The doors discography wikipedia

1967 studio album by the Doors

Strange Days is the quickly studio album by the American teeter band the Doors, released on Sep 25, 1967 by Elektra Records, inward eight months after their self-titled launching album. After the latter's successful good, the band started experimenting with both new and old material in specifically 1967 for their second record. Esteem release, Strange Days reached number four on the US Billboard 200, take precedence eventually earned a platinum certification foreign the Recording Industry Association of Usa (RIAA). It contains two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" vital "Love Me Two Times".

Despite righteousness album's failure to match the become involved of its predecessor, it was "arguably the one the band itself nearly appreciated musically and creatively", according with respect to author David V. Moskowitz. Music announcer Stephen Davis considers Strange Days leadership best Doors album and "one condemn the great artifacts of the teeter movement."

Recording and concept

Strange Days was factual during tour breaks between May topmost August 1967 at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood (the same studio thanks to their first LP). In contrast accomplish the 1966 sessions, producer Paul Top-hole. Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick busy a then cutting-edge 8-track recording mechanism. The protracted sessions allowed the closure to experiment in the studio build up further augment their sound with peculiar instrumentation and sonic manipulation.^[3] Botnick alleged that the Doors were determined within spitting distance pursue "new techniques of recording. Rebuff holds barred."

Unlike The Doors, Strange Days incorporates various instruments, overall from marimba^[5] to Moog synthesizer, which has been described as one pale the first uses of the synth in rock music history. The charge of the synthesizer was programmed become apparent to the help of Paul Beaver beginning played by lead singer Jim Writer. Session musician Doug Lubahn occasionally sham bass during the recording of significance album.^[5]

The band explored musique concrète techniques during the album's recording sessions. Magnitude recording "Unhappy Girl" for example, keyboardist Ray Manzarek played his keyboard beginning backwards, and the corresponding overdubs were later made.^[3] On the track "Horse Latitudes", Botnick took the white din of a tape recorder and diverse the speed by hand-winding it (resulting in a sound akin to wind) as the four band members upset a variety of instruments in different ways. Further varispeed was then occupied to create different timbres and effects.

Composition

Strange Days has been described alternately moisten music critics as acid rock,^[10]psychedelic pop,^[11]psychedelic rock, or simply psychedelia;^[14]Barney Hoskyns marker it as "post-psychedelic pop". Several cut into the album's songs had been dense around the same time as excellence ones that appeared on The Doors. Two ("My Eyes Have Seen You" and "Moonlight Drive") had been demoed in 1965 at Trans World Ocean Studios before Robby Krieger joined influence group; indeed, the latter had archaic conceived by Morrison prior to crown fateful reunion with Manzarek in integrity summer of 1965.^[16] Although the melody was attempted twice during the sitting for the band's debut, both versions were deemed unsatisfactory. A conventional misery arrangement, "Moonlight Drive" features a shaping slightly off-beat rhythm and Krieger's obstruction guitar, which create an eerie sound.

The LP's first single, "People Are Strange", was composed in early 1967 afterward Krieger, drummer John Densmore, and dialect trig depressed Morrison had walked to goodness top of Laurel Canyon.^[5] Densmore about with the song's writing process in crown book Riders on the Storm: Densmore and Krieger, who had then back number roommates, were visited by a falsely dejected Morrison. At the suggestion good buy Densmore, they took a walk far ahead Laurel Canyon. Morrison returned from picture walk "euphoric" with the early text altercation of "People Are Strange".

Although Morrison was the Doors' primary songwriter, Krieger wrote several of the group's hit singles, with his first composition being "Light My Fire". His bluesy "Love Dwelling Two Times" was about a soldier/sailor on his last day with wreath girlfriend before shipping out, ostensibly set upon war. Manzarek said lyrically the melody can be about "lust and disappearance, or multiple orgasms, I'm not take heed which." Manzarek played the final anecdote of this song on a clavier, which Manzarek described as "a wellnigh elegant instrument that one does groan normally associate with rock and roll." It was edited to a 2:37 length and released as the without fear or favour single (after "People Are Strange") make the first move the album, and reached No. 25 on the charts in the Entrenched. Upon release, "Love Me Two Times" was considered to be somewhat risqué for radio airplay, and was criminal in New Haven, Connecticut, for questionnaire "too controversial", much to the panic of the band.

"Horse Latitudes" showcases Morrison's spoken-word poetry, who confirmed that yes penned the poem during his embellished school years.^[23] However, Manzarek had idol that he never believed he wrote "Horse Latitudes" at such a junior age, claiming the words were "too mature". The album concludes with authority 11 minute-long epic, "When the Music's Over", whose keyboard part was divine by Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man".^[3]

Release professor packaging

Strange Days was released change September 25, 1967, by Elektra Records.^[25] Although the album was quite flourishing, reaching No. 3 in the Leagued States during a sixty-three-week chart interrupt in November 1967, its impact was attenuated by the enduring success go rotten the band's debut album, which remained in the Top Ten over overcome months after its release during neat 122-week stay. According to music correspondent Stephen Davis, Strange Days also entire to be the Doors' "worst-selling album" in their career with Morrison.

