Now go see The Doors performing this on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed told Jim he couldn’t sing the word higher, Jim agreed then proceeded to sing it anyway. The stage manager chewed Jim a new one ending with “You will never be asked to perform the Sullivan Show. Jim, ever the sly one quipped “we just did” 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Everyone wanted to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. He gave so many young groups their big boost in the USA. The Beatles had their first USA show there, with the girls in the audience screaming and fainting😊
Many songs had a 'radio edit' for length or content. Some of the more 'rock heavy' FM stations would play the longer versions occasionally, often later at night. Imagine having heard only the radio edit of a favorite song, then you hear the full version for a surprise. It was like getting seconds on ice cream when you were five.
Light My Fire was popular in the UK in '67 before I moved to the San Francisco Bar Area. It wasn't long before I heard it on KSAN FM and was surprised that it was 7 minutes long. I immediately wrote to my friends back home to tell them that they were missing 4 minutes of the song. I also had to rub it in that it was sunny and warm in December.
"Riders of the Storm" -- one of my favs - powerful! He had such a mysterious quality about him. The lyrics of his songs, the music, his persona....That bizarre 27 club took him way too soon.
In time I let all my vinyls go. But I still have one: The Soft Parade. I got that one as a young boy from my mother. The only record she ever bought as a teen. It has a special place in my heart.
(baby boomer here) My mother told me that women used to scream and faint at Frank Sinatra concerts just like they did for the Beatles.... When the Doors rehearsed for the Ed Sullivan TV show, they had to change the lyrics "girl we couldn't get much higher" to something less drug related. When the show aired live, they sang the original lyrics and got banned from his show for life!
Nothing exemplifies the discordant, troubling, divisive times of the 60's better than the sound of The Doors. Their music, almost to a song, had an edgy vibe to it that so reflected the times. I know and feel how divided the country is today, but in so many respects its nothing compared to where we were in the mid-late 1960's. The Doors personified the "LA Sound" and man did they ever strike a chord. Jims dark words and amazing voice with Ray, Robby and John's wonderful sounds... so so so good. This is a very VERY deep rabbit hole you can crawl down into.
About a year later, Jose Feliciano released his soulful acoustic version of Light My Fire. It charted #3 for three consecutive weeks. Feliciano won the 1969 grammy for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Male Pop Vocal.
I'm about to turn 70. In 1968 my brothers took me to my first concert when I was 13. It featured the Doors, The Byrds and their opening act was a relatively new singer by the name of Alice Cooper. Ticket prices to see a total of nine bands was only $5. Back then the commercial radio stations were on AM radio and limited songs to about 3 minutes. If you were lucky, you lived in a college town or had FM stations that would play full length recordings.
The Doors varied from straight psychedelic to psychedelic pop, straight blues, blues rock, to rock and roll and hard rock, and pure pop, and even some jazz rock fusion. From light hearted love songs, to dead serious dark side carnival from hell. Iconic and great band.
Robby Krieger wrote "Light My Fire." He still performs. “There was lots of classical music in my house. My father liked march music. There was a piano at home. I studied trumpet at ten, but nothing came of it. Then I started playing blues on the piano, no lessons though. When I was seventeen, I started playing guitar. I used my friend’s guitar. I didn’t get my own until I was eighteen. It was a Mexican flamenco guitar. I took flamenco lessons for a few months. I switched around from folk to flamenco to blues to rock ‘n’ roll. “Records got me into the blues. Some of the newer rock ‘n’ roll, such as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. If it hadn’t been for Butterfield going electric, I probably wouldn’t have gone rock ‘n’ roll. I didn’t plan on rock ‘n’ roll. I wanted to learn jazz... “In The Doors we have both musicians and poets, and both know of each other’s art, so we can effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man’s ideas. Most groups today aren’t groups. In a true group all the members create the arrangements among themselves.”
OMG I loved your reaction to this! I had that same smile on my face that you had! On the radio, we had the much edited version of many songs. We just called this "the album version!"
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek was a performance level classical music pianist. He gave The Doors the discipline and structure that shot them to the top. Ringo Starr did the same for The Beatles.
This songs lyrics were written by the guitarist, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist asked for some time with the lyrics. He created the organ instrumental and all of them came up with the overall tone for the song. You are right that they cut the song for radio from the 7 minute version to the 3 minute one, but when FM radio came into being, THEN album cuts could be played and we got the full 7 minute version.
..."Class of 76"...One of my top 5 all time bands...Thx! This is the song he was barred from the live Ed Sullivan TV show for saying...We couldn't get much higher...which he promised he wouldn't say if they let him perform...Now do LA Woman...
