Getting into the Doors

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

After buying a physical copy of Glimpses, and reading the whole thing, I'm ready to expand my library to the Doors.

What 3 albums should I get?

I'm thinking...

The Doors
Waiting For The Sun
Morrison Hotel

[rab2591]

The Doors
Morrison Hotel
LA Woman (definitely this one)

Also buy American Prayer.

And read 'No One Here Gets Out Alive'

The Doors are such an amazing band - glad you're getting into them!

[runnersdialzero]

Download "Orange County Suite", open the song in the audio editing software of your choice, loop the part where Jim sings "Well I'm MAD. And I'm BAD" for thirty minutes, and make 70 copies of the file. This is all you really need.

[Sheriff John Stone]

1. The Doors - it would've been great to have it for the summer, but there's still time
2. In Concert - very diverse, it'll carry you through the winter
3. L.A. Woman - perfect for next spring

Then fill in the gaps at your leisure. You're in for a great ride.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

alrighty, sounds good! Looks like I should grab L.A Woman, Morrison Hotel, and The Doors. I may also get the 40th Ann. Version of WFTS because I REALLY like some parts Of Celebration of the Lizard.

[guitarfool2002]

Wait!

Get Strange Days...it was recorded in late 1967 (there are a few nuggets about that process in the "Sunset Sound" thread topic if interested), and it was still early enough in their career to capture their sound as a core band akin to what they were doing on the Sunset Strip. They used 8-track tape for the first time, so they did have more tracks to overdub and experiment, but unlike a few other albums they didn't go crazy with it.

Strange Days features some really nice Moog synthesizer work, including patching various tracks like Jim's vocals through the synth and creating some bizarre sounds which at that time were new to a lot of listeners. And Krieger's fuzz guitar on "When The Music's Over" is a highlight of his entire career.

I think the first Doors album (essential) and Strange Days are like Rubber Soul and Revolver are to The Beatles - they're musical relatives to the point where you need both to get a more full picture of what the band was at that time. And as a live band, in 1967 I think they were either at or near their peak, and it was captured on those two albums.

LA Woman is good, definitely, but I've come to think it was an attempt not as much to sound like a bluesy live bar band, but instead to capture what they did on the first two albums, 66-67 - The Doors and Strange Days.

(At this point why not just get all the studio albums they made with Morrison, they aren't that many... )

[I. Spaceman]

Strange Days would be my #1 choice. And if you like orchestrated LA pop, The Soft Parade.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

okay now I might just get the box set

[Amazing Larry]

If you're gonna read something, read Riders On The Storm by their drummer John Densmore. It's far and away the best book on The Doors.

[EgoHanger1966]

Just get the box. Really.

I happen to like the remixes that are out on the single disc + bonus tracks issues of the six albums. They are revisionist for sure. I wouldn't listen to them before you listen to the original mixes, but they are fun.

Favorite Doors album? S/T. Maybe cliche, but I don't care. Just a solid, solid, solid album.

[Justin]

"The Doors" - one of the best debut albums ever for a band. 
"Strange Days" - a cool trip
"LA Woman" - one of the best albums ever by anyone

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I ended up getting the Legacy 2 CD set, because it seems that they have WAY too many good albums haha

I'll probably get the box soon though, really digging it!

[EgoHanger1966]

I ended up getting the Legacy 2 CD set, because it seems that they have WAY too many good albums haha

I'll probably get the box soon though, really digging it!

Six albums is their whole catalog! (not counting anything after Jim Mo.)

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

they had SD and LA Woman but together it'd cost 1/3rd of the box so ehh

[EgoHanger1966]

This is a much cheaper alternative to the box. All 6 Morrison albums, if you're cool with buying from merchants on Amazon. I dunno if they are the remixes or the originals. Still, nice price.

http://www.amazon.com/Collection-Doors/dp/B0052FG750/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347754593&sr=8-2&keywords=doors+box

[Sheriff John Stone]

Six albums is their whole catalog! (not counting anything after Jim Mo.)

In Concert is being sold way too short in this thread.

It has the great "Who Do You Love", "The Celebration Of The Lizard", "Break On Thru Part 2" with Robby's fantastic solo at the end, "Roadhouse Blues" taken from American Prayer,  maybe the best live version of "When The Music's Over", a 16 minute "The End", and other goodies such as "Gloria", "Soul Kitchen", "You Make Me Real", "The Unknown Soldier" - and "Light My Fire"

A nice career overview, post-Miami, and Morrison cared. Amazon has it for $14 bucks!

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Oh man I may have to grab that... I dont think its the 40th remasters... still good?

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Went for it, couldnt let that go haha

[Heysaboda]

The Perception box set has all the albums remastered, and ALSO, all albums again in a surround sound re-mix by Bruce Botnick.

But what ever you buy, go ahead and get EACH of the 6 original CDs.  EACH of them are very good to excellent in their own way.

They are well worth anyone's time.  I've never lost my taste for this band.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I heard the 5.1 mixes are sh*t, so I ignored them and got the 6 albums (the 40th mixes) in the "A Collection" box

[Ron]

'back in the day I bought all their sh*t.  I soon decided that L.A. Woman was amazing.  I like a lot of their lesser songs too like "The Cars hiss by my Window".  It's basically just good blues stuff.  They were a high quality band, the 'gimmick' of their sound never really got old.  He could write a song about nothing and you'd still enjoy it. 

You gotta check out some of their live stuff they did too of course.  15 minute long "Light My Fire" s, Break on through with the "Dead Cats" intro, all the poetry stuff he did in concert, the awesome versions of Gloria (when the band didn't screw up, or Jim didn't screw it up). 

Such a phenomenal band, you really can't go wrong with any of their cd's although I'm not familiar with the wealth of stuff that's been released in the last 10 years. 

Oh, btw, didn't see many people talking about the Soft Parade.  Awesome album!

[Jukka]

After being a huge fan of Morrison-era Doors for years, I finally got me the new CD-release of Other Voices/Full Circle. My lord, it's amazing stuff! Maybe not the starting point for anyone, considering the fact there is no Jim, but definitely worth checking out. Don't let anyone tell you other.

If you don't believe, take a listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJczjnVphWU

[Dunderhead]

Should I get another Doors album if I don't really care for the first two releases? They're good, but there are other Doors-like bands that are more to my liking, namely HP Lovecraft.
Strange Days is a solid album, and I think a few of the songs are great, Unhappy Girl especially, but it just doesn't do it for me. Is it worth my time to listen to any of the other albums they put out?

[Alex]

Strange Days would be my #1 choice. And if you like orchestrated LA pop, The Soft Parade.

I tried getting into the Soft Parade a few years back. Touch Me and Tell All the People were the only songs that really tickled my fancy. Part of the problem may have been me expecting "Morrison singing over Pet Sounds-esque tracks". I just remember being really disappointed when I wasn't hearing "big" string and horn arrangements on every single song on the album.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Should I get another Doors album if I don't really care for the first two releases?

I highly recommend L.A. Woman. The Doors' sound had changed since 1967, starting with Morrison's voice, which became fuller and deeper, replacing the romantic croon with a bluesman's growl - though he still retained that mystic quality a la "Riders On The Storm". Overall though, the band rocked harder, at the same time retaining the jazz feel, and really getting into the blues. It was a more mature sound, maybe because of the exodus of Paul Rothschild and the band self-producing. Jerry Sheff on bass and Marc Benno on rhythm guitar didn't hurt, either. I love the album.

While L.A. Woman turned out to be the end, listening to the album always makes me wonder where The Doors would've gone. As a band, they were so good...