The origins of The Doors lay in a chance meeting between acquaintances and UCLA film school students Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach, California in July 1965. Morrison told Manzarek he had been writing songs and, at Manzarek's encouragement, sang "Moonlight Drive". Impressed by Morrison's lyrics, Manzarek suggested they form a band.
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek was in a band called Rick and The Ravens with his brother Rick Manzarek, while Robby Krieger and John Densmore were playing with The Psychedelic Rangers and knew Manzarek from yoga and meditation classes. In August, Densmore joined the group and along with members of the Ravens and bass player Pat Sullivan, recorded a six-song demo in September 1965. This was widely bootlegged and appeared in full on the 1997 Doors box set.
That month the group recruited guitarist Robby Krieger and the final lineup — Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore — was complete. The band took their name from the title of a book by Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, which was in turn borrowed from a line in a poem by the 18th century artist and poet William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite".
The Doors were unusual among rock groups because they did not use a bass guitar when playing live. Instead, Manzarek played the bass lines with his left hand on the newly invented Fender Rhodes bass keyboard. On their studio albums, The Doors did use bass players such as Jerry Scheff, Doug Lubahn, Harvey Brooks, Kerry Magness, Lonnie Mack, Larry Knechtel, Leroy Vinegar, and Ray Neapolitan.
Many of The Doors' original songs were group compositions, with Morrison or Krieger contributing the lyrics and an initial melody, and the others providing harmonic and rhythmic suggestions, or even entire sections of song.
By 1966 the group was playing The London Fog club and soon graduated to the prestigious Whisky a Go Go. On August 10, they were spotted by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman who was present at the recommendation of Love singer Arthur Lee, whose group was on Elektra. After Holzman and producer Paul A. Rothchild saw two sets of the band playing at the Whisky a Go Go, they signed them to the Elektra Records label on August 18—the start of a long and successful partnership with Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick. The timing was fortuitous, because on August 21 the club fired the band after a profanity-filled performance of "The End".
The Doors' self-titled debut LP was recorded in August 1966 and released in the first week of January 1967. It featured most of the major songs from their set, including the 11-minute musical drama, "The End". The band recorded the album in a few days in late August and early September 1966, almost entirely live in the studio with many songs captured in a single take.
Morrison and Manzarek directed a promotional film for the lead single "Break on Through (To the Other Side)", a significant advance in the development of the music video genre. The second single, "Light My Fire", became a smash hit in mid-1967, and established the group — in the vein of Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead — as one of America's vital counterculture bands. For AM radio airplay, the long middle organ and guitar solos were cut out from the song.
The Doors earned a reputation as a rebellious live act. With his stage presence and skin-tight leather trousers, Morrison became a sex symbol, although he soon became frustrated with the strictures of stardom. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network censors demanded that Morrison change the lyrics to "Light My Fire" by altering the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," before the band performed the song live on September 17, 1967, on the Ed Sullivan Show. The line was changed to, "Girl, we couldn't get much better". However, Morrison sang the original line, and on live television with no delay, CBS was powerless to stop it. A furious Ed Sullivan refused to shake the band members' hands, and they were never invited back to the show. According to Manzarek, the band was told by Sullivan's son-in-law, Bob Precht, that they would never do the Ed Sullivan show again; Morrison replied, "So what. We just did the Ed Sullivan Show". They also performed a new single, "People Are Strange", which they repeated for DJ Murray The K's TV show on September 22.
Morrison cemented his status as a rebel on December 10 when he was arrested in New Haven, Connecticut, for badmouthing the police to the audience. Morrison said he had been maced by a police officer after he was caught backstage with a girl.
The second Doors LP, Strange Days, was less spontaneous than their debut, but it was noted for its evocative lyrics and atmosphere. The closing track, "When the Music's Over", was, like "The End", lengthy and dramatic, and helped establish Morrison's reputation as the shaman of rock. The album was also commercial and featured now-classic Doors songs such as "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
In Apri 1968, the recording of the third album was marred by tension as a result of Morrison's increasing dependence on alcohol. The band began to branch out from their initial form in their third LP, because they had exhausted their original repertoire and began writing new material. It became their first #1 LP and the single "Hello, I Love You" was their second and last US #1 single.The LP included "The Unknown Soldier", which was banned from radio play due to controversial lyrics. The group created another self-directed music video for it. "Not to Touch the Earth" was excerpted from The Doors' 30-minute concept piece Celebration of the Lizard, although they were reportedly unable to record a satisfactory version of the entire piece for the LP. This was eventually released on a greatest hits CD compilation. In retrospect, the reputation of "Waiting for the Sun" has largely been restored, as uncommercial songs such as "The Unknown Soldier" and experimentation such as the flamenco guitar on "Spanish Caravan" and the famous solo of "Five to One" have been reckognized.
The group played nine more US dates and began to work, in November, on their fourth LP. 1969 started with a sold out show at Madison Square Garden in New York on January 24 and with a successful new single, "Touch Me", (released in December 1968), which hit US #3.
The Miami incident occurred at the March 1, 1969, Dinner Key Auditorium concert in Miami, Florida. Morrison had been drinking since missing his flight to the show.The 6,900 seat auditorium had been oversold. Morrison drunkely bellowed into the microphone. He shouted: "Anything you want, let's do it", and then, allegedly, exposed himself. The incident outraged local authorities and got Morrison busted for obscenity. Gigs all over the US were canceled. The band confronted Morrison about his alcoholism. The incident remains inconclusive.Morrison recorded some of his poetry that month and in April began shooting footage for HWY, an experimental film about a hitchhiker, played by himself. The Doors set the poetry session to music for the 1978 album An American Prayer.
