Morrison Hotel | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 9, 1970 | |||
Recorded | August 19, 1966 ("Indian Summer") & November 1969 –January 1970 | |||
Studio | Elektra, Hollywood | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:05 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
The Doors chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Morrison Hotel | ||||
|
Morrison Hotel is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on February 9, 1970, by Elektra Records. After the use of brass and string arrangements recommended by producer Paul A. Rothchild on their previous album, The Soft Parade (1969), the Doors returned to their blues rock style and this album was largely seen as a return to form for the band. The group entered Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in November 1969 to record the album which is divided into two separately titled sides, namely: "Hard Rock Café" and "Morrison Hotel". Blues rock guitar pioneer Lonnie Mack and Ray Neapolitan also contributed to the album as session bassists.
The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and performed better overseas than the preceding album (it was the group's highest-charting studio album in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 12). The accompanying "You Make Me Real" / "Roadhouse Blues" single peaked at No. 50 in May 1970 on the Billboard 100 chart. The cover photo was taken by Henry Diltz.
On March 1, 1969, Jim Morrison performed while intoxicated at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove, Florida, in front of a crowd of nearly 12,000; he was charged for his performance and behavior with indecent exposure, on April 4. [3] The incident negatively reflected on the band's publicity, sparking a "March for Decency" at the Miami Orange Bowl. [4]
Consequently, twenty-five dates on the band's next tour were cancelled, and their records were blacklisted from radio airplay, resulting in the band abandoning the rest of their potential tour, costing what John Densmore characterized as "a million dollars in gigs." [5] Nevertheless, the band gradually regained momentum by playing concerts throughout the rest of the year, including the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival; [6] they played alongside John Lennon, among others, who later said, "supposedly the Doors were top of the bill." [7] In July, the Doors released their fourth album, The Soft Parade , a heavily orchestrated affair that augmented the band's sound with horns and strings. [8] Around early 1969, Morrison traded in his stage leathers for more conventional attire, grew a beard and gained weight as he attempted to live down his "Lizard King" image; however, his worsening alcoholism often undermined his efforts. [9]
In November, a drunken Morrison caused such a disturbance on a flight to Phoenix, Arizona, to see a Rolling Stones concert that he was charged with a new skyjacking law that carried up to a $10,000 fine and a ten-year prison sentence. [5]
Morrison Hotel's back-to-basics approach largely stemmed from the group's dismay over the protracted sessions for The Soft Parade, which took nine months to record and cost $86,000 (equal to $714,534 today), far more expensive than any previous Doors record. [5] The band had also been stung by the critical reception to the record. On Morrison Hotel, there is a slight steer toward blues, which would be fully explored by the band on their next album L.A. Woman . [10] Morrison Hotel was recorded between November 1969 and January 1970, with the exception of "Indian Summer", which was recorded on August 19, 1966 [11] for The Doors , [12] while "Waiting for the Sun" actually originated during the sessions for the band's third album. [13]
Although Morrison Hotel contains no major hit singles, it features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Roadhouse Blues" and "Peace Frog", which would go on to become staples of classic rock radio. "Roadhouse Blues" took two days to record (November 4–5, 1969) with Paul Rothchild striving for perfection. Several takes from these sessions were included on the 2006 remastered album, with Morrison repeating the phrase "Money beats soul" over and over again. [14] The sessions only took off on the second day, when distinguished blues guitarist Lonnie Mack (also signed to Elektra Records) joined in on bass [15] and former Lovin' Spoonful bandleader John Sebastian (appearing under the pseudonym G. Puglese due to the constraint of his Reprise Records recording contract) [16] joined in on harmonica. Over the course of the session, keyboardist Ray Manzarek switched from his Wurlitzer electric piano to a tack piano. [16]
The hook of "Peace Frog" is a distorted G5 chord played three times by Krieger, followed by a brief percussive wah-wah effect. [17] Morrison, who took the words from a notebook entitled Abortion Stories, begins nearly every line with the word "blood", often referring to "Blood in the streets", [18] which is perhaps "addressing the civic unrest then gripping the nation". [2] A brief musical interlude is next, followed by a guitar solo, and a spoken word verse ("Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding / Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind"). The song ends with a final chord as it segues into the next track, "Blue Sunday". [19]
