The Doors

The Doors' career was short, but long enough to establish them as one of the leading names in rock and roll, and Morrison's poetic talent and rebellious spirit were decisive factors in the group's uniqueness.

The Doors emerged in the turbulent year of 1965. The Vietnam War had broken out a year earlier, and young Americans were protesting against it as best they could. 

In one of the classrooms of the film school at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek were studying. Jim didn't intend to be a singer, but he saw music as a powerful tool to express his lyrics and poems. Ray Manzarek was a classically trained pianist, and they both had the idea of ​​forming a band. Legend has it that after Morrison recited verses from the poem 'Moonlight Drive', Ray, impressed by Jim's performance, took the initiative to form a group with him. 

The duo began searching for other members. John Densmore and Robert Krieger then joined. John took on the drums and Robert the guitar, and together with Morrison on vocals and Manzarek on keyboards, they formed The Doors. One detail: the band opted not to have a bassist, which is unconventional in a rock group. 

The name The Doors came from a line in a poem by William Blake: "when the doors of perception shall be cleansed, man shall see things as they truly are: infinite." Morrison was a fan of Blake, and many of his thoughts are expressed in the musician's lyrics. 

Contract signed, it was time to work. The band members began composing and, in a short time, the self-titled album was ready, released in 1967. The Doors was the band's great triumph and became part of the select group of great albums, those that were revolutionary, indispensable to rock'n'roll. 

The album is dark, chaotic, and disturbing. While the Beatles and Rolling Stones wrote songs about love, The Doors converged on negative themes, on the dark side of human existence. The result of the blend of jazz, blues, and rock in The Doors is surprising. 'Break On Through' is one of the album's main singles. It's an energetic, danceable song, whose strong point is Manzarek's keyboard performance. Also noteworthy are the sensual 'Light My Fire', one of the band's biggest hits, and 'The End', a song that generated much controversy due to the lines "Dad, I want to kill you; Mom, I want to fuck you". The song, which is 11 minutes long and "similar to progressive rock songs", was included in the soundtrack of the acclaimed film Apocalypse Now (1979), by Francis Ford Coppola (who was a classmate of Morrison and Manzarek at UCLA). 

The Doors managed to create a masterpiece with their debut album. Success was overwhelming, and the band went from being an alternative group to a phenomenon in the United States. Taking advantage of their rise, they released their second album, Strange Days, in 1967. 

The album follows a similar musical line to its predecessor, and the lyrics remain obscure. 'People Are Strange', 'Moonlight Drive', and the album's title track are the most notable. At the time of Strange Days' release, The Doors were going through a transition, moving from playing in bars and small venues to large concert halls and stadiums. 

In early 1968, the band was in full swing. Waiting for the Sun was released, and Jim Morrison was already popularly known as the "Lizard King." This is due to the line in the song "Not to Touch the Earth," in which Morrison proclaims: "I am the Lizard King/I can do anything." Despite the song "The Unknown Soldier" being a critique of the Vietnam War, Waiting... is a more positive, more optimistic album than its predecessors. 

The Doors reached the pinnacle of success. Morrison established himself as a major performing leader and sex symbol, and the band was praised everywhere for its talent and originality. The group then organized its first major tour, and only one, "Hello, I Love You," which took them to England, the Netherlands, Germany, and other countries. 

Morrison's relationship with success began to get troubled. His behavior was unpredictable. He would go on stage drunk, insult the audience, create friction with the band members, until, in May 1969, at a show in Miami, the vocalist was arrested for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct (Morrison was accused of showing his genitals to the audience). Because of this incident, The Doors suffered backlash on American stages. After the turmoil, the band released The Soft Parade (1969), which ended up not being a great work. The blues/rock style was altered to one of orchestrated songs, and the album suffered from overproduction. 

But it was with the excellent Morrison Hotel (1970) that The Doors returned to the musical level they had achieved with their first two albums. 'Roadhouse Blues' and 'Waiting for the Sun', the opening tracks of the album, are a delight for fans. In this album, The Doors return to the blues/rock formula that made them famous. Next came the live album Absolutely Live (1970), which, in addition to some well-known hits, also featured new songs.

Even with the success of Morrison Hotel, the band was no longer able to maintain a peaceful relationship. Jim was abusing drugs and alcohol, weakening his voice and maintaining his unstable behavior. Despite the problems, they produced and recorded L.A. Woman, released in April 1971, which, like its predecessor, was a great success. 

