Founded in 1965, The Doors worked at a furious rate, releasing one album per year. L.A. Woman is their sixth album, released in 1971, a few months before Jim Morrison's death. This review is of the 1999 remastered version.
On a personal note, as a child it was one of my favourite albums. Every so often, I would retreat to the front room and carefully put this album onto the turntable. And while I don't normally buy into the "superiour" sound of vinyl compared with digital music, I'll happily admit that the woofly tones and crackling of the vinyl album were a great part of its character.
It has been a while since I last listened to this album. Yet as soon as it started playing, it felt like putting on a favourite old sneaker that's been lost at the back of the wardrobe for a while: after all this time it still feels familiar and "just right". Ahhh!
The Changeling is a great mini rock-opera. Full of variety and twists and turns, it still manages to sound cohesive and is nicely stitched together.
On the surface, Love Her Madly is usually remembered as a nice catchy little pop song. But it too is quite an intricate arrangement of twists and turns. For me, though, the highlight is the twist in the lyrics at the end of the first verse:
Don't you love her...
As she's walking out the door.
Been Down So Long is a simple yet brilliantly passionate blues. Cars Hiss By My Window is a simple yet brilliantly relaxing blues. Indeed, The Doors had nailed the blues style in all its forms. Crawling King Snake and The WASP are also solid efforts, again each with a different take on the genre.
L.A. Woman is the most energetic song of the album, thanks to the driving boogie beat. This beat and the lyrics perfectly compliment each other, to create the vivid imagery of speeding interstate through the night in the name of love. Since my childhood, this has been a favourite for closing the curtains, cranking the volume, and being transported to another universe!
Perhaps some ahem "chemical stimulation" is required to properly appreciate L'America. Because un-stoned listening reveals it to be quite incoherent as a whole. On the other hand, even sober Hyacinth House is enjoyable as a nice light pyschodelic ballad.
To quickly touch on recording quality, it is excellent, especially for a 1970s recording. In particular, the vocals are stunning.
As soon as that brilliant walking bassline starts, Riders on the Storm begins to wash all your troubles away. Another highlight is the organ- which is basically free to solo throughout the whole song. While it serves as background fill here, if you listen out for it, the playing is intricate, captivating and refreshingly understated. Then the ghostly lyrics over the top are the icing on the cake. Riders on the Storm is the perfect lullabye.
Wow. This is your first review I've agreed 100% with. Well done. ;-)
ReplyDelete