The Doors were an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California by vocalist
Jim MorrisonJames Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker. He was best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen in rock music history. He was also the author of several books of poetry ...
,
keyboardistA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Ray ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
,
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
John DensmoreJohn Paul Densmore is a Californian musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors from 1965 to 1973.-Biography:...
, and
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
Robby KriegerRobert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
. They are considered a controversial and influential band, due mostly to Morrison's cryptic lyrics and unpredictable stage
personaA persona, in the word everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. This is an Italian word that derives from the Latin for "mask" or "character", derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning...
. After Morrison's death on July 3, 1971, the remaining members continued as a threesome until disbanding in 1973.
Despite a career that barely totaled eight years, The Doors still enjoy a huge cult following as well as status in the mainstream music industry as being hugely influential and original. According to the RIAA, they have sold over 32.5 million albums in the US alone.
Origins and formation
The origins of The Doors lie in a chance meeting between acquaintances and fellow UCLA
film schoolA film school is a generic term for any educational institution dedicated to teaching moviemaking, including film production, theory, and writing for the screen. Usually hands on technical training is incorporated as part of the curriculum, such as learning how to use cameras, light meters and...
alumni Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
in July 1965. Morrison told Manzarek he had been writing songs (Morrison said "I was taking notes at a fantastic rock-n-roll concert going on in my head") and, with Manzarek's encouragement, sang "
Moonlight Drive"Moonlight Drive" was one of the seminal tracks on The Doors' second album, Strange Days. Although it was not released as a single, like "Love Me Two Times" and "People Are Strange", it is a favorite in The Doors canon...
". Impressed by Morrison's lyrics, Manzarek suggested they form a band.
Keyboardist Manzarek was in a band called
Rick And The RavensRick & the Ravens , founded in 1961, was the band Ray Manzarek was in before he joined The Doors...
with his brothers Rick & Jim Manzarek, while drummer John Densmore was playing with The Psychedelic Rangers, and knew Manzarek from meditation classes. In August, Densmore joined the group and, along with members of The Ravens and bass player Pat Sullivan (later credited using her married name Patricia Hansen in the 1997 box CD release), recorded a six-song demo in September 1965. This circulated widely as a
bootleg recordingA bootleg recording is an audio and/or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist, or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
and appeared in full on the 1997 Doors box set.
That month the group recruited guitarist Robby Krieger, and the final lineup — Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore — was complete. The band took their name from the title of a book by
Aldous HuxleyAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. He spent the later part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death in 1963...
,
The Doors of PerceptionThe Doors of Perception is a 1954 book by Aldous Huxley detailing his experiences when taking mescaline.The title comes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:- Quotations from "Doors" :...
(1954). That title was in turn taken from a line in a poem entitled "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" by the 18th-century artist and poet
William BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the...
:
"If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite".
The Doors were unusual among rock groups because they did not use a
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
when playing live. Instead, Manzarek played the bass lines with his left hand on the newly invented Fender
RhodesThe Rhodes piano is an electromechanical musical instrument, a famous electric piano. Its distinctive sound has appeared in thousands of songs of all musical styles, since it was first introduced in 1965. Since its rennaisance in the 1990s, it has again become very popular and widely used...
Piano Bass, an offshoot of the Fender Rhodes
electric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electronic signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical...
, playing other keyboards with his right hand. On their studio albums (with the notable exception of their eponymous first record), The Doors did use bass players, such as
Jerry ScheffJerry Obern Scheff is an American bassist, perhaps best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the early 1970s as a member of his TCB Band and his work on The Doors final recordings....
,
Harvey BrooksHarvey Brooks is an American bassist. He has played in many styles of music , and was folk rock's first notable bass guitarist....
,
Lonnie MackLonnie Mack is a rock and blues guitarist/vocalist. In the early 1960s, he recorded several full-length rock guitar instrumentals strongly grounded in the blues, the best-known of which are "Memphis", "Wham!", "Chicken Pickin'" and "Suzie-Q"...
,
Larry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s band,...
and
Leroy VinnegarLeroy Vinnegar was an American jazz bassist.Born in Indianapolis, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles during the 1950s and '60s. His trademark was the rhythmic "walking" bass line, a steady series of ascending or descending notes, and it brought him the nickname "The...
.
Many of The Doors' original songs were group compositions, with Morrison or Krieger contributing the lyrics and an initial melody, and the others providing harmonic and rhythmic suggestions, or even entire sections of songs, such as Manzarek's organ introduction to "
Light My Fire"Light My Fire" is a song originally performed by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released in June 1967, in the album The Doors. It spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100, and one week on the Cashbox Top 100. It was re-released in 1968, peaking at #87. The song was...
".
By 1966, the group was playing the
London FogThe London Fog was a 1960s nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in what was then unincorporated Los Angeles County, California...
club and soon graduated to the prestigious
Whisky a Go GoThe Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip....
, where they were the house band, supporting acts including
Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
's group
ThemThem was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
. On their last night together the two bands joined up for "
In the Midnight Hour"In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. It was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. would later be murdered in April of 1968...
" and a twenty-minute jam session of Them's "Gloria". On August 10, they were spotted by
Elektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
president
Jac HolzmanJac Holzman founded Elektra Records in his St. John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964. He signed such legendary acts as The Doors and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to Elektra and discovered folk singer Judy Collins. In 1970 he sold all his music interests to Kinney...
who was present at the recommendation of
LoveLove was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Arthur Lee and the group's second songwriter, guitarist Bryan MacLean...
singer
Arthur LeeArthur Lee may refer to:*Arthur Lee , U.S. envoy to France*Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham , British soldier and diplomat*Arthur Lee , American psychedelic-rock musician...
, whose group was on Elektra. After Holzman and producer
Paul A. RothchildPaul Anthony Rothchild was a prominent American record producer of the late 1960s and 1970s. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rothchild grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and he graduated from Teaneck High School in 1953....
saw two sets of the band playing at the Whisky a Go Go, they signed them to the
Elektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
label on August 18—the start of a long and successful partnership with Rothchild and engineer
Bruce BotnickBruce Botnick is a noted American record engineer and producer, best known for his work with The Doors, and with Love. He engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee....
.
The timing was fortunate, because on August 21 the club fired the band after a profanity-filled performance of "
The End"The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a simple good-bye song, possibly to a girlfriend, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close their...
". In an incident that foreshadowed the controversy that later followed the group, an acid-tripping Morrison raucously recited his own version of the
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
drama
Oedipus Rex, in which Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and has sex with his mother.
Debut album
'The Doors'
self-titledThe Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, released in January 1967. It features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with a substantial instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken-word...
debut
LPAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
was released in the first week of January 1967. It featured most of the major songs from their set, including the 11.5-minute musical drama "
The End"The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a simple good-bye song, possibly to a girlfriend, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close their...
". The band recorded their first album at Sunset Sound Recording Studios - 6650 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, Wed. Aug. 24 - Wed. 31: 1966, almost entirely live in the studio.
