Total Rock Review Review
The Total Rock Reviewers of the Doors are disc jockeys and others involved in the music industry. They review and rate the six Doors studio albums, providing in-depth focus. As for the band members, this review is noteworthy for its focus on guitarist Robby Krieger: its great portrayal of him, his guitar work, and his contribution to the group.
Because Robby wrote many fewer songs than lead singer Jim Morrison, Robby is arguably represented disproportionately. However, the proportion of his songs that are famous, including "Light My Fire," is comparable to Morrison's, and many performances of them are available on video clips. The commentators have many insights into Robby's guitar work, merited in obvious situations like his edge on "Love Me Two Times" and "L.A. Woman," but they also praise his slides on "Wild Child." Robby had some great musical ideas and riffs, and he talks about them. His bottleneck guitar playing, slithering and sliding up and down, had so much to do with the Doors' success. Some commentators play Robby's chords and licks on the guitar themselves.
As for John Densmore, he and his jazz drumming and Latin influences are covered fairly well. However, things fall short with Ray Manzarek. After all, his keyboards were something that set the Doors apart from most bands (even those that also had keyboards) and, on the first two LPs, captured the imagination of America. But there is not enough substance on his musical abilities and background, although his contribution to the group is acknowledged. Finally, Morrison as a performer comes off well in the comments. Interestingly, record producer Les Davidson agrees with me that he was more a lyricist than a poet, but I wish there had been more commentary on the lyrics themselves.
The discussion of the band members and the albums is overshadowed by the comments on selected songs. The number of songs chosen for discussion is uneven: 5-3-3-5-1-3 ½. "Morrison Hotel" is covered only by "Roadhouse Blues." The selectors apparently picked the best songs available for which there were video clips: live performances or videos made for the song. This Doors lover wishes there were treatment of EACH song on the superb first two albums.
The awarding of stars yields five for "The Doors" and "L.A. Woman," four for "Morrison Hotel," and three for "Waiting and the Sun" and "The Soft Parade." As for the surreal, psychedelic "Strange Days," the comments are favorable: "When the Music's Over" is given a pedestal along with the two AM hits, and credit is given for the album's good production. But true Doors aficionados vouch for the beauty and compelling emotion in "You're Lost, Little Girl" and "Unhappy Girl," the hypnotic and mind-blowing "My Eyes Have Seen You," and the precious "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind." Four stars are not enough for "Strange Days"; it outshines any Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, or (by far) Creedence album. The only Velvet Underground album that compares is the first.
Still, I commend the commentators' acknowledgement of some underappreciated moments of the Doors. "The Soft Parade" was their most criticized album, but if you put it on you still hear better music than most, if you can meet Robby halfway for being a little syrupy in his songs. Morrison's "Wild Child" is given its proper recognition, and DJ Tank Montana declares of Morrison's title cut, "to a lot of fans, probably one of the finest performance songs to wrap up any of the Doors' albums." Through and through, the essence of the group is recognized. Critic Mike Devlin correctly observes in final comments that The Doors should go down as one of the 10 most important bands in rock history.
Total Rock Review Overview
This is the ultimate critical review of the Doors, on record, on film and live on stage. Drawing on rare film and television archive material this independent and highly authoritative review revisits every single Doors album and critically reassesses the work of this legendary band from the 67 debut album right through to the seminal L.A. Woman. A leading team of music critics, musicologists and working musicians considers vintage performances by the Doors and traces the secrets of the bands success. This hard hitting powerful film pulls no punches when it comes to deciding what made the music work and, sometimes, why it didnt.
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