Guest Blogger: Daniel 2

The Doors are a band that grew to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their music would be described by most as psychedelic rock with occasional blues influence. Many of their songs evoke a mysterious or even rebellious kind of feel with song lyrics that, at the time, were considered very lewd. Although many of their songs are about drugs or culturally taboo topics, a great number of their more popular songs had in depth social commentaries that really made people think and inspired people. One song that really stands out to me is the song “Riders on the Storm” this song is about how we are all just a small part of a very big and chaotic world and we are all just trying to make our way through the world one step at a time. This song is one of their most popular songs because it brought people together under the idea that everyone has their own problems and lifestyle, but in the end we’re all just trying to make it through life. Partially what makes The Doors so special is that they are unlike any of the other bands of the era. Many people may try to compare them to bands like Cream or Led Zeppelin, but while those bands really focused on having strong memorable melodies usually written in major keys, majority of The Doors songs had very mysterious melodies that gave the songs a dark and gloomy kind of sound. One of my favorite albums by the Doors is their 5th studio album, Morrison Hotel. At the time the album was not very well received by critics, and in Lester Bangs’ review written in 1970 for the Rolling Stone magazine he referred to the album as “a thyroid burst of manufactured energy worthy of a thousand mediocre groups”. But since that time the album has grown into one of the bands more popular albums with many lifelong fans claiming it as their favorite. The reason I love this album so much is because it has the typical Doors sound and adds an almost bluesy aspect to it. The song “Roadhouse Blues” is a perfect example of their different sound, instead of heavy organ and mysterious guitar parts it has a very memorable bass line and a more upbeat sound. The new sound coupled with the classic Jim Morrison lyrics and voice makes for a perfect song that has become one of the Doors most popular songs in their short time as a band.