Yeah, I agree. He helped make the Doors stand out from the crowd. I once saw a video of a guy reacting to "The End" and he was mind-blown when he found out there were only 4 members.
Strange Days, I believe, has had a greater influence on what music was to become several years later. Especially when it comes to 80s underground music. Just think of bands, such as The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen ,Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc...
yes the doors had a huge influence on post-punk! especially joy division. the more doom-and-gloom aspects of morrison's writing and the basslines had huge influence on ian curtis and peter hook respectively
@@stevehoran5595 iggy tried auditioning for the doors after jim passed! it's a bummer he showed up out of his mind and blew the audition, the rest of the guys were really hoping to have him on board
Indeed. Had he made a more significant contribution to rock, jazz, or flamenco guitar music, his reputation would be more than what ultimately amounts to a footnote (because The Doors, and “Light My Fire” were just so big, it’s a large footnote, but unfortunately a footnote nonetheless)
My favourite Doors album and for me, their masterpiece. Followed by the debut and L.A. Woman. Love the outfit. Makes me think of Jon Pertwee from early 70's Dr Who. Excellent as always!
It's cool to see a lot of love for Strange Days in these comments. It's my favorite Doors album since it maintains that moody & ethereal theme. I was lucky to get a Record Store Day mono edition of the album. It sounds so frickin awesome on my turntable. So glad you did a review for this masterpiece. Thanks Abby.
The small man on the front and back cover of Strange Days I'm certain he is the same small guy who welcomes everyone on the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus 🎪 about a year later. When the music's over is definitely the best song on the album 🙌 thanks for covering Strange Days it deserves more love ❤ Hope your hand ✋ gets better ❤ soon
And Yes Abby, I must add that “ When the Music’s Over “is not only the best song o the album it’s easily one of my absolute favorites. What a strong, psychedelic finish.
Yes! Strange Days is a monumental achievement for the band musically. So much great songs and performances.. But When the Music's Over is an absolute 'Oh my God!' moment in so many ways.. lyrically profound to the Nth degree and Jim and Co screamed to the rest of the world that they are indeed a force to be reckoned with and admired.
When I was (barely) a teen, my father took me with him across town to meet someone on business in their house. When we got there, I was introduced to the man's daughter, my age, who took me in her room and asked me if I knew The Doors. I did, and she said, here's their new album. Yep, this was it.
I and a lot of the other uni students I knew got into the Doors in the early '80s because of The End in Apocalypse Now. For a while the debut album became a cult object and few of us ventured beyond it. I was browsing in a record shop sale and saw this one. Well within my budget I got it thinking that even if it was some bland attempt at reproducing the first one that the cover art was worth a bookshelf ledge. But then I played it. My take isn't as grand as their response to Sgt Pepper but what I heard was a greater concentration of what I liked about the first one but with much better sound (the debut still sounds muddy to me now). If the first one felt like a big boundless desert night this one is more urban, cold and rainy, skyscraper gothic. There is so much spookiness from track to track it's like whispers among the megastructures. I do like I Can't See Your Face in my Mind with its eerie vocal and "insanity's horse adorn(ing) the sky". It's like a weird confession. But, yes, When the Music's Over kills and keeps on killing. I was comparing records with a new girlfriend years later and put this on. She pointed out the huge wailing guitar soundscape and I appreciated it all over again. Funny you should mention Jeff Beck as it sounds a lot like what he might make of that space: not flashy shredding just compelling textures and emotive harmonies. While I will always have a preference for The End as one of their Vistavision closing epics, I will always listen to this one all the way through. The first album sounded like a good approximation of the band's live act but Strange Days sounds like a record of the one to come. Another great celebration of a classic (also informative, I didn't know that about Ray's backwards piano part). Many thanks.
