Waiting for the Sun | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 3, 1968 | |||
Recorded | November 1967 –May 1968 | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound & TTG, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Psychedelia [1] | |||
Length | 32:49 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
the Doors chronology | ||||
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Singles from Waiting for the Sun | ||||
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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.
Having released two records that drew from a large pool of previously composed songs, the Doors started to improvise for their third album in late 1967. Due to the shortage of original material, the group suffered what drummer John Densmore described as the "third album syndrome", meaning the difficulty of a band to have a stock of good compositions, capable of filling a third disc in a row. [2] The recording sessions also proved difficult for the group due to lead singer Jim Morrison's worsening alcoholism.
The album provoked mixed reactions upon release, with many deriding its diversity and songwriting quality as detriments and inconsistent. However, it has attracted more sympathetic appraisal for its mellower sound and experimentation with other genres. [3] [4] [5] To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the album's release in 2018, a 1-LP/2-CD deluxe version of the album was released by Rhino Records. This was overseen by long-time Doors sound engineer Bruce Botnick.
The Doors started recording Waiting for the Sun in late 1967 at Sunset Sound Studios, [lower-alpha 1] with early versions of "The Unknown Soldier" and "Spanish Caravan". The group soon moved at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California, where the majority of the album's recording took place; the same time Frank Zappa was recording. [7] The band had used up most of frontman Jim Morrison's original songbook, a collection of lyrics and ideas, for their first two records. Consequently, following months of touring, interviews and television appearances, they had little new material. The band attempted to record a longer piece called "Celebration of the Lizard" and intended the piece to occupy the second side of the album; this was later shelved. However, a recording of the "Not to Touch the Earth" segment was included and the full lyrics to "Celebration of the Lizard" were printed inside the album's gatefold sleeve. [8] [9]
The removal of "Celebration of the Lizard" drove the band to resort to composing many of the album tracks in the studio and digging up older songs that they had previously decided against recording, such as "Hello, I Love You", to fill the gap of material. [10] [11] The production by Paul A. Rothchild led to multiple takes as a result of his growing perfectionism, which was becoming an issue for the group. Morrison's increasing alcohol consumption also caused tension and difficulties in the studio, [12] and at one point drummer John Densmore walked out of a session frustrated at his behavior. [9] Alice Cooper was around during the recording sessions and he was reportedly worried about Morrison's health. [7] During the recording of "Five to One", Morrison was in intense state of intoxication, to a degree that the studio's assistants needed to support him to complete his vocal parts. [13] Each song on the album required overall at least 20 takes with "The Unknown Soldier", recorded in two parts, requiring 130. [14]
In her 1979 essay "The White Album," Joan Didion described a day at Sunset Sound during the recording of the album. The mood is highly desultory, as Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore wait for an AWOL Morrison to arrive to lay down his vocals. [15] [16]
Waiting for the Sun includes the band's second chart topper, "Hello, I Love You", [17] one of the last remaining songs from Morrison's 1965 batch of tunes. It had been demoed by the group for Aura Records in 1965 before guitarist Robby Krieger had joined the group, as had "Summer's Almost Gone". In the liner notes to The Doors: Box Set , Krieger denied the allegations that the song's main riff and vocal melody were stolen from Ray Davies, with a similar riff having been featured in the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night". Instead, he said the song's vibe was taken from Cream's song "Sunshine of Your Love". [18] Densmore said that when recording the song, Krieger had advised him to imitate Ginger Baker's drumming on "Sunshine of Your Love", and he followed that advice. [19] The courts in the UK determined in favor of Davies and any UK-based royalties for the song were paid to him. [19] [20]
