riders on the Storm to end each side of the vinyl was genius, and I appreciate their more bluesy take with this album
I have a VERY soft spot for The Doors. I am a huge fan of Jim Morrison's vocals and this album has some absolute classics like Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, and Riders on the Storm
Loving the general grooves & musicianship on this album - it has the iconic sound of The Doors & packs a punch without being over the top on the experimental or weird. Just a really strong blues rock ‘n’ roll sound that makes this a very enjoyable record.
The Doors are one of those bands I've listened to so many times ever since I was a kid that I feel like there's nothing left to say that hasn't already been said. One thing I can say about this album is that it's definitely more on the blues rock side, and it has a much rawer, more stripped-down production. That's because it was recorded in the band's rehearsal space instead of a traditional studio, which gives it a more live atmosphere. Also, right after completing this album, Jim Morrison moved to Paris, and just a few months later, he passed away.
Fine
Yeah solid
I wish they all could be California girls
Picturing Jim Morrison after a run of great albums thinking “let’s make the best one” is legendary. You could tell me he never had confidence in it, but i’ll never believe you.
Fun, bluesy music! Makes me wanna listen to Procol Harum, and reminds me of playing these tracks with my buddy Kyle when I was just learning the bass guitar. Love Her Madly was a real standout, I learned part of the bassline as an exercise. I also read up on the band's bass situation - the keyboardist played the bass part live, but when it came time to make studio recordings they hired a session bassist. He brings a lot to the tracks I think!
Great Jazz rock record with intense vocal deliveries and jam sessions that seem to be improvised. Great iconic 70's record that continues to simultaneously stand the test of time and throw you back to an era that kickstarted the media avalanche we know today. Riders on the Storm is one of the greatest songs of all time.
'But I never been so broke that I couldn't leave town.' Final albums - & yes, this is the last record The Doors ever released b/c w/o Morrison counts for naught - are about as inconsistent in terms of quality as this group was for their tenure. Turns out The Doors were in the right mood for this one, a last gasp that's more a deep, confident breath in than a gasping for the original magic of a debut. 'I said warden, warden, warden / Won't you break your lock & key.' Not bluesy, nope, tracks like 'Been Down So Long' & 'Cars Hiss by My Window' are the real-deal blues, but this got funk, soul, psychedelia, + that Doors signature grit & smoothness that makes them the imperfect tho essential sixties act: range, I mean. Black Sabbath nearly ('L'America').
Pasé mucho tiempo diciendo que los Doors no eran para mí, y esta lista ha ayudado a apreciarlos como durante más de cuarenta años no lo hice. Mujer de Los Angeles no trae muchos hits, pero cierra con Riders on the storms y eso queda genial. El resto de las canciones no están nada mal. No es tan fácil de enamorarse de este disco como de otros de la banda, pero eso ni de lejos lo vuelve un mal álbum.
Pretty fantastic.
I'm not the biggest The Doors fan. I know some of their more famous songs. But I really really enjoyed this album. Doesn't have a bad song on it. I think i'm going to listen to The Doors more often after listening to this one. 4/5
I was pleasantly surprised at how bluesy and ragged this album is. My knowledge of The Doors history is scant compared to other rock groups, but I being able to hear Morrison's downward trajectory in such a sleazy, drug-addled, raucous way is equal parts chilling and fascinating. My favorite moments were the wild ones, like "Changeling" (that's basically a funk song!), "Love Her Madly," and "L.A. Woman." I got a little bored during the last third, specifically on "Crawling King Snake" and "The WASP." "Riders on the Storm" is a stone-cold classic, one of the coolest songs ever made. Who knows, this might be my indoctrination into The Doors hype… Favs: The Changeling, Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, Riders on the Storm Least Fav: The WASP Score: 7.5
Classic 70’s rock album, like the bass and rhythm, beryyy gruuvvyy
Please listen to the album with an open mind because its actually a really fun listen. I went into this album saying I'm too Gen Z for this but its actually a good listen. Might listen to this album again honestly. 4/5
All the songs are kind of long I love the bass lines It feels like it’s gone on for forever
This is the sound I used to associate with the Doors, back when I was less of a fan because I found them pretentious. This is at the end of Jim Morrison's stretch, so with all the experience I now understand why they feel that way. It's an acceptable listen, I've just never been far into this particular strain of blues-rock. There's some beautiful instrumental bits saving this from being a 2. 2.7/5
nah gefällt mir tendenziell eher nicht. 2.41 sterne
There are a few interesting songs. fav track: L.A. Woman
I was hoping more songs would be great from this album but honestly only riders on the storm was exceptional (3.4/5) From another review "the hits soar the rest is a bore"
This soul be a 3 if not for riders on the storm being an absolute beast of a song
like most Doors albums, the singles are great and the album tracks are poor
The doors album I can just about tolerate (mainly ‘cos one of my mates played it on repeat)
I feel like we all went through a Doors stage, or those of us of a certain age (not sure of the streaming era kids), and I had put them behind me for many years. This album reminded me of why I had that phase. Morrisons voice sounds so old but it works here, every song has a place and “Riders on the Storm” I found myself dancing around the room. I don’t dance.