Hi Abby, As much as I love Jim...It was Ray's keyboard sound that made me love The Doors. The first song I heard was "Light My Fire" ,it was blasting on every transistor radio way back when. I can't remember any other group at that time that had that special sound. I love the song "Moonlight Drive"...the guitar, the organ, and Jim's voice are everything ! All the members of The Doors were great at what they did,but the lead singers/front man always get the most attention. Happiness, Cindy
Great review, and cool story about Ray's backward/forward keyboard part! Fun fact: I was hanging out with a friend of my dad's from his work one afternoon, and she mentioned that her parents were regulars at the Troubadour back in the early '70s. Ray also happened to be their next-door neighbor, and she remembers him coming over to their house all the time to hang out and play the piano!
that is SO cool! the vibe of laurel canyon in the 60s/early 70s was unmatched. everyone seemed so welcoming and friendly, it was such a beautiful pocket of like-minded individuals
Great choice for Vinyl Monday Abby. And I’ll always come out of the woodwork for a Doors album. I think “ Strange Days “ is an excellent follow up to their epic debut which was obviously a very hard act to follow. Plus ‘67 was an amazingly competitive year with all of those legendary bands releasing 2 to 3 albums within. But i never knew about the intricate work Manzerak had done with “ Unhappy Girl. “ Leave it to Ray, that brilliant musician who really kept this band together through their difficult times.
Enjoyable review of the Doors early greatness. Groovy moody strange stuff. The Doors stating that the world 🌎 and life can be challenging and dark. They were a superb live band to boot 👢 The European tour after Strange Days release in early 1968 with Jefferson Airplane gave us Doors fans some great black and white video footage 😀
When i collected Fillmore posters in the 80's (😢 that's me crying for selling them when i was starving, and way below even 80's value!). But one of my favorites was a Doors poster featuring the photo you mentioned and displayed. I'm pretty sure the poster was designed by Randy Tuten. I agree that it's an amazing photo! The only things i was able to save was a handful of the smaller handbills and my absolute favorite Doors concert poster that i was able to get while working at the Postermat in SF from Ben Friedman and he said it was, not only the last copy he had but the last he'd seen in years!
I would like to see more on your personal spin on the Doors debut(or self titled as you would put it)album.Other than that,very nice video as usual Abby!!!
It's cool ya youngsters are gettin' the Doors. Like Blake said, to paraphrase: Your mind will awaken when you open the doors of perception. Something like that. Always, cool, Abby. Peace on earth.
Great album especially the deeper tracks You’re Lost Little Girl, Unhappy Girl and Strange Days. Densmore’s drum pattern in Strange Days is compelling too
Of course there are perfect albums. Not many, fortunatelly. When The Doors discography was being reissued in the early 80's, this was the one I most anticipated.... by the cover alone. No album can be bad with a cover like that. It has a universe, a Fellini like ambience, And the music delivered it in full. Oh, and I love «I Can't See Your Face...», because it's so unusual for the time, so laid back. Music and cover are one. That album is a work of art. Yes, a perfect album.
Hello Abigail! I absolutely love your videos; the stories of these albums is done in such a thorough yet engaging and entertaining way, plus I always love seeing your A+ outfits and makeup 😁 Might I suggest a video on Love’s “Forever Changes” album? It’s such a gorgeous record that I feel doesn’t get *quite* as much… love… and recognition as some others from this period, outside of enthusiasts of this specific period in music.
Yes!!! Strange Days is eternal. Very happy that you, a millennial (?), are so conversant with the great vinyl of the 60s. Your album choices are boffo!
Joel Brodsky also shot the cover photo for Kiss' self titled debut album (1974). also "Moonlight Drive" was rumored to be the first song Jim sang to Ray which inspired them both to start a band.
Strange Days is probably the quintessential Doors album in my mind. There's sort of a blossoming of the sound that was pioneered on the first album. There aren't any real stinker tracks, and there's at least two on the debut. The production is more advanced, if not actually better to my ears. The debut is somewhat more primitive sounding but there's still tracks like "Soul Kitchen" and "Alabama Song" that just sparkle with atmosphere. Strange Days has its own atmosphere of course, but I don't find it significantly better in that regard. I love "Horse Latitudes" and I think that anyone who dislikes it doesn't really "get" The Doors. The poem is brilliant with vivid, brutal imagery and the sonic treatment is (I think) intentionally comical. They were having fun doing this. It's a perfect intro to "Moonlight Drive." Similarly, "I Can't See Your Face In My Mind" is a perfect intro to "When The Music's Over." The transition is wonderfully dramatic. The song itself is one of Jim's very best vocals, crooning better than anyone else in rock'n'roll at the time. My opinion on "When The Music's Over" has changed though: I think "The End" is superior. Nothing else the Doors ever did sounds quite like "The End", but "When The Music's Over" features a keyboard riff that the Doors used more than once. Plus, "The End" gives the pleasing illusion of being a spontaneous jam, while WTMO sounds more calculated. I won't quibble though, both albums comprise the height of the Doors' powers and I don't think they ever equaled Strange Days again.
