The Lizard King

In the mid 60s popular music was changing, as was the culture of the United States. The Vietnam war was going on, the struggle for civil rights and the Kennedy assassination lead the U.S. out of it's post World War II "high". Much of the change in music started with the British Invasion, led by the Beatles in 1964. By 1967 the country was teetering on the brink with anti-war demonstrations and race riots in many large cities.

One band that epitomized the changes was The Doors, led by frontman Jim Morrison. They were a band like no other at the time and quite possibly since. Morrison's lyrics (along with guitarist Robby Krieger's lyrics) set to a unique sound, sent them to the top of the charts.

The band was formed when Morrison met fellow UCLA film student and organist Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach in 1965. Morrison shared some of his lyrics with Manzarek and the rest, as they say, is history. Drummer John Densmore and guitarist Krieger rounded out the band. They started playing gigs around Los Angeles in 1966 and in January 1967 they released their first album The Doors. This is considered, by many, to be their best album. It featured the hit "Light My Fire".

Over the next several years the popularity of the band soared. They had a sound like no other. They did not have a bass as a part of their sound; Manzarak provided that through the organ. Along with Jim Morrison's soulful voice and good looks, fans flocked to their concerts. These concerts began to take on a more chaotic nature since Morrison often times showed up drunk and high. This combination got him into trouble in a few cities for his alleged lewd and obscene behavior on stage.

After The Doors, their next several albums sold well but were not as well received by the critics. In 1970, they released Morrison Hotel which found them back at the top of their game. This was followed by L.A. Woman in 1971, which included the hits "Love Her Madly" and "L.A. Woman".

During this time Morrison was also writing poetry. Two books were privately published in 1969, which were later published as one, The Lords and The New Creatures, in 1970. Also in 1970, Morrison recorded some of his poetry, An American Prayer, which was released in 1978.

In March 1971, Morrison moved to Paris with his long time girlfriend Pamela Courson. His plan was to  get out of the lime light and concentrate on his writing. Unfortunately, only a few months later he died. On July 3, Courson found him dead in the bathtub.

The circumstances of his death have created an almost mythic quality. No one who knew Morrison saw his body other than Coulson, there was no autopsy and he was buried in Paris. This has lead to much speculation. For many years it was common for fans of The Doors to claim that Jim Morrison was alive and well and living in _______ (insert country of choice). Fans still flock to Pere-Lachaise cemetery to pay their respects.

In the early 1980s there was a resurgence in the popularity of The Doors and Jim Morrison, much of that was due to the release of No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman. I have to admit that I was one of those young people who "discovered" The Doors while in high school in the 80s mostly due to the Hopkins' and Sugarman's book. I may not listen to them like I did then, but I find that I still enjoy their music.


The Doors Discography:

The Doors (1967)

Strange Days (1967)

Waiting for the Sun (1968)

The Soft Parade (1969)

Absolutely Live (1970)

Morrison Hotel (1970)

L.A. Woman (1971)

Books about Jim Morrison:

No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman

Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky

Angels Dance and Angels Die: The Tragic Romance of Pamela and Jim Morrison by Patricia Butler



-- Post by Tracy