Archive for The Doors

Superstars Of Classic Rock Honor The Music And Legacy Of The Doors – Feat. Members of Deep Purple, Foreigner, Yes, Rainbow, Mountain, Moody Blues, ELP And Others!

Posted in classic rock, classic rock bands, Music, music news, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , , on June 16, 2014 by Metal Odyssey

The Doors - A Classic Rock Salute To - promo cover pic - 2014

Featuring Todd Rundgren, Ian Gillan, Edgar Winter, Steve Morse, David Johansen, Larry Coryell, Mark Farner, Patrick Moraz, Mick Box, Keith Emerson, Lou Gramm, Leslie West, Thijs Van Leer, Steve Cropper, Rick Wakeman, Roye Albrighton, Nik Turner, Billy Sherwood, Steve Hillage, Zoot Horn Rollo and Others! 

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Los Angeles, CA – A star-studded syndicate of rock virtuosos have gathered together to pay tribute to one of the best-loved and most influential bands of all-time, The Doors, on a new CD release titled Light My Fire – A Classic Rock Salute To The Doors, to be released by Purple Pyramid Records on June 24th! Produced by the extraordinarily talented Billy Sherwood, the album features brand new interpretations of classic Doors cuts that defined an entire generation, songs such as “Light My Fire,” “Riders On The Storm,” “Break On Through (To The Other Side),” “Love Her Madly,” “L.A. Woman,” “People Are Strange,” and lots more!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear some of The Doors’ peers and prodigies tackle these seminal songs. Not one but TWO members of the quintessential prog rock band Yes, keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman and lead guitarist Steve Howe, joined Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan on the signature song, “Light My Fire,” which as Wakeman explains, “has always been one of those iconic tracks that keyboard players listen to because of the fact that there are so few tracks with keyboard/organ solos on them compared to our six-stringed buddies. It’s also a solo area that is totally open to interpretation so whatever you do is not comparable to the original, so it was an absolute joy to do.” Howe likewise enthused, “I was delighted to play on this album as The Doors were a band I heard a lot, as everywhere I went in the late ‘60s their music was playing, at friend’s, in restaurants, gigs & bars throughout London. I’m sure I saw them play at Middle Earth, a then hip club. Then, when the reissue more recently came out, I got totally back into their music, especially ‘Light My Fire.’”

The Doors - A Classic Rock Salute To - promo cover pic - 2014

Another keyboard legend, Geoff Downes, likewise extolled the genius of Doors’ organist Ray Manzarek saying, “It was a real privilege to be asked to participate in this project. Ray Manzarek was one of the pioneers of keyboard playing in rock music and had a major influence on me and many others. His style was totally unique, and an integral element into what made The Doors sound the way they did.”

Meanwhile, renegade guitarist Steve Morse, of Dixie Dregs fame, recollects that The Doors were “a soundtrack, literally, for some of the most memorable times, good and bad, that I experienced as a young teen. Like many of my favorites, they were adventurous, improvising, unafraid of what the media might say and all with a sort of lyrical freedom that still stands up today.”

The Cars’ lead axeman Elliot Easton proclaims, “I had a wonderful time reinterpreting ‘Spanish Caravan,’” a song Easton found both “challenging and very rewarding!” And jazz fusion Larry Coryell concludes, “The Doors were the unofficial representatives to the world for LA, not ‘Los Angeles,’ but ‘LA.’ Their sound – raunchy, cluttered, sassy, leering, kind of mean, and always horny was the sound of LA/Los Angeles itself. How many times circa ‘65-66 did my first wife Julie and I drive through LA on the freeway listening to, say, ‘Love Me Two Times,’ and think that The Doors were the sound of LA just as clearly as Thelonious Monk was the sound of NYC.”

That sound continues to reverberate outward through both space and time, touching each new generation around the globe and keeping The Doors’ flame burning brighter than ever! Producer Billy Sherwood sums it up when he declares, “The Doors’ music will live on forever, and it’s my hope that we’ve paid tribute to the band in the highest way possible.”

