The Doors albums ranked
I will not be including [i]An American Prayer[/i] in this ranking. It’s not The Doors, it's Jim Morrison [b]featuring[/b] The Doors. It practically says so on the album cover.
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[b]8. Full Circle[/b][/center]
The band's second album without the late Jim Morrison and, technically, their last. Though I'm hesitant to call it a Doors album considering it barely sounds like The Doors at all. Most of it is boogie rock, jazz-fusion and funk! That's not The Doors, that's a band attempting to keep up with the times and failing terribly, even if its lead single, the awkward Mexican-influenced "The Mosquito", would become the last one by the band to chart. Its opening track is the one song that sounds decent enough and bares the closest resemblance to The Doors we're all familiar with. But [i]Full Circle,[/i] as a whole, only demonstrated that the band should've just hung it up as they simply couldn't do it without Morrison.
Highlight: "Get Up and Dance"
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[b]7. Other Voices[/b][/center]
The first album released after Jim Morrison's death, which many gave the remaining members flak for, for carrying on without him. In their defense, most of the songs were actually recorded before Morrison had died, with the expectation that he would be back to finish them. That being said, I wish I could say [i]Other Voices[/i] is a decent enough album worth checking out, but it simply isn't. The first half of the album is okay at best, while the second half just devolves into generic boogie rock. I can understand the band not wanting to let all the material produced before Morrison died go to waste, but maybe they should have because, while it does have a few decent moments, even one song I'd consider a highlight, there's nothing really worth listening to here.
Highlight: "Ships w/ Sails"
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[b]6. The Soft Parade[/b][/center]
The most experimental record by the band that saw them incorporate the use of orchestral arrangements. A very questionable decision considering how exhausted they were after extensive touring that left them with very little time to write music for their next album. As a consequence of this, [i]The Soft Parade[/i] suffers from a great deal of mediocrity. Most of it is completely forgettable, so much that one would be completely forgiven for overlooking this record entirely. It does have a couple of songs good enough to be considered classics (which is the only reason I'm putting it above [i]Other Voices[/i]), but overall, [i]The Soft Parade[/i] is the band's weakest album with Jim Morrison.
Highlights: "Touch Me", "The Soft Parade"
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[b]5. Waiting For The Sun[/b][/center]
For their third album, The Doors were left a bit stumped, as the lyrics and ideas from Jim Morrison's original songbook, that made up most of the material from their first two albums, had largely been used up, so they were forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel for their creative output on [i]Waiting for the Sun.[/i] It's a much tamer and more pop-oriented record in contrast to the darker, rebellious nature of its predecessors, which makes it feel like a bit of a sell-out for the band. Unsurprisingly, what little dark and trippy music there is makes up the albums high points. Though the two singles for it are stand-out tracks as well. [i]Waiting for the Sun[/i] isn't a bad album by any means, but it's not one of the band's more memorable ones and marked the start of a downturn in quality for the group that would get even worse with its successor.
Highlights: "Not To Touch The Earth", "Five To One", "Hello, I Love You"
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[b]4. Morrison Hotel[/b][/center]
This was the start of a new era for The Doors. [i]Morrison Hotel[/i] saw a shift in musical direction to a more predominantly blues-rock dominated sound, which was a much-needed return to form that marked a critical and commercial resurgence for the band. The first half of the record aptly titled [i]Hard Rock Café[/i] lives up to its name by providing some of the hardest-rocking songs The Doors have ever done and is where most of the albums high points come in. The second half, [i]Morrison Hotel,[/i] is where it eases up a bit in tone and quality. While not as strong as the first half, it still has a decent selection of songs. It's a shame their comeback had to be so short-lived, especially when they followed this album up with one of their best, but at least the band showed they could still dish out some great music with [i]Morrison Hotel.[/i]
Highlights: "Roadhouse Blues", "Peace Frog", "You Make Me Real", "Queen of the Highway"
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[b]3. Strange Days[/b][/center]
The band's sophomore release is also their most psychedelic as they crank it up a notch from their first album by giving us an even darker and trippier record. It may not live up to its predecessor, even though most of the songs were written before their debut was released, [i]Strange Days[/i] still holds up as a worthy continuation with plenty more vintage Doors tracks to be heard. One could make a case that it runs even deeper from a philosophical standpoint with its lyrical themes that critique society and countercultural notions, as well even more controversial lyrics for its time. It's also more varied in musical style than their first, having straightforward rock tracks and also venturing into psychedelic pop and acid rock turf. But all comparisons to their first album aside, [i]Strange Days[/i] is another solid effort by The Doors and digs into the darkest depths of the band's twisted and rebellious genius.