agree.... WTMO is more programmed then the end. but it works well for that song b/c the theme is also more structured & direct. its a theatrical piece & visual too. jim's film background helped his writing.... the end is just pure riff magic. hes tapped in, flowing & its clicking on both a visceral conscious level, along w/ a deeper subconscious imagary coming to the surface. I dont think any band has every done anything as stop in the tracks power, then that. esp considering it isnt studio trickery, rather masterful affects by all 4 at the top of their game, weaving into 1.... it hurt them some, b/c to get to that level of white heat creativity isnt sustainable nor can it be just dialed up. dylan was cursed in the same way by blonde on blonde & hwy 61.... thats what makes the end so special, but also so hard to replicate power wise..... riders though did it, just in a more controlled mature way..... inconsistent band (some of their weak material is straight up bad), but wow, when they got it right, they were the most potent american force in rock in the late '60s.
My favourite band, track and album. The band recorded When The Music's Over without Jim when he didn't turn up. Left the gaps where he would come in with the lyrics. He turned up a day or two later and sang his parts perfectly inbetween. Bruce Botnick and Paul Rothchild merged 2 takes of the song into the final finished track. Awesome.
Strange Days IS a greater re-working of the first album. Both have their strengths, and many songs parallel each other. You're Lost, Little Girl is one of the most adult songs, paralleling the Alabama Song. I Can't See Your Face in my Mind recaptures the sadness of End of the Night, and the Marimba is used to good advantage. One of my fave lyrics "I can't seem to find the right lie. comes from this song as well. Horse Latitudes is pure genius. No chords or song structure, it is almost a radio drama acting out Jim's powerful poetry. " Mute nostril agony" how descriptive is that? As good as "People Are Strange"is, My Eyes Have Seen You" is even stronger. Great guitar work from Robbie on that one. Finally "When ?The Music's Over". You are right to point out the two guitar solos. The dual guitars after the first chorus is a masterwork. Ray's keyboard bass is rock solid throughout, and I love how the bass breaks up into smaller pieces later on, until it's just two notes, and literally nothing else, and Jim still has plenty of roomto hear that gentle sound. The way the band crescendos before that ultimate climax is a ear-sight to behold. We might disagree on" I Can't See Your Face in my Mind. That will always be a beautiful song to me, but we do see eye to eye on the rest of Strange Days. Society may vote for L.A, Woman, but Strange Days will always have my best vote.
Hi ! Hoped your pinky finger healed fine. I've just found your videos this week and have enjoyed the two from The Doors I have watched. I will look for more videos for sure. Thank You! Ben 5/17/2024
I have just recently come across the channel. When I viewed the collection videos, I had at least heard of most of them. When you held up the Mary Hopkin record, I wondered, "Who is that?" As I am no longer a productive member of society, I could look that up. It turned out to be a complicated question, leading me to read about her, listen to her music, and even videos by her daughter covering Mary's music. Thanks.
To me Strange Days has always felt like the most Doors of Doors albums, as well as the one with all the hits. And I would agree it's stronger and more cohesive than their debut. I would also agree that When the Music's Over is more impressive musically than the End, and far superior lyrically. Not to mention Morrison's vocal performance being miles ahead of where it was when he recorded the End. Nevertheless, I still prefer the End. Honestly though, they're both masterpieces of Gothic rock that invoke the feeling that death may take you in the night. Despite Strange Days having more good songs overall, I think I'll always prefer their self-titled for its scrapiness and borderline garage qualities, but most importantly because it has Break on Through. I think Strange Days most underrated track is You're Lost Little Girl. I mean, it's easily just as eerie as People are Strange and Strange Days. Allegedly it was inspired by Frank Sinatra's relationship with Mia Farrow. It's a shame Frank never cut a version of it.