Bought/had this album back in the day. Everyone knew exactly whether this song would be the long version or not at a certain point during the organ solo. Those were the days. I m 75 now.
you got this right. he started out as a kid really into Elvis. Then tried to be a crooner, after Sinatra, before finding his blues voice. I was confused when i first listened to the doors with his voice. But now love it. Very influential later ie new wave, Joy Division, Stranglers. His voice and organ went onto influence a whole generation of early 80s bands.
The #1 song of 1967. The Doors first hit single. Of course Top 40 radio (mainly on AM at the time) only played the 45 RPM single version, which, as I recall, was about 3 minutes. It wasn't until FM "progressive rock," a format that would ultimately become known as "album rock," started playing the longer album version (which is the version you used on this video) that the song started to become legendary. Today it stands as a landmark rock and roll classic. But in 1967, it was the #1 song of the year. When you talk about how today songs are more about the vocals, the same was true in 1967. But remember, songs were all edited to be acceptable to AM Top 40 radio stations, which mostly played about 18 minutes of commercials per hour. When FM radio started to become popular (largely because of these progressive rock stations), they played far fewer commercials (8 to 10 minutes per hour when sold out), they could play the "long versions" (the album version) of these songs. The long versions often had lengthy instrumental breaks, as you observed with this song. Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, was one of several young rock 'n roll stars who sadly died at the age of 27. Others included Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. As long versions of hit singles go, the longest that I can recall was the 18-minute album version of "In=A=Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. Took up the entire A side of their album. A few other great Doors songs include, "Touch Me," "Break On Through (To the Other Side)," "People Are Strange," "Love Me Two Times," "Hello I Love You," "Love Her Madly," and their masterpiece, "Riders On the Storm."
I really got into the doors in the 90’s and I loved all the different styles they brought. The film where Val Kilmer plays Jim is AMAZING you understand all of it “the scene” as it was. Very psychedelic. Very Andy Warhol. Very trippy if ya get me 😉. I do think bio films give you a deeper understanding of the person if they’re done well. Oh and meg Ryan plays Pam his wife. Great job as always BP ❤✌🏻
Jim was a singer songwriter poet artist mystic and philosopher. He had an I Q of 160, a degree in film from UCLA, he was a superstar, and he did all of that by age 27. His father was A US Navy admiral. Wat a seven minute video called riding with Jim.
There is a radio edit of this, and I'm pleased you listened to the whole song. The Doors were one of my teen favourites in the 80's. Favourites Five To One When The Music's Over Crystal Ship Unknown Soldier Peace Frog The End (live at the Hollywood Bowl if you're going to react)
There's so much awesomeness with the Doors music, from great storytelling and amazing keyboard play(which sometimes doubled as bass as they didn't normally have a bass guitarist amongst the 4 of them) Jim's hypnotic vocals, original guitar playing and crazy drumming too make it all a complete journey in every song they did! thanks for sharing Black Pegasus :)
If you have never seen The Doors movie with Val Kilmer, you need to watch it. Watched that VHS until it wore out. Fun fact, he did this song on Ed Sullivan(?) and was told he could not say the word "Higher" on TV. Jim was not one to change his lyrics for censorship, he sung it, it was glorious and the backlash was great.
It's true that Jim wasn't happy about having to censor the lyric, but he did intend to. However he was nervous about being on TV and forgot. The movie made it seem intentional, but Jim maintained that it wasn't.
The human voice is a unique instrument - a combination of a horn (wind pipe) and strings (vocal chords). It is a reason why orchestras and symphonies are so relatable.
So back in the 60s and early 70s, automobiles and most personal radios were AM radios and those stations played pretty much the "teeny bopper" music and limited to less than 3 minutes per song. Jazz and these long play great rock songs were found on FM stations, which caused a lot of more "sophisticated" listeners to acquire FM radios and even replace thier radios on their cars with FM radios and even 8-track and later cassette decks.
Jim Morrison was a huge Elvis fan, he loved the way Elvis sang, and he wanted to emulate the Elvis croon. Also Ray Manzerick's playing is insane, in this he plays the bass with his left hand and the more Organ sound with his right. Santana got a lot of inspiration from Robbie Krieger's guitar playing. Peace Frog is a absolute banger! You need to check that song out.
Jim Morrison was ACTUALLY a poet and author. He wrote a couple of books. No longer found. He's biography was a real insight to his struggles. AMAZING MAN...
This is one of my favorite jams of all time! Always heard it on the radio as a kid (radio edit) and thought it was good. Heard the full version and thought it was a masterpiece. One of (if not the) first psychedelic rock songs ever they say. Had to be one of the first songs with an instrumental rock jam that long.
Jim was a fan of Elvis (you mentioned him), Sinatra, and other great singers. The Doors made 6 studio albums from 1967-1971, all top quality. Still no-one else has ever sounded like them. Genuinely unique.