In November 1966,
Mark AbramsonMark Abramson was an American record producer and artist. He produced recordings of Judy Collins, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Gibson, Love, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Josh White and many other artists. He produced and directed "Shoot The Actor" and early music videos of The Doors and Love. His...
directed a promotional film for the lead single "
Break On Through (To the Other Side)"Break On Through " is a song by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It was the first single released by the band and was unsuccessful compared to later hits, reaching only #126 in the United States...
."
To promote the single, the Doors made their television debut on a Los Angeles TV show called
Boss City, circa 1966, possibly early 1967 and then on a Los Angeles TV show called
Shebang, miming to "Break On Through," on New Years 1967. This clip has never been officially released by the Doors.
The second single, "
Light My Fire"Light My Fire" is a song originally performed by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released in June 1967, in the album The Doors. It spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100, and one week on the Cashbox Top 100. It was re-released in 1968, peaking at #87. The song was...
," became a smash hit after its release in June 1967, selling 1 million copies and reaching #1 on the Billboard Charts on July 29, keeping the top spot for three weeks. It helped established the group as one of America's
countercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition...
bands. For AM radio airplay, the long middle organ and guitar solos were cut from the song making it 2:52 instead of the 7:06 original.
Early live recordings at The Matrix
From March 7 to March 11, 1967, The Doors performed at The Matrix Club in San Francisco, California. The March 7 and 10 shows were recorded by a co-owner of The Matrix, Peter Abram. These recordings are notable as they are among the earliest live recordings of the band to circulate. On November 18, 2008, The Doors published a compilation of these recordings,
Live at the Matrix 1967Live at the Matrix 1967 is a live album by The Doors, compiled and resequenced from recordings made on March 7 and 10, 1967 at The Matrix in San Francisco by club co-owner Peter Abram...
, on the band's boutique Bright Midnight Archives label.
Early TV performances
In September 1967 the Doors gave a memorable performance of "Light My Fire" on the Ed Sullivan Show. According to Ray Manzarek, network executives asked that the word 'higher' be removed in favor of 'better', as you couldn't say 'high' on national TV. The group initially agreed to this, but nonetheless performed the song in its original form, either because they had never intended to comply with the request, or Jim Morrison was nervous and forgot to make the change (Manzarek has given conflicting accounts). Either way, 'higher' was sung out on national TV, and a furious
Ed SullivanEdward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of a TV variety show called The Ed Sullivan Show that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s....
cancelled another six shows that had been planned, to which Jim Morrison reportedly said: "Hey man, so what? We just
did the Ed Sullivan Show".
In May 1967, The Doors made their international television debut by recording a version of "The End" for the
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Canada...
(CBC) at O'Keefe Centre in Toronto. It remained unreleased except in bootleg form since its initial broadcasts until the release of
The Doors Soundstage Performances DVD in 2002.
On December 24, the Doors taped "Light My Fire" and "Moonlight Drive" live for the
Jonathan WintersJonathan Harshman Winters III is an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in...
Show. From December 26 to December 28, the group played at the
Winterland BallroomThe Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400 seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
in San Francisco. An excerpt taken from Stephen Davis' book on Jim Morrison p. 219-220:
The next night at Winterland, a TV set was wheeled onstage during the Doors set so the band could see themselves on the Jonathan Winters Show. They stopped playing Back Door Man when their song came on. The audience watched the Doors watching themselves on TV. They finished the song when their bit was done, and Ray walked over and turned the TV off. The next night was their last ever in Winterland.
They played two more dates in Denver on December 30 and December 31, capping off a year of almost constant touring.
Strange Days
The second Doors LP,
Strange Days, continued to explore the genre of
acid rockAcid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream, Jefferson Airplane,...
. The closing track, "When the Music's Over," evoked the length and drama of "The End." The album was also commercially successful and featured now-classic Doors songs such as "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times."
New Haven Incident
On December 9, 1967, The Doors performed at an infamous concert in
New Haven ArenaNew Haven Arena was an indoor arena on Grove Street in New Haven, Connecticut that served as a venue for ice hockey, concerts and circuses.The first arena opened in 1914 but burned down in 1924. The new arena was built in 1926 by Maurice Podoloff with his father and two brothers and held over...
in
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
,
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
which ended abruptly with Morrison's on-stage arrest by local police.
The incidents leading up to Morrison's arrest in New Haven are still somewhat unclear, though it is believed that Morrison was having a conversation backstage in a bathroom stall with a groupie when a police officer appeared. He allegedly harassed the pair—causing Morrison to become belligerent resulting in the singer being sprayed with
maceMace is a tear gas in the form of an aerosol spray which propels a lachrymatory agent mixed with a volatile solvent. It is sometimes used as a self-defense device...
.
On stage, Morrison proceeded to go on an obscenity-laced tirade to the audience, explaining what had happened backstage and belittling New Haven police. It was at this time that Morrison was apprehended and dragged offstage. A riot ensued which spilled from the gates of the New Haven Arena and into the streets. Morrison was taken to a local police station, photographed and booked on charges of indecency and public obscenity.
Morrison later referred to this event in the song "
Peace Frog"Peace Frog" is a song by The Doors which appears on the album Morrison Hotel. It was released on vinyl in February 1970 by Elektra/Asylum Records and produced by Paul Rothchild...
" on the 1970 album
Morrison HotelMorrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
, which contains the lyric, "Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven."
Waiting for the Sun
In April, the recording of the third album was marred by tension as a result of Morrison's increasing dependence on
alcoholAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....
, and the rejection of his new epic "The Celebration Of The Lizard" by the band producer Paul Rothchild who deemed the work not commercial enough. Approaching the height of their popularity, the Doors played a series of outdoor shows that led to frenzied scenes between fans and police, particularly at
Chicago ColiseumThe Chicago Coliseum was a large building in Chicago, Illinois from the 1890s to 1982 that served as a sports arena, convention center, and exhibition hall over the course of its history...
on May 10.
The band began to branch out from their initial form for their third LP. Because they had exhausted their original repertoire, they began writing new material.
Waiting for the SunWaiting for the Sun is The Doors' third studio album. It was released in 1968 and became the band's first and only number one album and spawned their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You." It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it peaked at #16 in the chart...
became their first #1 LP, and the single "
Hello, I Love You"Hello, I Love You" is a song by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. It was released as a single that same year, reaching number one in the United States and selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone...
" was their second and last US #1 single. In 1968, controversy arose with the release of the "Hello, I Love You"
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
when the rock press pointed out the song's musical resemblance to
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
' 1965 hit, "
All Day and All of the Night"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on the United States Charts. Like their previous hit "You Really Got Me", the song relies on a simple sliding power chord riff, although this song's riff is slightly more...
." Members of the Kinks have concurred with music critics; Kinks guitarist
Dave DaviesDave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
has been known to add snippets of "Hello, I Love You" during live solo performances of "All Day and All of the Night" as a sarcastic commentary on the subject. In concert, Morrison was occasionally dismissive of the song, and left the vocal chores to Manzarek, as can be seen in the documentary
The Doors are Open.