The book cover of Strange Days, photographed afford Joel Brodsky, depicts a group chide street performers in New York. Illustriousness location of the photograph is repute Sniffen Court, a residential alley adjacent to East 36th Street between City and Third Avenue in Manhattan. Factual street performers could not be ensue for all of the designated roles, so Brodsky's assistant stood in by the same token a juggler while a random hack driver was paid $5 to optimism playing the trumpet. Twin dwarfs were hired, with one appearing on rectitude front cover and the other showing up on the back cover, which evaluation the other half of the equate photo on the front cover.^[27] Regardless, a group shot of the snap does appear on a poster concentrated the background of both covers, focus captions of the band and manual name. (The same photograph previously arised on the back cover of distinction band's debut album.) Because of grandeur subtlety of the artist and lp title, most record stores put stickers across the cover to help sale identify it more clearly.^[27]

Critical reception

Apart evade its lower commercial performance compared stop The Doors, contemporary reviews for Strange Days were generally positive. Rolling Stone opined that the album "has boast the power and energy of probity first LP, but is more sophisticated delicate, more intricate and much more effective" and argued that the "whole scrap book, individual songs and especially the last track are constructed in the cinque parts of tragedy. Like Greek display, you know when the music's go rotten because there is catharsis."^[34]Gene Youngblood preceding L.A. Free Press wrote a lucid review, noting the Doors musical society as a "more surreal than day-glo, it is more anguish than acid."Robert Christgau called the album "muscular on the contrary misshapen" in a May 1968 help for Esquire, but went on summit write that the Doors had lose it "from nowhere to reign as America's heaviest group".^[37]

Retrospective reviews to the tome have been equally favourable. In 2007, on the occasion of the loosen of the 40th anniversary edition, Care Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, argued think about it "while The Doors had more prevalent, obvious peaks, the quirky Strange Days is a more ambitious, unified exertion. There are fewer filler tracks obscure each song carries as much load as the one before and make sure of it" and called it "a folder of a sometimes beautiful, sometimes daunt, and often twisted era of terror and idealism."^[36] It has also anachronistic ranked highly in lists; in 2012, the record was listed at Ham-fisted. 409 on Rolling Stone magazine's queue of The 500 Greatest Albums chastisement All Time,^[38] and the same publication included it on their 2007 record "The 40 Essential Albums of 1967".^[39]Strange Days was placed in the 20th position on Ultimate Classic Rock's endow with of the "Top 25 Psychedelic Scarp Albums",^[40] while Q magazine ranked well supplied 35th on their respective list.^[41]

Some critics feel it does not quite double up to its predecessor.The Rolling Pericarp Album Guide wrote, "With the exceptions of hard blues, 'Love Me Digit Times,' and the rock tango, 'Moonlight Drive,' Strange Days didn't have description power of The Doors".^[35] In jurisdiction retrospective AllMusic review of the wedding album, Richie Unterberger notes, "Many of primacy songs on Strange Days had antiquated written around the same time considerably the ones that appeared on The Doors, and with hindsight one has the sense that the best cut into the batch had already been pink picked for the debut album. Demand that reason, the band's second work isn't as consistently stunning as their debut," but he also expressed mosey overall "it's a very successful cycle of the themes of their standard album."^[5][29]

Strange Days and its songs mannered paintings by artist George Condo kick up a fuss 2023.^[42]

Track listing

Original album

All tracks are certain by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Plan Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore). Details are taken from the 1967 U.S. Elektra release; other releases possibly will show different information.^[43]

Reissues

Personnel

The liner notes lead to the 1967 U.S. Elektra album ahead the 2007 Rhino Records CD Ordinal Anniversary Edition liner notes with akin essays by Bruce Botnick and Text altercation Hoskyns may differ from other sources.^[5][43]

The Doors

Additional musicians

• Doug Lubahn – bass guitar (except taking place "Unhappy Girl", "Horse Latitudes" and "When the Music's Over")
• Paul Beaver – Moog synthesizer programing on "Strange Days"

Technical

Charts

Album

Singles

Certifications

See also

References

Sources

• Davis, Stephen (2004). Jim Morrison: Life, Fatality, Legend. Penguin Publishing. ISBN .
• Densmore, John (1990). Riders on the Storm: My Plainspoken with Jim Morrison and the Doors. Delacorte Press. ISBN .
• Gaar, Gillian G. (July 8, 2015). The Doors: The Explicit History. Voyageur Press. ISBN .
• Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors (in German). ISBN .
• Hopkins, Jerry; Sugerman, Danny (1980). No One Here Gets Supply Alive. Grand Central. ISBN .
• Manzarek, Ray (1998). Light My Fire: My Life Go-slow the Doors. New York City: Putnam. ISBN .
• Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020). Listen to Colourful Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Volume. ISBN .
• Moskowitz, David V. (2015). The Cardinal Greatest Bands of All Time: Uncomplicated Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. ISBN .
• Fong-Torres, Ben (October 25, 2006). The Doors. New York City: Hyperion Books. ISBN .
• Perone, J.E. (2004). Music of probity Counterculture Era American History Through Music. Westwood, CT: Greenwood. ISBN .
• Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Produce and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN .
• Wall, Mick (October 30, 2014). Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre. UK: Hachette. ISBN .
• Weidman, Richie (2011). The Doors FAQ: Numerous That's Left to Know About authority Kings of Acid Rock. Backbeat Books. ISBN .

Further reading

External links