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Old 06-27-2010, 05:13 PM   #172 (permalink)
Gavin B.
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Out of all the Doors albums, Strange Days is the one I've revisited the most frequently over the years. It's amazing that Strange Days came out a mere 9 months after their self titled debut, which was an equally strong album. I like Strange Days better because the Doors show a marked improvement on their musicianship, particularly Robbie Kreiger who has developed highly original and erotic sounding guitar style which can be heard on Moonlight Drive, Can't See Your Face In My Mind, & Love Me Two Times. Jim's crooning numbers like You're Lost Little Girl & I Can't See Your Face In My Mind almost top Sinatra for vocal phrasing and intimacy.

I always thought 1967 was the year of the psychedelic zeitgeist and by sheer coincidence four different rock groups had "twofers" in 1967.

The Doors- The Doors (Jan 67) & Strange Days (Sept 67)
Jefferson Airplane- Surrealistic Pillow (Feb 67) & After Bathing At Baxters (Dec. 67)
Love- Da Capo (March 67) & Forever Changes (Sept. 67)*
Jimi Hendrix- Are You Experienced (Aug 67) & Axis Bold As Love (Dec 67)

Nearly everything you need to know about psychedelic music was released by those 4 bands on 8 albums that were recorded over the 12 month span of the year 1967. Notice that the two Hendrix albums were released within 4 months of each other. In this day an age you're lucky if a band releases an album every one or two years.

In that same year, the Beatles released both Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour but both those albums got played to death on underground radio and weren't nearly as good as the eight albums by the quartet of groups I've mentioned above.

*The release dates on the Love albums are guesses based on my own memory but I do know both albums were released in 67.
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