A month after riotous scenes took place at the
Singer BowlThe Singer Bowl is a stadium that formerly stood in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens. The stadium was built for events during the 1964 World's Fair, also hosting various Olympic trials and concerts over the years....
in New York, the group flew to Britain for its first venue outside of North America. They held a press conference at the
ICA GalleryThe Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London and played shows at
The RoundhouseThe Roundhouse is a former engine shed now used as an arts and concert venue in Chalk Farm, London. Built in 1846, it ceased to be used as an engine shed by 1867, and underwent various uses before being abandoned just before the Second World War...
Theatre. The results of the trip were broadcast on Granada TV's
The Doors Are Open, which was later released on video. They played dates in Europe, along with
Jefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, including a show in Amsterdam where Morrison collapsed on stage from a drug binge.
The group flew back to the US and played nine more US dates before returning to work in November on their fourth LP. They ended the year with a successful new single, "Touch Me," (released in December 1968), which hit US #3. In 1969, they started the year with a sold out show at
Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City. It is also the name of the entity which owns the arena and several of the professional sports franchises which play there. There have been four incarnations of...
on January 24.
Miami Incident
The Miami incident refers to a Doors concert on March 1, 1969, at the Dinner Key Auditorium in
Miami, FloridaMiami is a major coastal city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. With an estimated population of 424,662 in 2007, Miami is the largest city within the Miami metropolitan area, which is the...
where Morrison gave a controversial performance. The restless crowd was subjected to Morrison's lack of interest in singing songs that night, as well as to his unconventional emotional outbursts, screaming challenges to the audience, and making irreverent social statements. Unknown to the audience was Morrison's exposure to The Living Theater the week before, which influenced his performance. The confusion and taunts led to some out-of-control situations, such as Morrison allegedly exposing his penis, which resulted in an abrupt end to the show after only one hour.
At first the performance was simply seen as Morrison drunk beyond any saving grace, combined with his frustration over the trappings of rock stardom and his personal demons finally reaching a climax. But once a review of the show was reported in the local press on March 3, Morrison's exhibitionism took on a snowball effect in the form of a media and legal firestorm. On March 5, a warrant was issued for Morrison's arrest on charges of indecency and obscenity, and one after another all the subsequent shows were canceled.
After Morrison returned from his post-Miami trip to Jamaica with The Doors, he recorded some of his poetry and began shooting
HWY, an experimental film about a hitchhiker played by Morrison himself. The Doors would eventually set the poetry session to music for the 1978 album
An American PrayerAn American Prayer is a studio album by rock band The Doors. In 1978, seven years after Jim Morrison died and five years after the remaining members of the band broke up, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore reunited and recorded backing tracks over Morrison's poetry...
.
HWY contains virtually no dialog and circulates privately among collectors.
The group's only public appearance was on a PBS television special recorded late in April and broadcast the following month. The group performed songs from their upcoming
Soft Parade album.
The Doors resumed touring with their appearance at the Chicago Auditorium Theater on June 14. They played at two dates in Hollywood on July 21 and July 22. Morrison appeared bearded; wearing casual hippie attire and tinted aviator glasses, and sitting on a stool. They also headlined at The
Toronto Rock and Roll RevivalThe Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was a one day, twelve hour music festival held in Toronto on September 13, 1969, featuring a number of popular musical acts from the 1950s and 1960s. The festival is particularly notable as featuring an appearance by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as the Plastic Ono...
on September 13, 1969, a one day festival also noted for the appearance of the Plastic Ono Band and the resulting
Live Peace in Toronto 1969Live Peace in Toronto 1969 is a 1969 live album recorded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as the Plastic Ono Band, at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival...
album.
The Soft Parade
The Doors fourth album,
The Soft ParadeThe Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by the The Doors, released in 1969.The album met with some controversy among fans and critics due to its inclusion of brass and string instrument arrangements, as opposed to the more stripped-down sound of their earlier recordings...
, released in June, further distanced the group from their core fan base, containing pop-oriented arrangements and horn sections. The lead single "Touch Me" featured saxophonist
Curtis AmyCurtis Amy was an American West Coast jazz musician known for his work on tenor saxophone. He also explored other mediums, including soul jazz and hard bop....
.
While the band was trying to maintain their previous momentum, efforts to expand their sound gave the album an experimental feel, causing critics to attack their musical integrity. According to John Densmore in his biography "Riders On The Storm" individual writing credits were noted for the first time because of Morrisons reluctance to sing the lyrics of Robbie Kriegers song "Tell All The People". Morrison's drinking made him difficult and unreliable, and the recording sessions dragged on for months. Studio costs piled up, and The Doors came close to disintegrating.. Despite all this, the album was immensely successful, becoming the band's fourth hit album.
During the recording of their next album, in November 1969, Morrison found himself in trouble with the law after harassing an airline staff during a flight to
Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...
to see
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup...
in concert. He was acquitted the following April after a steward mistakenly identified Morrison as his traveling companion, American actor
Tom BakerTom Baker was an American actor who starred in the Andy Warhol movie I, A Man . He was a known drug addict and alcoholic, and a close friend of Jim Morrison of The Doors.-Career:...
.
The group started 1970 in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with two well-received nights at The Felt Forum, just prior to the release of
Morrison Hotel.
Aquarius Theatre performances
The Doors gave two concerts at the
Earl Carroll TheatreThe Earl Carroll Theatre was the name of two major theatres, one on Broadway in New York City and the other on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, owned by Broadway impresario and showman Earl Carroll.-Broadway:...
(then called the "Aquarius" theatre) on Sunset Bvd, Hollywood.
The two shows were performed on July 21, 1969. A "backstage" performance, a so-called "private rehearsal" without an audience occurred on July 22, 1969. This was only a few months after the "Miami incident" in March of that year. The shows featured a more laid back, bluesy style of Doors music. Morrison appeared not as his trademark, "young lion" in black leather pants. Instead, he wore a beard and sported loose fitting carpenter-like pants.
The performances included Morrison singing sitting on a stool. His usual theatrics were more sober and subdued as compared to previous performances; the proverbial convulsing and writhing were not seen. Morrison focused on his vocals and expressed himself more musically—even shaking maracas during many of the songs.
Of the songs performed with an audience, "Universal Mind" and the "Celebration of the Lizard" suite were released on The Doors' 1970
Absolutely LiveAbsolutely Live is the first live album released by American rock band The Doors in 1970. Many shows were recorded during the 1970 tour to create the "Absolutely Live" album. The Doors producer, and long time collaborator Paul Rothchild painstakingly edited the album from many different shows to...
album, whereas "You Make Me Real" was released on
Alive, She CriedAlive, She Cried is a live album by the American rock band The Doors; the title of the album is taken from a line in the song "When the Music's Over". The recordings are from various concerts during the period 1968–1970; they include "Gloria", originally a hit for Them, and an extended version of...
in 1983. Further, the
Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
track "Gloria", which was performed and recorded during the audience-less rehearsal, was also released on
Alive, She Cried. Both the first and second shows along with the rehersal the following day were released in 2001. It was at these shows that Morrison issued his poem, Ode to LA while thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased. Morrison would die exactly 2 years after Brian Jones.
