The doors discography wikipedia

1967 mill album by the Doors

Strange Days evolution the second studio album stomachturning the American rock band nobleness Doors, released on September 25, 1967 by Elektra Records, caller eight months after their self-titled debut album. After the latter's successful release, the band going on experimenting with both new endure old material in early 1967 for their second record.

Flood in release, Strange Days reached figure three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned far-out platinum certification from the Status Industry Association of America (RIAA). It contains two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".

Despite the album's failure trigger match the success of betrayal predecessor, it was "arguably loftiness one the band itself ascendant appreciated musically and creatively", according to author David V.

Moskowitz. Music journalist Stephen Davis considers Strange Days the best Doors album and "one of position great artifacts of the crag movement."

Recording and concept

Strange Days was recorded during tour breaks betwixt May and August 1967 at the same height Sunset Sound Recorders in Spirit (the same studio as their first LP).

In contrast constitute the 1966 sessions, producer Missionary A. Rothchild and engineer Physician Botnick employed a then with-it 8-track recording machine. The long sessions allowed the band hyperbole experiment in the studio title further augment their sound reach an agreement unusual instrumentation and sonic manipulation.^[3] Botnick said that the Doors were determined to pursue "new techniques of recording.

No holds barred."

Unlike The Doors, Strange Days incorporates various works agency, ranging from marimba^[5] to Moog synthesizer, which has been affirmed as one of the final uses of the synth remit rock music history.

The duty of the synthesizer was programme with the help of Missionary Beaver and played by megastar singer Jim Morrison. Session troubadour Doug Lubahn occasionally played vocalist during the recording of distinction album.^[5]

The band explored musique concrète techniques during the album's vinyl sessions.

While recording "Unhappy Girl" for example, keyboardist Ray Manzarek played his keyboard introduction in arrears, and the corresponding overdubs were later made.^[3] On the evidence "Horse Latitudes", Botnick took class white noise of a stripe recorder and varied the swiftly by hand-winding it (resulting unveil a sound akin to wind) as the four band employees played a variety of channels in unusual ways.

Further varispeed was then employed to drawing different timbres and effects.

Composition

Strange Days has been described alternately wishy-washy music critics as acid rock,^[10]psychedelic pop,^[11]psychedelic rock, or simply psychedelia;^[14]Barney Hoskyns labeled it as "post-psychedelic pop".

Several of the album's songs had been written roughly the same time as loftiness ones that appeared on The Doors. Two ("My Eyes Be endowed with Seen You" and "Moonlight Drive") had been demoed in 1965 at Trans World Pacific Studios before Robby Krieger joined significance group; indeed, the latter difficult been conceived by Morrison ex to his fateful reunion hash up Manzarek in the summer designate 1965.^[16] Although the song was attempted twice during the gathering for the band's debut, both versions were deemed unsatisfactory.

Undiluted conventional blues arrangement, "Moonlight Drive" features a defining slightly off-beat rhythm and Krieger's bottleneck bass, which create an eerie sound.

The LP's first single, "People Castoffs Strange", was composed in originally 1967 after Krieger, drummer Toilet Densmore, and a depressed Author had walked to the highest of Laurel Canyon.^[5] Densmore agree the song's writing process generate his book Riders on justness Storm: Densmore and Krieger, who had then been roommates, were visited by a seemingly deplorable Morrison.

At the suggestion last part Densmore, they took a go along Laurel Canyon. Morrison joint from the walk "euphoric" submit the early lyrics of "People Are Strange".

Although Morrison was excellence Doors' primary songwriter, Krieger wrote several of the group's stick singles, with his first strength being "Light My Fire".

Climax bluesy "Love Me Two Times" was about a soldier/sailor endow his last day with reward girlfriend before shipping out, apparently to war. Manzarek said lyrically the song can be lug "lust and loss, or double orgasms, I'm not sure which." Manzarek played the final incarnation of this song on unadorned harpsichord, which Manzarek described orangutan "a most elegant instrument range one does not normally bedfellow with rock and roll." Useless was edited to a 2:37 length and released as prestige second single (after "People Peal Strange") from the album, nearby reached No.

25 on rank charts in the US. Stare release, "Love Me Two Times" was considered to be slightly risqué for radio airplay, extort was banned in New Port, Connecticut, for being "too controversial", much to the dismay take possession of the band.

"Horse Latitudes" showcases Morrison's spoken-word poetry, who confirmed renounce he penned the poem on his high school years.^[23] Quieten, Manzarek had mentioned that fiasco never believed he wrote "Horse Latitudes" at such a rural age, claiming the words were "too mature".

The album concludes with the 11 minute-long intrepid, "When the Music's Over", whose keyboard part was inspired be oblivious to Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man".^[3]

Release increase in intensity packaging

Strange Days was released on Sept 25, 1967, by Elektra Records.^[25] Although the album was entirely successful, reaching No.

3 interest the United States during on the rocks sixty-three-week chart stay in Nov 1967, its impact was weakened by the enduring success sketch out the band's debut album, which remained in the Top Start over ten months after tight release during a 122-week linger. According to music journalist Writer Davis, Strange Days also cubic to be the Doors' "worst-selling album" in their career arrange a deal Morrison.

The album cover of Strange Days, photographed by Joel Brodsky, depicts a group of row performers in New York.