this a good'un. i like it a lot. My fave of theirs actually. Glancing it over before listening my eyes go first to them 3 that i love. And then there's those hits which I liked at one time but now maybe roll eyes bc they're overplayed. And then the couple of goofy ones which are fun but unserious... BUT, then it's finally time to push play and i'll be goddamned if this thing ain't a BANGER! Hell yeah I'm running it straight thru on repeat several times. Even those big hits. Ain't no holes in this thing, the hell bullsh was I thinkin?? Unserious? No, that's wrong. Indulgent? Ok that's fairer, but let it be known I am here for it. Great fukkn album. 4-plus.
Funky, very classic rock, "so old school," lowkey uninteresting, "boring, all sounded the same," songs like this are better as one offs imo
A pretty decent blues album. Not significantly better than other boys albums. Probably on the list because of the legend that is Jim Morrison. I enjoyed it
j'aime bien mais ça ne me transcende pas
I loved the swing and the soul of this album. I really liked Love Her Madly and Been Down So Long. Felt like an album my dad would listen to.
Non mi coinvolge appieno
Just a bit meh. Not really my thing. Loved the first song tho.
i didn't have the patience to listen to the end.
It’s hard to go wrong with the Doors and this was a great album. Loved the Bluesy vibe.
So good to revisit The Doors. Such a good blues rock album!
i want to be a hater but this album is undeniably pretty good. it's yet another mid-century white guy rock band appropriating the blues, but a pretty good one of those. jim morrison calling himself "mr. mojo risin'" because it's an anagram of his own name is genuinely insufferable. but the song he does it in is still pretty good. highlights: love her madly, been down so long, cars hiss by my window, l.a. woman, hyacinth house, riders on the storm could easily bump this up to a 4 or down to a 2 depending on my mood. #previously listened (partial)
Normalito
Had never listened to a Doors album before. Quite enjoyed it and it made good driving music. Not quite a 4, but definitely gave me a better understanding and appreciation for this band.
A bunch of very competent 12 bar blues jams, a few classics, and a little variety towards the end.
love it deeply
My interest in the Doors has gone down a lot to the point I don’t even want to listen to them
One of the best from the Doors. Prefer their first album more but still great.
slightly boring tbh. Knowing only The End, The Doors had reached mythical status in my head and this album didn’t really match that at all. The title track sounds like Diary of a Wimpy Kid theme. Overall just not impressive really. Riders on the storm was great and LA Woman was good. 5.5 out of 10
Even 'Bland' would be an overstatement
Don’t like
Phenomenal blues rock
Ok
This is going to amaze you, but it sure sounds like a Doors album to me. For me, if it didn't have Riders on the Storm it would be utterly forgettable.
The Doors are still an excellent band with an overrated singer - not a BAD singer, mind you, he's quite good, but he's not the lost beat poet of a generation. The hits from this album ("Love Her Madly", "Riders on the Storm", and the title track) are interesting, and there are a few other tracks that go unusual places (the cool rhythms of "L'Amerique" and the bizarre ramblings of "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat"), but the rest is pretty much just blues. It's fine.
