The Doors review

The Doors are another psychedelic band from the 60s and another act associated with the 1960s counterculture. This is their popular and acclaimed debut album.

Tracks:

1. Break On Through to the Other Side: 8/10 an enjoyable and pleasingly rebellious opening track which repeats itself a bit but has plenty of energy like all of the best music doesn't just feel like a copy of something else.

2. Soul Kitchen: 8/10 the tune occasionally loses energy, but with its solid title, chorus, intro and lyrics it encourages you to visit a restaurant better than any restaurant advert.

3. The Crystal Ship: 9/10 with its peaceful yet captivating tune and excellent abstract lyrics this magnetic song manages to pull off a very effective hypnosis.

4. Twentieth Century Fox: 8/10 this song is engaging and catchy enough to make you forget it's actually more formulaic than most of the album.

5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar): 7/10 it's a bit random but who cares? It's never boring and it never loses momentum.

6. Light My Fire: 8/10 the most acclaimed song on the album, this is a bit too long but it's something of a technical masterwork and shows the band firing (sorry) on all cylinders.

7. Back Door Man: 6/10 OK, OK you're a back door man. And we care because? Also, it sounds the same as many of the other songs on the album and fails to stands out. It still manages to hit some peaks though.

8. I Looked At You: 7/10 ever noticed how often in an album the band tucks away the less memorable tracks in the latter parts so they won't get noticed? This one's good but it doesn't stick in the memory.

9. End of the Night: 8/10 this one's actually pretty awesome. Lyrically it's more interesting and it's a very enjoyable listen that stands out among an impressive field.

10. Take It As It Comes: 8/10 it sounds suspiciously similar to Break On Through to the Other Side at times but it's another hugely entertaining song which is lifted even higher by Jim Morrison's excellent vocals.

11. The End: 9/10 whatever anyone thinks of the album no-one would accuse it of having an unmemorable conclusion. A nearly 12 minute long showcase of bleak poetry that would make Eminem green with envy.

Best song: The Crystal Ship
Worst song: Back Door Man

Summary: The Doors is a very strong debut and even if The Doors had gone downhill in their later years (By the sound of it they didn't) it wouldn't matter all that much since they'd always have had this. Consistently involving, entertaining and unique, this shows the band at the top of their game. It's unlikely they've ever topped this. With it's repetition and a few less memorable songs, this isn't a great album but it's a very good one which deserves the acclaim.

Final rating: 8/10