Favorite Albums - The Doors 3/5

I know, I know - how old am I?  Well, an acquaintance once told me I had "an old soul" and I guess it's not far from the truth.  Most of my favorite bands are from the '60s and '70s.  I suspect that I was a hippie in a past life.

With that background in mind, I present to you another one of my favorites: The Doors self-entitled debut album from 1967.  
 
(Full disclosure: it can be a toss up for me between this album and the Doors' 1970 release  Morrison Hotel.  Both are fantastic and beg to be listened to.  On sweet, sweet vinyl, if you can swing it.)
 

It has probably been a year since the last time I played the Doors first album in its entirety.  Listening to it again yesterday just reaffirmed what I've always loved about it: this album sounds like the '60s.  Fortunately, it achieves this without all the "make love, not war, and let's wear flowers in our hair" type of stuff that so frequently dates music from this time period.  ("Age of Aquarius," anyone?)
 
On the contrary, despite the distinct '60s vibe and inclusion of tasty harpsichord solos, this album sounds pretty modern to me.  
 
Take, for example, a killer song like "Break on Through (To the Other Side)."  This is one of those songs that could easily be played on a modern rock station without sounding out of place.  It's also, in my opinion, the strongest song on the album.

The very prominent bass line is mirrored and embellished by the guitar.  I find this to be quite a modern and effective use of the bass.  A popular song that makes use of the bass in a similar way is the Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Otherside."  
 
This album includes my first favorite Doors song, the sinister sounding "The Crystal Ship."  The song is extremely atmospheric without passing into Pink Floyd territory.  It also has the interesting quality of being the only song on the album that is sans guitar.  Instead, it relies on a beautiful and haunting piano piece, accented with an echoey harpsichord. 
 
One of the most interesting aspects of any album by the Doors is Jim Morrison's vocal performance.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not big on lyrics.  But Morrison's voice makes you care about what he's singing.  It's a voice I can get behind!  
 
Although he puts in excellent performances on every track, I really enjoy Morrison's voice in the song "Soul Kitchen."  He makes this song.  The growl he affects during the chorus is seriously memorable.  The song wouldn't be nearly as interesting without it, although it's a nice little rock number.  
 
If you have any minor interest in '60s rock, the debut Doors album is a great place to begin your journey.  My favorite songs are: "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" "Light My Fire" "The Crystal Ship" and "Twentieth Century Fox."