Song List

Although the Doors are musical legends with legions of fans, for some reason they have not enjoyed the same degree of reverence as some of their classic rock peers like the Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix or The Who. You’ll be hard pressed to find the Doors name-dropped by the latest “it” band or up-and-coming indie sensation. Perhaps the myth of Morrison has eclipsed the music. Whatever the reason, I think it’s about time for a Doors’ re-evaluation and revival.

As early as 1975 the brilliant rock critic Lester Bangs made the case for why the Doors deserve more respect:

The significance the Doors should not be underestimated; it has been too often already. When you consider that they represented, in the positivist context through whose belly they thrust their violence and dread, when you look around you at half time in the ‘70s and listen closely to the bands and singers that’ve captured the imagination in the years since Morrison first scowled and took a brief break from the Whisky’s stage to hang his young ancient’s head out the back door and puke up cheap booze in the alley (and all the time they thought he was on acid 24 hours a day!)… it becomes inescapable fact that, with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground on the other coast, Jim Morrison was the father of ‘70s Rock ‘n’ Roll.

So, in an effort to kick start a Doors’ resurgence, and on the occasion of Jim Morrison’s birthday, the editors of JamsBio have compiled our ranking of the band’s ten best deep album cuts (i.e., not the hits. No “L.A. Woman,” “Roadhouse Blues,” “Light My Fire,” etc.) So dust off your Doors’ vinyls and cue up the magic. Or, if you’re starting fresh, head over to Amazon where you can download the Doors’ stunning debut for only $3.99.

Here’s our list of the Door’s 10 Best Deep Album Tracks:

#10 “Maggie M’Gill” from Morrison Hotel (1971)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

A somewhat playful, but powerful stomper about a prositute, “Maggie M’Gill” features a thudding blues rhythm and nice slide guitar work by Robby Krieger.

#9 “Shaman’s Blues” from The Soft Parade (1967)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Soft Parade is probably the most maligned album in the Door’s catalog, but it does have some great tracks, including the oft-overlooked gem, “Shaman’s Blues.” With a waltzing lilt, the song features a groovy bassline and jazzy harpsichord-tweaked keyboard solo. Krieger adds a fetching repetitive guitar riff and Morrison’s vocal performance is strong but not overdone.

#8 “The Changeling” from L.A. Woman (1971)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Opening with stabs of organ and Morrison’s guttural grunts, “The Changeling” is a classic Doors’ track that finds the band firing on all cylinders. Robby Krieger’s wah-wah guitar and Densmore’s propulsive drumming provide the perfect foundation for the showcase organ grinds and intense vocal performance. The shifts in tempo and swirling, danceable rhythms make “The Changeling” one of the Doors’ finest head trips.

#7 “Land Ho!” from Morrison Hotel (1970)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

A raucous sea shanty that features great performances from the entire band – a rollicking organ riff by Ray Manzarek, an infectious skiffle beat by John Densmore, blistering guitar work from Krieger, and a joyous vocal turn by Morrison. I love his yelp of “Land Ho!” about halfway in. For all his posturing and sometimes pretentious poetic ramblings, Morrison had a great sense of humor, and this song perfectly encapsulates that trait.

#6 “Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” from The Doors (1967)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Jim Morrison’s reputation as a brooding poet-prince has often eclipsed the Doors’ knack for humor and whimsy. And no better song represents the lighter side of the Doors than their brilliant take on Kurt Weill’s and Bertolt Brecht’s “Alabama Song.” Written in 1929 , the song tackles some heady themes (materialism, despair, alcoholism), albeit in a cheeky package that’s a refreshing respite from the intensity that surrounds it.

#5 “The Spy” from Morrison Hotel (1971)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I’ve always loved this song’s dark sensual tone, with its ominous stalker lyrics: “I know your deepest, secret fear / I know everything /Everything you do / Everywhere you go / Everyone you know.” The Wild West saloon-style piano rolls punctuate the blues guitar riffs with just the right amount off-kilter whimsy, keeping this song of obsession from taking itself too seriously.

#4 “Back Door Man” from The Doors (1967)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This is the Doors at their most primal, with Morrison delivering this Willie Dixon number with the passion of a man possessed. It can be argued that even more than Led Zeppelin or the Stones, the Doors excelled at taking the blues form and twisting it into something wholly original.

#3 “Five to One” from Waiting for the Sun (1968)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

“Five to One” is a heavy track, both lyrically and musically. Its true meaning is a mystery, although there are countless theories. (Is it the ratio of whites to blacks? Young to old? Vietnamese to American soldiers? A reference to Russian roulette?) No matter, this is one of the Doors’ deepest grooves, with Morrison spewing great lines like “They got the guns, but we got the numbers” in a seemingly drunken stupor.

#2 “When the Music’s Over” from Strange Days (1967)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Doors were sometimes accused of over-indulgence and needless ramblings and “When the Music’s Over” has been a favorite target of this criticism. Sure, it’s long and highly dramatic, but it features such a powerhouse performance by Morrison and mesmerizing accompaniment by the band that you can overlook its extreme ambition. In many ways, “When the Music’s Over” is the quintessential Doors’ track, encapsulating everything that made the band so original: Densmore’s jazzy backbeat, Krieger’s bluesy guitar lines, Manzarek’s psychedelic organ runs, and Morrison’s poetic ramblings and guttural growls .

#1 “The End” from The Doors (1967)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

A chill-inducing epic of unparalleled power, “The End” is the Doors’ crowning achievement. Of course the fact that the song will forever be associated with the opening scene of Apocalypse Now doesn’t hurt either, as it’s one of cinema’s most thrilling musical sequences. Krieger’s minor key droning guitar lines recall an Indian raga, with Densmore’s rolling drum patterns resembling Indian tabla rhythms. The whole song is shrouded in a thick fog of dread, coming to a gentle close after a 12-minute rollercoaster of crescendos and spoken-word outbursts with the wistful lines: “This is the end, Beautiful friend; This is the end, My only friend; The end of our elaborate plans; the end of everything that stands; The end; No safety or surprise; The end; I’ll never look into your eyes… again.”

Comments (9)