THE DOORS’ MUSICAL TASTES: WHAT MUSIC DO THEY GREW UP WITH?

 

What were the musical tastes of the members of The Doors during their musical formation?

An interview given by the group in October 1967 gives us some interesting insights on the subject. It takes place right after the release of their second album, "Strange Days" (which was released less than a month before this interview).

Let's start with the Doors' impressions and interests in music during their teenage years.

Guitarist Robby Krieger states that his first impression goes back to a genre called Jugband Music, an exciting blend of blues and jazz played with rudimentary instruments and dating back to the 1920s.

Shortly after, the guitarist adds that his real musical training can be traced back to Flamenco (listen to the introduction Krieger plays on classical guitar in "Spanish Caravan" from the third album of The Doors “Waiting For The Sun”).

Moreover, in another interview dating back a few months earlier, the guitarist had cited the first album of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band ("Paul Butterfield Blues Band", 1965) as one of the decisive influences that pushed him towards the Rock genre.

As for Ray Manzarek, The Doors' keyboardist, we learn from his words that his first steps in music were taken in good company: Blues and Jazz. However, he cites two classical composers as very important elements in the construction of his musical identity. They are J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750) and I. Stravinsky (1882 - 1971).

Drummer John Densmore mainly mentions Jazz and of course jazz drummers as important factors in his early musical interests. Unfortunately, he does not specify in the interview which drummers inspired him the most.

Anyway, we know from other interviews that among these figures are Elvin Jones and Art Blekey (two of the best jazz drummers of the Hard Bop style of Jazz and of the Jazz genre in general).

Finally, here is what Jim Morrison says about his early musical influences and preferences.

The singer and frontman of The Doors lists Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Little Richard among the artists who first caught his attention. He’s talking about the golden age of Rock'n'Roll, which started in the mid-1950s and ended approximately with the end of the same decade.

We can see how each of these important artists had vocal characteristics that resonate in some way with the approach to the voice that Morrison would develop during his career with The Doors.

Turning to the moment the interview was recorded, two curiosities emerge.

The first one is Ray Manzarek's preferences among the tracks of the band's debut album ("The Doors," January 1967). The keyboardist cites "The Crystal Ship" and "Light My Fire" as his favorite songs on that wonderful record.

The second curiosity to emerge from the interview is Densmore's favorite song from the band's just-released second LP ("Strange Days"). It is "Moonlight Drive", a rock masterpiece in terms of compositional originality, melody and arrangement.