Album: L.A. Woman
Artist: The Doors
Born: Los Angeles
Released: April 1971
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Influenced: Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Nick Cave, Echo & the Bunnymen
Though 1971 started with two great rock records from the European continent, the real epicentre of pop music had shifted from New York to California that year. Inspired by the success of the solo albums of the four members of CSNY, this was the beginning of the singer-songwriter era, with Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor all examples of the emerging Laurel Canyon sound. As Bob Stanley points out in his brilliant book, Yeah Yeah Yeah, this shift to the more affluent, relaxed west coast would also suck the vitality out of pop and cause punk to explode in the mid-70s. Back to 1971, which David Hepworth called the "annus mirabilis" of the album, and there was one Californian band that didn't fit with this trend and which were about to produce their swan song, L.A. Woman. The Doors may not have been as innovative as their Elektra label mates Love, and Jim Morrison's pretentious mysticism and bad poetry can wear a little thin at times, but at their best they were still compelling. More than any of their other studio albums, L.A. Woman captures Morrison's brilliance as a frontman, whether growling the blues or acting the lounge lizard, and feels more loose and improvised musically.
Like many adolescent boys looking to blow their minds, I was attracted by the music of the Doors, but now find I listen to very little of their music. L.A. Woman is one of the few albums that really sticks. The Changeling gets things off to a rousing start, before things shoot off in a very different direction with Love Her Madly, a pop counterpoint to much of the blues-inspired music on the album, and one of the Doors' best-selling singles (peaking at No.11 in the US). The downtempo blues of Been Down So Long and Cars Hiss By My Window can feel a bit of a drag, but then all is forgotten on the marvellous title track, one of the ultimate American road songs. Hyacinth House and Riders On The Storm are my highlights on side 2, the first mixes a great Manzarek organ solo with world-weary vocals, while the second has an ominous, otherworldly feel that seems to presage Morrison's untimely death later that summer.
Though 1971 started with two great rock records from the European continent, the real epicentre of pop music had shifted from New York to California that year. Inspired by the success of the solo albums of the four members of CSNY, this was the beginning of the singer-songwriter era, with Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor all examples of the emerging Laurel Canyon sound. As Bob Stanley points out in his brilliant book, Yeah Yeah Yeah, this shift to the more affluent, relaxed west coast would also suck the vitality out of pop and cause punk to explode in the mid-70s. Back to 1971, which David Hepworth called the "annus mirabilis" of the album, and there was one Californian band that didn't fit with this trend and which were about to produce their swan song, L.A. Woman. The Doors may not have been as innovative as their Elektra label mates Love, and Jim Morrison's pretentious mysticism and bad poetry can wear a little thin at times, but at their best they were still compelling. More than any of their other studio albums, L.A. Woman captures Morrison's brilliance as a frontman, whether growling the blues or acting the lounge lizard, and feels more loose and improvised musically.
Like many adolescent boys looking to blow their minds, I was attracted by the music of the Doors, but now find I listen to very little of their music. L.A. Woman is one of the few albums that really sticks. The Changeling gets things off to a rousing start, before things shoot off in a very different direction with Love Her Madly, a pop counterpoint to much of the blues-inspired music on the album, and one of the Doors' best-selling singles (peaking at No.11 in the US). The downtempo blues of Been Down So Long and Cars Hiss By My Window can feel a bit of a drag, but then all is forgotten on the marvellous title track, one of the ultimate American road songs. Hyacinth House and Riders On The Storm are my highlights on side 2, the first mixes a great Manzarek organ solo with world-weary vocals, while the second has an ominous, otherworldly feel that seems to presage Morrison's untimely death later that summer.
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