The Doors

[TAC]

I hear a LOT of Jim Morrison and that brooding nihilism in 90s Grunge ...Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and Scott Weiland. Most of these guys all died young. It’s almost as if these guys were an extension of Morrison’s self-immolating vision.

Another post of gold! Interesting.

[LudwigVan]

I hear a LOT of Jim Morrison and that brooding nihilism in 90s Grunge ...Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and Scott Weiland. Most of these guys all died young. It’s almost as if these guys were an extension of Morrison’s self-immolating vision.

Another post of gold! Interesting.

Yeah, The Doors may have faded from the collective memory a bit, but they were certainly the spiritual backbone to what we heard in the 90s. There’s no denying them that legacy.

[TAC]

I hear a LOT of Jim Morrison and that brooding nihilism in 90s Grunge ...Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and Scott Weiland. Most of these guys all died young. It’s almost as if these guys were an extension of Morrison’s self-immolating vision.

Another post of gold! Interesting.

Yeah, The Doors may have faded from the collective memory a bit, but they were certainly the spiritual backbone to what we heard in the 90s. There’s no denying them that legacy.

I can't stand either, so yeah, continuity.

[MirrorMask]

Very random and wacky comment: I already knew a bit of Roadhouse Blues thanks to a "misheard lyrics" compilation, where bits of famous songs were "translated" into italian based on what the lyrics seemed to say to an italian speaker.

There's a very distorted bit in Roadhouse Blues that goes "Yeah, back at the Roadhouse they got some bungalows", but because of the way he sings, and admittedly with a bit of creative fantasy, you can make it look like he's saying "E allora 'sto cazzo è un po' peloso", which means "Well then, this dick is a bit hairy", and now that's all I'm hearing 

BTW, first impressions after a couple of spins of the greatest hits, I was right in assuming that the songs that would interest me the most were the most "psychedelic" ones, the keyboard-led dreamy stuff, rather than the more guitar oriented ones. Roadhouse Blues itself is cool though.

[Stadler]

I hear a LOT of Jim Morrison and that brooding nihilism in 90s Grunge ...Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and Scott Weiland. Most of these guys all died young. It’s almost as if these guys were an extension of Morrison’s self-immolating vision.

Another post of gold! Interesting.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of those threads, and I never put that together, but I think Ludwig is on to something!

[KevShmev]

Very random and wacky comment: I already knew a bit of Roadhouse Blues thanks to a "misheard lyrics" compilation, where bits of famous songs were "translated" into italian based on what the lyrics seemed to say to an italian speaker.

There's a very distorted bit in Roadhouse Blues that goes "Yeah, back at the Roadhouse they got some bungalows", but because of the way he sings, and admittedly with a bit of creative fantasy, you can make it look like he's saying "E allora 'sto cazzo è un po' peloso", which means "Well then, this dick is a bit hairy", and now that's all I'm hearing 

BTW, first impressions after a couple of spins of the greatest hits, I was right in assuming that the songs that would interest me the most were the most "psychedelic" ones, the keyboard-led dreamy stuff, rather than the more guitar oriented ones. Roadhouse Blues itself is cool though.

As much as I enjoyed The Doors way back in the day, Roadhouse Blues was their one classic rock radio mainstay that I never really dug.  I can't say I dislike it, but it's not one that ever excited me at all.  Maybe it's the harmonica (which is a very hit or miss instrument for me).

[TAC]

I hear a LOT of Jim Morrison and that brooding nihilism in 90s Grunge ...Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and Scott Weiland. Most of these guys all died young. It’s almost as if these guys were an extension of Morrison’s self-immolating vision.

Another post of gold! Interesting.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of those threads, and I never put that together, but I think Ludwig is on to something!

Ludwig is ALWAYS on to something.

[frogprog]

The Doors were my first "favorite band" way back when. I admit i dont listen to them very often now but i used to love them. The spacey psychedelic numbers were my favorites. There was something i found sinister or spooky in a lot of Ray's keyboard parts, mixed with Jim's delivery.Waiting For The Sun, Not To Touch The Earth, Crystal Ship etc all really opened my mind and led me down the path to more progressive music.

[WilliamMunny]

The Doors were my first "favorite band" way back when. I admit i dont listen to them very often now but i used to love them. The spacey psychedelic numbers were my favorites. There was something i found sinister or spooky in a lot of Ray's keyboard parts, mixed with Jim's delivery.Waiting For The Sun, Not To Touch The Earth, Crystal Ship etc all really opened my mind and led me down the path to more progressive music.

Really good point—lot of 'proggy' moments on those records.

[Cool Chris]

So something inspired me to go through The Doors' discography recently. When I was heavy in to classic rock (which to me is still rock from the 60s-70s) The Doors were about as ubiquitous as any other band. I only owned their first two albums and a greatest hits CD, but I never changed the channel when they came up on the radio. I haven't listened to them in years, so how did I feel going through their albums in 2023?

I try not to use this term too cavalierly, but their first album is a masterpiece. If asked to pick the greatest rock debut album, the album that best laid out who the band was and what they were trying to accomplish, I'll go with this one 9 chances out of 10. While bringing waves of nostalgia, it still felt crisp and fresh. It is totally a product of its time, yet simultaneously, timeless.

The follow up is solid, yet after those two first albums, they lose me a bit. There are some gems in there, but way more misses than hits, despite what is played on classic rock radio.

I only went through the final 4 albums with Jim, and they are about as I remember. Some highlights, but nothing can compare to the magic they captured on those first two albums.

I think it was Roger Ebert who said (I could be wrong on the quote): the use of The End in Apocalypse Now is the greatest use of a pop song in a movie in the history of cinema.