Although Morrison received the most attention, getting a larger image on the cover of the group's debut album, he was adamant that all the band members should get recognition.
In the last two years of his life, Morrison curtailed his intake of drugs and drank heavily, which affected his stage and studio performances. He put on weight and grew a thick beard, causing Elektra to use earlier photos for the cover of the Absolutely Live LP, released in 1970. The album features performances recorded on The Doors' 1970 American tour and at the 1969 Aquarius Theatre gig and includes a full-length live performance of "The Celebration of the Lizard".
Their fourth album, The Soft Parade (1969), released in July, further distanced the group from their core fan base, containing pop-oriented arrangements and horn sections. The lead single "Touch Me" featured saxophonist Curtis Amy.
While the band was trying to maintain their previous momentum, efforts to expand their sound gave the album an experimental feel, causing critics to attack their musical integrity. Morrison's drinking made him difficult and unreliable, and the recording sessions dragged on for weeks.
The Doors staged a return to form with their 1970 LP Morrison Hotel. Featuring a consistent, hard rock sound, the album's opener was "Roadhouse Blues". The record hit US #4 and revived their status among their fans and the rock press.
The band continued to perform at arenas throughout the summer. Morrison faced trial in Miami in August, but the group made it to the Isle of Wight Festival on August 29. They performed alongside artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis and Sly & The Family Stone. In July 1970, The Doors released Absolutely Live. On September 16, Morrison took to the stand, but the jury returned a guilty verdict for profanity and indecent exposure on September 20. Morrison was sentenced to eight months' custody but was allowed to go free pending an appeal. On December 8, 1970, his 27th birthday, Morrison recorded another poetry session.
During the Doors' last public performance, at the "Warehouse" in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 12, 1970, Morrison apparently had a breakdown on stage. He slammed the microphone numerous times into the stage floor. Nevertheless, The Doors looked set to regain its crown as a premier act with L.A. Woman in 1971. The album explored their R&B roots, although during rehearsals they had a falling-out with Rothchild. Denouncing the new repertoire as "cocktail music," he quit and handed the production to Botnick. The result is considered a classic Doors album. The singles "L.A. Woman", "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm" remain mainstays of rock radio programming.
In 1971, following the recording of L.A. Woman, Morrison decided to take some time off and moved to Paris with girlfriend, Pamela Courson, in March. By June, he was again drinking heavily. On June 16, the last known recording of Morrison was made when he befriended two street musicians at a bar and invited them to a studio.
Morrison died under mysterious circumstances on July 3, 1971. His body was found in the bathtub of his apartment. It was concluded that he died of a heart attack, although it was later revealed that no autopsy had been performed before Morrison's body was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery on July 7.
There are persistent rumors that Morrison faked his death to escape the spotlight or died at a nightclub and that his body had been surreptitiously taken to his apartment.
The remaining Doors continued for some time, initially considering replacing Morrison with a new singer. It has been reported that Iggy Pop was one of the singers considered as a possible replacement. Instead, Krieger and Manzarek took over on vocals, released two more albums, Other Voices and Full Circle, and went on tour. Both albums sold less than the Morrison era releases, and The Doors stopped performing and recording at the end of 1972. The third post-Morrison album, An American Prayer, was released in 1978. It consisted of the band adding a musical track to recently rediscovered spoken-word recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry. The record was a commercial success. In 1979 Francis Ford Coppola, who attended the film school at UCLA with Morrison, released Apocalypse Now with "The End" used prominently in the sound track.
In 1991, director Oliver Stone released his film The Doors, starring Val Kilmer as Morrison and with cameos by Krieger and Densmore.
In 1993, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger reunited for their induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, sang vocals. The group performed three songs, Break on Through, Light my Fire, and Roadhouse Blues. In 2001, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore and Robby Krieger reunited again to perform The Doors' hits as part of the VH1 Storytellers series.
In 2002 Manzarek and Krieger reunited and created a new version of The Doors, called "The Doors of the 21st Century." The lineup was fronted by Astbury, with Angelo Barbera from Krieger's band on bass. At their first concert, the group announced that drummer John Densmore would not perform, and it was later reported that he was unable to play because he suffered from tinnitus. Densmore was initially replaced by Stewart Copeland of The Police, but after Copeland broke his arm falling off a bicycle, the arrangement ended in mutual lawsuits, and he was replaced by Ty Dennis, drummer with Krieger's band. Densmore subsequently claimed that he had in fact not been invited to take part in the reunion. In February 2003, he filed an injunction against his former band mates, hoping to prevent them from using the name "The Doors of the 21st Century." His motion was denied in court in May. Manzarek publicly stated that the invitation for Densmore to return to the group still stood. It was also reported that both Morrison's family and that of Pamela Courson had joined Densmore in seeking to prevent Manzarek and Krieger from using The Doors' name. In July 2005, Densmore and the Morrison estate won a permanent injunction, causing the new band to switch to the name." It now plays under the name Riders on the Storm. They are allowed to play under names such as "former Doors" and "members of The Doors." Later in July 2007 Densmore said that he would not rejoin The Doors unless it was fronted by Eddie Vedder. Densmore says, "I play with Jim. If there's someone of that level, OK. I'm not gonna join them with Ian. That's not to diss Ian, he's a good singer - but he's no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there's a singer."
On February 16, 2007 Ian Astbury quit Riders on the Storm, and relaunched his old band The Cult. On March 14, 2007 Brett Scallions, former lead singer of the band Fuel, was announced as the new lead singer of Riders on the Storm. On July 24, 2007, The Doors released a live 3-Disc album, recorded at Boston Arena on April 10, 1970. On March 8, 2008, The Doors will release yet again another live album, recorded at the Pittsburgh Civics Center on May 2, 1970.
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