"The Spy" and "Queen of the Highway" celebrate Morrison's intense but troubled relationship with longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson. Originally "The Spy" was called "Spy in the House of Love", as shown on the Master Reel Control File, a line borrowed from A Spy in the House of Love , a novel by Anaïs Nin published in 1954. [20] Both songs are tinged with ambivalence; on "The Spy," Morrison cautions, "I know your deepest, secret fears", while on "Queen of the Highway" he sardonically concludes, "I hope it can continue a little while longer". According to the 1980 Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive , it was during the Morrison Hotel sessions that Morrison and Courson had a violent argument after she drank his bottle of liquor so he could not drink it, with engineer Bruce Botnick recalling: "So here were the two of them, completely out of their minds and crying. He started shaking her violently. I think he was putting me on. She was crying out of control, telling him he shouldn't drink anymore and that's why she drank it. And I'm cleaning up and I said, 'Hey man, it's pretty late.' He looked up, stopped shaking her, said, 'Yeah, right', hugged her and they walked out arm in arm ... he'd always give you a funny look afterward, to see your reaction." [21]
The cover photo was taken by Henry Diltz at the Morrison Hotel on South Hope Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The band were not given permission to photograph, so they did it while the clerk was called away from the desk. The band jumped right behind the windows and hit their places without shuffling as Diltz took the shot. [22] The rear cover features a photograph of the Hard Rock Café at nearby 300 East 5th Street. The building is now home to a convenience store. It has been vacant for years. However, a new development plan to restore the building was announced in 2018, [23] which happened for the annual "Day of the Doors" fan event in 2019. [11] In early 1983, thirteen years after the album's release, parts of Michael Jackson's music video for the song "Beat It" were filmed inside the former Hard Rock Café on 5th Street. [24]
Upon its release, Morrison Hotel was seen by many as a comeback for the Doors following the mixed critical reception of The Soft Parade. [25] Although the accompanying "You Make Me Real" / "Roadhouse Blues" single only peaked at No. 50 in May 1970 despite strong FM radio play of the latter song, [19] the album was immediately certified gold by RIAA in February 1970 (the band's fifth consecutive big album certification) before reaching No. 4 on the Billboard album chart in March during a 27-week stay. Additionally, it became the band's highest-charting studio album in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 12.
Dave Marsh, the editor of Creem magazine, called the album "the most horrifying rock and roll I have ever heard. When they're good, they're simply unbeatable. I know this is the best record I've listened to ... so far", [26] while Rock Magazine called it "without any doubt their ballsiest (and best) album to date". [26] Circus praised it as "possibly the best album yet from the Doors" and "good, hard, evil rock ... and one of the best albums released this decade". [26] Bruce Harris of Jazz & Pop lauded it as "one of the major musical events of Rock '70". [27] On the other hand, Rolling Stone critic Lester Bangs was mixed, who praised some of the tracks, especially the "powerful blast of raw funk" opener "Roadhouse Blues" and "the buoyant catchiness" of "Land Ho!", but found the remainder of the album to be uneven and unsatisfying. [28]
During this period, the de facto blacklisting continued to persist in more socially conservative markets, particularly the Deep South; consequently, the band's 1970 American tour itinerary was largely confined to the Northeast, West Coast and more progressive Midwestern cities amid ongoing (albeit more sporadic) cancellations, including planned concerts in Salt Lake City and at the Jesuit-operated Fairfield University. [29]
Retrospective professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 78/100 (deluxe) [30] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [32] |
Far Out | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In his 1981 retrospective review, Robert Christgau rated Morrison Hotel "B+" on an A+ to F scale. He expressed his preference of the A side (Hard Rock Café) over the B side (Morrison Hotel), both lyrically and musically. He noted that the "band is rocking tighter than it ever has, Robbie Krieger's phrasing keeps things moving, and Morrison's gliding vocal presence–arty and self-absorbed though it may be–provides focus." [32] The Rolling Stone Album Guide gave a perfect rating of five stars out of five, and considered it to be the Doors' "most cohesive record," adding that aside "from the throwaway grunter", "Maggie M'Gill", all the other songs were "masterful—and the band swings tougher and easier than they ever had before." [34]
In more recent reviews, Thom Jurek of AllMusic expressed that the Doors employed blues and R&B "to some degree on all of their albums, but never as consistently, adeptly, or provocatively as they did on Morrison Hotel, with absolutely stunning results." [2] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the record three stars out of five; he praised Morrison's vocals as "cleaner and clearer" than before, and hailed particularly "Peace Frog" as one of the greatest songs in the Doors catalogue. [35] Morrison Hotel holds currently a 78/100 approval rating based on 5 critic reviews on Metacritic. [30]
Details are taken from the 1970 Elektra Records album and may differ from other sources. [37]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Roadhouse Blues" | Jim Morrison, music by the Doors | 4:04 |
2. | "Waiting for the Sun" | Morrison | 3:58 |
3. | "You Make Me Real" | Morrison | 2:50 |
4. | "Peace Frog" | Morrison, Robby Krieger | 2:52 |
5. | "Blue Sunday" | Morrison | 2:08 |
6. | "Ship of Fools" | Morrison, Krieger | 3:06 |
