L.A. WOMAN

Hell yeah, The Doors are (were) back! But sadly it was the last album of the band as a 4-piece band, you know why... The fact is, that after several things that happened to their recent past (1969 -1970), Jim Morrison and The Doors made an extraordinary "comeback", 4 years had passed since their first two and best albums then, 4 years after their best and more successful moments, musically talking, 2 years after their probably decadence (The Soft Parade and Morrison Hotel) which are not bad albums but clearly showed less quality in every way.

So there was 1971, a different Jim? maybe, you can notice it looking at the cover art, he has beard now! and he is also fat, something happened within their souls and it was a change, but this time, a kick asses change. L.A. Woman is the name of the album that marked the end of an era, (obviously they didn`t know it) and every fan could wonder what would have happened if they were released more albums?, that question could live in every fan`s mind, but i, as a fan, am happy because this was an excellent end (musically talking) and it`s great to remember a band that finished their era with such a wonderful album.

This time they returned to their powerful sound, to the creation of memorable and very well composed songs, and to the time when they were just Gods of the rock scene. 10 songs are placed here, can you recognize the name of Love Her Madly, or Riders on the Storm??, both songs are just a little proff of this excellent record.

"Changeling" is an obscure and freaky song , which was perfectly set as the opener, this sole song could give you an advice, warning, this album is great!!, the bass lines here are great. "Love her Madly", this song is very popular here in Mexico, and surely it was a main hit in their decade, actually it is not their best, but it is great, everyone could love this. "Been Down So Long" and "The Carr Hiss by my Window" are probably the weaker songs here, personally they are the ones which i less enjoy, being the first one a rockier theme with a nice slide guitar and a strong Jim`s voice, in the other hand, Car His... is a soft and bluesy song. "L.A. Woman", the title track, attention prog lovers!, this song is purely progressive, one of the best songs they ever created, great time and tempo changes, a magnific guitar, and an explendid keyboard sound, i also think that maybe here the 4 members showed their best qualities as musicians. "L`America" is a dark and atmospheric, also psychedelic song, again the bass lines are notables, and it`s probably one of the most "obscure" songs in their discography. "Hyacinth House" is one of my favorite songs here, a short song with mid tempo, acoustic guitars and a delicate but beatufil Jim`s voice. "Crawling King Snake" returns to their main influences and bluesy sound, the guitar riffs are pretty good here. "The Wasp" is honestly my favorite song of this album, i have loved it since i was a child (i`ll tell you about Texas Radio and the Big Beat), the whole song is awesome, vocals, drums, keys and above all the guitar riffs are excellent, this song is adorable, everyone could love it. "Riders on the Storm" , attention prog lovers again, im pretty sure that you already knwo this song because it is a hit, but this time besides being a hit is also a magnific song, with a jazzy texture, the sound of the rain during the song is beautiful, the piano work by Manzarek even better, and yes... this was the last song of The Doors as a quartet in an album.

This was a tremendous "comeback", as i said when i review their first two albums, this is a must having to any rock lover, being or not a fan of the band, at least try it, and then you can say whatever you want. For me it would have 4.5 stars in a rock site which i would round to 5, but here, i will give it 4 stars! Highly recommended to any prog lover!

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