Morrison Hotel and Absolutely Live
The Doors staged a return to form with their 1970 LP
Morrison HotelMorrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
, their fifth album. Featuring a consistent, hard rock sound, the album's opener was "Roadhouse Blues." The record reached US #4 and revived their status among their core fanbase and the rock press. Dave Marsh, the editor of
CreemCreem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine", was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early '90s as a glossy tabloid...
magazine, said of the album: "the most horrifying rock and roll I have ever heard. When they're good, they're simply unbeatable. I know this is the best record I've listened to ... so far".
Rock Magazine called it "without any doubt their ballsiest (and best) album to date".
Circus Magazine praised it as "possibly the best album yet from the Doors" and "Good hard, evil rock, and one of the best albums released this decade". The album also saw Jim Morrison returning as main songwriter, writing or co-writing all of the album's tracks (as opposed to the poppier
The Soft Parade, for which Robbie Krieger contributed a large number of songs).
Once The Doors had completed
Morrison Hotel, with a tour to support it, Morrison and the band found their career consumed by the Miami trial.
July 1970 saw the release of The Doors' first live album,
Absolutely LiveAbsolutely Live is the first live album released by American rock band The Doors in 1970. Many shows were recorded during the 1970 tour to create the "Absolutely Live" album. The Doors producer, and long time collaborator Paul Rothchild painstakingly edited the album from many different shows to...
. The 40th Anniversary CD reissue of
Absolutely Live contains outtakes and alternate takes, including different versions of "The Spy" and "Roadhouse Blues" (with Lonnie Mack on bass guitar and The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian on a bluesy harmonica).
The band continued to perform at arenas throughout the summer. Morrison faced trial in Miami in August, but the group made it to the
Isle of Wight FestivalThe 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held on 26 August – 31 August 1970. It was held on Afton Down an area on the Western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970...
on August 29. They performed alongside artists such as
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
,
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
,
Joni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and painter.Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto...
,
Miles DavisMiles Davis III was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz...
and
Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
. Two songs from the show were featured in the 1995 documentary
Message To LoveMessage to Love is a feature documentary film of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. The film unsparingly depicts the myriad of problems associated with the festival, the main program of which was held on August 26-30, 1970, including gate-crashing, numerous crowd incursions onto the stage, Kris...
.
Back in Miami for his trial, Morrison took the stand on September 16, but the jury returned a guilty verdict for profanity and indecent exposure on September 20. Morrison was sentenced to eight months' custody but was allowed to go free pending an appeal. On October 30, 1970, Morrison was found guilty of two charges: profanity and indecent exposure. He was acquitted of the charge of drunkenness but found guilty of lewd behavior, a felony. The verdict was contested and Morrison was to die in July 1971 while his case was still on appeal.
Last public performance
On December 8, 1970, his 27th birthday, Morrison recorded another poetry session. This would end up on
An American Prayer: Jim Morrison in 1978 with music, and is currently under the possession of the Courson family.
The Doors' tour to promote their upcoming album
L.A. Woman would comprise only two dates. The first was held in Dallas, Texas on December 11 and reportedly went well. During the Doors' last public performance, at The Warehouse in New Orleans,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, on December 12, 1970, Morrison apparently had a breakdown on stage. Midway through the set he slammed the microphone numerous times into the stage floor until the platform beneath was destroyed, then sat down and refused to perform for the remainder of the show. Drummer John Densmore recalls the incident in his biography
Riders On the Storm, where after the show he met with Ray and Robbie; they decided to end their live act, citing their mutual agreement that Morrison was ready to retire from performing. Shortly thereafter while finishing the recording of their album, Morrison decided to move to Paris with his girlfriend Pamela.
L. A. Woman
The Doors set to reclaim their status as a premier act with
L.A. WomanL.A. Woman is the sixth and last studio album that the American rock band The Doors recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison, who died in July 1971. The album's style is arguably the most blues rock -oriented of the band's catalogue. Following the departure of their record producer Paul A...
in 1971. It contained two top 20 hits and has gone on to be their second best-selling studio album, surpassed in sales only by their debut. The album explored their R&B roots, although during rehearsals they had a falling-out with Rothchild. Denouncing "Riders on the Storm" as 'cocktail music,' he quit and handed the production to Botnick. The singles "L.A. Woman", "Love Her Madly", (the Doors last top ten hit), and "Riders on the Storm" remain mainstays of rock radio programming. During the sessions, a short clip of the band performing "Crawling King Snake" was filmed. So far as known, this is the last clip of the Doors performing with Morrison.
Before and after Morrison's death
On March 13, 1971, following the recording of
L.A. Woman, Morrison left the Doors and moved to
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with
Pamela CoursonPamela Susan Courson was the long-term companion of Jim Morrison, vocalist of The Doors. After the deaths of Morrison and Courson, her parents petitioned an out-of-state court to declare that the couple had a common law marriage.-Early life and involvement with Morrison:Courson was born in Weed,...
. He had visited the city the previous summer and seemed interested in moving there to become a writer in exile.
While in Paris, he was again drinking heavily. On June 16, the last known recording of Morrison was made when he befriended two street musicians at a bar and invited them to a studio. This recording was finally released in 1994 on a bootleg CD entitled
The Lost Paris Tapes The Lost Paris Tapes is the title given to a recorded collection of unedited poems and songs by rock musician and poet Jim Morrison of The Doors...
.
Morrison's death
Morrison died on July 3, 1971. In the official account of his death, he was found in a Paris apartment bathtub by Courson. Pursuant to
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
law, no
autopsyAn autopsy–also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction–is a medical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
was performed because the
medical examinerA medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
claimed to have found no evidence of
foul playCrime is the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority, via mechanisms such as police power, may ultimately prescribe a conviction...
. The absence of an official autopsy has left many questions regarding Morrison's cause of death. Herve Muller has reported that he believes that Jim died of a heroin overdose at the RnR Circus. This is corroborated by the manager of the club Sam Bernett in a 2007 interview, and subsequent book. Morrison was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery on July 7.
Morrison
died at age 27The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club or the Club 27, is a popular culture name for a group of influential rock and blues musicians who all died at the age of 27, sometimes under mysterious circumstances....
, the same age as several other famous rock stars.
Other Voices and Full Circle
The surviving Doors continued for some time, initially considering replacing Morrison with a new singer. Instead, Krieger and Manzarek took over on vocals and The Doors released two more albums before disbanding. The recording of
Other VoicesOther Voices is a 1971 studio album by rock band The Doors.-Recording:The recording of the album began while lead singer Jim Morrison was on holiday in France. The song "Down on the Farm" was allegedly already written at the time of the recording of the previous album, but Morrison did not want to...
took place from June to August 1971, and the album was released in October, 1971. The recordings for
Full CircleFull Circle is the second album released by The Doors after Jim Morrison's death, and also their last album together before they broke up. The album includes "The Mosquito", the last hit single by the band. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger took Morrison's place as lead singer...
took place during the spring of 1972, and the album was released in August, 1972. The Doors went on tour after the releases in support of the albums. The last album expanded into
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
territory.