Waiting for the Sun contains two songs with military themes: "Five to One" and "The Unknown Soldier". Journalists Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard speculate that "Five to One" seems to be a revolutionary anthem, [21] spouted by the "hippie/ flower child" hordes Morrison saw in growing numbers. Regardless of this interpretation, Morrison confirmed that the lyrics were not political. [22] The lines "Night is drawing near/ Shadows of the evening/ crawl across the years" may have been lifted by Morrison from the 19th-century hymnal and bedtime rhyme "Now the Day is Over" ("Now the day is over/ Night is drawing nigh/ Shadows of the evening/ Steal across the sky"). [23]
"The Unknown Soldier" exemplified the group's cinematic approach to their music. In the beginning, as well as after the middle of the song, the mysterious sounds of the organ are heard, depicting the mystery of the "Unknown Soldier". [24] In the bridge, the Doors produced the sounds of a marching cadence. [8] It begins with military drums, plus the sound of the sergeant counting off in 4 seconds ("HUP, HUP, HUP, 2, 3, 4"), until he shouts "COMPANY! HALT! PRESENT! ARMS!", followed by the sounds of loading rifles and a long military drum roll, a pause and then rifle shots. After this middle section, the verses return, with Morrison, singing in a sadder tone to "make a grave for the Unknown Soldier". The song ends with sounds of crowds cheering and bells tolling. [24] [25] The lyrics are generally viewed as Morrison's reaction to the Vietnam War and the way that conflict was portrayed in American media at the time, with lines such as "Breakfast where the news is read/ Television children fed/ Unborn living, living dead/ Bullets strike the helmet's head" reflecting how news of the war was being presented in the living rooms of ordinary people. The band also shot a promotional film for the single. [26]
The centerpiece of the album was supposed to be the lengthy theatrical piece "Celebration of the Lizard", but in the end only the "Not to Touch the Earth" section was used. In a 1969 interview with Jerry Hopkins for Rolling Stone , Morrison said of the epic, "It was pieced together on different occasions out of already existing elements rather than having any generative core from which it grew. I still think there's hope for it." [27] At the conclusion of "Not to Touch the Earth", Morrison utters his iconic personal maxim, "I am the Lizard King/ I can do anything." [8] The opening lines of the song, "Not to touch the earth/ not to see the sun" were taken from the table of contents of The Golden Bough . [8] Krieger's skills with the flamenco guitar can be found on "Spanish Caravan", with Granainas intro and a reworking of the melody from the classical piece Asturias (Leyenda) composed by Isaac Albéniz. [28] The optimistic "We Could Be So Good Together" had been recorded during the sessions for Strange Days , even appearing on an early track listing. [29] [30] [31] A review in Slant Magazine described the song as "categorically pre-fame Morrison," pointing out that the line "The time you wait subtracts from joy" is the kind of hippie idealism the singer had long abandoned. [5] It was issued as the B-side of the single "The Unknown Soldier" which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [32] The single version quotes the opening theme from Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser". [33] [34] [35]
The whimsical "Wintertime Love" and the mournful "Summer's Almost Gone" address seasonal themes, while the gentle "Yes, the River Knows" was written by Krieger. [10] In the liner notes to the 1997 Doors retrospective Box Set, Manzarek praises the latter: "The piano and guitar interplay is absolutely beautiful. I don't think Robby and I ever played so sensitively together. It was the closest we ever came to being Bill Evans and Jim Hall." In the same essay, Manzarek refers to "Summer's Almost Gone" as "a cool Latino-Bolero kind of thing with a Bach-like bridge. It's about the ephemeral nature of life. A season of joy and light and laughter is coming to an end." [18] While recording "My Wild Love", the band eventually gave up on the music and turned it into a work song by getting everyone in the studio to clap their hands, stamp their feet and chant in unison. [14] Robby Krieger has cited "My Wild Love" as his least favorite Doors song, recalling that when a bodyguard said to him that his most-liked tune of the band is "My Wild Love", Krieger responded: "Oh shit, man, I hate that song". [36] Morrison wrote "Love Street" for his girlfriend Pamela Courson and like all of his other songs about or dedicated to her, there was a hesitancy or biting refusal at the end ("I guess I like it fine, so far"). [37]
Waiting for the Sun was officially released on July 3, 1968, [38] although some sources incorrectly noted on the day of 12. [39] As of 2015, the album has sold over 7 million copies since its 1968 original release. [35] Although "Celebration of the Lizard" was not included on the original release of the album, a recording of the long piece was later included along with two early takes of "Not to Touch the Earth" as bonus tracks on the 40th anniversary expanded edition release of the album (subtitled "An Experiment/Work in Progress").
