Tribute Page

The Doors

With an intoxicating blending of differnt musical influences, provocative and uncompromising songs, and the mesmerizing power of singer Jim Morrison's poetry and presence, The Doors had a transformative impact on both popular music and culture.

The Doors' arrival on the rock scene in 1967 marked not only the start of a string of hit singles and albums that would become classics. Refusing to be mere entertainers, the Los Angeles quartet relentlessly challenged, confronted and inspired their fans, leaping headfirst into the heart of darkness while other bands warbled about peace and love. Though they've had numerous imitators, there's never been another band quite like them.

Biography

The group destined to be The Doors, was actually formed when Morrison and Manzarek - who'd met at UCLA's film school - met again, by chance, on Venice Beach, California, during the summer of 1965. Though he'd never intended to be a singer, Morrison was invited to join Manzarek's group, Rick and the Ravens, on the strength of his poetry. Krieger and Densmore, who'd played together in the band Psychedelic Rangers, were recruited soon thereafter. Although several bassists auditioned for the new group, they never found a bass player that lived up to expectations - the base lines were handled either by Krieger or Manzarek. Inspired by Aldous Huxley' psychotropic monograph Doors of Perception, the band changed their name to The Doors; and in 1966 signed to Elektra Records following a now-legendary gig at the Whisky-a-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in California.

The band releasd its much acclaimed self-titled debut album in January 1967. The Doors' first single, "Break on Through (To the Other Side)," achieved only modest success. It was their second single, "Light My Fire," which catapulted the band to the forefront of the rock and roll world, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts. The Doors, and Morrison especially, became infamous later that year when they performed the song live on The Ed Sullivan Show. Because of its obvious drug reference, Morrison had agreed not to sing the lyric "girl we couldn't get much higher" on the air, but when the cameras rolled he went ahead and sang it anyway, cementing his status as rock's new rebel hero. "Light My Fire" remains The Doors' most popular song, and features prominently on major lists of the greatest rock songs ever recorded.

Morrison's darkly poetic lyrics and outlandish stage presence with the band's unique and eclectic brand of psychedelic music, the Doors released a flurry of albums and songs over the next several years. In 1967 they released their second album, Strange Days, which featured the Top 40 hits "Love Me Two Times" and "People are Strange" as well as "When the Music's Over." Months later, in 1968, they released a third album, Waiting for the Sun, highlighted by "Hello, I Love You" (which also hit No. 1), "Love Street" and "Five to One." They went on to record three more records over the next three years: The Soft Parade (1969), Morrison Hotel (1970) and L.A. Woman (1971).

The Doors released six studio albums in all, as well as a live album and a compilation, before Morrison's death in 1971. Their electrifying achievements in the studio and onstage remain unmatched in the annals of rock; and though Morrison's death meant the end of an era, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore collaborated on two more original Doors albums, Other Voices and Full Circle, and a set of tracks they composed to accompany Morrison's 1969 recording of his poetry, released in 1978 as An American Prayer. They also pursued individual music projects, books, theatrical productions and other enterprises. On May 20, 2013, Ray Manzarek died in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74. Robby Kreiger and John Densmore, the remaining Doors members, came together February 12, 2016 to honour Manzarek.

In the decades since the bands heyday, succeeding generations continue to idolise Jim Morrison and embrace the music of The Doors.

Band Members

Discography

Album Cover	Year	Title	Label
	1967	The Doors	Elektra
	1967	Strange Days	Elektra
	1968	Waiting for the Sun	Elektra
	1969	The Soft Parade	Elektra
	1970	Morrison Hotel	Elektra
	1970	Absolutely Live	Elektra
	1971	LA Women	Elektra
	1971	Other Voices	Elektra
	1972	Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine	Rhino
	1972	Full Circle	Elektra
	1978	An American Prayer	Elektra

Music

---

Link to live footage of The Doors performing THE END.

---

My Favourite Doors Album

---

My favourite Doors Track

Jim Morrison Quotes

The front man for The Doors, Jim Morrison was famous for being a rebel and not only did he inspire the musicians of his generation but also the musicians who came along in later years. Morrison was also an accomplished poet and used to recite his poems in between songs during live concerts. Through his songs and poems, Morrison delivered his own style of wisdom often quoted by people to this day. Here are some of the select quotes from the man who was given the epithet '‘The Lizard King'.

1. The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.
2. Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.
3. People fear death even more than pain. It’s strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend.
4. I see myself as an intelligent, sensitive human, with the soul of a clown which forces me to blow it at the most important moments.
5. Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself—and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to—letting a person be what he really is
6. Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as ravens claws.
7. Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.
8. People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.
9. Where’s your will to be weird?
10. The future is uncertain but the end is always near.