While neither album has been reissued on CD in the United States, they have been released on 2-on-1 CDs in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
An American Prayer
The third post-Morrison album,
An American PrayerAn American Prayer is a studio album by rock band The Doors. In 1978, seven years after Jim Morrison died and five years after the remaining members of the band broke up, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore reunited and recorded backing tracks over Morrison's poetry...
, was released in 1978. It consisted of the band adding a musical track to spoken-word recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry. The record was a fair commercial success, acquiring a platinum certificate.
Legacy
- 1979, Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an Italian-American film director, producer and screenwriter. Away from showbusiness, Coppola is also a vintner, magazine publisher and hotelier. He is a graduate of Hofstra University where he studied theatre. He earned an M.F.A. in film directing from the UCLA Film School...
, who attended the film school at UCLA with Morrison, released Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film set during the Vietnam War. The plot revolves around two US Army special operations officers, one of whom, Captain Benjamin L. Willard of MACV-SOG, is sent into the jungle to assassinate the other, the rogue and presumably insane Colonel Walter E....
with "The End""The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a simple good-bye song, possibly to a girlfriend, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close their...
used prominently in the sound track.
- 1980, the Jim Morrison biography No One Here Gets Out Alive
No One Here Gets Out Alive was the first biography of Jim Morrison, lead singer and lyricist of the L.A. rock band The Doors, written after his death by journalist Jerry Hopkins, with later "insider" information added by Danny Sugerman. The book is largely credited with revitalizing the popularity...
by Jerry HopkinsJerry Hopkins is an American author and journalist.He is best known as the co-author of No One Here Gets Out Alive , the definitive biography of Jim Morrison of The Doors, which was a key source for Oliver Stone's film about the band. He has written nearly 30 books about music, food and travel,...
and Danny SugermanDaniel Stephen Sugerman was the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including No One Here Gets Out Alive co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography Wonderland Avenue...
resulted in a revival of Doors interest, and the book became a bestseller.
- 1983, The surviving Doors released Alive, She Cried
Alive, She Cried is a live album by the American rock band The Doors; the title of the album is taken from a line in the song "When the Music's Over". The recordings are from various concerts during the period 1968–1970; they include "Gloria", originally a hit for Them, and an extended version of...
, a collection of live performances which also has the rock anthem "Gloria-In Christian liturgy and music:*Gloria in Excelsis Deo, the main doxology of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Mass**Gloria , a musical setting of the doxology by Antonio Vivaldi**Gloria , a composition written in 1959 by Francis Poulenc...
", recorded at a rehearsal at the Aquarius Theatre on July 22, 1969.
- 1991, director Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director and screenwriter. Stone came to prominence as a director with a series of films about the Vietnam War, in which he had participated as an American infantry soldier, and his work continues to focus frequently on contemporary political and cultural...
released his film The DoorsThe Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger, Kevin...
, starring Val KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role...
as Morrison and with cameos by Krieger and Densmore. British vocalist Ian AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician, known for his role in the The Cult.-Biography:...
of The Cult was Stone's preferred choice to play Morrison, but Astbury chose not to appear in the film. Kilmer's impersonation and the film itself were praised by critics, despite its inaccuracies. Members of the group criticized Stone's portrayal of Morrison as an out-of-control sociopath. Singer Billy IdolWilliam Michael Albert Broad , better known as Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. He first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X. He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish music videos, making him one of the first MTV stars...
had a cameo in the film and recorded a cover of "L.A. Woman."
- 1993, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger reunited for their induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, sang vocals. The group performed three songs, Roadhouse Blues"Roadhouse Blues" is a blues-rock song written and recorded by the American rock band The Doors. The song, which appeared on the B-side of "You Make Me Real", was first released as a single from the album Morrison Hotel in March 1970 and peaked at #50...
, Break on Through"Break On Through " is a song by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It was the first single released by the band and was unsuccessful compared to later hits, reaching only #126 in the United States...
, and Light my Fire"Light My Fire" is a song originally performed by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released in June 1967, in the album The Doors. It spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100, and one week on the Cashbox Top 100. It was re-released in 1968, peaking at #87. The song was...
.
- 1994, Massive Attack
Massive Attack are a British music duo from Bristol, UK, considered to be progenitors of a genre referred to as trip hop, that assemble a collective of various favoured session musicians and guest vocalists with whom they make records and tour live...
's album ProtectionProtection is Bristol-based trip-hop collective Massive Attack's second album.-Sound:Protection was featured in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine's 'Coolest Albums of All Time List,' calling it "great music for when you're driving around a city at 4 am," due to the 'chill out' nature of the...
features a live version of "Light My Fire".
- 1994, the Forrest Gump soundtrack
Forrest Gump is the soundtrack album based on the Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film, Forrest Gump, and contains such artists as Elvis Presley, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Joan Baez, Aretha Franklin, Randy Newman and many more...
featured Break on Through (To the Other Side)"Break On Through " is a song by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It was the first single released by the band and was unsuccessful compared to later hits, reaching only #126 in the United States...
while the movie itself included four other Doors songs. Another Tom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title role in Forrest Gump, Commander James...
film, Cast AwayCast Away is a film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks. Hanks portrays a FedEx employee who is stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes on a flight over the South Pacific. The film depicts his attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo,...
, featured the main character singing "Light My Fire."
- 1998, the American comedy The Waterboy
The Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight and Rob Schneider have cameos...
starring Adam SandlerAdam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, musician, screenwriter and film producer. He is the founder of Happy Madison Productions, a film production company that also developed the television series Rules of Engagement.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, he went on to...
features the song "Peace Frog"Peace Frog" is a song by The Doors which appears on the album Morrison Hotel. It was released on vinyl in February 1970 by Elektra/Asylum Records and produced by Paul Rothchild...
" and was in the movie's soundtrack.
- 2001, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore and Robby Krieger reunited again to perform The Doors' hits as part of the VH1 Storytellers series. Singing with the band were guest lead vocalists, including The Cult
The Cult are an English rock band, formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk and gothic rock band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as...
's Ian AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician, known for his role in the The Cult.-Biography:...
, CreedA creed is a statement of belief—usually religious belief—or faith often recited as part of a religious service. The word derives from the for I believe...
's Scott StappScott Alan Stapp is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the band Creed.-Early life:Stapp was born Anthony Scott Flippen on August 8, 1973 in Cherokee, North Carolina, to his mother Lynda and his biological father, about whom little is known...
, Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots, often abbreviated to STP, is an American rock band consisting of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz . The band found immediate success with the release of their debut album Core in 1992, which was certified 8× platinum by the RIAA...
' Scott WeilandScott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notably known for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots, and also for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver. After a five-year hiatus, the STP reunion tour kicked off at the Rock on the...
, Jane's AddictionJane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band is composed of Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly toured in 1997, reunited in 2001 and then parted ways in 2004...
's Perry FarrellPerry Farrell is a Jewish-American musician who is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza...
and Days of the NewDays of the New is an alternative rock band from Charlestown, Indiana , formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians...