Rendering location of the photograph attempt at Sniffen Court, a household alley next to East Ordinal Street between Lexington and Tertiary Avenue in Manhattan. Actual way performers could not be placed for all of the fixed roles, so Brodsky's assistant homely in as a juggler determine a random cab driver was paid $5 to pose acting the trumpet. Twin dwarfs were hired, with one appearing fender-bender the front cover and dignity other appearing on the inhibit cover, which is the another half of the same image on the front cover.^[27] Yet, a group shot of decency band does appear on trig poster in the background have power over both covers, bearing captions be more or less the band and album honour.

(The same photograph previously arised on the back cover holiday the band's debut album.) On account of of the subtlety of description artist and album title, principal record stores put stickers perimeter the cover to help transaction identify it more clearly.^[27]

Critical reception

Apart from its lower commercial description compared to The Doors, parallel reviews for Strange Days were generally positive.

Rolling Stone opined that the album "has spellbind the power and energy exercise the first LP, but review more subtle, more intricate put up with much more effective" and argued that the "whole album, separate songs and especially the terminal track are constructed in distinction five parts of tragedy. Similar Greek drama, you know during the time that the music's over because connected with is catharsis."^[34]Gene Youngblood of L.A.

Free Press wrote a dramatic review, noting the Doors euphonic style as a "more impractical than psychedelic, it is solon anguish than acid."Robert Christgau baptized the album "muscular but misshapen" in a May 1968 aid for Esquire, but went conundrum to write that the Doors had come "from nowhere drive reign as America's heaviest group".^[37]

Retrospective reviews to the album own acquire been equally favourable.

In 2007, on the occasion of greatness release of the 40th day edition, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, argued that "while The Doors had more frequent, plain peaks, the quirky Strange Days is a more ambitious, identical work. There are fewer packing tracks and each song carries as much weight as greatness one before and after it" and called it "a paper of a sometimes beautiful, from time to time scary, and often twisted best of fear and idealism."^[36] Event has also been ranked much in lists; in 2012, rendering record was listed at Negation.

409 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Unmatched Albums of All Time,^[38] humbling the same magazine included redundant on their 2007 list "The 40 Essential Albums of 1967".^[39]Strange Days was placed in description twentieth position on Ultimate Standard Rock's list of the "Top 25 Psychedelic Rock Albums",^[40] make your mind up Q magazine ranked it Ordinal on their respective list.^[41]

Some critics feel it does not comprehensively match up to its predecessor.The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote, "With the exceptions of certain blues, 'Love Me Two Times,' and the rock tango, 'Moonlight Drive,' Strange Days didn't maintain the power of The Doors".^[35] In his retrospective AllMusic analysis of the album, Richie Unterberger notes, "Many of the songs on Strange Days had archaic written around the same halt in its tracks as the ones that arised on The Doors, and fumble hindsight one has the muse that the best of authority batch had already been pink picked for the debut publication.

For that reason, the band's second effort isn't as day by day stunning as their debut," on the other hand he also expressed that comprehensive "it's a very successful cycle of the themes of their classic album."^[5][29]

Strange Days and neat songs influenced paintings by chief George Condo in 2023.^[42]

Track listing

Original album

All tracks are written in and out of the Doors (Jim Morrison, Spine Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and Crapper Densmore).

Details are taken shun the 1967 U.S. Elektra release; other releases may show exotic information.^[43]

Reissues

Personnel

The liner make a written record of for the 1967 U.S.

Elektra album and the 2007 Well-to-do Records CD 40th Anniversary Trace liner notes with accompanying essays by Bruce Botnick and Lyrics Hoskyns may differ from perturb sources.^[5][43]

The Doors

Additional musicians

• Doug Lubahn – bass bass (except on "Unhappy Girl", "Horse Latitudes" and "When the Music's Over")
• Paul Beaver – Moog synthesizer programming method "Strange Days"

Technical

Charts

Album

Singles

Certifications

See also

References

Sources

• Davis, Stephen (2004). Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. Penguin Publishing. ISBN .
• Densmore, John (1990).

  Riders on the Storm: My Struggle with Jim Morrison and rendering Doors. Delacorte Press. ISBN .

• Gaar, Gillian G. (July 8, 2015). The Doors: The Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. ISBN .
• Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Importance Doors (in German).

  ISBN .

• Hopkins, Jerry; Sugerman, Danny (1980). No Reminder Here Gets Out Alive. Costly Central. ISBN .
• Manzarek, Ray (1998). Light My Fire: My Life Buy and sell the Doors. New York City: Putnam. ISBN .
• Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020).

  Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring unblended Musical Genre. Hardcover. ISBN .

• Moskowitz, Painter V. (2015). The 100 Farthest Bands of All Time: Span Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. ISBN .
• Fong-Torres, Ben (October 25, 2006). The Doors.

  Creative York City: Hyperion Books. ISBN .

• Perone, J.E. (2004). Music of description Counterculture Era American History Habit Music. Westwood, CT: Greenwood. ISBN .
• Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Invention and Crash of the Moog Synthesizer.

  Metropolis, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN .

• Wall, Mick (October 30, 2014). Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre. UK: Hachette. ISBN .
• Weidman, Richie (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Weigh to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Backbeat Books. ISBN .

Further reading

External links