They played this whole track on the FM radio. I remember listening to it. This was the birth of AOR (album oriented radio) channels when FM came along. So you start getting long interesting songs, concept albums, bands that stopped caring about AM top 40 radio. Could Stairway to Heaven become a hit today? Also - since your a musician want to mention the speaker that made organ music distinct back in the day. Look into the Leslie speaker. Wild to hear them live. Keyboardist had control of how fast the horns spin.
You would hear the long versions on FM radio, college stations and such. Everyone had the vinyl, and the music was the best part. The shorter version was on regular AM radio. Decades later, and every single word comes right back. FIRE!!
When l would listen to this as a black Detroit teenager loud in my room my parents said what is that gypsy sounding music 😊. Later seeing Jim Morrison and the doors in person l remember thinking he was one of the handsomest sexiest men l had ever seen. Love the Doors forever ❤
It amazes me at times when I have seen these bands in concert & their ability to play & sing the songs. The copious amounts & types of drugs they did in their day is astronomical. But, others say that is why & how their music is so "good," which I agree it is.
Jim Morrison had a unique vocal style and phrasing, influencing Iggy Pop and Billy Idol as well in that sort of crooning style but capable of explosiveness. Man, this band was something else. Love the jam, Robbie and Ray killing it with this groove. Ray was playing bass keyboard too as they had no bass player
Oh boy you've hit the Doors. The Doors like Led Zeppelin have so many incredible songs and it's almost as if they never once had a single bad song and every album is incredible. The other incredible thing of this song. It is the number 1 song from my birthday in 1967. So unforgettable for me. They too were my favorite band while Led Zeppelin was my number 2 band for so many years in high school.
Damn, I've heard this song a million times but never picked up the Elvis and Santana similarities but yes, you're right! Amazing song, and huge hit on the radio, back when radio mattered.
Jim Morrison needed more material for their debut album and told the band members to go home and write a song. The guitarist Robby Krieger came back the next day with the first verse and chorus to Light My Fire; JM wrote the second verse and it was the Door's first #1 hit.
I bought the 45 around Christmas 1968 while our family was visiting my grandparents in Long Beach. Although I LOVED the long version I couldn't afford to buy the album on my 13-year-old's tiny allowance.... In about 1972 a friend of my older sister gave me her copy of the album and I was in Rock 'n' Roll Heaven. I still have that record, but can't play it right now because my stereo with turntable isn't hooked up at the moment. One of these days....
A lot of the '60s bands used an organ as one of their instruments. I know I've recommended Deep Purple several times to you; their organist, Jon Lord, was an absolute beast! Check out "Lazy" by Deep Purple for an amazing organ/guitar jam to start off the song; the lyrics don't even come in until a few minutes into the song. The ultimate jam song was Iron Butterfly's "In a Gadda da Vita," which took up one whole side of an album (and yes, there was a much-shortened radio cut of it to fit the 3-minute-max format of radio stations). I actually preferred the radio cut of that song; the longer one got a bit tedious, to me. Most of the rock-band organists in the '60s were classically trained musicians, and they took that knowledge and blended it with jazz, blues, and R&B influences to get their sound. Once synthesizers became a thing, the organ in a band was replaced with those, due to their greater versatility at being able to mimic the timbre of various other instruments. That led to the rise of the '70s progressive-rock keyboardists like Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Rick Wakeman of Yes, who were often surrounded on 3 sides by an assortment of keyboards on various levels, like 3 pipe organ consoles. Ooh...you haven't done any EL&P, either, have you? They're worth checking out. "Lucky Man" is a good one to start with, and "Karn Evil 9, 2nd Impression" will have a line or two that may sound familiar to you. I don't think you've done "Long Distance Runaround" by Yes, either; that song has one of the most amazing bass parts of the '70s in it!
The doors are awesome. One of our friends got married in 1970, her brother's were candle lighters. It was a hot day and the side doors were open. The breeze blew out one of the brothers candles. He looked at his brother and said , " come on baby, light my fire". I thought the brides mom was gonna faint! 😂
Iron Butterfly “Ina-A-Gadda- Da-Vida” long version. +/- 20 minutes long. When I was in high school one of the local stations would play the long version at 5:20 PM. It has a fabulous drum solo part way through.
This song came out about the same time rock FM was born. WABC FM in New York was one of these first or maybe the first to come along. It was here that I first heard the 13 minute version of this Doors classic. No longer limited to 3 minute songs. This was the promise and draw for early FM stations.
My brother in law was a keyboardist for a band and they would do this song plus other Doors songs. He would jam out just like the Doors did and my brother in law was great.
Back in 1970 our highschool basketball pep band was the first one to electrify. We had the church girl who transformed behind the keyboard, we were like a rock band , drove the other schools crazy
The AM radio would play the shorter versions, but there were the album rock stations on FM that would play the longer versions, and sometimes the full side or the complete album.
