Search - George Winston :: Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors

Linda S. from ORANGE, CT
Reviewed on 9/1/2006...

songs featured: Spanish Caravan; Love Me Two Times; Light My Fire; a nice rendition.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Stunning and lively with emotion

- Kasia S. | New York City | 07/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Honestly I'm not a fan of the Doors, I don't like or dislike them, but they are not something I listen to. My boyfriend however loves them, and I prefer New Age to a lot of music but this cd is something that we can both listen to. I had no idea the first time I heard it that it was a tribute to the Doors, and quite frankly if you love good luscious music then there is no reason no to like this album. I was surprised how much I adored the album, recognizing some of the songs and admiring their new interpretation on the piano. I have always loved the piano, its mahogany coat, the mechanics and inner working, the alabaster and onyx keys, it is a marvel, and even thought I'm a trained flutist, this was my second instrument and I have enjoyed playing it for the past 18 years.



The one song that caught my attention and made me get this cd was The Crystal Ship. Regardless of any influences it sounds like pure George Winston stroking the keys, letting his fingers hit the notes making hair on my body stand straight. The simple, melancholy and staggering melody is haunting; I promise it is something that might never leave ones memory. To me it sounds like a ship with full sails gliding on dark waters in moonlight. People are Strange is wicked, gypsy like and smoky, a divine and hot song really nicely done by Winston. Love Street sounds like a tired loner, laying in bed staring at the ceiling, perhaps smoking a cigarette, pondering life and love. Love me Two Times is jazzy, flirty and funky, its has bluesy undertones and is definitely a nice loud tune. Love Her Madly sounds like a rag time, not my favorite even though I love rag times, but it's a fun song for the Doors fans.



The album is a nice mix of lively and misty moods, a wonderful change in textures and refreshes the listener's palate, may I say, almost like a thirteen course meal where each piece served is different yet it all goes together. Light my Fire for example was done wonderfully, even though it was about fire, it sounded cool, like rain drops dancing on an iron buckets and turned upside down glass jars sitting on an open window still.





Even if I wasn't told about these songs being originally done by the Doors, I would have loved this calming, refreshing, lovely and in places wild album. George Winston has been one of my favorites for a long time, and this belongs in everyone's library. I love reading to this, sometimes getting lost in what I was doing just as now, I didn't plan on writing a review, but I was listening to the music, while hanging out in my room and I was mesmerized tremendously and felt the urge to give it some thumbs up. Lovely lovely lovely!"

A Doors Fan Who Likes The Album

One Listener's Opinion | Sacramento, CA | 05/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"George Winston doing an album of Doors songs? What sick mind would think of such a thing? Apparently George Winston. And if that isn't strange enough, the album gets the Ray Manzarek Seal of Approval. In fact, the two of them even did a series of concerts together.



I first saw this CD at Tower Records on Watt Avenue in Sacramento. I'm a big Doors fan, but had never really listened to any of Winston's music before. The fact that Ray liked the album coupled with the fact that I always thought of Winston as a New Age artist roused my curiosity. There was a listening station available and this was one of the featured CDs. I listened to a few of the tracks, bought the CD, and give it a solid 4+ star rating.



IMHO, the highlights are People Are Strange, Riders on the Storm, and My Wild Love. Almost all of the songs range from good to excellent. The only clunker (again in my opinion) is Bird of Prey which was never really a Doors song anyway. It was a Jim Morrison demo that was never fully fleshed out, so Winston didn't have that much to work with.



I recommend the album to Doors fans who don't mind having the Doors' music interpreted by other artists. In fact, I'd like to see Winston put out a Volume 2 someday.

"