MAKING OF THE ALBUM: The Doors – Morrison Hotel

Following an incident in Miami in 1969 in which frontman Jim Morrison had exposed himself onstage, coupled with the critical failure of their fourth album, The Soft Parade, The Doors were in desperate need of a hit. Under pressure from their label, Elektra Records, to release a new album as soon as possible, by September the band were prepared to return to the studio. Their previous effort had been something of an experiment, incorporating elements of jazz that had been a radical departure from their traditional sound. But neither their fans nor critics had been impressed and this reaction had prompted the group to return to their roots. Morrison’s heavy drinking had become a problem and had begun to take its toll on his voice and his bandmates were growing concerned for his health.

Despite the drama of the past twelve months, Morrison had undergone a productive period lyrically and felt inspired during the writing of the album, which had gone towards a more simple and gritty blues sound. Initially, the album was to be called Roadhouse Blues and the song of the same name was written about his partner, Pamela Courson. The title that the band would eventually settle for, Morrison Hotel, was named after an establishment in downtown Los Angeles that pianist Ray Manzarek had discovered. The recording of Morrison’s vocals would prove to be the most difficult as his drunken state would often prove problematic, sometimes resulting in Courson drinking his alcohol in an effort to keep him from getting drunk. The aftermath of The Soft Parade was still present during the recording sessions, with the single Running’ Blue (co-sung with guitarist and writer Robby Krieger) failing to score high in the charts.

Once again, The Doors worked alongside producer Paul A. Rothchild, who had produced all of their four previous albums, and would also be responsible for their first live release (1970′s Absolutely Live), but would not contribute to their last album with Morrison, L.A. Woman. Out of the studio, Morrison had become a burden to his friends, constantly drinking to the point that he would either injure himself or become aggressive. Regardless, eleven tracks would eventually be assembled for the album and would be split into two halves – Hard Rock Cafe and Morrison Hotel. Gone were the horns and strings that had populated The Soft Parade and instead Krieger’s grungy guitar sound dominated the recordings. blues guitarist Lonnie Mack would perform live bass on two tracks, whilst Manzarek would play the other songs on keyboard, as he had done on their previous work.

Morrison Hotel made its debut in February 1970, whilst The Doors were performing in San Francisco and Long Beach, California. Erasing all memory of their last effort, the album received an enthusiastic response from critics, with many praising it as their best work. Only one single would be released to promote the record, You Make Me Real, although its b-side – Roadhouse Blues – would prove to be more popular with fans. Following the release of Absolutely Live in November 1970, the band continued to explore their newfound blues style with their final ‘official’ album, L.A. Woman, before Morrison’s death in Paris in 1971 at the age of twenty-seven. A 40th anniversary edition of the album was released in 2010.