's Travis Meeks. The show was later released on DVD as VH1 Storytellers - The Doors (A Celebration).
- 2000, Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook , also known by the stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, big beat musician, record producer and pioneer of the electronic dance genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
's album Halfway Between the Gutter and the StarsHalfway Between the Gutter and the Stars is the third studio album by Fatboy Slim. It was released in 2000 . It features Macy Gray, Ashley Slater, Bootsy Collins, Roland Clark, Jim Morrison and Roger Sanchez...
featured the song Sunset (Bird of Prey)"Sunset " is a song by Fatboy Slim from his 2000 album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars.The song samples "Bird of Prey" by Jim Morrison from his band The Doors' album An American Prayer, as well as the song "I Like It" composed by Adam Cohen and Ian Dye for the TV series Dilbert.The single...
with samples of "Bird of Prey" from the An American Prayer: Jim Morrison sessions. The single peaked at number 9 in the UK charts.
- Later in the same year, rap producer Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...
produced a song called Takeover"Takeover" is a track recorded by Jay-Z for his 2001 album The Blueprint. The song is a diss track aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.-Background:...
for Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...
for the latter's 2001 critically acclaimed album The BlueprintThe Blueprint is the sixth studio album by hip hop rapper Jay-Z, released September 11, 2001 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan...
. The song heavily sampled The Doors's song "Five To One", including the background music and Jim Morrison's vocals. The song was later sampled by Mos DefDante Terrell Smith is an American actor and MC known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, who released the album...
in his song "The Rape Over"The New Danger is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Mos Def, released October 19, 2004 on Rawkus and Geffen Records in the United States. The album was also released in Canada and continental Europe through Geffen, and it featured distribution in the United Kingdom on Island Records...
.
- 2004, Snoop Dogg
Cordazar Calvin Broadus , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés...
used "Riders on the Storm" in a song of the same name. It was used in the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Underground 2Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a cross-platform racing video game published and developed by Electronic Arts. Released in 2004, it is the sequel to Need for Speed: Underground, and is part of the Need for Speed series, available on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and...
, a street racing video game.
- 2008, The intro of the Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
track "Waiting for the Rapture"Dig Out Your Soul is the seventh and final studio album by English rock band Oasis, released in October 2008. The first single, "The Shock of the Lightning", was released on 29 September 2008. In promotion of the album, the band embarked on a world tour, debuting in Seattle, Washington at the WaMu...
strongly resembles the opening bassline of "Five to One"Five to One" is a song by The Doors, from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun.-Origin:"Five to one" is rumored to be the approximate ratio of whites to blacks, old to young, or non-pot smokers to pot smokers in the US in 1967, depending on whom you ask. A further urban legend has it as the ratio...
".
- 2008, Mogwai
Mogwai are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow. Formed by Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison in 1995, Mogwai have since become one of the most influential and best known names in post-rock. They typically compose instrumental, sometimes lengthy guitar-based pieces in the post-rock tradition...
's album the The Hawk Is HowlingThe Hawk Is Howling is the sixth studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, released on 22 September 2008 through Wall of Sound, Play It Again Sam, and Matador in the UK, Europe, and the USA, respectively...
contains the opening track titled "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead".
- 2008, Love Me Two Times
"Love Me Two Times" is a song by The Doors. It was written by the band and first appeared on the 1967 album Strange Days. It was released as the second single from that album, and reached #25 on the charts in the US...
was released as a master track for Guitar Hero World TourGuitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was launched in North America in October 2008 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles, and a month...
.
- 2009, "Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian, and satirist. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
released the single Craigslist"Craigslist" is the name of a song and single by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a style parody of The Doors, and contains lyrics inspired by postings at the online classified advertising service, Craigslist. Yankovic described the idea of the song coming about thinking how it would be...
. The style of the song is a pastiche of The Doors. Ray ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
contributed to the song.
Riders on the Storm/Manzarek-Krieger (2002–present)
In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger reunited and produced a new version of The Doors, called "The Doors of the 21st Century." The lineup was fronted by Astbury, with Angelo Barbera from Krieger's band on bass. At their first concert, the group announced that drummer John Densmore would not perform, and it was later reported that he was unable to play because he suffered from
tinnitusTinnitus is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound....
. Densmore was initially replaced by
Stewart CopelandStewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks.-Background:...
of The Police, but after Copeland broke his arm falling off a bicycle, the arrangement ended in mutual lawsuits, and he was replaced by Ty Dennis, drummer with Krieger's band. Densmore subsequently claimed that he had in fact not been invited to take part in the reunion. In February 2003, he filed an injunction against his former band mates, hoping to prevent them from using the name "The Doors of the 21st Century." His motion was denied in court and Ray Manzarek publicly stated that the invitation for Densmore to return to the group still stood. It was also reported that both Morrison's family and that of Pamela Courson had joined Densmore in seeking to prevent Manzarek and Krieger from using The Doors' name. In July 2005, Densmore and the Morrison estate won a permanent injunction, causing the new band to switch to the name "D21C." It now plays under the name Riders on the Storm, a song by The Doors released in 1971 as the last track on the final Morrison-Era album,
L.A. WomanL.A. Woman is the sixth and last studio album that the American rock band The Doors recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison, who died in July 1971. The album's style is arguably the most blues rock -oriented of the band's catalogue. Following the departure of their record producer Paul A...
. They are allowed to play under names such as "former Doors" and "members of The Doors." Later in July 2007 Densmore said that he would not rejoin The Doors unless it was fronted by
Eddie VedderEddie Vedder is an American musician who serves as the lead singer and one of three guitarists for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Vedder left the Southern California music scene and moved to Seattle, Washington in 1990 to join Pearl Jam where he rose to fame amid the grunge movement of the...
. Densmore says, "I play with Jim. If there's someone of that level, OK. I'm not gonna join them with Ian. That's not to diss Ian, he's a good singer - but he's no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there's a singer."
Densmore has been steadfast in refusing to license The Doors' music for use in television commercials, including an offer of $15 million by
CadillacCadillac is a luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors Company. Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mainly in North America....
to lease the song "Break on Through (to the Other Side)," feeling that that would be in violation of the spirit in which the music was created. Densmore wrote about this subject for
The Nation. He later gave an interview about this to LA Times:
- People lost their virginity
A virgin is, originally, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse. Virginity is the state of being a virgin. It is derived from the Latin virgo, which means "sexually inexperienced woman", used typically of adolescents, but also of older women, and even goddesses.As in Latin, the English word...
to this music, got high for the first time to this music. I've had people say kids died in VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
listening to this music, other people say they know someone who didn't commit suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
because of this music.... On stage, when we played these songs, they felt mysterious and magic. That's not for rent.
Ray Manzarek was quoted as saying, "We're all getting older. We should, the three of us, be playing these songs because, hey, the end is always near. Morrison was a poet, and above all, a poet wants his words heard." When Morrison was asked what he would most like to be remembered for, he responded, "My words, man, my words."
