Doors Morrison Hotel CD

Feted first as underground heroes, then reviled as teeny-bop stars, the Doors threw off such conundrums with this magnificent release. MORRISON HOTEL reaffirmed their blues roots, stripping away some of the psychedelia of their early releases and the orchestral ambitions that weighted albums like THE SOFT PARADE. The opener, the powerful "Roadhouse Blues," is a case in point. Based on a classic blues riff, structure, and theme ("Let it roll, baby, roll/All night long"), the song is elemental and hard driving.

The album then unfolds through a succession of songs showcasing all the group members' considerable strengths. Distinctively tight instrumental playing underscores memorable material, while Jim Morrison's authoritative vocals range from the demonstrative ("Maggie McGill") to the evocative and melancholic ("The Spy"). Though the band harks back to their tingling '60s sound on "Waiting for the Sun" and "Queen of the Highway," the album's best moments, like the politically minded boogie "Peace Frog," wed edgy rock to the band's highbrow vision. MORRISON HOTEL returned the band to critical favor, and was, overall, their strongest effort since STRANGE DAYS.

The Doors returned to crunching, straightforward hard rock on Morrison Hotel, an album that, despite yielding no major hit singles, returned them to critical favor with hip listeners. An increasingly bluesy flavor began to color the songwriting and arrangements, especially on the party'n'booze anthem "Roadhouse Blues." Airy mysticism was still present on "Waiting for the Sun," "Queen of the Highway," and "Indian Summer"; "Ship of Fools" and "Land Ho!" struck effective balances between the hard rock arrangements and the narrative reach of the lyrics. "Peace Frog" was the most political and controversial track, documenting the domestic unrest of late-'60s America before unexpectedly segueing into the restful ballad "Blue Sunday." "The Spy," by contrast, was a slow blues that pointed to the direction that would fully blossom on L.A. Woman. [This 40th anniversary reissue contains bonus remixes of "Roadhouse Blues" and "Waiting for the Sun."] ~ Richie Unterberger

Photographer: Henry Diltz.

Personnel: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robbie Krieger (guitar); G. Puglese (harp); Ray Manzarek (piano, organ).

Audio Remixer: Bruce Botnick.

Down Beat (p.69) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] potent blues-rock...and Morrison's vocals still compellingly and haunting authoritative, the grip is relaxed..."