Udder perfection from needle drop to the the needle bounce. Carefully woven blend of blues, soul, psychedelia and pop tune. Ray Manzerek, Robby Krieger, and Jim Morrison are part of the reason I play music. That white guy boogie is so unmistakable. LA Woman isn't the commerical hit, nor the tastemakers choice. But it lands somewhere between each extreme. In no way shape or form under or over rated. Properly rated at 5 stars.
Nice organ.
if the woman's from LA, why you singing her the blues 😭
Beautiful
not bad lol
I can appreciate aspects of this album and the doors as artists but I really was a little bored with everything. When I thought things would get interesting the song would go to a place that was expected. Realistically this is not an album I would put on just for fun.
Classic. Fun to hear a band I've heard only a few songs from.
Fantastic album, The Doors best for sure.
The Doors go out with a bluesy bang. Favorite track: Riders on the Storm
Cars hiss by. Great
J’adore
Meh
Some call it heavenly in its brilliance… The Doors final album with Mr Mojo Risin is raw and bluesy. It sounds a bit like a rehearsal, and that the band maybe knew that it was coming apart and their days as a touring act were over. LA Woman (the song) is a great swan song for Jim, I imagine that record sales saw a huge upward spike upon the announcement of his death three months after release. The A side is all good and includes the two singles, B side not as good, but has a strong finish with The WASP and Riders. The band The Doors was no more by the time I heard of them, but I always liked their sound and every song played on the radio. Read the book (Light My Fire?) about The Doors around ‘75 and looked into them further. They were still getting some radio play through the late seventies but I wanted to hear more of their material and some deeper cuts. Their debut album was one of the first CDs purchased when that technology hit. Eventually got their greatest hits CD and later made a burned version of LA Woman. They’re still holding up 55 years later, for me anyway. (4.25*) Incidentally, Texas Radio and the Big Best is their best song…
Perfect one for a drive to L.A. this morning. Three massive hits that carry the album. Gets real bluesy and also weird with some not so immaculate stoned out tracks. May not be the Doors strongest album, but the band play and Mr. Mojo Risin' still bring it. They certainly go down in music history as one of the greats and stand out with their style. The 3 top tracks are good enough to get this one 3.25 stars.
Figured this one would make the list and while I look forward to any Doors offering, I do find L.A. Woman as an album a little overrated. It's an iconic album and belongs on the list for the title track and Riders On The Storm, though I've never had it at the top of their list. I get that critics praise the return to their roots with more blues influence, but I just don't think the lineup of 10 tracks is that strong outside of LA Woman and Riders. A couple of the other songs are OK, but a handful are pretty marginal blues entries that I have no problem skipping when they show up in the rotation. Luckily, LA Woman and Riders are all-timers because their heavy lifting showcases all the best parts of The Doors and are enough to justify the entry. As the band's swan song and Jim's farewell I do believe it is a necessary listen and a great love letter to a few things that defined The Doors career. 3.10 stars
this is sick. like a stripped back rolling stones. great energy, great dynamic range, everyone playing their part very well, and just undeniably cool 8.5 / 10 Best track/s: L.A. Woman, Been Down So Long, Love Her Madly
intense, blues, spontaneous, psychedelic, rock, energetic, addicting, raw. wow. Love Her Madly, Car Hiss by My Window, Riders on the Storm. <3
Door? I’m walkin through it
Got a bit aggressive lyrically- it was okay.
Initial post listing ranking: 8/10 (Strong 4 Star) Type of music: Blues, old rock, photo-rock Thoughts: Very good, I can hear the black influences super strong in tracks like Benn Down So Long and I love it. I love high vibrato keyorgan sound Favorite Track: Riders on the Storm. For times when I’m skateboarding and rollerskating (at the same time) in Central Park.
It's ok. Did not move me but it's competent
Er noe korn. Hadde alt hatt Riders-nivå, hadde det vært klar 4-er. Mistenker dog at denne pleier å vokse på folk med alderen.
Decent band rubbish singer
Solid record, not my favourite band of the 60s but they have a few good tracks here
Technically good, but boring. Blues appropriation. Morrison sucks the life out of your speakers.
Loved the Doors as a kid. Haven't really given them much run-time in years though. This is a solid album. The Changeling into Love Her Madly is just a great way to kick this off. Really nice blues basis throughout. fewer jazzy elements than previous releases makes this a little more accessible.
