The Doors – Morrison Hotel
By Meghan Colovos | Top Tracks: “Waiting for the Sun,” “Indian Summer,” “Ship of Fools”
Photo by Henry Diltz
Ringing in the new decade early on, February 1970 heard the release of Morrison Hotel, the Doors’ fifth studio album. Following the harsh criticism of their previous 1969 album The Soft Parade, the Doors proved with Morrison Hotel that they were still musical chameleons and not sellouts like critics viewed them. Morrison Hotel takes listeners on a wild ride with its attention-grabbing opener, “Roadhouse Blues.” This song is upbeat from the beginning and never lets go of the jolt it begins with. “Roadhouse Blues” is the epitome of a band having fun and just doing their own thing. This track pushes Robby Krieger to the front, showing off his guitar skills, while Ray Manzarek goes from organ to piano. John Densmore, not to overlook, is on drums, as he keeps the song in motion and sticks to that classic Doors style while still maintaining a care-free attitude, which makes “Roadhouse Blues” a great opener that is sure to hook any listener and get them excited to hear the rest of the album. Energetic and poetic seems to be The Doors’ overall style, and their talent is on full display in Morrison Hotel.
The next track, “Waiting for the Sun,” is a classic – and rightfully so. With its moodier lyrics and upbeat instrumentals, Waiting for the Sun has earned all of its praises. Opening with the line, “At first flash of Eden,” and having a loud shift in tone towards the end after the line, “This is the strangest life I’ve ever known”, “Waiting for the Sun” details a person searching for both meaning and salvation. This is evident through that opening lyric used as a metaphor for an appearance of enlightenment, which we know can come in many forms. This is already a contrasting shift in meaning from the care-free opening track, once again proving the Doors to be a musical polymath. As the album continues, listeners can hold tight to the overall swinging and road trip-style sound. With songs like “Queen of the Highway,” “Ship of Fools,” and “Peace Frog” keeping people on their feet, literally, and other moodier pieces such as “Indian Summer,” “The Spy,” and “Blue Sunday” bringing balance to the album, Morrison Hotel has cemented itself into rock ‘n’ roll history as an album with depth and transformation throughout. If you are looking for something new to try out, or you’re a Doors fan already, take this as your sign to take yourself on a thirty-seven minute and fifteen-second extravagant trip with The Doors’ Morrison Hotel.
