Thursday, April 14, 2011

Song of the Day: The Doors - When the Music's Over

Man alive (she cried) do some people hate The Doors. If you got that parenthetical reference, you probably don't hate them, but in the last few years I've come to read more and more vitriol about The Doors than perhaps any other "classic" band. Granted, hating The Doors is nothing new - I'm pretty sure Lester Bangs was not a fan, to put it mildly - but perhaps I was so blinded by my own infatuation that I ignored the dissenters.

That said, I get why some people don't love the band, but I won't validate those critiques by enumerating what they are (though some are indeed valid). Instead, I'll point out why "When the Music's Over" - one of their longest songs - is mind-blowing:

1. The opening keyboard riff
2. Morrison's opening scream
3. Robby Krieger's guitar lines...and then his nutso solo in the first half of the song (with two guitars tracked, I think)
4. John Densmore's drumming, which is probably the most underrated aspect of The Doors' music. Listen to the way he plays during the long middle section, like after "...tied her down."
5. The hypnotic bassline (played on the keyboard, probably)
6. The way Morrison's voice is double-tracked for "we want the world and we want it now" - very creepy
7. Morrison's other screams
8. The lyrics - Morrison usually gets killed for melodramatic lyrics, but this song elicits some interesting visuals

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