The Doors
Elektra Records
Recorded in the summer of '66, and subsequently released in January of '67, The Doors debut album signified a key change in the landscape of popular music. What once was, was now a thing of the distant past - out with the old and in with the new. Inspired by Aldous Huxley's 1954 book 'The Doors of Perception', in which Huxley experiments and documents his short relationship with mescaline, The Doors entanglement with the more psychedelic side of life was set from day one.
The psychedelic stamp in which The Doors left on the American psyche is hard to ignore. The swamping deluge of the 'turn on, tune in, drop out' mentality - a phrase popularized by Timothy Leary - played a key role in setting the scene for The Doors and their kaleidoscopically tinged output - both parts playing an integral role in one an others success, so to speak. The impact that a contemporary act can have on a multitude of things - culture, fashion and of course music - is not to be underestimated
Smoke rings as effervescent as thoughts themselves linger in the wake of Jim Morrison's performance - enticing it its seductive stature. Sexually deviant, Morrison's promiscuous lead role slithers to alluring life - from ruptured roars on opening track 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)' to more soothing pastures on 'End of the Night' the range that Morrison puts on show is incredible. The tendency to flip from passive performer to full-on front man lends itself to his ambiguous ways - the secretive, cryptic lyrics and the out there antics both on and off stage all wrap Morrison in a whirlwind of eccentric qualities.
Ray Manzarek, wizard with the keys, swoops and sways like a night at the carnival at times - he can bring the most sinister of sounds on board with an ease that is stunning in its simplicity. The subtlest rays of moody sunshine radiate from his fingers like the reflection from disco balls - surveying the surrounding wastelands for signs of life. The album cover itself is a sign of deviant dwellings - plenty of time alone has been had, for better or for worse. Traversing through the psyche and coming out of the other side unscathed is a near impossible task. Things seem to stick in one way or another. As they say 'once the door is opened..... it cannot be closed'.
January 4th, 1967.