Total length: | 18:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Land Ho!" | Morrison, Krieger | 4:08 |
2. | "The Spy" | Morrison | 4:15 |
3. | "Queen of the Highway" | Morrison, Krieger | 2:47 |
4. | "Indian Summer" | Morrison, Krieger | 2:33 |
5. | "Maggie M'Gill" | Morrison, music by the Doors | 4:24 |
Total length: | 18:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Talking Blues" | Morrison | 0:59 |
13. | "Roadhouse Blues" (takes 1–3, recorded November 4, 1969) | Morrison, music by the Doors | 8:47 |
14. | "Roadhouse Blues" (take 6, recorded November 4, 1969) | Morrison, music by the Doors | 9:26 |
15. | "Carol" (recorded November 4, 1969) | Chuck Berry | 0:56 |
16. | "Roadhouse Blues" (take 1, recorded November 5, 1969) | Morrison, music by the Doors | 4:32 |
17. | "Money Beats Soul" (recorded November 5, 1969) | Morrison | 1:04 |
18. | "Roadhouse Blues" (takes 13-15, recorded November 5, 1969) | Morrison, music by the Doors | 6:21 |
19. | "Peace Frog / Blue Sunday" (false starts & dialogue) | Morrison, Krieger | 2:00 |
20. | "The Spy" (version 2) | Morrison | 3:48 |
21. | "Queen of the Highway" (jazz version) | Morrison, Krieger | 3:36 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 1; recorded November 15, 1969) | Morrison, Krieger | 1:13 |
13. | "Queen of the Highway" (various takes; recorded November 15, 1969) | Morrison, Krieger | 6:23 |
14. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 44, recorded November 15, 1969) | Morrison, Krieger | 3:17 |
15. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 12, recorded January 16, 1969) | Morrison, Krieger | 5:05 |
16. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 14 - Krieger guitar overdub, recorded January 16, 1970) | Morrison, Krieger | 4:03 |
17. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 1) | Morrison, Krieger | 4:31 |
18. | "Queen of the Highway" (takes 5, 6 & 9) | Morrison, Krieger | 1:01 |
19. | "Queen of the Highway" (take 14) | Morrison, Krieger | 4:04 |
20. | "I Will Never Be Untrue" | Morrison | 1:22 |
21. | "Queen of the Highway" (take unknown) | Morrison, Krieger | 1:03 |
22. | "Roadhouse Blues" (take 14, recorded November 4, 1969) | Morrison | 5:15 |
23. | "Money (That’s What I Want)" (recorded November 4, 1969) | Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy | 3:40 |
24. | "Rock Me" (recorded November 4, 1969) | Muddy Waters | 6:04 |
25. | "Roadhouse Blues" (takes 6 & 7, recorded November 5, 1969) | Morrison | 5:11 |
26. | "Roadhouse Blues" (take 8, recorded November 5, 1969) | Morrison | 5:48 |
27. | "Roadhouse Blues" (takes 1 & 2) | Morrison | 5:00 |
28. | "Roadhouse Blues" (takes 5, 6 & 14) | Morrison | 4:07 |
29. | "Peace Frog / Blue Sunday" (take 4) | Morrison, Krieger | 5:43 |
30. | "Peace Frog" (take 12) | Morrison, Krieger | 3:39 |
Details are taken from the 2007 Rhino Records CD 40th Anniversary Edition liner notes with Bruce Botnick's and David Fricke's accompanying essays, which may differ from other sources. [16]
The Doors
Additional musicians
Technical
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [43] | 6 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [44] | 13 |
UK Albums (OCC) [45] | 12 |
US Billboard 200 [46] | 4 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [47] | 124 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [48] | 12 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [49] | 83 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [50] | 70 |
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [51] | 40 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [52] | Gold | 25,000* |
Australia (ARIA) [53] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [54] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP) [55] | Platinum | 300,000* |
Italy (FIMI) [56] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [57] | Platinum | 100,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [58] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [59] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] 2007 release | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [61] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison's lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as an important figure of the era's counterculture.
The Doors is the debut studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on January 4, 1967, by Elektra Records. It was recorded in August 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, in Hollywood, California, under the production of Paul A. Rothchild. The album features the extended version of the band's breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and the lengthy closer "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section. Various publications, including BBC and Rolling Stone, have ranked The Doors as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Strange Days is the second studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on September 25, 1967 by Elektra Records, arriving eight months after their self-titled debut album. After the latter's successful release, the band started experimenting with both new and old material in early 1967 for their second record. Upon release, Strange Days reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It contains two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between late 1967 and May 1968 mostly at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. It became the band's only number one album, topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks, while also including their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". The first single released off the record was "The Unknown Soldier", which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it reached number 16.
