Other Voices review

The 7th album by The Doors, and their first after the death of Jim Morrison. It's somewhat surprising the band carried on without Morrison, but they only did so for a short while. Both this and the next 2 albums without Morrison frequently do not seem to be considered alongside the earlier 6 albums.  

Tracks:

1. In the Eye of the Sun: 4/10 a rhythm-free collection of clunky sounds which the only occasionally entertaining psychedelic poetry tries to make work mostly in vain.

2. Variety is the Spice of Life: 6/10 it doesn't feel like the old Doors stuff, but it's actually surprisingly decent nonetheless.

3. Ships w/ Sails: 7/10 again, it's not the Morrison era yet it's still surprisingly solid and the remaining band members still play just as well.

4. Tightrope Ride: 7/10 ditto.

5. Down on the Farm: 6/10 the song can be dull and the changes in tone can be jarring, but overall this is relatively adequate stuff on an album that is so far proving to be better than expected.

6. I'm Horny, I'm Stoned: 6/10 simplistic but quite fun.

7. Wandering Musician: 5/10 it's too well-played to dismiss but it doesn't half-ramble on.

8. Hang On to Your Life: 7/10 an interesting and unpredictable song that still doesn't quite reach the heights of The Doors' earlier songs.

Best song: Ships w/ Sails
Worst song: In the Eye of the Sun

Summary: It's not the early Doors stuff, that's for sure. Jim Morrison was undoubtedly The Doors and his absence is felt resoundingly here. It lacks the power and fun pretentiousness of the previous albums, and of course it now lacks Jim Morrison's fantastic voice. However, the remaining 3 band members play very well and enough of what Morrison brought to the group is left over that the album is often enjoyable and thoroughly competent. I was expecting a lot worse. While not as good as most of the Morrison era, this has enough psychedelic oddness and musical punch to elevate it to 3 stars.



Final rating: 6/10