In 1988, Waiting for the Sun was digitally remastered by sound engineer Bruce Botnick and Paul A. Rothchild at Digital Magnetics using the original master tapes. [40] DCC Compact Classics reissued the album on 24kt gold CD in 1993 and on 180g vinyl in 1998, both versions were mastered by Steve Hoffman. [41] [42] It was remastered again in 1999 by Bernie Grundman and Botnick at Bernie Grundman Mastering for The Complete Studio Recordings box set, using 96khz/24bit technology; it was also released as a standalone CD release. [43] In 2006, the album was reissued on a CD/DVD set featuring both stereo and 5.1 remixes created by Botnick for the Perception box set. [44] The 2006 stereo remix was also released on a standalone CD release in 2007 including five bonus tracks, mastered by Botnick at Uniteye. [45] In 2009, it was reissued on 180g vinyl featuring the original mix; this edition was cut by Grundman. [46] Analogue Productions also reissued the album on SACD and double 45 RPM vinyl, both editions were mastered by Doug Sax and Sangwook Nam at the Mastering Lab; the CD layer of the Super Audio CD contains the original stereo mix while the SACD layer contains Botnick's 2006 5.1 surround mix. [47] [48]
In 2018, Rhino Records released a 1-LP/2-CD deluxe edition to commemorate the album's 50th anniversary release, which was remastered by Botnick utilizing the Plangent Process. [49] The CDs are encoded with MQA technology. [50] The LP and first CD feature remastered versions of the same 11 tracks from the original 1968 release. The second CD features 14 previously unreleased tracks. [51] The 50th anniversary edition omits the bonus tracks featured on the 40th anniversary edition and also features rough mixes of all the album's tracks. Botnick recommended some of these versions, saying, "I prefer some of these mixes as they represent all of the elements and additional background vocals and some intangible roughness, all quite attractive and refreshing." [52]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
American Songwriter | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock | 3.5/5 [54] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed) [55] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Despite its commercial success, Waiting for the Sun divided critics and many derided it as pretentious and over-arranged. [58] Journalist Mikal Gilmore noted that many criticisms were centered to the "transparent commercial appeal" of the album's opener "Hello, I Love You", [59] with The Rolling Stone Album Guide dismissing it as a "jagged Kinks ripoff on which Morrison comes out like a rapist". [lower-alpha 3] Jim Miller of Rolling Stone wrote, "After a year and a half of Jim Morrison's posturing, one might logically hope for some sort of musical growth and if the new record isn't really terrible, it isn't particularly exciting either." [55] Pete Johnson reviewing the record for The Philadelphia Inquirer , wrote a positive review, remarking that Waiting for the Sun contains "the smallest amount self-indulgent" songs compared to the Doors previous albums. [3] The New Musical Express declared "The Unknown Soldier" as the standout of side one and "all on side two are gems, notably 'My Wild Love' and the long finale 'Five to One'." [60]
In his retrospective review, Richie Unterberger of AllMusic wrote, "The Doors' 1967 albums had raised expectations so high that their third effort was greeted as a major disappointment. With a few exceptions, the material was much mellower and while this yielded some fine melodic ballad rock ... there was no denying that the songwriting was not as impressive as it had been on the first two records." but concluded that "time's been fairly kind to the record, which is quite enjoyable and diverse, just not as powerful a full-length statement as the group's best albums." [4] In his review of the 2007 reissue, Sal Cinquemani of Slant praised the album, writing that "Despite the fact that Morrison was becoming a self-destructing mess, Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore were "never more lucid –perhaps to compensate. This was a band at its most dexterous, creative and musically diverse." [5]
Classic Rock critic Max Bell overviewing the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, gave Waiting for the Sun a positive rating of four out of five stars. [52] Stereogum ranked it the third best Doors album behind L.A. Woman and The Doors , concluding: "This is the Doors at their strangest, their most exploratory, their most stylistically expansive. Waiting for the Sun has examples of everything the Doors did well, and it has them doing it at, occasionally, their highest level." [61]
All tracks are written by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore individually). Details are taken from the original 1968 Elektra Records release. [62]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:22 |
2. | "Love Street" | 3:06 |
3. | "Not to Touch the Earth" | 3:54 |
4. | "Summer's Almost Gone" | 3:20 |
5. | "Wintertime Love" | 1:52 |
6. | "The Unknown Soldier" | 3:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Spanish Caravan" | 2:58 |
2. | "My Wild Love" | 2:50 |
3. | "We Could Be So Good Together" | 2:20 |
4. | "Yes, the River Knows" | 2:35 |
5. | "Five to One" | 4:22 |
Total length: | 32:49 |
40th Anniversary Edition
