“Ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles California, The Doors! Roadhouse Blues From L.A. No hope. The Doors were the anti-60’s group. When people preached peace and love, the Doors responded with sex and violence. They were off kilter but terribly in tune with the times. The Doors’ first two albums (“The Doors” and “Strange Days”) were brilliant. Everyone said so. The Doors Strange Days Their self-titled debut contained “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” and the #1 hit “Light My Fire.” “Strange Days” had the title track, “Love Me Two Times” and “People Are Strange.” Light My Fire Break On Through (To The Other Side Strange Days Love Me Two Times (Live) Critics endlessly analyzed the Doors’ mystique and Jim Morrison, the wayward poet turned Rock star. He was the focal point. As he went, they went. However, the Doors weren’t a one-man show. Guitarist Robby Krieger wrote both words and music (including most of “Light My Fire” the group’s first and biggest commercial success. Also, classically trained keyboardist Ray Manzarek (who created organ intro for “Light My Fire”) and jazz drummer John Densmore made significant contributions. Jim Morrison The third album “Waiting For The Sun” was written under the gun. It showed. The first two albums had nearly exhausted the group’s original material. “Waiting For The Sun” did contain the group’s huge single “Hello, I Love You” and the anti-war “The Unknown Soldier,” which was banned by several radio stations. Hello, I Love You The Unknown Soldier The Doors tried to expand their sound with strings and horns on “Soft Parade” (especially on the hit “Touch Me”) but again fell short. Then Morrison got busted, charged with indecent exposure at the infamous Miami concert. Morrison’s trial (he would be found guilty) kept The Doors largely inactive. Touch Me The trial’s fallout resulted in concert promoters banning the group. Maybe The Doors were finished. Once the Miami trial was over, Morrison’s lawyer filed an appeal and that nasty mess was behind them for a while. Morrison Hotel Re-grouping in L.A., The Doors recorded the intense “Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe.” While the album, unlike every one of its predecessors, did not yield a pop hit, it was a classic with the raw sound of “Roadhouse Blues,” the L.A. madness of “Peace Frog” and road warrior “Queen Of The Highway.” The cover photo was taken by Henry Diltz at the Morrison Hotel in downtown L.A.  The band were not given permission to photograph, so they did it while the clerk was called away from the desk.  Roadhouse Blues (Studio Version) Peace Frog “Absolutely Live” was released in part to restore The Doors’ reputation as a credible concert draw. Typically, no “hits” were regurgitated on this collection. Rather, The Doors performed favored album tracks and versions of their “theatre” or extended pieces including “Celebration Of The Lizard” which was left off “Waiting For The Sun.” The Doors showed themselves to be a hard-edged Blues-Rock outfit covering Willie Dixon twice (including “Close To You” with Ray handling vocals) and Bo Diddley’s (“Who Do You Love”). Close To You With the completion of the Jazz influenced “L.A. Woman” which contained the title track, “Riders On The Storm” and the forgettable pop hit “Love Her Madly,” Morrison was off to Paris to write poetry. Ray, Robby and John began work on new material that might or might not include Morrison. “Not include” became the final answer with Morrison’s death – 7/3/71. The death certificate listed the cause as a heart attack. Given Morrison’slifestyle that sounded plausible but still highly unlikely. Who Do You Love L.A. Woman All sorts of rumors flew about in the wake of his passing and for many years thereafter. Did Morrison fake his death to escape fame? Or did he actually die from an OD? There were even alleged Morrison sightings. In ’07, Sam Bernett, the former manager of a Parisian nightclub Morrison frequented during his final days, published “The End – Jim Morrison.” In the book he claimed that The Doors frontman died of a “massive” heroin overdose (after acquiring the drug from dealers), and not natural causes. He further stated that Morrison was found dead in the bathroom of his venue, and that two drug dealers moved the singer’s body to his apartment where a death certificate was filled out before Morrison’s body was quickly sealed in a casket. One of the dealers’ other clients was said to be Jim’s significant other, Pam Morrison. The surviving Doors mourned briefly before deciding to continue as a trio. This line-up produced two so-so albums. From “Other Voices,” “Eye Of The Sun” came closest to capturing the “old” Doors vibe while “Tightrope Ride” was an ode to Morrison. Manzarek did his best Jerry Lee impersonation on “Full Circle’s” “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” “American Prayer,” with the surviving Doors providing instrumental backing to Morrison’s spoken-word poetry, wrapped up the trio’s output. ’03 saw Krieger and Manzarek revive the Doors with former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Cult vocalist Ian Astbury. The new line-up’s debut was in Vegas and a tour followed. Due to a dispute with Densmore and the Morrison estate over the use of The Doors’ name, the group became “The Doors of the 21st Century.” That band eventually disappeared with hardly a trace. ### The post The Doors appeared first on RockinTown.