On February 16, 2007
Ian AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician, known for his role in the The Cult.-Biography:...
quit Riders on the Storm, and relaunched his old band
The CultThe Cult are an English rock band, formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk and gothic rock band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as...
. On March 14, 2007
Brett ScallionsBrett Allen Scallions is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for the Fuel-revival band "ReFueled" after being the vocalist for the original incarnation of Fuel from 1993 to 2006. During that time, the band released multiple albums including the double platinum Something Like...
, former lead singer of the band
FuelFuel is an American hard rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994...
, was announced as the new lead singer of Riders on the Storm.
In 2007, Manzarek described the band's sound as "
Bauhaus' is the common term for the ', a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933....
" music. "It's clean, it's pure. There is a keyboard on one side, a guitar on the other, drums in the middle, a bass line underneath that and the singer up front
and you can hear the words. That's one of the reasons why The Doors' sound is still important today. It's perfectly modern. That's what we wanted."
Strange Days, Morrison Hotel, and
L.A Woman incorporate different styles, including
psychedelicThe term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλείν , translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters...
pop,
hard rockHard rock or heavy rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music...
, and
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
.
Three non-album tracks have been released, the b-sides "Who Scared You," "
Tree Trunk"Tree Trunk" is a song recorded and released in 1972 by The Doors."Tree Trunk" was recorded by the surviving members of The Doors as they assembled material for their second and final album, Full Circle, following the death of Jim Morrison...
," and a cover of Willie Dixon's "(You Need Meat) Don't Go Further" sung by Ray. "Who Scared You" and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go Further" appeared on the 1972 compilation
Weird Scenes Inside The Goldmine. "Who Scared You" was also released on CD in edited form on the 1997 box set with later unedited appearances on
Essential RaritiesEssential Rarities is a compilation album by The Doors, originally released as part of the boxed set The Complete Studio Recordings in 1999, but reissued in 2000 as a single CD, containing studio cuts, live cuts and demos taken from the 1997 The Doors Box Set.All the tracks on this album have been...
, the
PerceptionPerception is a fortieth anniversary edition twelve disc box set by The Doors. It contains the 1999 remastered editions of all the Jim Morrison albums...
box set and the 40th Anniversary reissue of Soft Parade, and "You Need Meat" was included on the new "Perception" box set. "
Tree Trunk"Tree Trunk" is a song recorded and released in 1972 by The Doors."Tree Trunk" was recorded by the surviving members of The Doors as they assembled material for their second and final album, Full Circle, following the death of Jim Morrison...
" has seen no other official release. Additional songs have been only performed live.
On April 20, 2008 members of The Doors Manzarek and Krieger got together in the
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
ian capital city of
QuitoSan Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
to celebrate the band's 40 years of existence with a reunion concert. The two are performing with the name "Riders On The Storm" with Ty Dennis on the drums and Phil Chen (who played with Robby and John Densmore in The Butts Band) playing the bass.
On August, 2008, the California Supreme Court decided not to hear the case involving Krieger and Manzarek's use of the name "The Doors" in performances over the objections of Densmore and the Morrison estate, so the judgment against Krieger and Manzarek stands.
In February 2009 Ray and Robby went back on tour using the name "Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors."
New material
In 1997 the first archive material was included on the release of The Doors box set, a four-CD set, one of which was a "greatest hits" type CD. Some of the material had been previously available on bootlegs. A notable inclusion on the compilation was a CD of highlights from the 1970 Felt Forum concert and a cleaned-up recording of the (edited) 1969 "Rock Is Dead" session. The surviving members again re-united to add new musical backing to the solo Morrison song "Orange County Suite".
In November 2000 The Doors announced the creation of Bright Midnight Records, a label through which 36 albums and 90 hours of previously unreleased Morrison-era Doors material would be made available on CD. This was launched with a sampler of forthcoming material, mostly from live concerts. The first full release was a two-CD set of the May 1970 show at
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
's Cobo Arena, notable for being, according to Doors manager
Danny SugermanDaniel Stephen Sugerman was the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including No One Here Gets Out Alive co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography Wonderland Avenue...
in its liner notes, "easily... the longest Doors' set ever performed." It was followed by two CDs of interviews, mostly with Morrison, and the two 1969 Aquarius shows and one of the rehearsals. A four-CD set "
Boot Yer ButtBoot Yer Butt!: The Doors Bootlegs is an album released by Rhino/Elektra Records for the band The Doors, featuring songs that were recorded as bootlegs during concerts of The Doors ranging from the years 1967 to 1970.-Disc 1:...
" included bootleg quality material but sold out nevertheless. It was notable for the inclusion of the only known performances of songs from
L.A Woman including the title track and "The Changeling" from The Doors' final recorded show in December 1970,
DallasDallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
. In 2005 a two-CD concert from
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
in 1970 was released.
Many bootleg recordings are available of the group. Among them are a wealth of shows from March 1967 at the
Matrix ClubThe Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
in
San FranciscoSan Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,976. It is the eighth most densely populated city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San...
. Many shows are available from 1968 when the band reached the height of its popularity, notably two shows in
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. The infamous Miami show has become widely available while many 1970 shows, notably a radio broadcast of the June 5 Seattle and June 6
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
show, make the rounds. The complete 1969
Rock Is Dead studio jam was discovered in the mid 1990s.
The 1999
Complete Studio Recordings box set only included the first six studio albums (omitting
An American Prayer,
Other Voices and
Full Circle), and the
Perception box set, released on November 21, 2006, continued the same trend omitting the three post-Morrison studio albums. The 2006 box set contained about two hours of mostly unheard studio outtakes from the first six albums. Each album was represented by two discs: a CD of the album and the bonus tracks, and a
DVD-AudioDVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos. The first discs entered the marketplace in 2000...
with both stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes (produced and mixed by
Bruce BotnickBruce Botnick is a noted American record engineer and producer, best known for his work with The Doors, and with Love. He engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee....
) in 96 kHz/24-bit
LPCMLinear pulse code modulation is a method of encoding audio information digitally. The term also refers collectively to formats using this method of encoding...
,
Dolby DigitalDolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of data/audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories.- Versions :Dolby Digital includes several similar technologies, which include Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby...
, and DTS as well as mostly previously released video footage. The discs were accompanied by new liner notes by Botnick and articles from several music critics and historians for each album.
Awards and accolades
- In 1993, The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music...
- In 1998, Light My Fire
"Light My Fire" is a song originally performed by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released in June 1967, in the album The Doors. It spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100, and one week on the Cashbox Top 100. It was re-released in 1968, peaking at #87. The song was...
was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame under the category Rock (track)
- In 2002, The Doors
The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, released in January 1967. It features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with a substantial instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken-word...