You gotta remember too. This came out in 1967. The same year of Hendrix’s first album. Rock and roll had taken a huge turn that year and shaped a lot of music to come.
Boomer here. There were radio stations that focused on playing album cuts instead of the time limited top 40 stuff. So many examples of long, beautiful songs castrated for the 3 min time limit.
Love them. Jim Morrison part of the 27 club. They were really good. Jim had a sensuality about him But, I never cried over seeing an artist. But, I saw many stars in my work in NYC. I would often just walk by like I didn't know them because nyc had a reputation for leaving celebrities alone back then. 😊❤
Music is what brought us Gen xr's the music brought beautiful unity and amazing days... what a time to be 16,17 we had wonderful things to accomplish and did ❤❤❤❤
Loved the Doors. All the band were great but I especially liked Ray playing the keyboard. As for Jim I loved his voice, and I had such a crush on him, what a beautiful man. I thought his Pamela was just beautiful. Such a shame they both died so young.
Their version of "GLORIA" is one of the most explicit songs ever. Jim Morrison was magical, or demonic, or maybe just really charismatic. "Roadhouse Blues" is such a great road song!
I see a lot of great suggestions, one I haven’t seen is LA Woman. That’s my favourite Doors song. Another is Peace Frog, a real gem of a song!!!! Great reaction BP!!!
Now go see The Doors performing this on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed told Jim he couldn’t sing the word higher, Jim agreed then proceeded to sing it anyway. The stage manager chewed Jim a new one ending with “You will never be asked to perform the Sullivan Show. Jim, ever the sly one quipped “we just did” 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Everyone wanted to be on the Ed Sullivan Show. He gave so many young groups their big boost in the USA. The Beatles had their first USA show there, with the girls in the audience screaming and fainting😊
Then watch Jimmy Fallon's parody of it.
Yessss!
Actually, it was a producer that told the Doors manager that they couldn't use the word higher, not Ed himself. Jim didn't care and sang it anyway.
Many songs had a 'radio edit' for length or content. Some of the more 'rock heavy' FM stations would play the longer versions occasionally, often later at night.
Imagine having heard only the radio edit of a favorite song, then you hear the full version for a surprise. It was like getting seconds on ice cream when you were five.
Exactly, I always got the long version because I listened to a album oriented rock station AOR for short
Light My Fire was popular in the UK in '67 before I moved to the San Francisco Bar Area. It wasn't long before I heard it on KSAN FM and was surprised that it was 7 minutes long. I immediately wrote to my friends back home to tell them that they were missing 4 minutes of the song. I also had to rub it in that it was sunny and warm in December.
Yup. Your station was cool if they played the long version of this song.
The "album version" of a song was another reason to buy the LP instead of the 45.
The Doors - People are Strange - Riders on the Storm
The vocals and soloing on this song and "Riders on the Storm" are the best !!!
Don’t know if relevant but I was just singing to Lord.?!
The Doors are one of those bands that take you places. You're never sure where exactly, but it's a nice trip.
Riders On The Storm and People Are Strange for me are two of my favourite Doors songs. Either is worth a listen with good lyrics.
My favorite 2 for sure.
"Riders of the Storm" -- one of my favs - powerful! He had such a mysterious quality about him. The lyrics of his songs, the music, his persona....That bizarre 27 club took him way too soon.
People are Strange 💯 and also Riders on the storm is another 🔥
Five to One... Unknown Soldier.. and many more!!
Those and Crystal Ship.
So many good songs by them! L.A. Woman, Break on through, Love her madly, Back door man, Love me two times....The list goes on and on!
These are all great choices to continue down the proverbial rabbit hole of the Doors
Morrison was a great poet. I'm 70 now and still can remember the words to their music
Absolutely. 62 here.
This was written by Robby Krieger and arranged by Ray Manzarek. Jim just sang it perfectly
His book American poet is so good 👍
I’m only 49 just and the Doors are one of the best and creative soundscapes I’ve experienced
Same here & I'm 71 😊
I still have all their vinyls. A dark room, a lava lamp, and ... stuff ... good times!
Especially the "stuff"! 🙂
And some cheap wine and a smoke..
In time I let all my vinyls go. But I still have one: The Soft Parade. I got that one as a young boy from my mother. The only record she ever bought as a teen. It has a special place in my heart.
@@subwaygoddess1 Thats the "stuff" lol
😂me too I got all my copies of of man that was lost in the drug world
(baby boomer here) My mother told me that women used to scream and faint at Frank Sinatra concerts just like they did for the Beatles.... When the Doors rehearsed for the Ed Sullivan TV show, they had to change the lyrics "girl we couldn't get much higher" to something less drug related. When the show aired live, they sang the original lyrics and got banned from his show for life!