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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12. | "Albinoni's Adagio in G minor" | Remo Giazotto | 4:32 |
13. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Dialogue) | 0:38 | |
14. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Take 1) | 4:05 | |
15. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Take 2) | 4:18 | |
16. | "Celebration of the Lizard" (An Experiment/Work in Progress) | 17:09 |
50th Anniversary Edition second CD bonus tracks [63]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:23 |
2. | "Summer's Almost Gone" | 3:23 |
3. | "Yes, the River Knows" | 2:38 |
4. | "Spanish Caravan" | 2:57 |
5. | "Love Street" | 3:05 |
6. | "Wintertime Love" | 1:56 |
7. | "Not to Touch the Earth" | 3:57 |
8. | "Five to One" | 4:23 |
9. | "My Wild Love" | 3:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
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10. | "Texas Radio & the Big Beat" | 1:33 |
11. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:27 |
12. | "Back Door Man" | 2:06 |
13. | "Five to One" | 4:38 |
14. | "The Unknown Soldier" | 4:53 |
Details are taken from the 2019 Rhino Records reissue liner notes with accompanying essay by Bruce Botnick and may differ from other sources. [63]
The Doors
Additional musicians
Technical
Album
Chart (1968–69) | Peak |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [65] | 3 |
Finnish Albums (Soumen Virallinen) [66] | 8 |
UK Albums (OCC) [67] | 16 |
US Billboard 200 [68] | 1 |
Chart (2018) | Peak |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [69] | 20 |
Singles
Year | Single (A-side / B-side) | Chart | Peak |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | "The Unknown Soldier" / "We Could Be So Good Together" | Billboard Hot 100 | 39 [68] |
1968 | "Hello, I Love You" / "Love Street" | Hot 100 | 1 [68] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [70] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP) [71] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [72] | Gold | 250,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [73] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [74] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The Doors is the debut studio album by the 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 listed 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".
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.
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.
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.
Other Voices is the seventh studio album by the Doors, released by Elektra Records in October 1971. It was the first album released by the band following the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July 1971 with keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger sharing lead vocals. Tracks for the album had begun before Morrison's death and the band hoped that Morrison would return from Paris to finish them.
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.
"Five to One" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. The song's lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison but officially credited to the whole band.
"Love Me Two Times" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. First appearing on their second studio album Strange Days, it was later edited to a 2:37 length and released as the second single from that album. The single reached number 25 on the charts in the United States.
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.
Live at the Hollywood Bowl is the third official live album by the American rock band the Doors, released in May 1987 by Elektra Records. The concert was recorded on July 5, 1968, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the Doors' hometown.
In Concert is a live triple album by the Doors released in 1991. The songs were recorded at several concerts between 1968 and 1970 in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Copenhagen. The Doors' producer, Paul A. Rothchild, remarked, "I couldn't get complete takes of a lot of songs, so sometimes I'd cut from Detroit to Philadelphia in midsong. There must be 2,000 edits on that album."
"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.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released in 1980. The album, along with the film Apocalypse Now, released the previous year, created for the band an entirely new audience of the generation that did not grow up with the Doors. The album went on to become one of the highest-selling compilations of all time, with combined CD and vinyl sales of 5,000,000 in the United States alone.
"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.
The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits is a compilation album by the rock band the Doors. It was released in the U.S. in 2008 to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary and contains new stereo audio mixes of the songs.
The Doors Classics is a compilation album by the American rock band the Doors, released in 1985 on Elektra Records. The album has never been issued as CD.
Engineer and producer Bruce Botnick recorded some of the greatest artifacts of West Coast psychedelia, among them the first five albums by the Doors.
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