It would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn’t for L’america. That sing is ridiculous.
Riders in the stormmmm
was vibey i liked it more than i thought i would
A really cool and important album. I love the guitar work, and the vocals suit the style really well. However, the best songs were by far the first two, the title track, and of course, Riders on the Storm, whilst some of the others felt a bit weaker and less innovative. A great experience all around though, and I'm excited to dive into the band's earlier work.
Another reference to the great Alan Partridge here... So what's my favourite The Doors album? I'd have to say, The Best Of The Doors. L.A. Woman, the song, is arguably their best. It's sounds like they're hungry. It sounds like they mean it. It holds up. As does Riders On The Storm, which honestly sounds like it was produced in a competely different era by a competent producer. The other big hit on here, Love Her Madly, stands out on this album, but honestly doesn't beyond here. Most of this album though kinda feels like they're going through the motions (including Love Her Madly TBH). It's too much lazy bar band blues where they sound like they're struggling to keep their eyes open.
Pretty good, but pretty one-note. I find that a lot of blues rock sounds the same to me. But this album kinda makes up for that by way of virtuosity, cool guitar work, and a killer rhythm section. This is my first time hearing Jim Morrison's vocals, and he better sound far more interesting in the other Doors albums, because he sounds just dead tired here. Like he's constantly about to pass out. The latter half of the album is pretty great!
Loved this album. Its trippy as hell but tons of fun, the lyrics are amazing. Some great bluesy cuts. Amazingly groovy/hypnotic bass lines.
This is one where I'm pretty sure I'm going to give it a 5, but honestly it's been a million years since I've listened to it so who knows? Yeah pretty much as soon as "The Changeling" started, I remembered how much I love this album. Awesome bluesy feel, Jim Morrison sounds fantastic, and the band kills it. "Love Her Madly" and "LA Woman" are excellent too. "L'America" is a bit of a stinker (except for the middle bit), but not enough to spoil the album. Overall a really great album that hits some very high highs.
A very good album, obviously. The Doors sound had definetely evolved at this point to incorporate more Jazz-like elements and had moved away a bit from Psychedelia. This feels like one of those great albums for road trips, especially with songs like L.A. Woman and Love Her Madly. One or two songs here don’t do as much for me, but on the whole it’s probably one of my top Doors albums.
#176/1001 🇺🇸 The last Doors record to feature Jim Morrison sees them head to a more bluesy sound which doesn't really break any new ground. The title track rocks but there is nothing to match the sublime Riders on the Storm - the sound of Jim riding off into the distance. Best tracks: Riders on the Storm, LA Woman, Love Her Madly, The Changeling.
Very forgettable album. Three stars.
Classic album. I think they’re overrated
Another Doors album, nice. Always liked them. This is end of career Doors, so will be interesting to hear this again now after only coming across their debut album on this list. When I was way into classic rock in high school, they were among my favorite bands and always liked this album. Excited to give it a relisten today. Starts off hot with funky blues rock. Great stuff. Their sound is just great. They rock, it’s all fun with that electric piano/organ so forward to the sound. One of those bands where you hear a snippet of the song and you know right away it’s the Doors. Some of Morrison’s vocals are definitely a little rougher and more of a growl here. Very bluesy as a whole. The title track is great. That feels like just a classic all time Doors song. Also love when they slow it down like something like Hyacinth House. Really great track. The first half of this album is excellent. 5 great songs. Back half has stuff like Hyacinth House that I really like but doesn’t reach the heights of the first half. Riders on the Storm is a great closer though. This feels like a high 4 pushing a 5. It’s just great but all Doors is great, not sure if it’s at their very best. But it’s so good. Will probably go 5.
Good sounding album and I like the importance it had on music. Not really my taste but I don't dislike it. Had no idea that they didn't use a bass player! Not really a fan of songs about getting a blowjob, though.
Not a big fan. Do not like the blues. It evokes images of chain barbecue restaurants
Yes. Good. More.
I guess I am a core Doors fan. This is so much better than the run of the mill mid- late 60’s/ early 70’s slop. Morrison was great right to the last. I gave their debut a 5. Thought it would come down at the end of his short life, but I think it’s still a 5. 5 Boolean: true
All the songs were enjoyable, and a few are their amazing ones. I'm already a fan, so i may be biased, but i hadn't listened to the album yet.