Nothing exemplifies the discordant, troubling, divisive times of the 60's better than the sound of The Doors. Their music, almost to a song, had an edgy vibe to it that so reflected the times. I know and feel how divided the country is today, but in so many respects its nothing compared to where we were in the mid-late 1960's. The Doors personified the "LA Sound" and man did they ever strike a chord. Jims dark words and amazing voice with Ray, Robby and John's wonderful sounds... so so so good. This is a very VERY deep rabbit hole you can crawl down into.
Love the Doors and Val Kilmer did a FANTASTIC job portraying Jim in the movie I highly suggest if you've never seen it you should! ❤❤❤
I just made the same comment. lol. Watched that VHS until it wore out,.
It truly is an excellent movie even if a lot of it is fictionalized.
Agreed!!
Movie was a total turd. Stone made Jim look like a 24/7 stoner which was incorrect.
The cast did a fine job but the movie was a work of fiction
@kevinc6916 it was a movie. Not a documentary . That being said, Jim was a mess a large part of his later life.
Love Her Madly, Love Street, and Break On Through. I have loved The Doors since I was a little girl in the 70s.
About a year later, Jose Feliciano released his soulful acoustic version of Light My Fire.
It charted #3 for three consecutive weeks.
Feliciano won the 1969 grammy for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Male Pop Vocal.
This is a great cover of Light My Fire ❤
I'm about to turn 70. In 1968 my brothers took me to my first concert when I was 13. It featured the Doors, The Byrds and their opening act was a relatively new singer by the name of Alice Cooper. Ticket prices to see a total of nine bands was only $5.
Back then the commercial radio stations were on AM radio and limited songs to about 3 minutes. If you were lucky, you lived in a college town or had FM stations that would play full length recordings.
I'm jealous!!!
The Doors varied from straight psychedelic to psychedelic pop, straight blues, blues rock, to rock and roll and hard rock, and pure pop, and even some jazz rock fusion. From light hearted love songs, to dead serious dark side carnival from hell. Iconic and great band.
Robby Krieger wrote "Light My Fire." He still performs.
“There was lots of classical music in my house. My father liked march music. There was a piano at home. I studied trumpet at ten, but nothing came of it. Then I started playing blues on the piano, no lessons though. When I was seventeen, I started playing guitar. I used my friend’s guitar. I didn’t get my own until I was eighteen. It was a Mexican flamenco guitar. I took flamenco lessons for a few months. I switched around from folk to flamenco to blues to rock ‘n’ roll.
“Records got me into the blues. Some of the newer rock ‘n’ roll, such as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. If it hadn’t been for Butterfield going electric, I probably wouldn’t have gone rock ‘n’ roll.
I didn’t plan on rock ‘n’ roll. I wanted to learn jazz...
“In The Doors we have both musicians and poets, and both know of each other’s art, so we can effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man’s ideas. Most groups today aren’t groups. In a true group all the members create the arrangements among themselves.”
OMG I loved your reaction to this! I had that same smile on my face that you had! On the radio, we had the much edited version of many songs. We just called this "the album version!"
Jim's birthday was last Sunday. He was the proto punk, with a golden voice.
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek was a performance level classical music pianist. He gave The Doors the discipline and structure that shot them to the top. Ringo Starr did the same for The Beatles.
He played that bass guitar part live as well, on the keyboard while playing the keyboard part. This is a real bass on the album though.
The Doors didn't have a bass player when performing live, Ray did that too. The only used a bassist when recording in the studio.
This songs lyrics were written by the guitarist, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist asked for some time with the lyrics. He created the organ instrumental and all of them came up with the overall tone for the song. You are right that they cut the song for radio from the 7 minute version to the 3 minute one, but when FM radio came into being, THEN album cuts could be played and we got the full 7 minute version.
“The End”
Excellent!!!
A must❤😊
My favorite song of theirs.
Yes this, it's more of an experience than listening to a song.
YES, YES, YES! Please!
The Doors-"Moonlight Drive" my favorite Doors song
Mine too !! Love Street is another one in my tops.
..."Class of 76"...One of my top 5 all time bands...Thx! This is the song he was barred from the live Ed Sullivan TV show for saying...We couldn't get much higher...which he promised he wouldn't say if they let him perform...Now do LA Woman...
People are Strange~ love the Doors!
All these & 20th Century Fox
Unknown soldier.
If you don't know, the name of the band stems from a book by Huxley "The Doors of Perception"
Bought/had this album back in the day. Everyone knew exactly whether this song would be the long version or not at a certain point during the organ solo. Those were the days. I m 75 now.
you got this right. he started out as a kid really into Elvis. Then tried to be a crooner, after Sinatra, before finding his blues voice. I was confused when i first listened to the doors with his voice. But now love it. Very influential later ie new wave, Joy Division, Stranglers. His voice and organ went onto influence a whole generation of early 80s bands.