Highlights: "Love Me Two Times", "People Are Strange", "Strange Days", "When The Music's Over"
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[b]2. L.A. Woman[/b][/center]
The last album by the band to feature Jim Morrison before his untimely demise just a few months after it was released. Whereas their debut was the best of their psychedelic era, [i]L.A. Woman[/i] is the best album of The Doors' bluesy period. Indeed, it's brimming with It's more stripped-down than their previous releases, but the raw blends well with the more blues-driven direction the band had taken up, with their original psychedelic sound being almost completely absent. It also some of the best vocal performances in Jim Morrison's career! He might've been a bit worse for wear with alcoholism, but he really pulled it together during production of this record and gave it his all, even if his drinking might've affected his voice. It's an utter shame this had to be his last because I think [i]L.A. Woman[/i] went to show The Doors would've had an illustrious career ahead of them.
Highlights: "Riders on the Storm", "The Changeling", "L.A. Woman", "Love Her Madly"
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[b]1. The Doors[/b][/center]
The Doors' self-titled debut is one of the strongest and most important debut records ever made! It cemented The Doors as one of the few American bands that could stand up to the British invasion by being just as musically and culturally significant. It offered a darker, more philosophical alternative to the upbeat hippie music that dominated the psychedelic rock scene. Most of all, it immediately put The Doors on the map as one of the greatest acts of all time. The album could've been released as a greatest hits compilation, as it's filled with many of the band's most popular hits from start to finish. This could have been their only album and they'd still be immortalized as legends! They might have released more great albums after this, but none of them came quite as close as their very first.
Highlights: "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", "Light My Fire", "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)", "The End", "Twentieth Century Fox", "The Crystal Ship"
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Feel free to share your opinions on my album ranking and thanks for reading!
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[b]8. Full Circle[/b][/center]The band's second album without the late Jim Morrison and, technically, their last. Though I'm hesitant to call it a Doors album considering it barely sounds like The Doors at all. Most of it is boogie rock, jazz-fusion and funk! That's not The Doors, that's a band attempting to keep up with the times and failing terribly, even if its lead single, the awkward Mexican-influenced "The Mosquito", would become the last one by the band to chart. Its opening track is the one song that sounds decent enough and bares the closest resemblance to The Doors we're all familiar with. But [i]Full Circle,[/i] as a whole, only demonstrated that the band should've just hung it up as they simply couldn't do it without Morrison.
Highlight: "Get Up and Dance"
[center]
[b]7. Other Voices[/b][/center]The first album released after Jim Morrison's death, which many gave the remaining members flak for, for carrying on without him. In their defense, most of the songs were actually recorded before Morrison had died, with the expectation that he would be back to finish them. That being said, I wish I could say [i]Other Voices[/i] is a decent enough album worth checking out, but it simply isn't. The first half of the album is okay at best, while the second half just devolves into generic boogie rock. I can understand the band not wanting to let all the material produced before Morrison died go to waste, but maybe they should have because, while it does have a few decent moments, even one song I'd consider a highlight, there's nothing really worth listening to here.
Highlight: "Ships w/ Sails"
[center]
[b]6. The Soft Parade[/b][/center]The most experimental record by the band that saw them incorporate the use of orchestral arrangements. A very questionable decision considering how exhausted they were after extensive touring that left them with very little time to write music for their next album. As a consequence of this, [i]The Soft Parade[/i] suffers from a great deal of mediocrity. Most of it is completely forgettable, so much that one would be completely forgiven for overlooking this record entirely. It does have a couple of songs good enough to be considered classics (which is the only reason I'm putting it above [i]Other Voices[/i]), but overall, [i]The Soft Parade[/i] is the band's weakest album with Jim Morrison.
