The Doors Album: “L.A. Woman”

It's getting annoying, isn't it -- the endless parade of rereleases, remasters, and repackagings designed to bleed music fans with the promise of something new from a long-gone band?

Reluctantly, I checked this album out on a streaming service. I wasn't about to part with another dollar to re-re-re-buy this middle-aged album without a good reason. I had the thing on vinyl, for cripes' sake. Then two CD versions, including the "Perception" box set... and now this.

If you don't own a version of this album, and if you like the Doors at all, you must jump on this. And even if you do own a previous version, this edition is well worth it.

Why? Well, if you don't own this album, you're missing a major shift in the Doors' direction, from sinuous adolescent psychedelia to boozy desert blues. It's not an easy shift for the listener to make; it took me easily 20 years of Doors fandom to really come around to this album after cutting my teeth on the poppy "Waiting for the Sun" and the hallucinatory "The Soft Parade" and all. I get it now. I'm glad I waited it out.

And if you do own the album, I recommend you grit your teeth and spring for this edition (perhaps vowing, like me, that this will be the VERY LAST time you pay for this music).

Why? First, it sounds great. Bright enough to hear all the instruments clearly, but not so bright that it sounds "modern." Let's face it, the warm sound of the music of this era is a major part of its attraction. No weird, forced stereo separation; no strange emphasis on any instrument or vocal; it's just pleasant to listen to.

And now -- you need alternate versions? Don't go no further. The second half of this reissue is chock full of truly wonderful alternate takes that I personally had never heard. These are complete takes that stand on their own -- any one of them would have been worthy to be the final take (barring the rather lackluster "Love Her Madly (Take 1))." Some of the chatter before the songs is quite amusing as well, especially the cutting up before "Riders on the Storm." Given the serious tone of most of the album, it's great to hear a bit of Jim's funny side.

As for the two "new" entries, "Rock Me" and "She Smells So Nice"... Well, "Rock Me" is a cover of the old blues standard, "Rock Me Baby," which they often performed live. And the "new song" that's been so hyped, "She Smells So Nice," isn't really a song, more of a loose, drunken jam on a blues theme. On both cuts, the band is ramshackle and Jim's voice is muffled and poorly recorded, and there are audible microphone crackles. I suspect these were warm-up jams that just happen to have been recorded. If you're a huge fan, you may want to get "She Smells So Nice" anyway, just for fun, but a "lost song" it ain't.

The only thing keeping this from being the definitive, ultimate "L.A. Woman" issue is the lack of the bonus tracks from the 2007 issue: "Orange County Suite" and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further." Neither was included on the original "L.A. Woman" issue, but both are real songs (unlike "She Smells So Nice") and both are worthwhile. I'd go so far as to say they're essential for the Doors fan, especially "(You Need Meat)," a Willie Dixon cover. It's one of their best latter-day rockers and it really fits in with the rest of the album. Your best solution, if buying this album for the first time, is to buy this edition and go buy those two tracks individually. Then you'll have everything worth having... until they "discover" another "new" track, that is.

"L.A. Woman" is the final album put together by the Doors before the death of Jim Morrison and what is so striking about it for me is how the two best tracks, the title one and "Riders of the Storm," are so different from the rest of what is on the album. Contrasting the start of those tracks with the opening song on the album, "The Changeling," and they are like night and day. Most of the rest of this 1971 album is really blues oriented, with "Love Her Madly" clearly being the best of the bunch, and some of the rest being instantly forgettable. I think it is obvious that the band was trying to get back their credibility after veering too far in the direction of pop for a couple of albums, with "Morrison Hotel" and this one righting those wrongs. But since a few of these songs are pretty forgettable, "L.A. Woman" is an album that is caught between a 4 and a 5 but you have to round up given how good its two best songs end up being.

My two favorite parts of Oliver Stone's movie "The Doors" is when we hear Ray Manzarek in the background fooling around on the organ until he gets the bit for "Light My Fire" right and the end credits with the tracking shot showing the record of "L.A. Woman," with Val Kilmer's Morrison taking advantage of the great acoustics in the bathroom. For years when I was driving back from the Twin Cities and coming up the final hills before being able to see the lights of home, to wit the "city of lights," "L.A. Woman" was the song I would play in the car because it perfectly suited the moment.

Since the track opens with the sound of an accelerating car engine it is easy to see why the songs is associated with driving. Robbie Krieger simulates that sound on his guitar, but with a hint of eeriness that leads into first Manzarek's keyboards and then John Densmore's cymbal tapping and session player Jerry Scheff's throbbing bass. From that intriguing beginning the song generates its compelling rhythm and allows Morrison to wax lyrical. The bridge represents one of the most creative changes in rock history, using a tango tempo while Morrison sings about burning hair before getting to the final section where the anagrammatic "Mr. Mojo Risin'" makes his appearance. On a lot of these tracks Morrison's voice sounds about shot, but there are no complaints about "L.A. Woman," which qualifies as his last great vocal performance.

