Light My Fire ended the first side of the original vinyl LP, and came in at 7 minutes and 6 seconds, including long solos by Ray Manzarek on Vox Continental organ and Robby Krieger on guitar. Krieger recalled an instruction from Jim Morrison to the band to write more songs, and duly went home to work on one. So I knew it had to be about earth, air, fire or water. John Densmore put the Latin beats on it; Jim put the second verse in it. I put the solos and the introduction to it and Robby was the original songwriter.
So we all did it together. You guys just go. The other track that defined The Doors on the album was the much-remarked about The End. In the spirit of live performance, only two takes were done of the song, on successive days. Morrison was apparently high on acid to really capture the song on the first night, but totally took control on the next, capturing a piece of musical history.
He became shamanistic and led the small group on a shamanistic voyage. He put himself into a trance and, through that, put us all into a trance. It was a magic moment, and it was almost a shock when the song was over. We thought we were going to be just another pop group, but then something happened when we recorded The End. We saw that what we were doing was more important than just a hit song. We were writing serious music and performing it in a very dramatic way. However, the original soundtrack session tapes have yet to be located.
The Doors guitarist spent his early years emulating flamenco masters like Mario Escudero, Carlos Montoya, and Sabicas before moving into the blues. When the Doors began arranging the Morrison composition, Krieger found a familiar line falling out of his guitar. The first two songs they recorded were shelved, but alternate versions surfaced on future Doors albums.
He kind of closed his eyes, and began to sing in a Chet Baker, haunted whisper kind of voice. Oh, my. Are we allowed to do that on this planet? We all just sort of nodded our heads and that was it. That was the birth of the Doors.
Right there. But inhibited by the unfamiliar studio setting, they were unable to recapture the magic of their first rehearsal. The piece was especially exhausting for Morrison, who delivered a lengthy mid-song poem inspired by the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. The studio was very dark. Morrison had a different idea. The rest of us left, but he snuck back into the studio and got pissed off that there was no one else around, so he sprayed the place down with a foaming fire extinguisher.
He came back to the studio and the gate was locked. That was locked. But the studio was open and the red lights were on. Manzarek recalled the story slightly differently. In his memoir, Light My Fire , he claims that Morrison began ranting about a fire while being driven home from the studio by his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. He was so persistent that Courson reluctantly returned to the studio, and Morrison immediately bounded over the fence.
The following day, a single boot, belonging to Morrison, was found among the destruction. No reason to call the police. We all knew right away what had happened.
Come on, really? Elektra head Jac Holzman immediately cut a very large check to studio owner Tutti Camarata. The Doors used a secret bass player in the studio — Wrecking Crew session legend and future Bread member Larry Knetchel. The role originally fell to him out of necessity when the band first began to coalesce. Then we auditioned another bass player and we sounded like the Animals.
He quietly hired Larry Knechtel, of the ubiquitous gang of Los Angeles session players known as the Wrecking Crew, to thicken the sound.
The medium had traditionally been used to push films, food, cigarettes and a host of other products, and this was the first time a rock band would appear on one. He was right, giving birth to a whole new field of artist promotion. Following the recording of the album, Morrison moved to Paris with girlfriend Pamela Courson, but was sadly found dead in the bath a few months later on July 3, The cause of death is listed as heart failure, however no autopsy was performed and some have speculated his death may have been caused by an overdose.
This album took a deeper delve into jazz and employed session musicians. It reached number 31 on the Billboard chart. The record also contains influences of Latin fusion with added elements of funk and jazz. After Full Circle, the three remaining Doors members disbanded upon the end of their contract with Elektra Records, but would reunite for one last album 5 years later.
The Doors reunited for this final studio album, An American Prayer. Featuring Morrison posthumously, the album features spoken word poetry recordings from and set to music. One of the best-selling bands of all time, The Doors were both the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold LPs and the first in rock history to use the synthesizer. Their music was controversial, influential, and theatrical. One such incident occurred in Miami, where Morrison was accused of indecent exposure.
This led to radio and conservative media bans and cancelled shows. Despite the bad press, The Doors were able to continue playing concerts around the world. In the late s, there was a revival of interest in the music of The Doors, creating a new generation of fans. Re-releases of their earlier albums re-entered album charts and in , a second revival occurred with the release of the film The Doors. The innovative, rebellious, and creative spirit of The Doors inspired other writers, artists, activists, and the creative community and continues to today.
Who are The Doors?
0コメント