L.A. Woman by Doors (The) (CD, May-1988, Elektra Entertainment)

Track listing
1. Changeling, The
2. Love Her Madly
3. Been Down So Long
4. Cars Hiss By My Window
5. L.A. Woman
6. L'America
7. Hyacinth House
8. Crawling King Snake
9. W.A.S.P., The (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)
10. Riders On The Storm


Details
Playing time: 48 min.
Producer: Bruce Botnick, The Doors
Distributor: WEA
Recording type: Studio
Recording mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: AAD


Album notes
The Doors: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robbie Krieger (guitar); Ray Manzarek (bass instrument); John Densmore (drums).
Additional personnel: Marc Benno (guitar); Jerry Scheff (bass instrument).
Recording information: The Doors Workshop, Los Angeles, California.
The final Doors album to feature vocalist Jim Morrison reaffirmed the quartet's grasp of blues-rock. Beset by personal and professional problems, they retreated to a rehearsal room, cast pressures aside, and recorded a handful of their most memorable compositions. The overall sound of the record is relatively stripped down, but the musicianship is uniformly excellent, with empathetic interplay between guitarist Robbie Krieger and keyboard player Ray Manzarek. Jim Morrison's voice, though somewhat ragged and weather-worn, adds its fiercely unmistakable resonance.
The spooky, low-key "Cars Hiss By My Window" and an edgy cover of John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake" are straight, no-nonsense blues, but the album's highlights, including the jangling radio hit "Love Her Madly" and the breezy, chugging title track, which rides on a thrumming bass line and Krieger's fluid licks, mix bluesy bluster with the Doors' swirling, poetic magic. Morrison's death within weeks of the album's completion cast a pall over its content, especially the eerie rain and the funereal electric piano of "Riders On The Storm," the album's indisputable standout, and one of the most compelling, evocative songs in the band's catalogue. Though not the Doors' finest record, L.A. WOMAN was a fitting swan song for one of the most unique and important bands of the '60s.

Jim Morrison at his best!! Great hits on this one. There is nothing not to like about this ablum. The Door is open and you are invited to come and listen for your self.

"L. A. Woman" has been called a commercial album at times, no doubt because of the success of so many singles drawn from the LP, but for my money, it's far from being that. It remains one of the most original pieces from a period that was literally exploding with talent and the proof really is in how well it is standing up now, 35 odd years later. It's an album that was well ahead of its time.

Although this was not a 60s album, it really counts as one, since the Doors were very much a 60s band. On the other hand, the music on "L. A. Woman" is such that you could see the direction the band was taking just as it was (unexpectedly) nearing the end of its tenure. In fact, as "L. A. Woman" shows, it was about to explode out of the 60s in a big way, and in spite of the fact that not very much more was accomplished after this album, we can say that the road ahead was looking clear enough. It was a double irony of sorts to have Morrison leave Earth at a time when the band was apparently firing so well and he was reaching such creative heights. Shades of Nirvana indeed.

Another major thing about this particular album is (for me) the obvious impact it had on much that followed. This is true of Morrison contemporaries like Sting, I believe, who must surely have immersed himself in this particular album and probably lapped up most of the Doors' production. It is also true of groups like Midnight Oil, in whose musical evolution in the 80s and 90s you can clearly see some Doors' influence. Just a great album.

Great CD to OWN! All song are up to speed & woderfully master.
I purchase this CD because of the pricing & the artist stlylish
vocals!

Thanks

I bought this cd because I really like their music,the lyrics,their charisma,eventhough I was not born in that time,which I found very odd,but I think these kind of things can happen to anybody,I have videos,books,cd's,dvd's,posters,and I will keep building my collection about this group,because they're just the greater group of that time,that's all it is!!!

My wife and kids hate it, so it must be good. This has the extended version of "Riders on the Storm."