Brian McGrath

Sit down, shut up, sit back, shut up again, it's time to dive into 1970's Morrison Hotel - the 5th studio from Jim Morrison and The Doors. For this club's reference - 1970 was the year of the Apollo 13 accident, but Don Henley's Hotel California will not come out for another 7 years.  Did I choose this album to take a trip down memory lane? To rekindle the feeling of hearing the sounds of this LA Band for the first time? How deeply I connected with the raunchy guitarwork of Robby Krieger and the sexual lyrics of Morrison, even though I did not know what it was like to play an instrument or have sex with a woman.  Or did I choose this album to review because Louise broke my aux cord in the port, and I found the CD in my glovebox hidden underneath some scratch tickets and some Dill Pickle Spits. This was the band's "back to basics" album, and it kicks off with the iconic Roadhouse Blues. A bluesy rock and roll anthem which stays with you for days. Most of the songs on the album begin with just one instrument, typically the organ of Ray Manzarek. Guitar and drums are powerfully layered in, with vocals often the last to show up.   There are upbeat catchy blues tracks like Land Ho! and Peace Frog, and slower more melodic songs like Indian Summer and Blue Sunday, which rumble along peacefully with that quintessential Californian sound that the Doors perfected. Thes lyrics are often poetic but simple - not unlike that of the War on Drugs. Morrison's vocals are booming and raspy, you can almost smell the cigarettes and whiskey on his breath as he belts out Maggie Mc'Gill - the last song on the album. It was very refreshing to listen to this iconic album and I'm grateful I was given the opportunity to listen to it 3 times this week. 8/10