THE DOORS - THE DOORS

Reviewing a Doors album is rather like taking apart a games console. Such an idiotic task you wondered why you ever bothered when failure looked almost certain. The one thing that hit me when I listened to this album is its simplicity and clarity of vision in its sound. The songs are so free and unhinged, you can almost imagine them being improvised on the spot.

If I had to suggest an image that this album creates in my mind, then I would suggest one of the circus with lots of clowns and animals doing all sorts of tricks to the notes of a harpsichord. Sort of like having a party at the house of the Adams Family, you know the 1960's TV series.
More than a singer or showman Jim Morrison was a poet who was able to bring his talent to the media of music. One of my favourite songs from this album would have to be Light My Fire, an electric song of personal intentions which spreads its wings so effortlessly. The songs have a real beat to them, almost as if they had a life of their own as strange as that may appear. Which could be why comparisons have been made of the Doors with the 80's era, and that their music could have easily come from that decade. Personally I think they would have looked quite out of place alongside the likes of U2 and Queen.

This album has real rhythm to it which makes it a pleasure to listen to but at the same time they experiment as well. With one of the main results being The End which has a distinctly eastern feel to it. On the downside some of the songs seem to hang on for marginally longer than seems necessary and tend to wonder if they have been instrumentally over worked. These are small criticisms and overall I would say that this is a really cool mysterious album, one that wouldn't go amiss in any music lover's collection.

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4/5