L.A. WOMAN

I find parallels between this album and Nirvana's In Utero: all-conquering American rock bands with iconic front man making a last album which hints at progressive tendencies, yet tastes raw and is generally identified by the more musically-minded fans as being the best album...whatever it is about already-successful bands making such albums, there are dark processes at work which cause very real consequences, for Jim Morrison, for Kurt Cobain (see also Richey James and the Manic Street Preachers only great work: The Holy Bible).

But on to the music with a rating out of ten for each song:

Changeling - 8

I'm a Changeling...see me change! Nice, dancy number to start off the album, tight interplay between the band members.

Love Her Madly - 6

A bit poppy and uninteresting for me, a filler which might sound better on a packed sunny beach.

Been Down So Long - 10

CLASSIC! Rock your balls off to this one! A real swinging blues sing-a-longa treat.

Cars Hiss By My Window - 9

White boys can play the blues! This is what I hoped the Hooker n Heat album would sound like (it's rubbish). Cars Hiss has a perfectly laid-back Jim over an organic groove. At 3:30, a goddamn-yeah-baby-vocal mini-solo from our Jim...Right On!

L.A. Woman - 10

MISTER MOJO RISING! The Doors' greatest song...nuff said.

L'America - 9

This song is almost perfect: a dark, hectic, progressive trip into otherland (L'America). It's a slight pity that there is a mood-miscalculation with an out-of-place one-off chorus you know the rain is coming to town. Great finish tho'. This song ends the 4-song run of amazing music and the album trails off until Riders saves it.

Hyacinth House - 6

Boring, mid-paced number. The end-section is interesting tho'.

Crawling King Snake - 5

Boring, mid-paced bluesish number, no interesting section to redeem it.

WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat) - 6

Some nice grooves, but pretty bland and slightly annoying vocals and song structure.

Riders On The Storm - 8

Riders isn't really that interesting, but it has such an appealing, evocative atmosphere that it simply works. Cool music for the background rather than music to really get into.

So, as with all Doors albums, some excellent, some good and some pretty bland songs but because of the 4 songs in the middle this qualifies as my personal favourite Doors, a tiny Mojo in front of the debut album.

Share this THE DOORS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to dholl
• Report this review (#156305)
• Buy THE DOORS music online with PA partners
• Show all THE DOORS MP3/Stream
• Go to THE DOORS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to L.A. Woman page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for THE DOORS related discussions