January 4th of 1967 saw the release of the first album from the Doors. Obviously, Jim Morrison and company achieved fame long before my time, but their work has endured for several decades. My personal affinity for the Doors over other 1960s musical acts comes partly from their precious few years together before Morrison’s death.
I’m assuming that, this many decades later, few people need the one millionth reminder that the band’s name came by way of references to “the doors of perception” from William Blake and Aldous Huxley.
MY FAVORITE SONGS FROM THE ALBUM
BREAK ON THROUGH – Not only is the song powerful, but it is rightly hailed as one of the most – if not THE most – appropriate opening songs on a first album ever. The Doors’ signature style burst on the scene with a figurative “I’m here, you gotta DEAL with it” boast.
The music, the lyrics and especially the way Morrison’s voice ranges from Orphic to uncontrollably maniacal make Break on Through imprint itself on a listener’s mind.
LIGHT MY FIRE – Yeah, another painfully unsurprising favorite, but what can I say?
This hit was obviously Robby Krieger’s greatest contribution to the Doors’ legend in conjunction with Morrison’s voice and Ray Manzarek playing organ/ keyboards on the song like a rock music version of the Phantom of the Opera.
THE END – The full, uncut version of this song was ahead of its time in countless ways, not the least of which is the way that such horrific multiple murders within a household have become so frequent in the decades since then that they’re staples of True Crime shows. Obviously, this piece being part of the soundtrack for Apocalypse Now helped keep it in the public consciousness.
With The End, the Doors gave us a nightmarishly dark masterpiece without sinking to wearing gimmicky makeup like Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson or so many others who came along later.
ALABAMA SONG – Yes, it’s a cover, but it still introduces new generations to Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill to this very day. Especially youthful listeners who never heard of Mack the Knife. And the unique Doors sound perfectly complements the song.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX – Is it just me, or is this the most underrated song on this album? It epitomizes the style of the Doors but always gets overshadowed by their other pieces.
BACK DOOR MAN – Or Back Door Mayor for my fellow fans of Red Letter Media’s reviews of old VHS safety videos. Another cover, but the band’s interpretation of it is great. Plus it’s a reminder of the pre-fame days in L.A. when the Doors would jam on stage with the likes of Van Morrison and his band Them. If you don’t like covers, then substitute End of the Night for Back Door Man.
I LOOKED AT YOU – Nothing ground-breaking or transgressive about this song, but not every piece has to stand out in that particular way. I just consider this a solid 1960s love song with the unmistakable Doors touch.
I’m not looking down on the other songs on this album, so no insult is intended toward The Crystal Ship, End of the Night, Soul Kitchen, or Take It as It Comes. The seven pieces I mentioned above are just my favorites from this particular album.
Balladeer's Blog 
My favourite band 🥰🥰🥰
They’re among my Top Three, too!
Nice to meet you 🤗🤗🤗
Nice to meet you too!
🥰🥰🥰
😀
Pingback: THE DOORS: THEIR DEBUT ALBUM – El Noticiero de Alvarez Galloso
Logged, thank you, sir!
I didn’t like them at first, got married to a man who did, and learned to appreciate their brilliance. In fact, I like a lot of hard rock now.
Oh my! It’s great that you’re open minded on such things. Some people let an initial dislike solidify and never change their minds.
That whole married thing changed me in a lot of ways! For example, husby married a professional dancer. We never dance!
That is so odd!
I remember the José Feliciano versión of “Light My Fire”. I heard “The End” by The Doors many times but the big memory for me was in my shortwave radio on October 1, 1990.
Radio Berlín International [the shortwave service of East Germany] was broadcasting its Last program in Spanish, English, and German as the two Germanies became reunited and Deutsche Welle was absorbing Radio Berlín International. The RBI English Service finished their final transmission with the song “The End” by The Doors in its entirety.
Wow! I had no idea! That’s a terrific anecdote!
I remember the transmission. I recorded it in a cassette but lost it due to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. If I find it in YouTube, I Will publish In my blog.
Great! That is a true milestone in Broadcasting History.
Thanks.
You’re welcome!
Just published RBI Final Transmission in English
Wonderful! I will be by later to soak it in! Thanks for the heads up!
Anytime.
😀
“The End” was used as the final song in the final transmission of the Radio Berlín International [East Germany] English Shortwave Service on Oct 1 1990 during German Reunification
Excellent citation!
Thanks
You’re welcome!
I had this album and many more Doors. Loved them and Led Zep
Great! I like Led Zep, too!
Exactly! I have some experience with Huxley’s Doors and was amused when I found out that The Doors had taken their name from his idea. An excellent music band indeed! Great reminders, my friend. 🤙🌈🎵
Thank you very much!
You are more than welcome. 🤙
😀
Java Bean: “Ayyy, the doors! I love the doors! Mama and Dada open them and we go outside, they open them again and we come back inside, they open them again and we go outside …”
Lulu: “And we do it OVER and OVER and OVER again.”
Java Bean: “Whichever side of the doors we are on, it is the wrong side.”
Charlee: “You do all realize that this post is not about actual doors that you walk through, right?”
Lulu: “What other kind of door could there possibly be???”
Terrific! Thanks for the laugh! Have you ever read Dave Barry’s column about what goes through a dog’s mind when they’re about to be let out?
Lulu: “Our Dada says probably, but he isn’t sure he remembers it.”
Java Bean: “He does refer to some of our activities as ‘noisy personal hygiene’ though and apparently that is straight out of a Dave Barry column.”
Ha! Yeah, the Dave Barry column about opening the door to let a dog or dogs out deals with how incredibly excited they get about it.
Another great post. I’m not a huge fan of the Doors but do love music produced in the 1960’s. For instance, the Beatles has always been one of my favorite bands of all-time. Their timeless melodies are joy to listen to. While they are far different in comparison to The Doors, they made music during the same time period of the 1960’s.
Recently, I did something different from my usual movie reviews and made a list of my favorite Beatles albums. If you’re a fan of the band, these albums are worth checking out.
I understand! I’m looking forward to reading your list of the Beatles’ greatest albums.