Doors Morrisonless Albums

On 28 May 2006 04:41:45 -0700, "
wrote:

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. snip

That's about as accurate as it gets.

Actually, most of the hits were written by the other members for
example Robby Krieger wrote Light my Fire and Touch Me. It wasnt until
Soft Parade (My Favorite Doors album) they started to put individual
credits on the cover. My favorite song is The Unknown Soldier which was
written by Jim Morrison (?). What's your favorite album or song by the
Doors?

You're wrong there- 98% of the lyrics were by Morrison.

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.
followed by some accurate analysis.
Good read on The Doors. Your explanation of what made them stand out
from their peers on AM radia at the time makes sense.

I agree with Charlie here 110%. Plus, "An American Prayer" isn't as
bad as people think it is (I've yet to read one good "official"
review). Plus, it sounds awesome an any format. I'm not sure what was
different with the mixing and mastering but ALL albums should sound
this good.

Any opinions on the Quad "Best Of"? Worth the $2-3 bucks it seems to
go for?

On 2 Jun 2006 19:36:54 -0700, wrote:


I agree with Charlie here 110%. Plus, "An American Prayer" isn't as
bad as people think it is (I've yet to read one good "official"
review). Plus, it sounds awesome an any format. I'm not sure what was
different with the mixing and mastering but ALL albums should sound
this good. snip

The engineering on that album was uncommonly good.

The Doors are releasing a box set (individual releases to come next
year) in Sept. of all the studio albums as 2 disc sets, one cd/one dvd,
with the dvd having new surround mixes and new 2 channel mixes, plus
unreleased extras. It will be expensive, $149.99, but if you order from
the doors official site you will get a numbered copy
There will also be new re-released vinyl versions on audiophile
pressings, supposedly limited to 5000 copies worldwide.
I confess to being a bit burned out on the Doors, I like them, (tho I
like Love a -lot- more) but I find much of Morrison's poetry to be
uberdepressing...but once in a while, he really did hit the nail on the
head
I probably will buy the box so I will -never- have to buy those albums
ever again!
I have reels, 8-tracks, the quad release, dvd-a, japanese, german, US
original lps, the cd box (which was a steal at $35 for all the
remastered studio albums) oh no...not again!!!!!

wrote:
I agree with Charlie here 110%. Plus, "An American Prayer" isn't as
bad as people think it is (I've yet to read one good "official"
review). Plus, it sounds awesome an any format. I'm not sure what was
different with the mixing and mastering but ALL albums should sound
this good.

Any opinions on the Quad "Best Of"? Worth the $2-3 bucks it seems to
go for?


Quads are really a gimmick. Basically they were for analog, what DTS,
Dolby Surround, and DVD Audio are for digital. A way to perhaps get a
few more thousand copies sold, of LP's that the public already had in
stereo format.

Almost never will studio musicians sit in a circle and play their
instruments together, with a mic in the middle. They use 24 track
machines to layer and overdub- one track and instrument and vocal at a
time- then mix it into a song.

The same goes for live shows. The band is up on the stage, their PA
system is up front, facing the audience. A very few bands, i.e. Yes,
ELP, and Led Zeppelin- used quad concert sound PA systems in the early
1970's- because at the time quad was in. But by late-1970's quad was
already dead, it never DID take off.

When you listen to quad, you completely lose the stereo soundstage and
holographic imaging built into stereo. It becomes 4 boxes blasting
sound out, that's all. Lame.

This is why guys like Winnard and Lennonfan peddled off all their
quads- I was posting here that anyone with a quad collection should
sell it right quick, before the public wakes up and the tapes become
devalued. They finally realized quad is a joke. It actually sounds
like **** compared to stereo 8's. Listening to quad sounds like you
are listening to 2 or 3 different stereos at one time.

If you are into surround format, just get a machine with SACD and DVD-A
surround ability, like a Pioneer from Best Buy for around $150, and be
done with it.

But even digital surround is inferior to analog stereo, FWIW. Analog
stereo using a tube amp, playing vinyl records, is the Cadillac of
recorded sound, followed by reel and stereo 8 carts. Cassettes belong
in the gutter. CD's are for people who are in a hurry all the time.

William W Western wrote:
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.
followed by some accurate analysis.
Good read on The Doors. Your explanation of what made them stand out
from their peers on AM radia at the time makes sense.


"No One Here Gets Out Alive" was required reading in our neck of the
woods, back in the late 1970's.

Doors Morrisonless Albums / Quad "Best Of"

Group: alt.collecting.8-track-tapes Date: Sat, Jun 3, 2006, 3:24am
(EDT-3) From: (Smoggy)
wrote:
Quads are really a gimmick.
///
EVERYTHING is a 'gimmick' you nimrod.

Basically they were for analog, what DTS, Dolby Surround, and DVD Audio
are for digital. A way to perhaps get a few more thousand copies sold,
of LP's that the public already had in stereo format.
Almost never will studio musicians sit in a circle and play their
instruments together, with a mic in the middle. They use 24 track
machines to layer and overdub- one track and instrument and vocal at a
time- then mix it into a song.
///
That is not the point of surround.


The same goes for live shows. The band is up on the stage, their PA
system is up front, facing the audience. A very few bands, i.e. Yes,
ELP, and Led Zeppelin- used quad concert sound PA systems in the early
1970's- because at the time quad was in. But by late-1970's quad was
already dead, it never DID take off.
////
Only because of competing formats did Quad die its premature death. Pink
Floyd also used surround to legendary effect.

When you listen to quad, you completely lose the stereo soundstage and
holographic imaging built into stereo. It becomes 4 boxes blasting sound
out, that's all. Lame.
/////
damn is this dumb. You -increase- the soundstage, not lose it! You can
place sound anywhere you want (to the point of having it virtually all
in the front speakers if you so desire) so the soundstage is increased
exponentially.

This is why guys like Winnard and Lennonfan peddled off all their quads-
I was posting here that anyone with a quad collection should sell it
right quick, before the public wakes up and the tapes become devalued.
They finally realized quad is a joke.
////
you dummy. I never 'peddled' off my quad collection, far from it! I only
sold some quads I had 2 copies of. 1 is enough. (eyes roll)
I can't speak for Winnard, but I don't think he sold his quad for fear
of being 'devalued'. Many quad tapes will likely -never- lose their
value due to their unique mixes and rarity.

It actually sounds like **** compared to stereo 8's. Listening to quad
sounds like you are listening to 2 or 3 different stereos at one time.
////
more nonsense.

If you are into surround format, just get a machine with SACD and DVD-A
surround ability, like a Pioneer from Best Buy for around $150, and be
done with it.
But even digital surround is inferior to analog stereo, FWIW. Analog
stereo using a tube amp, playing vinyl records, is the Cadillac of
recorded sound, followed by reel and stereo 8 carts. Cassettes belong in
the gutter. CD's are for people who are in a hurry all the time.

NO, reel is better than vinyl @ 7.5ips, late cassettes sound better than
8-tracks, and cds are a little more valuable than you realize. They
surely are a transitional format like 78rpm, but for what they are they
do the job. Many cds sound better than their vinyl or tape counterparts.
They have audiophile potential but with the new surround formats like
sacd and dvd-a, their sampling rate is not as high therefore they are
more 'primative' compared to the newer high resolution formats, which,
as fate would have it, look just like a cd.