Chapter 3 - The Doors

Chapter 3 - The Doors 


Fun story about The Doors, they were the house band of the Whiskey a Go Go until Jim spoke those word things near the end of The End. That was the end of that. Strong first impression, as first impressions a go go. 

That's our starting point, isn't it? If nothing else, the self-titled debut says "hi, we're the name we just called ourselves, you deal with figuring it out." Ok, but no guarantees, you know? 

Obviously, populating a jury with people who've never heard the doors is a monumental task, but me pretending to be Drew Barrymore and wake up every morning with total reset amnesia is just as ridiculous. I can pretend it's our 900th first date, but i've seen Sandra's pick for first impression boots and skirt. Still makes a powerful statement, but my appreciation has inevitably changed over time. No getting around the fact i know i like it very much. While we're on the subject of objectifying albums, let's try being objectively subjective. All the possible interpretations are by definition possible, so at least one of mine should be probable. That cover photo isn't any form of question, now is it? This so called "Jim" guy appears to know exactly what he's thinking, and his wing men do not appear to be surprised either. 

I'm trying to imagine sitting in a bar and this is what starts blasting from the stage where Johnny Rivers, a couple go-go dancers and a DJ in a cage were standard nightclub entertainers only a few years earlier. I like pretty ladies and all, but these guys just jamming is way more mesmerizing. 

This is also one of the practically no other albums where fully left panned drums don't bother me at all. Back Door Man is a fairly risque song to begin with, it's the Southern term for an adulterer, but my goodness is Morrison more than a little uncomfortably believable. And that reverb. Just wowzers. 

Now, I'm not a space-cadet, but this has to be as close to an LSD trip as it's possible to recreate in audio form. I can't even imagine the walls bulging and carpet patterns crawling up your legs while this happens into your brain. The flashing lights on the back of my eyelids are overpowering completely sober. 

I guess the final verdict is that for a blind date first impression, you'll be lucky if her dad doesn't greet you in his boxers and white tank top holding a shotgun. You gotta have some serious not giving a damn about waking up tomorrow to hop on public transportation in Santa Monica with these crazies. 

Contender for best debut album, no contextualization needed. So, as far as self-titling goes, this is the standard. We are The Doors, are you sure you're ready to find out what's on the other side? 

Chapter 4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 4 Seasons - The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette

Image
This might be my longest  album review ever. But i swear a couple times, so it's worth the read ;) How could i possibly mention Jefferson Airplane, The 4 Seasons, and Frank Zappa in the same context? Zappa said "this is rediculous" and a few years later The 4 Seasons said "you know what, Frank is right. This IS ridiculous." To which Jefferson Airplane said, "Oh. Ok. Got it." The real question is: which one is the most transgressive? Zappa said stop fighting, you look like idiots. Jefferson Airplane said i guess if love and community is a bad thing, then sure we're criminals and we'd be happy to move out into the fields and live peaceful lives without your garbage, let us go already. The 4 Seasons said hold my champagne for a moment. In 1969, The 4 Seasons released the single most ironic, acidic, extravagant, and downright befuddling album ever created, The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette. Zappa was accused of writing "shitty doo-w
Read more

Welcome to my blog, and my record collection.

This is a blog about my love of listening to albums. It started off as a nightly perusal of my dad's record collection (which sadly became mine) on my personal facebook page. Over the last two months it has become quite an enjoyable process of simply ranting about what i think is a real art form, the album. It needs a more permanent home. Some of my reviews are positive, some negative. They might not be what you expect from album reviews, but i hope you at least find them entertaining. For the most part i do very little research, and they tend to be train of thought reactions rather than calculated essays. If nothing else, know that i'm really listening to them and whether they are amazing or abysmal i want you to go listen to them too.  I'll start migrating the 60+ i've written so far over here in the next few days, and hopefully get to the point where i just start writing them here. I'd probably even take suggestions if you're just dying to know my tho
Read more

Pat Benatar - Seven The Hard Way

Image
I don't know about you, but i love Pat Benatar. Yes, that's also her debut album with the single most underrated song in the universe (My Clone Sleeps Alone) in the background, but that's just a generic non-self-titled debut album. We're jumping ahead to her 6th album, Seven The Hard Way, because that, ladies and gentle germs, is how you kalaidescope a concept. Not one, not two, not three, but 4 protien-packed layers to this metaphor. You don't really need to know the overly complicated rules of Craps to know that A) it's gambling, B) "the hard way" refers to rolling doubles, so good luck rolling two 3.5s, and C) you're going to lose, one way or another. It's a joke, but more importantly, it's Pat Benatar and the roll out is Sex As A Weapon, so the innuendo is not intended to be subtle. Wait wait wait, that's only 3, Bottle, where's 4? You're right, last but not least, side B opens with Seven Rooms of Gloom, a Holland-Dozier-Hol
Read more