Sorry your reprint didn't replicate the original gatefold; which I think works better for the cover photo (one of my favorites). This was a favorite college album for me, too. I would sit in the car and listen to it at lunch between classes. Krieger's beautiful, lyrical solo on Lost Little Girl is masterful. Often overlooked and underappreciated guitarist.
Krieger helps make You're Lost Little Girl one of the most haunting Doors tracks, largely because of his E minor 9th. Pink Floyd's A Pillow of Winds strikes me as pretty similar.
As a young adult just starting to find what I love in the world of music, your videos have been very helpful to me. I think it's fab what you're doing. You work so hard and have fun with it at the same time. It's so inspiring. Love the doors!! And I really dug your blonde on blonde episode. My favourite band is the Talking Heads. Maybe one day we'll see an episode dedicated to new wave! Stay groovy!
Awesome album. When The Music's Over is my favorite Doors song. Especially live. The use of dynamics in that song are incredible. We want the World and we want it. Now, Now? Now! Every Doors album with Jim is a must own. Easily one of my top 5 bands of all time (actually my favorite band). Awesome that you love MC5. Kick Out The Jams RULES. You have great taste. Man, I hate to sound like I'm making a copout but the debut and Strange Days are damn near tied in my opinion. Both albums are practically interchangeable to me. That said if I were forced to pick I'd go with the debut by a hair. Fantastic video. Also Waiting For The Sun is right up there with the first two albums. Even Soft Parade which I rate as the weakest album of the Morrison era is great. The Doors never released a bad album with Jim and they are all must owns imo.
My parents let me have their copy of Strange Days when I was 7 because I was so obsessed with it. "Horse Latitudes" still terrifies me today and I'm really curious if Gene Wilder was using it for the bit on the Wonka boat.
The Doors are such a strange mashup of styles and personalities that somehow melded together wonderfully to make something orders of magnitude greater than the sum of its parts. Jazz drummer, shy flamenco guitarist, pretentious bluesy organ player, and then whatever the hell (in the best way) Jim was. Who knew? Absolutely killer live band and equally good in the studio. A band, like Floyd, that understood the power of silence and space. And PLEASE do Maggot Brain! That album is like a special gift from the universe.
Great review. I have #1 which I like a lot but I've never sat down and listened to Strange Days. Now I'm going to have to do that. Hope your washer is ok :)
Strange Days has always been my favourite Doors album, though my favourite Botnick/Harvey twofer is David Ackles first album from 1968. Strange Days paling in the popular consciousness reflects Sabbath's Heaven and Hell / Mob Rules, where the similarity in album structure probably worked against MR for people already familiar with H&H, but for anyone coming to them out of order, MR (and Strange Days) can shine
Great video. I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind is one of my favorite Doors songs, haha. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Strange Days is the best Doors album imo but the debut is a close second.
Hi Abi found your videos last night here in England, my first Vinyl Monday and what a superb album Unhappy Girl is one of my favourite Doors songs thanks for the video❤
I really like how you're dressed up for that video; "the Soft Parade" is for me the ultimate Doors album. Hope you'll do a review of it someday, gorgeous lady ❤
the soft parade might be the most underrated doors album. and definitely the most disorganized hellish production timeline of all their releases. for that much i'll consider a video!
@@abigaildevoe I love the cover of Soft Parade, but it is uneven. Interesting experiments, love Wishful Sinful and Touch Me. I do prefer it to Waiting For The Sun.
@@abigaildevoe too much garbage on soft parade. some of its is embarassing & pedestrian. like something you'd hear in a disney world ride. ... it has strong moments, like the title, touch me, wild child. but their filler material sucked on this album. it actually hurt them status wise.... it was the last 2 albums where they finished very strong.... you should do morrison hotel instead... by the way, I like your enthusiam & humor & not taking yourself so serious. it's endearing. & its packs a punch b/c you also kick in when needed w/ legit strong takes on the music. your description of WTMO is killer in itself. well said.
