Wednesday, November 08, 2006

What happened on November 8th?

I don't know about you, but when I first started listening to music back in the 1970's I fell in love with the sound that The Doors created, ten years after it was originally released. It was a combination of blues, rock jazz improve and the circus. Jim Morrison's poetry and vocals made you want to listen - you became captured in his use of words, the lilting hypnotic keyboard of Ray Manzarek, the thrumming guitar of Robby Kreiger and the pounding of John Densmore's drums all went together to make music that crossed all areas of modern music.

Do you realize that the song "Light My Fire" (written by Robby Kreiger) was edited for AM radio. This was a seven minute song that got really strong air play on the new FM Album Oriented rock format that was developing in North America at this time. "Light My Fire" crossed over to AM Top 40 format with the help of climbing to #1 on the Billboard and Cashbox music charts in the summer of 1967. This brought the Doors to a whole new audience that weren't listening to big city FM radio. This was one of the first times that late sixties rock reached past the big city and reached out to America and Canada. I know, "Light My Fire" pales in comparison to "The End" or "When the Music's Over", but this put the band in front of the buying audience. Kids bought the 45, then teenagers and adults bought the album, and then everyone got to hear the music.

Well what this post is about is the surviving Doors are having a party tonight to celebrate the 40th year of the Doors. They are releasing a CD/DVD package and a what looks to be a good book, they will also be introducing "Break On Through - The Lasting Legacy Of The Doors" an exhibit set to open at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in May of '07. All this is taking place in a number of locations in West LA, like the Whisky a Go Go. If you going have fun.




Lyrics for: Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) The Doors

Well, show me the way
To the next whiskey bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next whiskey bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next whiskey bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whiskey, oh, you know why
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whiskey, oh, you know why
Well, show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next little girl
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whiskey, oh, you know why