The #1 song of 1967. The Doors first hit single. Of course Top 40 radio (mainly on AM at the time) only played the 45 RPM single version, which, as I recall, was about 3 minutes. It wasn't until FM "progressive rock," a format that would ultimately become known as "album rock," started playing the longer album version (which is the version you used on this video) that the song started to become legendary. Today it stands as a landmark rock and roll classic. But in 1967, it was the #1 song of the year.
When you talk about how today songs are more about the vocals, the same was true in 1967. But remember, songs were all edited to be acceptable to AM Top 40 radio stations, which mostly played about 18 minutes of commercials per hour. When FM radio started to become popular (largely because of these progressive rock stations), they played far fewer commercials (8 to 10 minutes per hour when sold out), they could play the "long versions" (the album version) of these songs. The long versions often had lengthy instrumental breaks, as you observed with this song.
Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, was one of several young rock 'n roll stars who sadly died at the age of 27. Others included Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
As long versions of hit singles go, the longest that I can recall was the 18-minute album version of "In=A=Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. Took up the entire A side of their album.
A few other great Doors songs include, "Touch Me," "Break On Through (To the Other Side)," "People Are Strange," "Love Me Two Times," "Hello I Love You," "Love Her Madly," and their masterpiece, "Riders On the Storm."
I really got into the doors in the 90’s and I loved all the different styles they brought. The film where Val Kilmer plays Jim is AMAZING you understand all of it “the scene” as it was. Very psychedelic. Very Andy Warhol. Very trippy if ya get me 😉. I do think bio films give you a deeper understanding of the person if they’re done well. Oh and meg Ryan plays Pam his wife. Great job as always BP ❤✌🏻
I need to see that movie...👍
Jim was a singer songwriter poet artist mystic and philosopher. He had an I Q of 160, a degree in film from UCLA, he was a superstar, and he did all of that by age 27. His father was A US Navy admiral. Wat a seven minute video called riding with Jim.
The Doors - “The End” is quintessential 60’s listening
I love Santana but this is pre Santana.Four Musicians creating such great music
There is a radio edit of this, and I'm pleased you listened to the whole song.
The Doors were one of my teen favourites in the 80's.
Favourites
Five To One
When The Music's Over
Crystal Ship
Unknown Soldier
Peace Frog
The End (live at the Hollywood Bowl if you're going to react)
There's so much awesomeness with the Doors music, from great storytelling and amazing keyboard play(which sometimes doubled as bass as they didn't normally have a bass guitarist amongst the 4 of them) Jim's hypnotic vocals, original guitar playing and crazy drumming too make it all a complete journey in every song they did! thanks for sharing Black Pegasus :)
Their breakout hit. and Jim Morrison was indeed a charismatic and darkly mysterious figure (Listen to "The End") - truly the "Lizard King"
Radio played the entire song in my day .. we had many long songs Stairway, Bohemian Rhapsody, Free Bird ... All long songs
If you want Jim at top voice, LA Woman
One of his greatest creations ❤
Riders on the Storm has been a fav for decades.
If you have never seen The Doors movie with Val Kilmer, you need to watch it. Watched that VHS until it wore out.
Fun fact, he did this song on Ed Sullivan(?) and was told he could not say the word "Higher" on TV. Jim was not one to change his lyrics for censorship, he sung it, it was glorious and the backlash was great.
It's true that Jim wasn't happy about having to censor the lyric, but he did intend to. However he was nervous about being on TV and forgot. The movie made it seem intentional, but Jim maintained that it wasn't.
The human voice is a unique instrument - a combination of a horn (wind pipe) and strings (vocal chords). It is a reason why orchestras and symphonies are so relatable.
So back in the 60s and early 70s, automobiles and most personal radios were AM radios and those stations played pretty much the "teeny bopper" music and limited to less than 3 minutes per song. Jazz and these long play great rock songs were found on FM stations, which caused a lot of more "sophisticated" listeners to acquire FM radios and even replace thier radios on their cars with FM radios and even 8-track and later cassette decks.
Jim Morrison was a huge Elvis fan, he loved the way Elvis sang, and he wanted to emulate the Elvis croon.
Also Ray Manzerick's playing is insane, in this he plays the bass with his left hand and the more Organ sound with his right. Santana got a lot of inspiration from Robbie Krieger's guitar playing.
Peace Frog is a absolute banger! You need to check that song out.
Jim Morrison was ACTUALLY a poet and author. He wrote a couple of books. No longer found. He's biography was a real insight to his struggles. AMAZING MAN...
The most haunting voice ever.
Awesome Musicians! And a brilliant poet!!🔥🔥 “Roadhouse Blues” and many more to come i hope!