Exhausted by the rock star label and all the media adulation and persecution, Morrison traveled to Paris with his wife to escape the spotlight for a while. He never returned. Then, on July 3, 1971, his wife Pamela, returning to the hotel where they were staying, found Morrison dead in the bathtub. It was the end of a talent and the beginning of a myth. 

Morrison's death is a mystery. Only the medical examiner and his wife saw the body, which raised doubts about the singer's death. The autopsy report stated a heart attack as the cause, which at the time caused much controversy regarding its veracity, especially among Jim's most devoted fans. 

Between facts and rumors, the relevant point is that The Doors prematurely lost their frontman. The band tried to continue without Morrison, releasing two albums, Other Voices (1971) and Full Circle (1972), but after the second they ceased activities. From then on, compilations, tributes and greatest hits were released; there was even a posthumous album, An American Prayer (1978). In 1991, Oliver Stone's controversial film, The Doors, was released, in which Val Kilmer played Jim Morrison. The film, despite its success, suffered negative reviews, especially from Ray Manzarek, who stated in the press that the film exaggerated the idea of ​​a myth surrounding Morrison. 

In the early 2000s, Ray Manzarek and Robert Krieger recruited Ian Astbury, the vocalist of The Cult, to be the frontman of The Doors on a "revival" tour. The duo's last meeting had been in 1993, when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many people turned their noses up at the "new" Doors. But so what? The Doors became immortalized as the band of the American cultural revolution, a symbol of counterculture, of existential obscurantism. The Doors will always be a musical reference and Jim Morrison the eternal rebel poet. The doors were opened: The Doors are infinite. 

In 2001, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger reunited for the first time in over twenty-five years to perform songs by The Doors as part of the VH1 Storytellers series. Joining the band were several guest vocalists, including Ian Astbury of The Cult, Scott Stapp of Creed, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, and Travis Meeks of Days of the New. The performance was later released on the DVD VH1 Storytellers - The Doors (A Celebration).

In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger reunited and created a new version of The Doors, called "The Doors of the 21st Century." The lineup was led by Astbury, with Angelo Barbera from Krieger's Band on bass. At their first concert, the group announced that drummer John Densmore would not participate, and it was later reported that he couldn't play due to tinnitus. Densmore was initially replaced by Stewart Copeland of The Police, but after Copeland broke his arm in a bicycle accident, the partnership ended by mutual agreement, and Ty Dennis from Krieger's Band joined. Densmore later stated that he had not been invited to be part of the reunion after all. In February 2003, he filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates to prevent them from using the name "The Doors of the 21st Century." His motion was dismissed in court in May. Manzarek publicly stated that the invitation for Densmore to return to the group remained firm. At this time, Morrison's family joined Densmore in an attempt to prevent Manzarek and Krieger from using the name "The Doors." In July 2005, Densmore and Morrison's representatives won a permanent court case, forcing the new band to change its name to "D21C." They currently perform under the name Riders on the Storm, in reference to the band's song of the same name. They have also been allowed to perform as "former members of The Doors" or even "members of The Doors." 

Ray Manzarek once stated: "We're all getting old. The three of us should play these songs because the end is always near. Morrison was a poet, and above all, a poet wants his words to be heard." However, in 2007, Densmore stated that he would only join the group if the chosen vocalist was "of that level" as Jim Morrison, like Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. 

When Jim Morrison was asked what he would like to be remembered for most, he replied: "My words, man, my words." Morrison also said: "I like any reaction I can get with my music. Anything that makes people think. I mean, if you can get a room full of stoned and drunk people to reflect and think, then you're doing something." 

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Doors 41st on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The previous year, it had already considered the albums The Doors, L.A. Woman, and Strange Days the 42nd, 362nd, and 407th best albums of all time, respectively. The songs "Light My Fire" and "The End," both from the group's first album, were considered the 35th and 328th best songs of all time, respectively. 

In 2007, The Doors, along with the Grateful Dead and Joan Baez, were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Grammy Awards, and on February 28th, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Meanwhile, on February 16th, Ian Astbury left Riders on the Storm to relaunch his former band The Cult, being replaced by Brett Scallions, former vocalist of Fuel. 

On July 24th, a triple album was released featuring live recordings of a Doors performance at the Boston Arena on April 10th, 1970. The Doors' popularity today is demonstrated by the number of copies their albums continue to sell. 

In April 2010, the documentary When You're Strange by Tom DiCillo was released, telling the story of the band and narrated by actor Johnny Depp. 

THE DOORS - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION

The Doors

Futpediamusic Selection

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

"The Doors - Biography and discography". Antena 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022.