THE DOORS' “ROCK ME”: LOVED, BUT NEVER RELEASED

 

The Doors have always loved "Rock Me," a traditional blues song that entered their repertoire as a cover from the very beginning of their musical adventure in late 1965 / early 1966.

Since then, the band has performed the song live many times, and it has remained with them throughout their career until their final undertaking: the recording of "L.A. Woman" (the band's last LP, released in April 1971).

On that occasion, the song was considered as a track to be included on the album, only to be left behind by "Crawlin' King Snake" (another traditional blues cover that we discussed in another article).

This choice was due to two main factors. The first is the high number of versions of "Rock Me" that had been recorded by other groups and artists over the years. The second factor is the presence of another blues very similar to "Rock Me" on the record: "Cars Hiss By My Window" (composed by Morrison).

Despite being omitted from the L.A. Woman track list, "Rock Me" was recorded by The Doors during the album sessions, confirming their intention to use it on vinyl.

It is an outtake that was officially released some years ago, historically interesting but still in the "work in progress" stage, and even less enjoyable than "Crawlin' King Snake", which ended up on the album instead.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, The Doors had been playing "Rock Me" in their live performances since early 1966, and fortunately some traces of it has remained on a few live recordings.

These include the "Morrison Hotel" LP recording sessions and the concerts of the 1970 tour, where the composition is often brought forth by the group. It also appears on the historic recordings made at "The Matrix" in March 1967.

Among the versions of "Rock Me" performed live by The Doors, however, the one at the "London Fog" in May 1966 deserves special mention. In this Los Angeles venue, the band, still about a year away from celebrity, managed to interpret this blues of the tradition in a delightful way.

The lucky audience present at the latter occasion is treated to a fascinating performance in which we encounter an unusual and brief harmonica solo by Morrison.

The singer's voice is definitely the most interesting sound element of the "London Fog" version, moving from the somber charm of the beginning to the harsh screams of the finale.

Where did "Rock Me" come from and where did The Doors get the idea for their cover of it?

The song dates back to at least the 1920s, as one of many traditional blues tunes that have been worked out and re-worked countless times by just as many bluesmen.

This unchartered path brings us to the first recorded version of the melody and structure that can be attributed to the great Big Bill Broonzy in a 1940 recording entitled "Rocking Chair Blues".

The bluesman's guitar is accompanied by drums (in the background) and piano (which also plays a solo). In addition, a voice that is aggressive to the point and an engaging rhythm conjure up a remarkable charge of innovation, anticipating to the listener what would happen in the blues genre from then on.

Later, another very important artist, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, would mark the evolution of "Rock Me" and bring it into the sphere of the style known as Chicago Blues (recorded in 1944 as "Rock Me Mama").

In this version, the composition features subtly played drums (with brushes instead of sticks) and the metallic tones of the artist's signature "resonator guitar" (probably the best version of this traditional blues tune ever made).

Melvin Lill' Son Jackson (a Texas great bluesman) interprets the song in December 1950 with the piece "Rockin' and Rollin'", in which his country blues musical background clearly comes to the fore.

It is a slightly faster performance compared to the previous ones, where the expressive voice of the bluesman is intertwined with his excellent instrumental skills on the strings of an acoustic guitar.

This brings us to 1956, the moment when Muddy Waters delivers the song with the definitive title, "Rock Me", in the arrangement that The Doors (and other groups) would draw on ten years later.

Little Walter's famous harmonica embellishes this further rendition of the tune (again in the Chicago blues style), whose rhythm is stronger and more powerful compared to the others already mentioned.

"Rock Me", a blues classic, is still known today thanks also to The Doors; this article aims to underline its origins and, of course, to frame its role in the group’s career.

P.S.: The book "The Doors Through Strange Days" is going to be published soon, it's a matter of weeks. Follow the Facebook page of the same name for updates.