straf's (Totally awesomer than G's) Review Thread

[Jack White]

I expect the BOTDF album to get a solid 1/10
I honestly do.

[straf]

Shhhh...

[straf]

I'm thinking about re-doing a few of these, actually.

[Jack White]

Why?

[straf]

'Cause some suck. But just the first few. Just, you know, back when I didn't know what the hell I was doing.

[straf]

The Doors - The Doors

Released in 1967
Track Listing
Break On Through (To the Other Side)
Soul Kitchen
The Crystal Ship
Twentieth Century Fox
Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
Light My Fire
Back Door Man
I Looked at You
End of the Night
Take It As It Comes
The End

When the Doors entered into the musical war-zone back in the late 60's, there was nothing else like them. What they did and how they did it was unheard of and very controversial. And what was that thing exactly? They turned pop music into some intelligent Gothic art. Up until then, almost everything was about peace and love(you have to remember, 1967 was the year of the Summer of Love) -- and then the Doors came along, taking what was popular and infusing it with a whiskey and mystics atmosphere, full of drugged out sermons about snakes and funeral pyres and drunk revelries about what the little girls understand. There's nothing else like it. No other album makes you feel the way this one does. From the ominously crashing "Break On Through", to the strangely sorrowful "Crystal Ship", to the roaring "Back Door Man", and to the epochal "The End", you're under Jim Morrison's wing, under his control even. You don't realize it, but the Lizard King's taking you on a journey -- one you'll never forget, and one that'll never be the same the second time you go through with it. Even so, each listen is still entirely mesmerizing.

"Well that sounds cool, straf," you say, "But, um... What is this exactly"? That's a good question. I'm not exactly sure what it is. It's quite bipolar, actually, going from top-notch blues to those weird, prophetic songs that are so infamous. I mean, it's an experience to say the least, but you can't really get the experience from reading my praises for it. Thing about it is, even if you don't like this album(which you will, dammit >=\), it'll have you hooked in enough to listen to it all(well, actually... If you don't like it, there's probably a 0% chance of you finishing "The End". It's a very long, very minimalist song, if you even want to call it that. It's more-or-less the Lizard King reciting his weird poetry with some background music mixed in to make it less boring. It's still rather creepy, though, and a perfect closer to the album). What's even cooler, though, is that there's actually a few covers on this, but you'd never guess that just by listening to them, though. The Doors really make the songs their own(you know, just like EVERY ARTIST SHOULD DO WHEN THEY COVER THINGS), and believe me, they really make them their own. "Back Door Man" and "Alabama Song" are both given a Gothic blues(and Jim Morrison) twist, which sounds really cool.

But alas, while the Doors are totally kicking ass like they always do(and have done), this album still suffers from the few flaws that EVERY debut album does: the lack of maturity. Granted, they had been playing these songs at the Whiskey A Go Go for ages, and yes that shows. They're just as gritty and raw as any song being played by a mature band should be, but the real problem is studio immaturity. They're not in their usual environment, and you can tell. You see, when you're playing live, you can do pretty much whatever you like with your music, who's gonna stop you, ya know? That being said, the Doors are notorious for drawing out their songs a whole lot(like that 12-minute version of "Light My Fire" that's on this one Bright Midnight release I have. That's the worst of it really, the other "Light My Fire"s are just 10 :p), so naturally that wouldn't roll with the record companies. If it had, I would expect a three-song album, two of them being "Light My Fire". So what happens when you can't fill up an album with the material you already have? Filler, that's right! Those three songs between "Back Door Man" and "The End" all ring filler to me, and I usually get a tad bored when having to wade through those, so of course if I, the Doors fanatic, get bored with them, so. Will. You.

Other than that, there's no other complaint that I have about this. The filler's not even that bad. In fact, I find those organ "bridges" in "Take It As It Comes" to be rather catchy. So I guess you should strap yourself in and get prepared to listen to one of the epitomes of stoner rock and possibly the greatest debut album ever. :D

B-

[straf]

Also, if you're wondering where I take that "whiskey and mystics" description from, I draw it from this:



It sounds just like a drunken druggy parade doesn't it?

[Suicide Club]

God damn it, straf..
Just.. fuck.. //

[straf]

Dec 14, 2010 16:42:57 GMT -5 Suicide Club said:

God damn it, straf..
Just.. fuck.. //

That "Shhhh..." was a joke. Meant to be funny. >.>

[Suicide Club]

You'd probably be the only one to understand that..
All the other people would've thought that I was meaning.. something with my impatience..
I respect you for understanding me..
No one really does.. .-. //

[straf]

It's kewl.

Speaking of which, I don't mean to take so long. I've been uber lazy and uber critical of my own work lately. @_@

I'll do it after I finish re-doing these Doors ones. You've waited long enough, I think.

[Suicide Club]

Drag my corpse through the city; I never got to visit.
Promise--don't let me miss it..

//

[\m/(Dude)\m/]

Why did you post that video on a review thread?

[Suicide Club]

I have no idea.. .-.. //

[straf]

XD