Highlights: "Touch Me", "The Soft Parade"
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[b]5. Waiting For The Sun[/b][/center]For their third album, The Doors were left a bit stumped, as the lyrics and ideas from Jim Morrison's original songbook, that made up most of the material from their first two albums, had largely been used up, so they were forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel for their creative output on [i]Waiting for the Sun.[/i] It's a much tamer and more pop-oriented record in contrast to the darker, rebellious nature of its predecessors, which makes it feel like a bit of a sell-out for the band. Unsurprisingly, what little dark and trippy music there is makes up the albums high points. Though the two singles for it are stand-out tracks as well. [i]Waiting for the Sun[/i] isn't a bad album by any means, but it's not one of the band's more memorable ones and marked the start of a downturn in quality for the group that would get even worse with its successor.
Highlights: "Not To Touch The Earth", "Five To One", "Hello, I Love You"
[center]
[b]4. Morrison Hotel[/b][/center]This was the start of a new era for The Doors. [i]Morrison Hotel[/i] saw a shift in musical direction to a more predominantly blues-rock dominated sound, which was a much-needed return to form that marked a critical and commercial resurgence for the band. The first half of the record aptly titled [i]Hard Rock Café[/i] lives up to its name by providing some of the hardest-rocking songs The Doors have ever done and is where most of the albums high points come in. The second half, [i]Morrison Hotel,[/i] is where it eases up a bit in tone and quality. While not as strong as the first half, it still has a decent selection of songs. It's a shame their comeback had to be so short-lived, especially when they followed this album up with one of their best, but at least the band showed they could still dish out some great music with [i]Morrison Hotel.[/i]
Highlights: "Roadhouse Blues", "Peace Frog", "You Make Me Real", "Queen of the Highway"
[center]
[b]3. Strange Days[/b][/center]The band's sophomore release is also their most psychedelic as they crank it up a notch from their first album by giving us an even darker and trippier record. It may not live up to its predecessor, even though most of the songs were written before their debut was released, [i]Strange Days[/i] still holds up as a worthy continuation with plenty more vintage Doors tracks to be heard. One could make a case that it runs even deeper from a philosophical standpoint with its lyrical themes that critique society and countercultural notions, as well even more controversial lyrics for its time. It's also more varied in musical style than their first, having straightforward rock tracks and also venturing into psychedelic pop and acid rock turf. But all comparisons to their first album aside, [i]Strange Days[/i] is another solid effort by The Doors and digs into the darkest depths of the band's twisted and rebellious genius.
Highlights: "Love Me Two Times", "People Are Strange", "Strange Days", "When The Music's Over"
[center]
[b]2. L.A. Woman[/b][/center]The last album by the band to feature Jim Morrison before his untimely demise just a few months after it was released. Whereas their debut was the best of their psychedelic era, [i]L.A. Woman[/i] is the best album of The Doors' bluesy period. Indeed, it's brimming with It's more stripped-down than their previous releases, but the raw blends well with the more blues-driven direction the band had taken up, with their original psychedelic sound being almost completely absent. It also some of the best vocal performances in Jim Morrison's career! He might've been a bit worse for wear with alcoholism, but he really pulled it together during production of this record and gave it his all, even if his drinking might've affected his voice. It's an utter shame this had to be his last because I think [i]L.A. Woman[/i] went to show The Doors would've had an illustrious career ahead of them.
Highlights: "Riders on the Storm", "The Changeling", "L.A. Woman", "Love Her Madly"
[center]
[b]1. The Doors[/b][/center]The Doors' self-titled debut is one of the strongest and most important debut records ever made! It cemented The Doors as one of the few American bands that could stand up to the British invasion by being just as musically and culturally significant. It offered a darker, more philosophical alternative to the upbeat hippie music that dominated the psychedelic rock scene. Most of all, it immediately put The Doors on the map as one of the greatest acts of all time. The album could've been released as a greatest hits compilation, as it's filled with many of the band's most popular hits from start to finish. This could have been their only album and they'd still be immortalized as legends! They might have released more great albums after this, but none of them came quite as close as their very first.
Highlights: "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", "Light My Fire", "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)", "The End", "Twentieth Century Fox", "The Crystal Ship"
[sep]
Feel free to share your opinions on my album ranking and thanks for reading!
