"PEOPLE ARE STRANGE" AND THE MUSICAL PROWESS OF RAY MANZAREK

 

The B-side of The Doors' second album, "Strange Days" (released in September 1967), opens with the song "People Are Strange", written mainly by Jim Morrison and arranged with the decisive contribution of guitarist Robby Krieger. While Morrison is given most of the credit for writing the main melody and lyrics, Ray Manzarek's instrumental skills also deserve recognition.

He plays two instruments: the electric organ and the modified piano, often referred to as the "tack piano". The former is the instrument usually played by the keyboardist, while the latter was introduced on this LP and also appeared on "Moonlight Drive" and "My Eyes Have Seen You". The clavinet and harpsichord, two other keyboards played with expertise and creativity by Manzarek, also feature on other tracks on the album.

On "People Are Strange", however, we find a combination of expressive taste and technique that was anything but common in 1967. In fact, there was no other band in the United States or England where one musician could play different types of keyboard so smoothly and effectively in such diverse musical contexts.

Here, we are not just talking about technical ability and musical skills. Other musicians in those years were very well prepared in this respect. Among them, in the realm of keyboards and 1967, we would like to mention John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins.

However, Ray Manzarek had a broader vision, using technique to serve inventiveness, sound details and overall imagination in arranging the aforementioned album tracks. The result was both evocative and timely, capable of arousing exciting emotions and images.

By contrast, there were a few other artists at that time who used various kinds of keyboard in unusual and experimental ways. However, none of them demonstrated the instrumental mastery that Manzarek did.

John Lennon and Brian Jones are two examples; in 1967, they had already started incorporating various keyboards into their songs. They achieved surprising results, but, unlike Manzarek, they were unable to exploit the technical capabilities of the organ and piano to their fullest potential.

In our chosen example, "People Are Strange", the electric organ and modified piano interact naturally, complementing each other to create a distinctive and pleasant sound. In this song, the two keyboards are in constant dialogue, creating the distinctive and fascinating sounds that define it.

The two keyboards are simultaneously the backbone of the composition, the distinguishing factor of its unmistakable musicality, and the means by which certain passages are embellished.

The overdubs and meticulous studio work that characterized "Strange Days" enabled Manzarek to enrich the musical arrangement of the song so vividly. The combination of technique and creativity, ideas and instrumental mastery is Ray Manzarek's trademark and the hallmark of his inimitable style.

This has been true throughout The Doors' career, but "People Are Strange" is one of the best examples of the musician summoning these musical features.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”