Doors of Perception

Legendary LA psychedelic rockers The Doors have always been slightly puzzling to me. There is no doubt that some of their output is simply brilliant and that singer Jim Morrison was a charismatic front man to say the least, a blueprint to many sexily attractive singers to come. However, and I say this as a true fan of much of their music, there has always been something slightly unconvincing about them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I am always a little unsure as to how much of their ongoing reputation is deserved. At their height they were absolutely huge, and over the years have sold close to 80 million records. No mean feat. And yet, unlike some major contemporaries, it is always quite difficult to chart their influence in bands or musical scenes since.

Oliver Stone's shockingly bad 1991 biopic has not helped their cause any, nor have shameless recent incarnations of the band under original members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. Perhaps it is Morrison's own persona that grates, his wanton self-mythologising and poetic pretensions, and alleged mystery around his death. To many, Morrison's cryptic lyrics are signs of his genius, but too often in their output the creative well seems remarkably dry. Maybe it is their unconvincing courting of controversy throughout their career that carries a whiff of the calculated. Like I say, I am not sure, but the band always feel to me like one which you get really into as a teenager and then grow out of at some point as your musical horizons truly grow.

But again, that is partly why I am puzzled as some of their stuff I just love. Self-titled debut album from 1966 is an absolute stormer, capturing the raw power of their celebrated live shows of the time, and mixing a blues sensibility with the counter-culture and psychedelic influences of mid-1960s Los Angeles. It remains one of the best debuts of all time, and any album that has Break On Through, Alabama Song and Light My Fire on it is always going to be good. And there are many other highlights throughout their career, although only 1971's LA Woman, a return to their r'n'b roots really stands up as a great album in my mind.

And so, despite the questions and doubts about their true place in the musical canon, The Doors are a band that I always return to at some stage, often against my better judgement, but almost annoyingly with relish. Because when they were good, they really were very good. Take the time to explore the full catalogue and you can be sure that you will find many pearls. Just don't necessarily believe the hype. Well, not all of it anyway.