"Riders of the Storm" is one of the moodiest Doors' songs and the lyrics create a sense of foreboding (e.g., "Into this house were born/Into this world we're thrown") representing the questionable side of human existence. Musically Manzarek captures the sound of the storm, with actual thunderstorm sound effects dubbed on to the track, while Densmore again works the cymbals and Scheff provides a simple bass line, reflecting a minimalist approach that is quite effective. The song made it to #14 on the Billboard charts after Morrison's death in Paris ("Love Her Madly" had made it to #11 while the title track was just too long for AM radio). The "L.A. Woman" album only made it to #9, which, believe it or not, makes it the worst performance by a Doors album. Of course, a decade later Morrison and the Doors were bigger than ever and "L.A. Woman" was a frequent mention as the group's best track.

Not as splashy as ELP's Brain Salad Surgery DVD Audio but still a quantum leap over any CD version I've ever heard (including the new remasters). There is no audible hiss; the guitars and drums are crystal clear. The Lizard King sounds like he''s in your room. My only gripe is the underutilization of the subwoofer channel. However, this is a must buy.

When I first heard this album, I was absolutely blown away. My previous exposure to The Doors had been limited to a double-CD set with all the hits. I'd heard "LA Woman", but not "The Changeling"! What a revelation! This album is especially poignant to me, because it is the final Doors album and the last piece of work produced by that madman Jim Morrison. Listen to him on "Hyacinth House" singing "I need a brand new friend who doesn't bother me, I need a brand new friend who doesn't trouble me, I need someone, yeah, who doesn't need me".

What was he talking about? A new girl to replace Pamela? A new drug to replace alcohol? A new muse to replace those he had lost on his haphazard journey through rock stardom? It seems to me that Morrison was tired of the whole "rock star" schtick and wanted to finally be the artist he had always dreamed he would be : an old bluesman that we could all understand. He, along with the other band members, found that bluesman for this album and forced him to write some great songs.

The album opens with "The Changeling", and it grabs you by the throat as Jim's howls compete with Ray's dominant keyboards. Robbie's "Don't You Love Her Madly" pulls us back from the brink with a nice little ditty which Morrison makes his own with his deep, bottom-of-the-well bellows.

Next up is a song that's blues on steroids, "Been Down So Long". The addition of an in-studio bass player really gives some balls to this song. "Cars Hiss By My Window" is so mellow it almost puts you to sleep, but it's so spooky, almost as if Morrison's in the room with you, at a cheap motel on a beach, in the early morning darkness. "Side One", as we used to call it, ends with "LA Woman" and it's everything the supposed opuses on previous albums, "The End" and "When The Music's Over", were supposed to be. "LA Woman" succeeds because it's a better song straight up than the other two, but also because the lyrics tell a coherent and believable story. We get to ride with Morrison for a night and what a wild ride it is!

Side two opens with an entirely different feel, "L'America's" military drumbeats marching us along to Jim's vocal cadence. Is he the rainmaker, the widowmaker, or just someone who wants to steal your wife? Who knows?!

"Hyacinth House" is, in my view, the saddest song Morrison ever wrote (just ahead of "Crystal Ship"), with Jim's mournful tone and Robbie's tasteful guitar fills dancing together. "Crawling King Snake" is probably what had been in Jim's head since he was a kid listen' to black radio. It's nice to see him take another legend's material (John Lee Hooker) and make it his own.

"The Wasp" continues the hard-driving blues train and is Jim's own contribution to the genre. His poetic lyrics drive this one straight into your mind's eye. He could be a good poet, when he took the time to polish his raw product, which he seems to have done with the lyrics for this song. The album ends softly with "Riders On The Storm", a eulogy for Morrison if there ever was one. Last words, last words... out!

Nobody knows what Morrison and the Doors would have done if he had not died in Paris in '71. We can only speculate. I am just thankful that he lived as long as he did and contributed so much to my life and the lives of countless others through his musical talents. This album is a big part of that gift, so if you do not have it, buy it today. You will not regret it.

Pros:

The sound is absoultly phenominal. This should be an example of what the standard should be in re-releasing material. It honestly sounds as if you are in the studio with the band. Side by side with the original issue of the cd this blows the older version away. Everything is so crisp and clear. This should be expected with technological advances.

The price. If you're looking to update the original cds without all the fancy packaging it's cheaper to by these new issues rather than the latest boxed set.

I'm a purist at heart and don't think albums should be remixed but I'm indifferent here. The one thing that I didn't expect was the additional lyrics during "Cars Hiss By My Window". Knowing the song the way it was originally released, it threw me for a loop when I first heard it and was totally unexpected.

Cons:

None. Hands down this is my favorite Doors album. Next in line is to upgrade my Morrison Hotel cd (the 2nd best in my opinion).