Sixties rock band The Doors mark 50th anniversary in Los Angeles

 

 

A musical memory from the sixties thanks to the iconic rock band The Doors. It’s 50 years since the band released its debut album of the same name and they returned to the stage to mark the date with a special performance.

 

Surviving members John Densmore and Robby Krieger joined hundreds of fans to celebrate January 4th which was designated ‘Day Of The Doors’ in Los Angeles. Many waited for hours in the rain in the Venice neighbourhood of the city where the band was formed.

 

“Well it’s the 50 years of The Doors. We started right here in Venice and we are ending up right here in Venice too so it’s all a cycle, you know,” said Robby Krieger.

 

In 2013 keyboardist Ray Manzarek died of cancer in Germany he was 74.

 

Jim Morrison the band’s lead singer and songwriter, died in 1971 aged 27. What would his reaction have been to the event?

 

“You cannot say what Jim would have done or said because he always would do something different. But I bet you he would’ve been here and he would have dug it and I think he would’ve been proud,” opined Robby Krieger.

 

 

The group known for hits such as ‘Light My Fire’ and ‘Riders On The Storm’ performed ‘L.A. Woman’ for the crowd.

 

The two musicians future plans are very different. While Krieger still looks to the oldies for inspiration, Densmore finds his close to home:

“I don’t have my finger on the pulse of music. I read a lot and what really inspires me are my grandkids,” remarked John Densmore.

 

The Doors were unique and among the most controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960’s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona.

 

After Morrison’s death in 1971 aged just 27 the remaining members continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2017-01-08

I was never that crazy about the Doors and - IMO - much of their music has sounded dated almost since it came out. There are some really great songs if you delete sections. The End is a good example and that is just what Coppola did in Apocalypse Now. He had it remixed and removed the lousy parts. They had no bass guitar and instead relied on keyboardist Ray Manzarek playing the god-awful, Holy Church of Satan organ. What kind of rock band doesn't have a bass guitar?

Edited January 8, 20179 yr by Ulysses G.

2 minutes ago, Ulysses G. said:

I was never that crazy about the Doors and - IMO - much of their music has sounded dated almost since it came out. There are some really great songs if you delete sections. The End is a good example and that is just what Coppola did in Apocalypse Now. He had it remixed and removed the lousy parts.

Just as with your opinion on Prince, I can't disagree more with you on this one as well.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Just as with your opinion on Prince, I can't disagree more with you on this one as well.

 

Very different. I thought Prince did some excellent stuff, but a lot of mediocre songs as well. The Doors wrote a few very flawed tunes that had their moments, but overall,  not a great band.

the concert channel on truevisions has been playing footage of them in Europe. Morrison was undoubtedly a charismatic performer and a fantastic songwriter but Robbie Krieger was so ahead of the game back then, even still doesn;t get the deserved recognition for his guitar work. Amazing to think of all that creativity and work that went into music back then compared to some geek programming a computer these days to churn out the pap that passes for modern music.

50 minutes ago, TankerWeams said:

the concert channel on truevisions has been playing footage of them in Europe. Morrison was undoubtedly a charismatic performer and a fantastic songwriter but Robbie Krieger was so ahead of the game back then, even still doesn;t get the deserved recognition for his guitar work. Amazing to think of all that creativity and work that went into music back then compared to some geek programming a computer these days to churn out the pap that passes for modern music.

 

"It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself." - Johann Sebastian Bach ...

1 hour ago, Ulysses G. said:

Very different. I thought Prince did some excellent stuff, but a lot of mediocre songs as well. The Doors wrote a few very flawed tunes that had their moments, but overall,  not a great band.

 

Prince (and a lot of other artists) were standing on the shoulders of the Doors and the other trail blazers from the '50s and '60s.  

 

It's tough to compare them in retrospect just like it's tough to judge the performance and handling of a '66 GTO against even a grocery getter of today.

 

I do agree that a lot of The Doors' stuff didn't age as well as a lot of the timeless music of their era. 

The Doors are great to listen to. One of the greatest bands of our life time. Fifty years on and still people love their music. My favourite song is L.A woman

 

A unique sound and so melodic yet menacing.

Got that first LP as a schoolboy when I was 15 and as someone said, ' Sitting down having dinner with your parents was never quite the same having listened to The Doors.' 5555

 

The Doors on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles, California, 1969.

The Doors - one of, if not, the finest American rock bands ever, in my humble opinion. Their first two albums are works of art that are truly timeless. Mr Mojo Risin was a twisted genius that burned out way too soon. The End sounds as amazing, moving, pertinent and monumental today as it did the first time I heard it back in 1967. It is hard to believe that 50 years have come and gone.


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the crystal ship was my favorite.  a beautiful, dark, song. 

One of my favorite bands. Loved their music and was so sad when Jim died.

One of the bands I never saw live and have seen a lot of them.

 

Come on baby light my fire!   I was 14 - they are one of my favorite bands and love their songs.  Always makes me HAPPY when I here one of their songs.  

The Doors..... So many good memories :-)  It is truly 'classical' music! Even in a 100 years more, people will still listen to The Doors.... Not me anymore then ;-)

 

A Great Band
I cant help but sing along when i hear them


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They showed me the way to the next Whisky Bar...

 

and I ended up in BKK

 

Oh, don't ask why

I was lucky enough to see Ray and Robby in concert in 2004 with Ian Astbury on vocals.  It was absolutely haunting how good they were.

 

 

Now, shout out:-

 

"FROM LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA .... THE DOORS"!

 

Then play this at maximum volume  ?

 

 

Hippy blues. Awful combination. 

3 minutes ago, SoiBiker said:

Hippy blues. Awful combination. 

 

You're obviously not playing it loud enough! Turn it up ?

22 minutes ago, SoiBiker said:

Hippy blues. Awful combination. 

God didn't smile on soibiker, the poor lad was born too late.

Hippy blues. Awful combination. 

In listening to their lyrics, I would classics the Doors as anti hippy. Not much pretty or flower powerish from Mr. Morrison.


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29 minutes ago, bannork said:

God didn't smile on soibiker, the poor lad was born too late.

 

Actually, I like a whole bunch of stuff from that era. I just never understood the appeal of a cheesy bar band fronted by a pretentious, poor quality 'poet'. They weren't exactly The Velvet Underground, were they?

 
Actually, I like a whole bunch of stuff from that era. I just never understood the appeal of a cheesy bar band fronted by a pretentious, poor quality 'poet'. They weren't exactly The Velvet Underground, were they?

The End and Heroin - two of the finest songs ever recorded in my opinion.


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imo one of the greatest rock songs ever written

 

One of the only bands -up until Morrison' s death- where virtually every song was a gem.Jim was a genius the likes of which we will never see again.Together with the Cure my favorite band of all time. With The Cure though , Robert Smith stayed around too long and produced a lot of crap in later years. Wonder if this would have happened with The Doors, if Jim hadn't died so young .

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2 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

One of the only bands -up until Morrison' s death- where virtually every song was a gem.Jim was a genius the likes of which we will never see again.Together with the Cure my favorite band of all time. With The Cure though , Robert Smith stayed around too long and produced a lot of crap in later years. Wonder if this would have happened with The Doors, if Jim hadn't died so young .

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What's your cut-off point for The Cure, just out of interest?