This is one of my favorite jams of all time! Always heard it on the radio as a kid (radio edit) and thought it was good. Heard the full version and thought it was a masterpiece. One of (if not the) first psychedelic rock songs ever they say. Had to be one of the first songs with an instrumental rock jam that long.
🌸 I've been in love with Jim forever and ever.... he had an amazingly high IQ he was an incredible poet... he challenged the norms in the system
"Hello I Love You" definitely needs to be on your Doors reaction list.
Jim was a fan of Elvis (you mentioned him), Sinatra, and other great singers.
The Doors made 6 studio albums from 1967-1971, all top quality.
Still no-one else has ever sounded like them. Genuinely unique.
Jim Morrison was just different !! so many of these incredibly talented artists died so young…. My favorite are the doors touch me great song.
One of a very few bands of this era that had no true "bass player." Hence Ray on the organ playing both the riff and bass line. Amazing.
The End ..... oh, and the entire Strange Days album.
The one member who should be mentioned more than he is when people discuss The Doors is drummer John Densmore.
They played this whole track on the FM radio. I remember listening to it. This was the birth of AOR (album oriented radio) channels when FM came along. So you start getting long interesting songs, concept albums, bands that stopped caring about AM top 40 radio. Could Stairway to Heaven become a hit today?
Also - since your a musician want to mention the speaker that made organ music distinct back in the day. Look into the Leslie speaker. Wild to hear them live. Keyboardist had control of how fast the horns spin.
You have only scratched the surface. sticking with the first album, Break on through, The End, Soul Kitchen and Back Door Man are all excellent
You would hear the long versions on FM radio, college stations and such. Everyone had the vinyl, and the music was the best part. The shorter version was on regular AM radio. Decades later, and every single word comes right back. FIRE!!
Every time this song comes on I enjoy it. I never turn it off. Always makes me dance.
Grew up listening to the Doors as a kid. Roadhouse Blues, LA Woman, The End, Riders on the Storm. So many more. Great rabbit hole..
When l would listen to this as a black Detroit teenager loud in my room my parents said what is that gypsy sounding music 😊. Later seeing Jim Morrison and the doors in person l remember thinking he was one of the handsomest sexiest men l had ever seen. Love the Doors forever ❤
It amazes me at times when I have seen these bands in concert & their ability to play & sing the songs. The copious amounts & types of drugs they did in their day is astronomical. But, others say that is why & how their music is so "good," which I agree it is.
Jim Morrison had a unique vocal style and phrasing, influencing Iggy Pop and Billy Idol as well in that sort of crooning style but capable of explosiveness. Man, this band was something else. Love the jam, Robbie and Ray killing it with this groove. Ray was playing bass keyboard too as they had no bass player
Break on through is one you need to listen to
Oh boy you've hit the Doors. The Doors like Led Zeppelin have so many incredible songs and it's almost as if they never once had a single bad song and every album is incredible. The other incredible thing of this song. It is the number 1 song from my birthday in 1967. So unforgettable for me. They too were my favorite band while Led Zeppelin was my number 2 band for so many years in high school.
HERE'S MORE : L.A WOMAN, ROADHOUSE BLUES, LOVE HER MADLY THERE YA GO! 👍😊
Released in 1967 -- two years before Santana performed at Woodstock in 1969. I love Moonlight Drive and When the Music's Over.
"People Are Strange" was used very aptly in The Lost Boys.
although that version was echo and the bunnymen's cover
@ Excellent point. I forgot that. Thanks!
The End was a crazy Dark representation of Morrison
Damn, I've heard this song a million times but never picked up the Elvis and Santana similarities but yes, you're right! Amazing song, and huge hit on the radio, back when radio mattered.
Jim Morrison needed more material for their debut album and told the band members to go home and write a song. The guitarist Robby Krieger came back the next day with the first verse and chorus to Light My Fire; JM wrote the second verse and it was the Door's first #1 hit.
Great group great tune. And one of the best reaction channels out there thanks so much for all you do keep up the great work
This was the first stereo 45rpm record I ever bought. My parents GE record player was monaural, but I was buying my own stereo record player.
I bought the 45 around Christmas 1968 while our family was visiting my grandparents in Long Beach. Although I LOVED the long version I couldn't afford to buy the album on my 13-year-old's tiny allowance.... In about 1972 a friend of my older sister gave me her copy of the album and I was in Rock 'n' Roll Heaven. I still have that record, but can't play it right now because my stereo with turntable isn't hooked up at the moment. One of these days....
Ray Manzerek slaughtered the keyboard on this one! I grew up listening to the doors. Mr Mojo Risin aka Jim Morrison was one of my biggest teen idols.