This album ends stronger than it started for me. However, I was very busy during the first half and this album feels like you should not be very busy while listening to it.
Liked this
One album by The Doors on this list would be sufficient. However, all three do deserve to be here.
Sensational from start to finish. Every song is interesting, groovy, memorable. Every instrument is necessary. Incredibly charismatic music. Loved it.
Fine blues rock with some higlights. A tad bit overrated by musuc nerds. 3.5/5 "Riders on the stotm" is a super boring song. I never got the praise for it.
Way bluesier than I recall. The Doors have a magic sauce. Something about the combination of the players, the lyrics, the vocals. Real sexy blues rock with a psychedelic edge. Makes me think of L.A. for sure. Amazing record.
Day 366 An easy 5 star rating for me, and a much better way to kick off year 2 than yesterday’s album was to end year 1. My parents were partial to a bit of The Doors so I’ve experienced them from a young age; I also fondly remember my sister putting on Riders On The Storm whilst we sat and watched a thunder storm at night! If I’m being honest, I’ve not listened to the post-Morrison albums but I spent a lot of time with The Doors in my 20s, and this was one that stood out. It’s arguably their best, but even if not, it has many of their best songs. I’m a massive sucker for blues rock and this might be a formative album in that sense. Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): L.A. Woman; Riders On The Storm; Love Her Madly; Crawling King Snake Rating: 10/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My favorite Doors album. The title track, Riders on the Storm, Love Her Madly, The Changling. Phenomenal album with so many good songs.
I liked 'love her madly' and weirdly 'cars hiss by my window'. First time listening to music and lyrics at the same time. I might like this genre.
The first couple songs weren’t my fav but then this album grew on me a bit. I’m not the biggest fan of the lead singers vocals in every song but the instrumentals are consistently good.
Far less psychadelic than the Doors I am accustomed to. Heavy blues influence. Enjoyable
Great album. Very representative of its time. Riders and Love Her Madly are classics.
I've always thought The Doors were a bit "meh". The hit singles from the album are great, Love Her Madly, LA Woman, Riders On The Storm, the rest were alright, but they didn't move me.
Classic Album, very easy listening music.
Bu albümden daha çok keyif alıyorum. Şu anda üçüncü şarkıdayım. Bayağı relate ettim. I’ve been down so long yni… Tam şu an yormaya basladi (la woman) Yani güzel albümdü de bilmiyorum. Ben çok burada değilim kafasal olarak
Some questionable lyrics but musically satisfying
Really great album, cohesive and clean sound.
4/5
You don’t have to be a fan of The Doors to like this, it’s a great all rounder
"Out here we is stoned Immaculate"!
I've been a big doors fan for a while. Great album.
50\50 album. Good repayable hits with some questionable B-sides mixed in.
Super cool, kinda blues-y which I didn't expect. Sounded like a dream in a way.
Останнім часом хотів їх послухати, бо розумів, що до них я ставлюся упереджено через те, що не імпонував Джим Моррісон. Be Down So Long подобається, гарні блюз рокові гітарні рифи. На цьому альбомі ще є Riders On The Storm. Загалом не дуже зайшло.
Solid album with a fantastic closing track.
