This is a blast of American rock hewn out of the experimentation and exploration taking place in the US ‘pop’ scene through the middle sixties and a healthy love of urban US blues. It is a true classic and has no other title than the group’s name: The Doors.
This is their first album and it propelled them into the international gaze. Jim Morrison, the vocalist, was considered something of an emergent superstar poet (Rimbaud his uber-hero) but here he is the rock-vocalist supreme. Sadly he was also a master at self-destruction and died in his bath in Paris in his mid-twenties. Only two of their subsequent studio albums come even close to this.
Listen loud.
The Idle Woman 
I remember us talking about Jim Morrison back when you were reading biography of Jim Morrison. He certainly wasn’t the most likable of guys, but no matter how much of a poser he was, he introduced teenage me to authors like Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Rimbaud, and I’m always going to cherish him for that. Also, some great songs on this album. 😉
Yeah, I love this album. Gosh, that book was weird though. So breathless and fanboyish – but Morrison clearly was a really compelling, if somewhat wayward character. I haven’t found any of their later albums that I love as much as this one: it’s just one wonderful song after another. Oh, and note to self: read French poets 😉
Ugh, that should have been “… Rimbaud and Artaud” of course, stupid typos,and stupid WordPress (as much as I like it otherwise) which does not let you edit your comments.
And yeah, there’s a lot to love about their later albums, but they never quite surpassed this one, for the consistent quality of the songs as well as the sheer energy of the playing and singing.
Not to worry – I was going to edit it for you later when I have computer access, but never mind 😉