Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site

ALBUM REVIEW

THE DOORS

STRANGE DAYS

Released - October, 1967, Elektra Records. Produced by Paul R. Rothchild

Jim Morrison - Vocals
Robby Krieger - All Guitars
Ray Manzarek - Keyboards & Marimba
John Densmore - Drums

With:
Douglas Lubahn - Occasional Bass

All songs written by The Doors.

REVIEW

I always find myself not too sure of what to say when it comes to The Doors and their music. I did dig them back when they were a working band with their troubled leader, Jim Morrison. Perhaps it has something to do with what went down a few years later for me, being forced to hear their music every single day when I was in my 20s and early 30s, as my then wife was a Morrison freak and if I was gonna play my Beatles and Stones every night, well she was to hear her beloved Doors, too. I think that Strange Days was the one Doors LP that drained me the most of my tolerance for them, yet just like all of their other albums now, when I get the rare chance to hear Strange Days today I do like what is coming out of the speakers a lot.

The two hit singles that came from of this album, "Love Me Two Times" and "People Are Strange", are my favorite songs from the LP, with their simple but very fine lyrics. The band itself shines a bit more on some of the other tunes, with Robby Krieger playing some slide guitar here and there on several songs, his simple slide shines especially on "Moonlight Drive" and even more so on "Unhappy Girl", an average song at best without that slide.

The best sung song on the album is "When the Music's Over", with Morrison at his best on this one, no question, keeping me interested enough on a otherwise too drawn out number. Another winner found on here, "Horse Latitudes",  isn't a song, but poetry, which I usually don't care to hear by anybody. But the way Morrison delivers this one, well I can't help but dig it a lot.

- Keno 2006

To listen to some soundclips from STRANGE DAYS or to purchase it click on: Strange Days

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