Anniversary Albums: Edition Ten - The Doors 'L.A. Woman'

Celebrating 45 years exactly today, this week’s anniversary album is The Doors 1971 masterpiece L.A. Woman.

L.A. Woman was the Los Angeles psychedelic rock groups 6th studio release, and the last full-length album to feature singer Jim Morrison. Morrison would die from an alleged heroin overdose three months after the albums release.

This album nearly did not happen, as leading up to the recording of it the band were blacklisted on the radio in the States, their record contract was at an end, and Morrison was facing charges of profanity and indecent exposure. 

Musically speaking, L.A. Woman continued down the blues rock path that pursued on the previous record Morrison Hotel.

This was a back to basics rock and roll sound, something a lot of acts at the time were pursuing as the flower power/psychedelic movement was wrapping up.

The band even hired bass player Jerry Scheff and rhythm guitarist Marc Benno to round out their sound. Gone were the long psychedelic pieces and in were more jam-based groove tracks such as Been Down So Long and Crawling King Snake.

So often the centrepiece of Doors records, Morrison’s song-writing still managed to have a chance to shine, despite an overall back to basic aesthetic where extended lyrical passages were not always welcome.

Two tracks in particular stood out in this regard, The W.A.S.P. Radio Texas, which is based on a poem Morrison wrote, and the seven minute epic Riders On The Storm, the last track the band would record together.

On its release, L.A. Woman was met with positive reviews with Rolling Stone in particular calling it the bands best album. Meanwhile, it made it to number nine in the States. However, the band never got the chance to tour the record as Morrison had moved to Paris where he passed away three months after its release.

L.A. Woman’s legacy holds up well all these years later, and it remains a fan favorite. The album as a whole is also highly regarded by critics, with many saying it represents a successful connection between the blues and the Doors mystifying psychedelic rock sound.

Author of the Complete Guide To The Music Of The Doors Peter K Hogan labelled the album a fitting swansong for Morrison, who was pleased to have finally recorded a blues-oriented album. 

- Sam 

The Doors - The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) (1971)

The Doors - L.A. Woman (1971)

L.A. Woman was The Doors sixth studio album and their final album with Jim Morrison. Released in 1971, L.A. Woman is very much a back to basics/return to roots album, a road that many bands were going down during the years 1969 to 1972 almost as a response to the somewhat out of control nature of 60s psychedelic music, not to mention an opportunity to revisit past influences. Although the bands brand of psychedelic rock which they had become notable for remains across this album, the music on here takes in other styles as well ranging from funk on “The Changeling” to blues rock on tracks such as “Been Down So Long” and the slithery hypnotic “Crawling King Snake”.

L.A. Woman for me captures the band at their musical best and contains many of their greatest songs. Fans and critics alike respond glowingly to the material on their debut album and so they should with tracks such as “Light My Fire” and “Break on Through”, but some of the tracks on L.A. Woman are right up there with those songs and others in the bands catalogue. Just some of the tracks that standout on this album include the psychedelic dance of “Love Her Madly”, the moody jazz like psychedelia of “Riders On The Storm” a magnum opus like moment if ever there was one, and the raunchy driving rock of title track “L.A. Woman” where Morrison croons about the city he loves. Even Morrison’s spoken word poetry gets an airing on “The WASP”, an amazing psychedelic stomp that combines the sounds of bluesy organ and marching drums with Morrison’s take on 1950s Mexican border blaster radio stations; an experimental piece for them, but a good one at that.

L.A. Woman does a fantastic job in showcasing the quintessential Doors sound and provides a snapshot of all the key elements of what makes a Doors album. There’s the masterful playing of Ray Manzarek (R.I.P) whose keyboard playing is the centre of the band’s sound and is what gives the songs that classic eerie psychedelic feeling that often has the effect of taking you the listener to another place and the songs to another dimension. There’s also Robbie Krieger’s guitar playing a style almost Spanish like in parts with his carefully crafted solos and subtle rhythm playing, he is a man who plays for the song not himself and boy does it sound good.

And then of course there is Morrison, by this stage a troubled soul battling with addiction although you wouldn’t know on listening as he croons, speaks, and swaggers his way through the album. His vocal style of Sinatra meets Elvis meets Delta blues man lends itself so well to The Doors style of psychedelic rock, not to mention his own diverse lyrical influence on the songs, lyrics that include themes ranging from king snakes to Greek gods. If there is any album that best exemplifies why Morrison was one of the greatest singers in rock it surely is this one. The unfortunate sub-context to this albums release was the fact that Morrison would die roughly three months after the album’s release in July 1971. Had he lived the future of the band was have also been possibly up in the air as they had cancelled the tour in support of the album after only two dates when Morrison suffered a breakdown on stage, while by the time of the album’s release Morrison had left America for France, seemingly for good.

For me L.A. Woman is along with their self titled debut The Doors best album, it best represents the band’s sound, while it is also consistent throughout in terms of the songs on display. It showcases all of the bands styles from jazz to blues to psychedelia and probably most notably marks the final point in Jim Morrison’s musical journey with the band and his final musical statement. A must have album for any Doors fan and anybody into psychedelic rock of the late-60s period.

 

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- Sam

The Doors - (You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further [Feat. Ray Manzarek on vocals]

In tribute to Ray manzarek

Sad news today

We are sorry to hear today of the death of Ray Manzarek, founding  member of The Doors, and one of the greatest keyboard players that has ever lived. His unique sound will forever be remembered and it is fair to say that The Doors sound would not be the same without his playing. Rest in peace.