(their debut album) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame under the category Rock (Album)
- In 2007, The Doors received a lifetime achievement award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording" ....
at the 2007 Grammy Awards
- In 2007, The Doors received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
- In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Doors #41 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
- The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles: The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums...
by Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine includes 3 studio albums by The Doors. The DoorsThe Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, released in January 1967. It features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with a substantial instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken-word...
at #42, L.A WomanL.A. Woman is the sixth and last studio album that the American rock band The Doors recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison, who died in July 1971. The album's style is arguably the most blues rock -oriented of the band's catalogue. Following the departure of their record producer Paul A...
at #362 and Strange Days at #407
- The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time...
by Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine includes 2 songs by The Doors. Light My Fire"Light My Fire" is a song originally performed by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released in June 1967, in the album The Doors. It spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100, and one week on the Cashbox Top 100. It was re-released in 1968, peaking at #87. The song was...
at #35 and The End"The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a simple good-bye song, possibly to a girlfriend, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close their...
at #328
- In 2000 The Doors are ranked #32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists
- The Doors' "Light My Fire" is ranked #7 on VH1 Greatest Rock Songs, in 2000
- The Doors were the first American Rock-n-Roll band to sell 8 consecutive Gold records
- The RIAA, as of November 2008, certifies
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
the following albums as Gold http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=The%20Doors&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25(RIAA Web Search)]
- Absolutely Live
- Alive, She Cried
- Legacy: The Absolute Best
- Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine
Band members
- Original members are in bold.
The Doors and Related lineups
The Doors Origins
(July 1965–September 1965) |
- Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker. He was best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen in rock music history. He was also the author of several books of poetry ...
- lead vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, vocals
- John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is a Californian musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors from 1965 to 1973.-Biography:...
- drums
- Rick Manzarek - guitar
- Jim Manzarek - harmonica
- Pat Sullivan
* Pat Sullivan * Pat Sullivan * Pat Sullivan * Pat Sullivan * Pat Sullivan , 19th century baseball player* Pat Sullivan...
- bass guitar |
The Doors
(October 1965–July 1971) |
- Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker. He was best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen in rock music history. He was also the author of several books of poetry ...
- lead vocals
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, keyboard bass, vocals
- John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is a Californian musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors from 1965 to 1973.-Biography:...
- drums, percussion |
The Doors
(1971–1973) |
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, keyboard bass, vocals
- John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is a Californian musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors from 1965 to 1973.-Biography:...
- drums, percussion |
| (1973–2008) |
Group Disbanded; Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore reunited in 1978, 1993 and 2000. |
The Doors of the 21st Century
(2002-2003) |
- Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician, known for his role in the The Cult.-Biography:...
- lead vocals
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, vocals
- Angelo Barbera - bass guitar
- Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks.-Background:...
- drums, percussion
- Jeremy Huller - lead guitar
|
D21C / Riders on the Storm
(2003-2007) |
- Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician, known for his role in the The Cult.-Biography:...
- lead vocals
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, vocals
- Angelo Barbera - bass guitar
- Ty Dennis - drums, percussion
|
Riders on the Storm
(2007-2008) |
- Brett Scallions
Brett Allen Scallions is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for the Fuel-revival band "ReFueled" after being the vocalist for the original incarnation of Fuel from 1993 to 2006. During that time, the band released multiple albums including the double platinum Something Like...
- lead vocals
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards vocals
- Angelo Barbera - bass guitar
- Ty Dennis - drums, percussion
|
Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors
(2008-present) |
- Brett Scallions
Brett Allen Scallions is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for the Fuel-revival band "ReFueled" after being the vocalist for the original incarnation of Fuel from 1993 to 2006. During that time, the band released multiple albums including the double platinum Something Like...
- lead vocals
- Robby Krieger
Robert Alan Krieger is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me" and "Love Her Madly".He is listed as number 91 on Rolling Stones list of the 100...
- guitar, vocals
- Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
- keyboards, vocals
- Phil Chen - bass guitar
- Ty Dennis - drums, percussion
|
Discography
- 1967 - The Doors
The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, released in January 1967. It features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with a substantial instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken-word...
- 1967 - Strange Days
- 1968 - Waiting for the Sun
Waiting for the Sun is The Doors' third studio album. It was released in 1968 and became the band's first and only number one album and spawned their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You." It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it peaked at #16 in the chart...
- 1969 - The Soft Parade
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by the The Doors, released in 1969.The album met with some controversy among fans and critics due to its inclusion of brass and string instrument arrangements, as opposed to the more stripped-down sound of their earlier recordings...
- 1970 - Morrison Hotel
Morrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
- 1971 - L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman is the sixth and last studio album that the American rock band The Doors recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison, who died in July 1971. The album's style is arguably the most blues rock -oriented of the band's catalogue. Following the departure of their record producer Paul A...
- 1971 - Other Voices
Other Voices is a 1971 studio album by rock band The Doors.-Recording:The recording of the album began while lead singer Jim Morrison was on holiday in France. The song "Down on the Farm" was allegedly already written at the time of the recording of the previous album, but Morrison did not want to...
- 1972 - Full Circle
Full Circle is the second album released by The Doors after Jim Morrison's death, and also their last album together before they broke up. The album includes "The Mosquito", the last hit single by the band. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger took Morrison's place as lead singer...
- 1978 - An American Prayer
Further reading
- Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors
Light My Fire is a memoir published in 1998 by The Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek. It contains valuable information about Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors. In the book Ray talks about his early life, UCLA, The Doors, and what happened to everyone after The Doors broke up.-Publication...
, by Ray ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder, and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and the Doors of the 21st Century since 2001.-Early life and career:Ray Manzarek is of Polish descent, born...
, Berkeley Publishing Group, ISBN 0-425-17045-4
- No One Here Gets Out Alive
No One Here Gets Out Alive was the first biography of Jim Morrison, lead singer and lyricist of the L.A. rock band The Doors, written after his death by journalist Jerry Hopkins, with later "insider" information added by Danny Sugerman. The book is largely credited with revitalizing the popularity...
, by Jerry HopkinsJerry Hopkins is an American author and journalist.He is best known as the co-author of No One Here Gets Out Alive , the definitive biography of Jim Morrison of The Doors, which was a key source for Oliver Stone's film about the band. He has written nearly 30 books about music, food and travel,...
and Danny SugermanDaniel Stephen Sugerman was the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including No One Here Gets Out Alive co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography Wonderland Avenue...
, Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-60228-0
- Riders on the Storm
"Riders on the Storm" is a song by The Doors from their 1971 album, L.A. Woman; it reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number 22 on the UK singles charts, and number 7 in the Netherlands...
: My Life with Jim Morrison and The Doors, by John DensmoreJohn Paul Densmore is a Californian musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors from 1965 to 1973.-Biography:...
, Delta Books, ISBN 0-385-30447-1
- "The Doors" by Danny Sugerman
Daniel Stephen Sugerman was the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including No One Here Gets Out Alive co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography Wonderland Avenue...
- "Wild Child
"Wild Child" is a 2001 single by Irish singer Enya. The song "Midnight Blue" has only been released on this single. The single was only available on CD in Germany, Japan and Korea. It was available on cassette in the UK...
: Life with Jim MorrisonJames Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker. He was best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen in rock music history. He was also the author of several books of poetry ...
", by Linda Ashcroft, Avalon Publishing Group, ISBN 1-56025-249-9
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