Great band and album
Very exciting type/style of rock and roll that’s especially exciting to me right now Made me realize how far ahead the doors were when they completed their debut
There’s a very strong case that L.A. Woman is the Doors album for people who don’t quite trust The Doors. Not because it disproves the complaints. Morrison is still daft. The imagery still inflates itself. Manzarek is still capable of making the room smell faintly of incense and electricity. The band still occasionally look over the edge of profundity and fall straight into student theatre. But this album gives you something sturdier than the myth usually promises: a band with weight, breath, road grip and an unexpectedly good sense of when to stop showing off. The great surprise is physicality. Early Doors can feel sealed, pressurised, slightly airless. A fascinating sound, but also a strange one: a rock band with no permanent bassist, built around organ bass, jazz-drama drums, exposed guitar and Morrison’s enormous central voice. It is less a band than a chamber apparatus. It creates dread, but it also creates a kind of theatrical vacuum. Everything has to orbit Morrison. On L.A. Woman, the introduction of Jerry Scheff changes the room. It is not merely “they added bass.” It is that the band suddenly has floorboards. Scheff gives them hips and traction. The sound stops hovering and starts travelling. That matters because Morrison’s own voice has changed too. He no longer sounds like the beautiful doom-object of the poster. He sounds heavier, rougher, more lived-in. Not the Lizard King. Not Val Kilmer. Doug Morrison with lungs. That version of Morrison is much more useful. His raggedness works because the album’s material gives it a job. On “The Changeling”, he sounds mobile, slippery, still mutating. On “Been Down So Long”, the damage in the voice becomes texture rather than decline. He does not have to pretend to be a prophet there. He can simply stand inside a blues shape and let the rough edges do the work. The slide guitar helps enormously: dirty, lateral, Cooder-Richards in spirit, not virtuoso display but grime with intelligence. For once, Morrison’s battered condition is not being mythologised after the fact. It is musically functional. That is the key to the album: it makes the Doors’ absurdity functional more often than not. “Love Her Madly” is a perfect example. It rolls. It has proper chassis movement. Krieger’s pop instincts keep it clear and propulsive, while Manzarek throws atmosphere across the surface to stop it becoming merely tidy. The band sound like they’ve discovered that forward motion can do some of the work usually assigned to doom. Then “Cars Hiss by My Window” goes inward without becoming precious. That track is one of the quiet revelations of the album. It is not grand existential theatre. It is 3:15 a.m. filth: traffic outside, someone sleeping somewhere, the mind awake in the wrong way. Morrison’s scat-solo is the masterstroke because it turns the blues solo into a bodily symptom. He becomes the guitar because words have temporarily stopped helping. That is a much better kind of weirdness than “behold my symbolic trousers.” The album keeps working because the band keep changing operating modes. “Hyacinth House” is almost anti-Doors in its method. It feels arranged rather than extemporised. The band seem to have agreed the cue sheet: set the room, keep the frame, leave the life in the vocal. The result is a rare Morrison vulnerability that does not need to announce itself as revelation. It is contained, domestic, tired. Then “Crawling King Snake” does the opposite. Everyone agrees the inherited blues form and the invention moves elsewhere: into timing, sleaze, pressure, patience, touch. That is not laziness. It is using the 12-bar as labour-saving architecture. The weaker or more ridiculous tracks are still revealing. “L’America” is dubious in exactly the Doors way: a wicker man built out of mangrove tendrils, bad anthropology and swamp lighting. It has atmosphere, but it is on thin ice. It gets haunted, then lurches down the pub. “The WASP” is more interesting: jam-band prophecy, a locked groove under a semi-spoken transmission. You can hear an operating system there that Mark E. Smith would later make leaner, crueller, funnier and more durable: band as machine-room, singer as unreliable broadcaster, fragments as authority. But Morrison overcooks the landing. The final bars are the difference between prophecy and a man refusing to get down from a chair in a pub. And then “Riders on the Storm” rescues everything by doing less. That is the astonishing ending. After the swagger, swamp business, blues drag, daftness and overheated American myth, the band suddenly discover absolute restraint. The sound effects are not gimmickry because they dissolve the “band in a room” premise at exactly the right moment. The album has spent most of its time proving that The Doors can still function physically. The final track lets them become weather. Morrison finally stops trying to be enormous. The whisper doubles him into a ghost without making him shout for it. Manzarek becomes rain and glass rather than carnival. Densmore plays like tyre spray. Scheff keeps the road moving. Krieger barely needs to announce himself. The whole thing is drama by subtraction. As an ending, it is almost indecently good. The Beatles had to manufacture their ending. Abbey Road is magnificent, but it is imposed coherence: the system has failed, so the remaining machinery creates one last beautiful act of order. The Doors, somehow, get an ending that feels less designed and more received. Not because they were more intelligent or more important. They weren’t. But because the sequence, the performance, the sound effects, the biography and the silence after it all collapse into one image: road, rain, voice, disappearance. For a chaotic, quick-burn band, that is extraordinary. So the album’s achievement is not that it makes Morrison’s legend true. It does something better. It makes the legend less necessary. The Morrison myth over-promises: death, leather, poetry, shamanism, Paris, abyss. L.A. Woman gives you a flawed, physical, breathing band making a dirty, atmospheric blues-rock record with flashes of theatre, comedy, restraint and genuine menace. The Doors still shouldn’t quite work. That remains part of the fascination. They are cobbled together, structurally odd, slightly ridiculous. But on this record the cobbling holds. The missing pieces are supplied by feel, by watching, by theatrical listening, by Scheff’s bass, by Morrison’s ragged body, by the band’s ability to seethe and breathe. A flawed four-star record, yes. But not a small four. It is the sound of a daft band briefly becoming undeniable, then vanishing into weather.
