THE DOORS’ “TAKE IT AS IT COMES” DESERVES MORE APPRICIATION, HERE’S WHY

 

Throughout the first half of 1966s, as The Doors were maturing artistically, they developed several songs that would later appear on their first two albums.

Among these compositions, many of which originated from Jim Morrison's ideas and lyrics, we find "Take It As It Comes".

Thys tune was polished during the band's stay at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles in the summer of 1966, just before the recording of the first LP ("The Doors", put on vinyl in the second half of August '66 and released in January '67).

This tune is a Rock with a classic structure (verse - chorus - solo - verse - chorus - solo - verse - chorus), which is often not given a musical prominence worthy of its excellent quality.

So let us look at its main musical features and characteristics.

The rhythm section uses a duplicated bass line that consists of two different instruments. The first is Ray Manzarek's Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, a small keyboard that the musician played with his left hand to imitate the sound of the bass (otherwise absent in The Doors line-up).

The second bass line is played by the electric bass of sessionman Larry Knechtel, who contributed to a number of notable and revealing recordings in the 1960s. These include The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965 single), The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" (1966 album), Simon And Garfunkel's "Sounds Of Silence" (1966 album), The Mamas And Papas' "Deliver" (1967 album), and several other important works.

The duplicated bass line emerges clearly from min. 1.27 to min. 1.45, when the mood of the piece drops in sound intensity for a brief passage corresponding to the last verse.

For the remainder of the song, the two rhythmic instruments overlap, creating a dark, dense background against which Manzarek's high notes on the electric organ stand out.

This constant and fascinating sound contrast characterizes the entire instrumental section of the composition.

Robby Krieger's electric guitar, moderately distorted by a thin reverb, serves as a precise and refined rhythmic accompaniment.

There are two solos on "Take It As It Comes," both of equal length, played by Manzarek's electric organ.

They are brief and fast, conceived in an original way and slightly spiced with a vaguely Indian flavor (then in vogue in British and American rock and pop rock).

Finally, of course, there is the voice of Jim Morrison, who at this early point in The Doors' career had almost reached the peak of his wonderful vocal skills (which would be definitively reached with the next LP: "Strange Days", released in September 1967).

The vocal part, fascinating to say the least, is appropriately doubled in the choruses, creating an even greater and more convincing effect.

The lyrics succinctly outline a philosophy of life, the initial thrust of which comes from the Indian meditation practiced by many California artists at the time.

The events of our existence cause us to assume different moods and behaviors. In this constant flow of change, we should not act with distress and agitation, but accept things as they come and let go of what might otherwise affect us negatively.

"Take It As It Comes" represents an important chapter in the development of the rock genre, which was born only a year before and finds here a high-level channel of expression.