Formed in the year 1966 by Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, the Doors were a psychedelic / acid Rock band. Made up of drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robert Krieger, keyboardist Raymond Manzarek, and vocalist Jim Morrison.
The Doors, made the world divide between admiration and contempt, repression and freedom, the morbid inspiration of their performances, attitudes, or statements to the press; or the intellectual depth of many of their lyrics. Here are the 10 Lesser-Known The Doors Songs That Hardcore Fans Know:
The Crystal Ship
Composed by Jim Morrison, it was released as a single along with Light my fire in the year 1967 and was included in the album The doors in the same year, the crystal ship is a song whose meaning is an unknown yet it is said to speak about the first love of Jim Morrison, Mary Werbelo, or also about some psychedelic trip with drugs like peyote or LSD. In any case, the lyrics are very romantic and psychedelic at the same time.
https://youtu.be/2mnNB8-ZQB0
Roadhouse Blues
Composed by Jim Morrison, it was released as a single on the B side of “You Make Me Real” in 1970 and included on the album Morrison Hotel of the same year, the song stands out for having a Blues Rock style along with a lyrics that talks about a fast lifestyle with sex and alcohol, it was one of the most successful of the band and it is worth mentioning that with this song there would be their concerts and that it has been covered by bands like Deep Purple, Status Quo, Creed, etc.
People Are Strange
Composed by Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger it was included in the 1967 album Strange Days, it stands out for the psychedelic lyrics that it is said was a song that was dedicated to the hippie counterculture and drug users and according to John Densmore, this song shows “Vulnerability “by Morrison.
When The Music’s Over
Composed by the entire band, it is a psychedelic / progressive rock song, included on the strange days album from 1967, it cannot be described very well as it is full of psychedelic poetry and keyboard arrangements and synthesizers, in addition to extensive solos. Simply a masterpiece probably the result of spiritual experiences with drugs such as: peyote, LSD, marijuana, mushrooms, etc. that the band had in those times.
Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
Included in his 1967 self-titled debut, it is an adaptation of an original theme song by Germans Bertold Brecht and Kurt Weill for the opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. It is not difficult to know why it is one of the best themes of The Doors taking into account that the changes in the lyrics by Jim and the balalaika performed by Robby Krieger give a much more cabaret tone to this version. If the detail that it is not original from the band were a little more known, it would surely be among the 5 or 10 best covers in history.
Moonlight Drive
Although it appears until their second album, Strange Days, this was the first song by The Doors in their history. It is said that when Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek met after a long time on a beach, Jim showed Ray one of his poems, which would end up being the lyrics of the song. Manzarek was so surprised by the lyrics and his voice that he immediately asked Jim to put together a band together “to win a million dollars.”
The Unknown Soldier
To be an anti-Vietnam anthem, it’s not as well known if you compare it to, say, “Gimme Shelter” by the Stones. That did not stop him from becoming popular among his followers because of the impressive way he recreates a shooting, which was even taken to the music video that they made for the subject.
Shaman’s Blues
Loaded with romanticism in its lyrics and quite chaotic in its instrumentation, it was part of his 1969 album The Soft Parade, in which the first symptoms of decay were already perceived in Morrison, who at that time became an alcoholic, for which reason he missed several of the recording sessions. Possibly one of the most interesting moments of Robby Krieger, who sustains the song in an impressive way with his guitar.
LA Woman
The song gives the title to the Album LA Woman of 1971 her last album with Jim Morrison, it is a Blues song with a lyrics that talks about the life of the Angels in the ’60s with drugs, alcohol, sex and the madness that I was living. In this song Jim’s voice sounds very serious due to tobacco abuse and a curious fact is that Morrison recorded it in the bathroom of the studio and using glass so that his voice was heard “better”, it is a long track with 7: 49 minutes duration.
Love Street
One of the most beautiful songs of their career. Jim Morrison wrote Love Street for his girlfriend Pamela Courson and the place they lived together, a street in Laurel Canyon that they had nicknamed “the street of love.” The song appeared as B-side of Hello, I Love You and as the second song from her third album, Waiting For The Sun.