crazy
Love her madly is a good song, but I still didn't enjoy my time here
Avocado toast
I'm learning I do not like The Doors nearly as much as I thought I did. My appreciation comes largely from a few singles and a lot of those are just cuts from their first album. This one starts off with very little of what I like (inventive keys and Morrison's smooth croon), and instead goes for fairly standard rock and blues grooves and Morrison's off-putting snarl. Love Her Madly is the only song that works okay in the first 4 tracks. "Been down so long" is a predictable blues pastiche I found to be pretty terrible. Cars Hiss by My Window is only slightly better. The album picks up a lot of steam with L.A. Woman... with an engaging motorik beat and appealing guitar. I have no idea what inspired Jim Morrison's vocal choices on this song, but he's definitely dragging it down for me. L'America is easily one of the most interesting tracks on the album. The music is engaging and unsettling and the vocal matches it. I also like Hyacinth House, which has Morrison's best vocal so far. Crawling King Snake is another dull blues song. I just don't think this is The Doors' strong suit, despite the fact that it seems to be Morrison's preferred style at this point. The WASP is better, mixing Morrison's spoken-word poetry with some inventive backing music. Finally, Riders on the Storm is almost enough to make me forget how uneven the rest of the album is. It's got such a great groove and the thunderstorm sounds really add to the atmosphere. It's got both the best playing and singing on the album by far. Even though there are several tracks I disliked, this album is held up by quite a few good ones too, ending up as a decent 3/5. I'm finding out The Doors feels like two bands at the same time -- and I only really like one of them.
Enjoyed! I want to relisten on a drive i think. And during a less stressful day of work. This is my first real intro to the Doors and had a devastating thrill of a deep dive on Morrison. “Morrison's senior year English teacher later said, "Jim read as much and probably more than any student in class, but everything he read was so offbeat I had another teacher (who was going to the Library of Congress) check to see if the books Jim was reporting on actually existed. I suspected he was making them up, as they were English books on sixteenth-and seventeenth-century demonology. I'd never heard of them, but they existed, and I'm convinced from the paper he wrote that he read them, and the Library of Congress would've been the only source."”
I don't even know? Weird but nice ish hin und wieder?
Veramente non mio genere
Pretty good Doors album, very bluesy.
Klasik. Imaju mi oni boljih albuma, ali kužim zašto je tu. Mellow listening. 3/5, 5/10
I liked it a lot, plus the choice for the album closer is impeccable.
Too bluesy for my taste, but it's a great album objectively. Ends with Riders on the Storm, though, that's a treat.
As a teen, finding out that Mr Mojo Rising is an anagram of Jim Morrison lowered my esteem for him so drastically that I could never listen to that Godforsake song again without laughing. Kill your boomer idols.
Definitely better than I thought it was when I first heard it last year. It has a nice bluesy vibe like Morrison Hotel did. Probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite Doors album. Highlights-The Changeling, Love Her Madly, Been Down So Long, Cars Hiss By My Window, and Crawling King Snake.
This album is probably what The Black Keys wish they sounded like. It has aura that can be felt from the beginning to the end. The subtle psychedelic elements mix well with the pure rock and roll that is definitely the highlight of the record. The production also sounds modern. Jim Morrison's vocal delivery is confident and works well. I can say that thematically it feels like the soundtrack of one's bohemian lifestyle. I liked it. My favorite songs were "Cars Hiss by My Window" and "Riders on the Storm".
Un des rares albums qui devient de mieux en mieux au fil des chansons
More like 4.4. Can’t do much wrong but they do have better.
3.5
3.7