I finally feel like I'm not crazy now that I know I'm not the only person out there who is reminded of the tunnel scene from Willy Wonka whenever I hear "Horse Latitudes". Also, good to see more appreciation for "When The Music's Over". One of the best and most underrated songs of the entire 1960s, full stop.
doors are the band critic snobs love to hate. they cant be honest or objective about the band.... the end & when the musics over were both played as on album, live in late '66. incl in nyc at odines. warhol, l reed, nico witnessed that.... no one was in that zipcode in late '66. sure hendrix, syd floyd and the beatles had already reached the soundscape. & the velvets introduced dark lyrical & taboo material.... but no one mixed both elements w/ the power, menace & danger of the doors. thru '68 they were the most influential band in the usa. inconsisent wh/ hurt them some, but when dialed in, they could peel skin off faces.
When I go on “trips” I usually put on Strange Days, Disraeli Gears or Piper at the Gates of Dawn… I love Strange Days and I love self titled but in my opinion Strange Days is tons better
Yes, I agree with you on this one--It's my favorite Doors album as well; Has been for a long time. Thank you for reviewing it, and sharing all those little details about it's production that I'd been wondering about all these years.
We had The Doors' Strange Days album before we got The Doors and I played that record over and over. I was delighted to find the second album (actually their first album) and by then had already played the second Doors album that arrived in our house, "Absolutely Live" many, many times. The first song on The Doors blows me away, coming in with a bossa nova beat. Abby I admire your ability to critique a band I love unconditionally, maybe if you listen to "I Can't See Your Face In My Mind" another hundred times you may love it as much as I do. The lyrics are some of Jim Morrison's best, it's a great song and holds up favorably to "When The Music's Over."
Strange Days is my favourite Doors album. I always thought i was the only one. You just earned yourself a subscription for making me feel less alone in this. I also like the video style, lighthearted and entertaining, at the same time interesting and informative and with considerable depth. Very well done, i will watch more.
These reviews are so good. I came for Bee Gees' "Odessa", stayed for CSNY "Deja Vu" and your channel never fails to deliver. Is there any chance of some 80s stuff in the future? I bet you would have some great points to make on records like "Starfish" by The Church or early R.E.M. albums. boy I felt like the goth guy in that Doors sketch from Kids in the Hall now
thanks so much! haven't heard of many people discovering the channel through the odessa vid, that's really cool of you :) i don't have any 80s albums planned for the immediate future but it'd be super cool to get some talking heads and the cure on this series. just got into talking heads over the past year and i LOVED the cure in high school
@@abigaildevoe it's not often that Odessa is an entry point to anything hahaha Talking Heads and The Cure would be amazing picks, I was just listening to Disintegration today. My dad got a very, VERY early CD copy of Speaking in Tongues from a friend that worked for a record label and it would later become one of the first albums I had contact with. A bit of an acquired taste, but really neat once it starts sinking in.
I read the book called: The Door's. That book, and the book Elvis, were the two most influential books; of the 1979, 1980 California punk scene. In the book; The Door's; it mentioned that: when someone (a square) gave them a dirty look; Jim, and Ray liked to say this: "hey get the Snoid" (ref. R.Crumb cartoon, features Snoids; as cartoon characters)
I do agree; "Strange Days", one of the first albums I ever bought, favorably compares to self-titled. Interesting that you don't care as much for "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind". I like it a lot. Thanks for your critiques! Love the structure, your sensitivity, taste, and insight, and the 60-second option. You're the exact opposite of the guy I saw once bemoaning how "Fireball" was such a letdown after the majesty of "In Rock", 🙄 or the clown who greeted my news of the release of Box of Frogs' "Stranger in a Strange Land" with the words, "It's not as good" as the first Box of Frogs. Poor great horned pot-deprived bastard.😂 Sorry for being in full regression here, Abby. You are a scholar and a gentlewoman. 🎉
