The Doors are one of the most famous and influential American rock bands of all time. It is tough to pick out the greatest Doors songs because there are so many of them that are great. This particular album is The Doors greatest hits, and this is the album that you should buy if you want to start listening to the band, because it has all of their most famous songs on here, such as Light My Fire, Touch Me, and The End.
The Doors are:
Jim Morrison-lead vocals
Robby Krieger-guitar
Ray Manzarek-keyboard/piano
John Densmore-drums
First Disc
A proper way to start the album, Break On Through (To The Otherside) was the first song on their first album. Break On Through has some great guitar work by Robby Krieger. Ray Manzarek provides as well with a solid keyboard part, and Morrison raps the rest up with his gruff vocals. By far the most recognizable Doors song, Light My Fire is a slow paced song with a great keyboard part, and two utterly amazing solos. Light My Fire starts with a short keyboard solo, and then Jim comes in. Morrison’s vocals on this are clear and powerful, and the solos, as I pointed out earlier, are unbelievable. This song is the definition of The Doors, and is by far their most famous song. A different song then the first two on the album, The Crystal Ship is a slow and mysterious song with a melodious lead. The lyrics in this song are well written. "The days are bright and filled with pain enclose me in your gentle rain the time you ran was too insane we'll meet again we'll meet again." You can feel Jim’s intensity in his voice, as well.
A very interesting and dark song, People Are Strange brings out the psychedelic side of The Doors. The song starts out with a simple but interesting guitar riff. Jim's vocals are soft at the beginning, but grow more intense as the song progresses. Manzarek adds to the mix with a nice keyboard part.
Just like People Are Strange, Strange Days brings out the psychedelic side of The Doors. The keyboard part sets the tone for the song as being mysterious. Along with the keyboard part in People Are Strange the bass part is another strong point, because of its strong and clear tone. This song is probably my favorite on this album. The guitar line starts the song off, and then the bass follows right after the guitar starts. Jim’s vocals on this are very strong and powerful as they intensify throughout the song, and the lyrics are simple, but good. The thing that sticks out about this song in my opinion is the guitar part. Alabama song is a very boring and repetitive tune. The keyboard part isn’t that strong, and Morrison isn’t powerful on vocals, either. Soul Kitchen would be better off on this album instead of Alabama Song. A very powerful song, Five To One starts out with a loud bass part, as everybody comes in soon after. The hook on this song is probably the lyrics, with lines such as "Your ballroom days are over, baby night is drawing near shadows of the evening crawl across the years," I think that this song is one of Jim Morrison’s most powerful songs vocally. This is also has a pretty good drum part.
Waiting For The Sun brings back the psychedelic feel that The Doors have in a handful of their songs. It starts off with keyboards and a smooth bass riff. Everything builds as Jim comes in with his usual approach to the vocals: gruff, but smooth. At the chorus the keyboard becomes a pivotal factor, as it peaks its head out. And what can be said about good ole' Jimmie's vocals? Utterly amazing, if you ask me. Spanish Caravan, the next composition, and calls for a different Doors tune than what we're used to, but many fans will find it enjoyable nonetheless. Robby Krieger shows off his classical guitar skills at the beginning of the song, pulling off a complicated intro, one which means to capture a typical Spanish guitar riff. After the intro, Jim comes in with stunning vocals, and the song takes of from their. Though the song may start of quietly, the power and intensity builds as the song progresses, and eventually halts quite abruptly. When The Music's Over, the song that finishes up the first disc (on a strong note) is an awesome tune, with both great guitar and keyboard parts. This is another one of those psychedelic songs from Strange Days. With strong lyrics such as “We want the world and we want it now”, this song makes a perfect ending for the first disc of this album. Even though When The Music's over is the longest song on the first album at a whopping 10:56, it is a must listen track.
Second Disc
Hello, I Love You is a more upbeat, yet cheesy Doors song. It starts out with the keyboards, the main instrument that sticks out for the entirety of Hello, I Love You. Hello, I Love You also has some strong lyrics such as:“Do you hope to make her see, you fool? Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel?” Boring at most points, Hello I Love You is the Doors at their most bland point. Roadhouse Blues shows us the bluesy side The Doors can attain. It starts off with a simple guitar riff followed by a harmonica, played by Jim. The guitar is the most noticeable instrument, with the famous riffs and licks, as well as a teeth grinding guitar solo in the middle of the song. Jim’s vocals are clear and and powerful. As I said earlier, Roadhouse Blues shows us the bluesy side of The Doors, leading to the subsequent fact that it has a nice bluesish feel to it. Any time I here L.A. Woman, it reminds me of none other than Los Angeles. This song is one of my favorite Doors songs, and it has my favorite Doors keyboard part, different than most songs by them, but it is totally awesome. The bass starts the song off, and then Robby comes in. Jim sounds different on this song, but you can still hear the intensity in his voice.
A very slow, mellow, and quiet song, Riders On The Storm is the final song on The Doors final album with Jim. The bass starts of the song after some rain sound effects, and the keyboard is soon to follow. The lyrics on this song are elementary. "Riders on the storm riders on the storm into this house we're born into this world we're thrown like a dog without a bone an actor out on loan riders on the storm." The guitar part is the hook as it captures the mood of the song. There are some great solos in this song as well. This is my favorite Doors song, because it is upbeat, Jim's vocals are classic, and the great brass section. The guitar and bass starts the song of with the keyboard coming in after. Jim comes in, soon to be followed by a brass section. During the chorus an orchestra enters. Jim’s lyrics are smooth but repetitive: “Come on Come on Come on Touch Me babe, can’t you see that I am not afraid? What was that promise that you made? Why you won’t tell me what she said? What was that promise that you made?” When you first put the song on, you will definitely know it, another Doors classic.
Love Her Madly is a nice bluesy song, with a notable guitar line. The lyrics are repetitive, but still very well written. The keyboard gets kind of annoying, the only factor that brings Love Her Madly down. The Unknown Solider is a very Anti-Vietnam song. The song has fairly good instrumentation, but the most notable aspect of The Unknown Solider, is the strong message behind it. Many people believed that this song was one of the best Anti-Vietnam songs around back when the song came out. What better way to end The Best Of The Doors than with The End, a slow, dark, and mysterious song? Robby’s guitar part sounds very gloomy, a proper way to start one of the most famous Doors songs ever. Jim’s vocals in this song compete with the vocals in Five To One. The keyboard in the song is very soft, as it adds to the mystery of the song. Though it may run a few minutes to long wit the miscellaneous noises and what have you, The End is the best and only way to end this greatest hits compellation.
This is the place to start at if you want to start listening to the Doors. This is my first review, so I hope that it helped someone out there. I give this album a 4.5 out of 5, but it is missing some songs, such as Soul Kitchen, and Twentieth Century Fox. So if you’ve never heard the Doors before, or only have one or two of their albums, get this one.
