Search - Doors :: L.A. Woman

Jason B. (Contaminated) from MISSOURI CITY, TX
Reviewed on 11/3/2020...

Awesome 60's sounds!

Steve M. (millerbz) from ALEXANDRIA, VA
Reviewed on 3/5/2010...

Is LA WOMAN the Doors' best album? Some people think so. They're first LP is hard to beat, but LA WOMAN (their Swan Song) contains some of their best material and it has the added attraction of a real bass guitar! The feel is more bluesy and grounded, but generously sprinkled with some of their most classic songs (LA Woman, Love Her Madly, Riders on the Storm, etc). Jim Morrison is in his heavy alcohol phase for sure, but he sings drunk as good as anyone. This is truly a great album (did I mention "Cars Hiss by My Window" and "WASP - Texas Radio and the Big Beat"?) and a fine addition to any CD collection or IPOD. Enjoy!

The Doors album that made them upper echelon

Pablo W. Wolfe | 12/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Doors had some great songs and some good albums leading up to LA Women, but nothing that could ever be called a complete masterpiece album, or one of the greatest rock and roll albums ever.



Every aspect of what these four guys brought to music is improved here. Kriegers guitar tones are better, Manzareck's organ fills are better, Densmore's jazz touches are better and Jim Morrisons Melodies (if some what crippled by alcahol abuse) are better (or at least far more uinique to him).



No doubt about it, songs like unknown soldier, light my fire, five to one, Road house blues and many, many more were great rock and roll songs, but the albums, let's face it, had alot of fillers and a few complete duds (pretty much all of "soft parade" suct). With LA women you have the Doors only complete, fully realized album and in my opinion one of rocks ten greatest albums, bar none.



LA Women is essientally a blues album with some jazz mixed in for good measure. To think that they would finally find there stride in simply getting back to basics is very interesting, since most bands did much the opposite. I think the Doors after years of in fighting and self congratulations were sick of making 60's acid rock. It's as if they finally came to terms in unison that they were essentially blues men with a poetic streak. Oh thank heavens for realizations that result in timeless music like this.



In terms of lyrics, musical composition and direction this album blows away their previous efforts in long strides.



Arguably the 2 coolest songs in rock history, "the cars hiss by my window" and "Riders on the Storm" are the albums biggest highlights, but they have some stiff competition. "Texas radio and the big beat," with it's 10 ton bass line (from the band with no bass player), is filled with almost visual inducing poetry from Morrison And "changeling," "the crawling king snake" and "Been down so long" are bare bones, rut gut blues at their most abrasive and enthralling. The radio friendly numbers here, the title track and "love her madly," are rock classics and well deserving of thier iconic place in the doors catologue.



But like I said, no fillers, every single track is fully fleshed out, dynamic and muscular. Sorry Doors nuts out there, but LA women makes everything else they did seem sophmoric by comparison, this is where it's at.



If you own one Doors LP, or 1 rock album period, from that era, it's got to be "Mr. Mojo Risuns," haunting lady from LA."

Additions Enhance Classic Album

Jym Cherry | Wheaton, IL United States | 01/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My mother bought me the L.A. Woman CD a couple of Christmases ago because I had inadvertently thrown out my analog version of the CD. I really wasn't expecting anything except to once again be able to enjoy one of my favorite albums and a rock classic. When I turned on the CD I was pleasantly surprised. The sound was much clearer than I'd ever heard it before either on vinyl or a CD. Starting with The Changeling you hear the difference right away. What use to sound like Morrison grunting on other formats you can clearly hear that those grunts are Morrison saying "get loose!" The second surprise was in Cars Hiss By My Window, a song undoubtedly taken from his earliest writings and given a blues treatment. With a verse added that starts "a dog crawling out my window in the cruel morning sun" makes the song a much more complete sounding blues song.



The title track, L.A. Woman starts with what must have been a little joke by The Doors, a few bars of My Country Tis of Thee in front of the standard L.A. Woman intro.



The CD also features as bonus tracks Orange County Suite, which is Morrison's ode to long time girlfriend and Cosmic Mate Pam Courson. And (You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further, a song featuring Ray on vocals.



There's been a lot of talk about The Doors reissuing too many of their products, but this is a definite enhancement of a classic album that fans or new listeners alike will enjoy."