So, the fact that i'm doing a "Worth The Hype?" on The Doors, after posting a Doors song for my song of the day, is purely coincidental. I had actually decided to do this last night, but I thought i'd save it for the next day, which is today, or tonight. Anyway, The Doors are being put up to the test to see if they are worth the hype.
Now I want to safely assume that anyone who is reading have at least heard one Doors song, or maybe even one Doors album. But what is the first thing you think of when you hear someone say "The Doors?"
"Jim Morrison." Correct, imaginary voice in my head. From what I see, people seem to put ahead of anything else when talking about The Doors, how great Jim Morrison was. No mention of any of the other band members at all, or rarely ever. Maybe that's just what I see, but I really don't see people going out of their way saying "man, Ray Manzarek is perfect for The Doors", you instead hear "man, the Jim Morrison's vocals are perfect for the band," which is ok in it's own right, but for so many people to think the same thing, just seems a tad excessive.
Now to get to the music side of things: The Doors were put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, which in itself is pretty cool, but nowadays it's just a title for what it's worth. Album wise, they released albums by the name of
Strange Days,
Morrison Hotel, and
L.A. Woman, but with those three albums already mentioned, would you even be able to think about any of the other albums they released before and after them? Probably not without looking at a list, or if you're a humongous Doors fan. But from what you hear from other people, those three albums are the three top most talked about when people are talking about the band, and...from my own personal standpoint where I was told to listen to L.A. Woman as my first album, I was left unimpressed, severely. It's not so much that it's a bad album, but I was being told to listen to an album that came out after 5 other albums had been released prior to it, which for me, it's not really all that great, since I will instantly get a feel for their later sound and won't be able to appreciate what they sounded like years before, and that still remains to be that way now. Which is a shame in it's own right, but it's my fault nonetheless. Coincidentally, my song of the day in the post before this is the track I would've chosen to showcase here, but I won't bother since it's already posted on my journal.
One last thing I want to mention before we reach a verdict: I talked about a lot of people fangirling over Jim Morrison and his "wonderful vocals", but from a personal opinion, I really don't find his voice to be all that spectacular. They are unique, sure, but at the same time, I really don't see why he's put ahead of everyone else, especially when Ray Manzarek was also part of the equation. If I had it my way, i'd make everyone talk more about Ray Manzarek over Jim Morrison, I mean, just listen to the killer solo he does on Light My Fire (fast forward to 1:15) or just listen to the whole song since you really get a good feel for what he did for the band:
Anyway, with all that said and done, I think it's time we reach a verdict, and that verdict is...
Yeah, I hate to be that guy, but I really don't see how The Doors are deserving of the hype that they receive on a day to day basis. They're a good band, even great. But I just think they receive the wrong praise, and what people are talking about excessively aren't the right things to be talking about excessively. I do want to point out once again that this is purely my own opinion and I urge you to disagree. I will say, that just because a band is classic, doesn't necessarily mean they're worth that title.