A lot of the '60s bands used an organ as one of their instruments. I know I've recommended Deep Purple several times to you; their organist, Jon Lord, was an absolute beast! Check out "Lazy" by Deep Purple for an amazing organ/guitar jam to start off the song; the lyrics don't even come in until a few minutes into the song. The ultimate jam song was Iron Butterfly's "In a Gadda da Vita," which took up one whole side of an album (and yes, there was a much-shortened radio cut of it to fit the 3-minute-max format of radio stations). I actually preferred the radio cut of that song; the longer one got a bit tedious, to me. Most of the rock-band organists in the '60s were classically trained musicians, and they took that knowledge and blended it with jazz, blues, and R&B influences to get their sound. Once synthesizers became a thing, the organ in a band was replaced with those, due to their greater versatility at being able to mimic the timbre of various other instruments. That led to the rise of the '70s progressive-rock keyboardists like Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Rick Wakeman of Yes, who were often surrounded on 3 sides by an assortment of keyboards on various levels, like 3 pipe organ consoles. Ooh...you haven't done any EL&P, either, have you? They're worth checking out. "Lucky Man" is a good one to start with, and "Karn Evil 9, 2nd Impression" will have a line or two that may sound familiar to you. I don't think you've done "Long Distance Runaround" by Yes, either; that song has one of the most amazing bass parts of the '70s in it!
Classicly trained guitarist Robbie Kreiger wrote this song. His first with the band. Morrison was a fan of Frank Sinatra.
The doors are awesome. One of our friends got married in 1970, her brother's were candle lighters. It was a hot day and the side doors were open. The breeze blew out one of the brothers candles. He looked at his brother and said , " come on baby, light my fire". I thought the brides mom was gonna faint! 😂
Bands back then BP ALL had instrumental solos that everyone grooved to...while high..lol even in concert!
Peace Frog 🐸❤🎶🤙and The Changling
The Changeling movie freaked me right out 😅
This one was written by 19-year old Doors guitarist , Robbie Krieger!
Iron Butterfly “Ina-A-Gadda- Da-Vida” long version. +/- 20 minutes long. When I was in high school one of the local stations would play the long version at 5:20 PM. It has a fabulous drum solo part way through.
This song came out about the same time rock FM was born. WABC FM in New York was one of these first or maybe the first to come along. It was here that I first heard the 13 minute version of this Doors classic. No longer limited to 3 minute songs. This was the promise and draw for early FM stations.
My brother in law was a keyboardist for a band and they would do this song plus other Doors songs. He would jam out just like the Doors did and my brother in law was great.
Back in 1970 our highschool basketball pep band was the first one to electrify. We had the church girl who transformed behind the keyboard, we were like a rock band , drove the other schools crazy
Ray Manzarek on keyboard slays every time.😊
We used to have Album Oriented Radio (AOR)stations but they went away in the late 70s-early 80s.
You need to watch a live version of any song of his. His charisma, stage presence, etc is unreal!!
The AM radio would play the shorter versions, but there were the album rock stations on FM that would play the longer versions, and sometimes the full side or the complete album.
A big part of Elvis' sound was his smooth baritone. One of Jim's many tools was his smooth baritone. See also; Glen Danzig and Iggy Pop.
You gotta remember too. This came out in 1967. The same year of Hendrix’s first album. Rock and roll had taken a huge turn that year and shaped a lot of music to come.
Boomer here. There were radio stations that focused on playing album cuts instead of the time limited top 40 stuff. So many examples of long, beautiful songs castrated for the 3 min time limit.
Love them. Jim Morrison part of the 27 club. They were really good. Jim had a sensuality about him But, I never cried over seeing an artist. But, I saw many stars in my work in NYC. I would often just walk by like I didn't know them because nyc had a reputation for leaving celebrities alone back then. 😊❤
so stripped down and ethereal, poetic. How many people walking around today were conceived to this track
Music is what brought us Gen xr's the music brought beautiful unity and amazing days... what a time to be 16,17 we had wonderful things to accomplish and did ❤❤❤❤
Loved the Doors. All the band were great but I especially liked Ray playing the keyboard. As for Jim I loved his voice, and I had such a crush on him, what a beautiful man. I thought his Pamela was just beautiful. Such a shame they both died so young.
Their version of "GLORIA" is one of the most explicit songs ever. Jim Morrison was magical, or demonic, or maybe just really charismatic. "Roadhouse Blues" is such a great road song!
🌸 Ray was a classically trained pianist and he was an amazing organ player and all of those things in the band itself
He was phenomenal
I see a lot of great suggestions, one I haven’t seen is LA Woman. That’s my favourite Doors song. Another is Peace Frog, a real gem of a song!!!! Great reaction BP!!!
riders on the storm ,when the musics over, la woman, people are strange and love her madly are my favs.
Even after all of these years, i was still singing along i remember every word. Says a lot