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969, by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time to compose new material. Record producer Paul A. Rothchild recommended a total departure from the Doors' first three albums: develop a fuller sound by incorporating brass and string arrangements provided by Paul Harris. Lead singer Jim Morrison, who was dealing with personal issues and focusing more on his poetry, was less involved in the songwriting process, allowing guitarist Robby Krieger to increase his own creative output.
L.A. Woman is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971 by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime, due to his death exactly two months and two weeks following the album's release, though he would posthumously appear on the 1978 album An American Prayer. Even more so than its predecessors, the album is heavily influenced by blues. It was recorded without producer Paul A. Rothchild after he quit the band over the perceived lack of quality in their studio performances. Subsequently, the band co-produced the album with longtime sound engineer Bruce Botnick.
An American Prayer is the ninth and final studio album by the American rock band the Doors. Following the death of Jim Morrison and the band's breakup, the surviving members of the Doors reconvened to set several of Morrison's spoken word recordings to music. It was the only album by the Doors to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Spoken Word" category.
Absolutely Live is the first live album by the American rock band the Doors, released on July 20, 1970, by Elektra Records. The double album features songs recorded at concerts held in 1969 and 1970 in several U.S. cities. It includes the first full release of the performance piece "Celebration of the Lizard" and several other tracks that had not previously appeared on any official Doors release. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 in September 1970.
"Peace Frog" is a song by the Doors, which was released on their fifth studio album Morrison Hotel in 1970. Guitarist Robby Krieger explained that the music was written and recorded first, with the lyrics later coming from poems by singer Jim Morrison. Although the song was never released as a single in the US, it was issued as the B-side of "You Make Me Real" in France.
Legacy: The Absolute Best is a two-disc compilation album by American rock band the Doors. Released in 2003, it includes the uncensored versions of both "Break On Through " and "The End". Also included is a previously unreleased studio version of Morrison's epic poetry piece "Celebration of the Lizard," a rehearsal outtake from the band's Waiting for the Sun sessions.
13 is the first compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on November 30, 1970. The title refers to the thirteen tracks included, which feature a variety of songs from their five studio albums released up to that point. The cover shrink wrap featured a clear sticker that read: "A Collection of Thirteen Classic Doors Songs". It is the band's only compilation album released while lead singer Jim Morrison was alive.
The Best of The Doors is a compilation album by American rock group the Doors. Released in 1985, the double LP set contains 18 songs from their six albums with lead singer Jim Morrison, including charting singles and selected album cuts. Danny Sugerman contributed a short essay which discusses the band's origins and influences and Morrison's personality, and was printed inside the gatefold sleeve.
"When the Music's Over" is an epic song by the American rock band the Doors, which appears on their second album Strange Days, released in 1967. It is among the band's longer pieces, lasting 11 minutes.
"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors from their 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at No. 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 41 in Canada. "Roadhouse Blues" charted in its own right on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at No. 76. The song became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists.
Essential Rarities is a compilation album by the Doors, originally released as part of the boxed set The Complete Studio Recordings in 1999, but reissued in 2000 as a single CD, containing studio cuts, live cuts and demos taken from the 1997 The Doors: Box Set.
Live in Detroit is a double CD live album by the American rock band the Doors. It was recorded at the Cobo Arena in Detroit on May 8, 1970 during the band's 1970 Roadhouse Blues Tour. It was released on October 23, 2000 on Rhino Records.
Live in Philadelphia '70 is a double live album recorded by American rock band the Doors in 1970. The performance took place in The Spectrum. This is part of previously unreleased material of the Bright Midnight Archives collection of live albums by the Doors.
Live in Pittsburgh 1970 is a live album by the American rock band the Doors. The concert was recorded at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh on May 2, 1970 and released in 2008 on Rhino Records. It is the sixth full-length live set released from the Bright Midnight Archives collection which contains a number of previously unreleased live concerts by the Doors.
Live in New York is a six-disc box set of four complete concerts performed American rock band the Doors on January 17 and 18, 1970 at the Felt Forum in New York City. Two shows were played each night, with 8:00pm and 11:00pm scheduled start times on January 17, and 7:30pm and 10:00pm scheduled start times on January 18. The final show featured an extended encore with guests John Sebastian and Dallas Taylor (drums) that concluded around 2:30am. Select tracks were previously released on the Doors' live album In Concert and as part of The Doors: Box Set. About a third of the material was previously unreleased.
"You Make Me Real" is a song written by Jim Morrison that was first released on the Doors 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was also released as the only single from the album, reaching No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was ultimately surpassed in popularity by its B-side, "Roadhouse Blues". In France the single was issued with "Peace Frog" as the B-side.
Engineer and producer Bruce Botnick recorded some of the greatest artifacts of West Coast psychedelia, among them the first five albums by the Doors.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)