“People Are Strange” is the first Doors song I ever heard. Late night drive along the California coast, radio coming in and out. I was mesmerized. The song imprinted itself and The Doors (particularly Jim) became a lifelong obsession. I actually heard the chorus lyric as “When you strain.” 🤣🤣🤣I am a second-generation Doors fan, having next read the only bio that was out there: “Nothing Here but Lots of Lies.” Jim had a sweet, shy, self-deprecating side that took me years and lots of study to find out about. Complex dude, to say the least. If The Doors had hung it up right there, we’d be thinking of them like we do Joy Division. Two near-perfect albums, then into the ether. Pamela Des Barres knew him at the time of this record’s release, and later wrote that it’s a miracle he lived as long as he did. Random fact: the morning of 9/11/2001, I got in my truck and headed to one of my construction gigs. I hadn’t seen the news, and uncharacteristically didn’t listen to NPR on the way to work, so I had no idea what had happened. I put a Doors CD in and the first thing I heard was “Strange days have found us.” Chills. I agree with you that “When the Music’s Over” is their greatest song, although not necessarily my fave. They started a lot of shows with it…with that blood-curdling scream. I wrote this little piece about it a few years ago: i’ve been thinking about this all week on my long drives: which Doors song best represents how motherfucking awesome they are? I’ve decided that it’s “When the Music’s Over,” for a number of reasons. 1. The musicianship throughout is inventive and stellar. Check out that mind-bending guitar solo - one of my favorites of all time - and Ray’s fluid organ runs when the song explodes again after the quiet interlude, which brings me to reason #2: this band was better at loud/soft dynamics than anyone, ever. they were incredibly theatrical, right down to the way the drums ‘punctuated’ jim’s vocals. This was especially evident live. a receptive crowd would become absolutely mesmerized by this song. it’s all there on the “Live in Detroit” CD. 3. Especially in their first two albums (L.A. Woman being a return to form), they ingeniously transmitted the noir underbelly vibe of LA. The opening organ riffs set the stage, along with Jim’s almost whispered, “Yeah, c’mon,” and the snaky guitar passages throughout keep it going. 4. Jim’s vocal performance! Holy shit, man. This is Jim at his best. He had arrived. He was confident. He crooned, he screamed, he whispered. He did it all right here. People like to talk about the pretentiousness of the lyrics, but they probably don’t realize that this thing is full of in-jokes (“the scream of the butterfly,” for instance, was the name of a porno flick Jim saw one day on a marquee. “When the music’s over, turn out the lights,” was something the owner of The Whisky often said just before closing time). Add to that this stunning fact: Jim was ‘otherwise occupied’ when the other Doors laid down the instrumentals in the studio. All that remained was that he come in and sing. He came in the next day and NAILED it in one take! considering the pauses, loud/soft dynamics, etc, that’s pretty incredible, and a testament to how cohesive this band was at its prime.
well said.... liked your essay on WTMO.... only thing I differ w/ is the people who thought morrison was pretentious, imo, just didnt get what he was doing or reflecting on. yes, he had inside humor, references etc. but he was also after something that was a search for truth & had a wide latitude & view. he was a symbolist. few understand that poetic structure & how to understand how it works theme wise. they in turn just think he was throwing up intellectual random phrases to look smart & in turn they attacked him. but again, they didnt get what hes doing.... jim was very well read & highly intelligent. he wasnt a snob about it, but he had a real passion for ideas, poetry, literature & really understood it on a level few in the industry had. dylan was like that too.... jim also understood how to write a screenplay. its why the doors music has such mood, atmosphere & large scale... he structured long songs in a blake symbolist style & structured them in a wide ranging large scape. think david lean. he also was a reader of joseph campbell & understand cyclical western history & the power of myth. .... thats what hes shooting for in something like WTMO. people can say its pretentious, but they cant tell you what hes trying to do. so they're just hating and trying to be snarkly cool.... WTMO is an examination of seeking truth, vision & feeling thru art inside the constructs of western culture. its a line of demarcation for freedom on a personal level to find that at all costs as opposed to kneeling to the machine. it was revolutionary for rock.
@Sugadelic Savage Soul delusional statement. The production is outstanding and the poem itself is the very heart of the album it ties in all the themes at once.. you've clearly never heard of an interlude
@@JesusGomez-ob2qt LoL. Relax dude. I agree with everything you say about the production. I love this album and the poetry, but for 30+ years now that I've listened to this it's always been cringey to me. Yes, I know what an interlude is, kinda like you in the spectrum of my life, but although I love interludes, overall it's always a fast forward for me.
