Doors Morrisonless Albums

Has anyone heard these? I just received Other Voices with Ray Manzarek
and Robby Krieger on vocals. I was expecting to be disappointed. I
think it's different but still pretty good. I can't wait until a copy
of Full Circle appears on Ebay.

Rusty

On 26 May 2006 14:41:43 -0700, "Rusty"
wrote:

Has anyone heard these? I just received Other Voices with Ray Manzarek
and Robby Krieger on vocals. I was expecting to be disappointed. I
think it's different but still pretty good. I can't wait until a copy
of Full Circle appears on Ebay. snip

Not bad, but not chart material, either. The visage of Morrison's
what made that group commercial. Once he was out of the picture, they
were just another band from LA. Wait, wasn't that Zappa?

The non-Morrison Doors LP's sucked. The only good one was American
Prayer, where they put new music to Jim's old recorded poetry, after
his death.

Dear Fellow 8 Track Enthusiasts

The first two Doors post-Morrison actually did make the Billboard
charts.The first,Other Voices,was a Top 40 album,reaching #31.The
song,Tightrope Ride,was released as a single and it reached #71.The
second post Morrison album,Full Circle,reached #68.It's track,The
Mosquito,would be released as a single and it reached #85.The album,An
American Prayer,with the Doors music recorded around Morrison's spoken
word poetry,reached #54.An American Prayer sparked reinterest in the
band that many of the Doors albums were rereleased and quite a few
Greatest Hits albums came out to capitalize on this.

Personally,I had always thought that the first two albums were pretty
good.I have them both on vinyl and I have always like them.IMHO,I had
always thought that the songs were well written and recorded.The first
album was simply an album of songs signifying a band trying to carry on
without it's most valuable asset.Full Circle,on the other hand,was a
concept album themed around the theory of evolution(hence the cover
artwork on the album)and it's impact on the world.Both of these albums
showed that the Doors were still a good band with or without Morrison.I
also know other Doors fans who have also heard the albums and even they
thought the albums were pretty good.

Of course,this is my opinion on them.You are all entitled to yours.

By the way DB,yes that was Frank Zappa.I also happen to be a huge fan
of his as well.I have several albums of his on vinyl and a few
8-Tracks.I also have the movie 200 Motels on VHS(when will they ever
release that film on DVD?).

I hope that everybody in here has a wonderful day.Sincerely Frank
R.Schoonover

It's a shame that music today does not have a message like The Doors
did.

Rusty

or any message for that matter

On 27 May 2006 12:31:09 -0700, "Rusty"
wrote:

or any message for that matter snip

It's all part of the conspiratorial shift of the country to the
fringes of the right. Those in positions of power know that "message
music" can motivate the masses, so it's a no-no. That's why a lot of
controlversial acts are hard pressed to make a statement without some
sort of "blowback." Just ask the Dixie Chicks.

I think MTV is responsible for everything that is wrong in music.

On 27 May 2006 18:51:02 -0700, "Rusty"
wrote:

I think MTV is responsible for everything that is wrong in music.snip

MTV is insidious corporate music manipulation in its worst form, as is
VH1..

I don't want to over-glorify Jim Morrison, because IMO he lived an f-d
up life, but from the rock music standpoint, he is a pillar.

The remaining Doors are good instrumentalists in their own right...esp.
Robbie Kreiger.

The problem is, anything they put out post-Morrison had to compete
with, and live in, the huge shadow cast by the earlier Morrison-Doors
discography. Musically and creatively, they are locked into that body
of work. It has come to define them. And they can't really add to it
significantly- only in a superficial manner. Losing Morrison to them,
was like taking your hand, and cutting off your thumb. The band became
crippled creatively, for the most part.

Jim was the seed, the impetus, that the other 3 added to. He was the
spark plug, that would start the chain reaction- both on stage and in
the studio. Without his ideas, the Doors lost their foundation and
direction. He was also the glue that held them all together as a unit.

In essence, Jim Morrison WAS the Doors. If he was still alive, he
could tour with any supporting musicians, and bill himself as "The
Doors featuring Jim Morrison"- just like John Kaye tours as
"Steppenwolf"- when he's the only original member of Steppenwolf left
in the band. The Doors were Morrison's showcase- much like Led
Zeppelin was Jimmy Page's guitar showcase. (albeit Page was sharp
enough to hire the best vocalist, drummer, bassist/keyboardist, and
manager in existence at the time, to form Zeppelin)

Effectively, Jim Morrison is an impossible act to follow, for the
remaining Doors. Which is why they threw in the towel shortly
thereafter. Jim Morrison was the best rock lyrics writer of all time,
and he had a unique persona that, to this day, no one can match. That
neck of the rock music woods belonged to him- because he lived it- it
wasn't just an act he did while on stage. The guy lived out of a
suitcase and spent most of his life in hotel and motel rooms on the
road. His personal life was even more shocking and bizarre than his
stage performances. That's why his music and lyrics have that
otherworldly quality to them. Imagine someone who, after reaching
adulthood, had money and fame, but never really had a home. That's Jim
Morrison. The road was his home.

Did you ever notice how the original Doors music, never quite fits into
any genre ? It's unique unto itself. Listen to Zeppelin, Aerosmith,
Rush, ZZ Top, etc. you hear some of the same influences in each. Put
on a Doors LP, it sounds like music from Mars. What other rock band
used little or no bass guitar ? That alone is a totally unorthodox
approach to rock music.

Then there's the lyrics...the average person listening to the Doors for
the first time, gets lost in them for a while. That music has a lot
of initial impact and power on the listener. It makes you want to go
out and buy the rest of their LP's, and explore them more- and try to
figure it out- try to decipher the message. No modern band does that
for the listener today. Morrison knew how to get someone's attention.
He was to rock lyrics, what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar. The
master.

Proof of all this was "An American Prayer"- simply having a recording
of Jim reading his poetry read aloud on tape, was a powerful
foundation- enough for the remaining Doors to form quite an impressive
LP from- years after the poetry was recorded. Without that poetry
reading, there would have been no LP possible. A few spoken words of
poetry from Jim Morrison, even after he was dead, was enough to make an
LP from.

Finally, there's the bottom line- Jim Morrison sold LP's and singles
like hotcakes- and sold out auditorium and stadium shows as well. The
Doors were a money making machine with Morrison. Without him, they were
a failure financially.