- by New Deal democrat
Here is a song you have probably never heard. To appreciate it, I suggest minimizing the screen while you listen, or at least scroll down so that the video doesn't show....
Sounds pretty cool, like Santana or the Grateful Dead, doesn't it? So long as you are not fixated on the missing famous vocalist, this is a great song.
And of course, that's the problem. I mentioned a while back that as a kid, I was a big fan of the Doors. Not "Jim Morrison and the Doors," as deejays often said - and still say - like the other three guys were only there for back-up, but "the Doors." Most of the group's singles, including the iconic "LIght My Fire", weren't Morrison's songs at all, but were composed by guitarist Robby Krieger (in Light My Fire, aside from vocals, Morrison's contribution was the second verse). And what would the group's legacy be without the lengthy keyboard solos on Light My Fire or Riders on the Storm? Truth be told, when I listened to their albums for the first time way back when, it was Manzarek's keyboards, not Morrison's vocals, that hooked my attention. Manzarek may just be the most overlooked musician in the history of rock'n'roll.
"Ships with Sails" showcases just how good the three musicians were. At the same time, you can't help wondering how big a hit this would have been had Morrison survived to sing it. All of the songs on "Other Voices" were probably originally written for Morrison's voice. Krieger's bittersweet guitar at the end of "Ships with Sails" seems like an exclamation point on that loss.
Surprisingly, if you take a look at Rolling Stone magazine's list of the best singers in rock'n'roll, Morrison only comes in at number 47 - despite having a voice as emotionally evocative as Sinatra's. Maybe that's because. just as with the adolescent poetry of Edgar Allen Poe, so I outgrew the demonic and foreboding aura that centered on Morrison.
And what about the other 3 guys? Krieger and Densmore also make the list, in the 90s, as guitarist and drummer, respectively. And Manzarek? Rolling Stone lists him as the number 4 keyboardist of all time. So maybe he's not so overlooked after all.
Have a nice weekend. See you on Monday.
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2 comments:
Great song and "the doors" were a great band. If Jim had not died so young (age 27 in 1971), I'm sure the band would have evolved quite a bit, and would have continued to have success in the 70's and 80's (and maybe beyond). I agree with you about the other band members, especially Robbie Krieger. He played a mean bottleneck guitar. Densmore was solid, but the drummer was not a huge part of the doors' music. Manzarek was the real glue of the band, and his influence was the most notorious.
You should check out the recent documentary "When you're strange." I saw it at a local film festival. I think it's out on DVD now.
I've heard it, I had the album. I was in the small minority that thought very highly of the post-Morrison doors.
I used to claim to my friends that this was just as good a song if not better than "Riders on the Storm."
Without Morrison's iconic voice, The Doors took it up a notch.
Most of my friends dismissed this, essentially saying "Jim Morrison is dead, The Doors are dead."
Glad to see someone praising this music.
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