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To pre-order the CD at Amazon: http://georiot.co/216h

To pre-order the album on iTunes: http://georiot.co/Wns

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The Doors - A Classic Rock Salute To - promo cover pic - 2014

 Track Listing:

1. L.A. Woman – Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Ted Turner (Wishbone Ash) & Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues)

2. Love Me Two Times – Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Thijs van Leer (Focus) & Larry Coryell

3. Roadhouse Blues – Leslie West (Mountain), Brian Auger & Rod Piazza

4. Love Her Madly – Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) & Mick Box (Uriah Heep)

5. Riders On The Storm – Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Tony Kaye (Yes) & Steve Cropper (Booker T. & The M.G.’s)

6. The Crystal Ship – Edgar Winter & Chris Spedding

7. Intro (People Are Strange) – Keith Emerson, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter & Joel Druckman (John Fahey)

8. People Are Strange – David Johansen (NY Dolls) & Billy Sherwood (Yes)

9. Touch Me – Robert Gordon, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Steve Morse & Nik Turner (Hawkwind)

10. The Soft Parade – Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Christopher North (Ambrosia) & Steve Hillage (Gong)

11. Hello, I Love You – Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) & Roye Albrighton (Nektar)

12. Spanish Caravan – Eric Martin (Mr. Big) & Elliot Easton (The Cars)

13. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) – Todd Rundgren & Geoff Downes (Yes / Asia) & Zoot Horn Rollo (Captain Beefheart)

14. Break On Through (To The Other Side) – Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) & Chick Churchill (Ten Years After)

15. Light My Fire – Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Rick Wakeman (Yes) & Steve Howe (Yes)

16. The End – Pat Travers & Jimmy Greenspoon (Three Dog Night)

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(Source: Glass Onyon, PR)

Stone - Motorhead Tee  pic:small

LONG LIVE THE LEGACY OF THE DOORS.

REST IN PEACE, JIM MORRISON.

REST IN PEACE, RAY MANZAREK.

Stone.

THE DOORS – 10 Things You Never Knew About Them

Posted in classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, Hard Rock, hard rock news, rock albums, rock bands, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , on June 16, 2013 by Metal Odyssey

The Doors - Waiting For The Sun - promo cover pic!

THE DOORS – Here at Metal Odyssey, we TOTALLY dig the Roots Of Rock ‘N Roll and are never bashful about blabbing about it! Recently, The Doors released a very cool & new app for iPad with factual information on their Rockin’ history. Read on below for more information found on this iPad app!

For 10 Things You Never Knew About The Doors, click on that very cool link below! It will take you to BuzzFeed Community; a whiz-bang website that will get you hooked!

BuzzFeed Community: http://bit.ly/11ckLui

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The Doors - Classic Band Logo - B&W

Jim Morrison – vocals

Ray Manzarek – organ, keyboards

Robby Krieger – guitar

John Densmore – drums

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(Sources: The Doors Facebook, BuzzFeed Community)

Above album cover: Waiting For The Sun (1968/Elektra).

For more info on THE DOORS, click on the links below! Whoa!

www.thedoors.com

Facebook: The Doors

Stone - Motorhead Tee  pic:small

LONG LIVE THE ROCK & ROLL LEGACY OF THE DOORS.

Rest In Peace, Jim Morrison & Ray Manzarek.

Stone.

STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF X ON THE PASSING OF RAY MANZAREK

Posted in classic rock, Hard Rock, Music, Punk rock, punk rock bands, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , on May 21, 2013 by Metal Odyssey

X - Circa 1981 - Promo Band Pic - #1

X – (Circa 1981) (Photo Credit: X facebook)

(Los Angeles) It is with sad and heavy hearts that the members of the seminal Punk Rock band, X, pay tribute to their friend and mentor, Ray Manzarek.

Ray Manzarek is an integral part of X’s history. The band’s debut album, Los Angeles was released on April 26, 1980 and produced by Ray. The album includes a cover of the 1967 Doors song “Soul Kitchen” and was the bands most successful release. It ranked # 16 for the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Subsequently in 1989, it was ranked number 24 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 best albums of the 80s and Pitchfork ranked it 91st on their top 100 albums of the 1980s. The title track is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll  and again in 2003, the album was ranked number 286 on the Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Ray went on to produce the next three studio albums for the band, Wild Gift in 1981 (also on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time at #334), Under the Big Black Sun in 1982 and 1983’s More Fun in the New World.

In late 2010, X celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Los Angeles by playing the entire album, start to finish.  Ray joined the band during their two shows in San Francisco, just after Christmas. In August of 2012, Ray again joined the band for the entire show at the famed Roxy Theatre during the Sunset Strip Music Festival, playing Los Angeles in its entirety. In 2013, Rhino released The Doors/X Side by Side: Soul Kitchen, a split white vinyl 7″.

Ray Manzarek - The Doors - vintage photo promo - #1

Ray Manzarek

Ray led by example, from The Doors to carmine burana and beyond. He is and will always be a spirit being, adept at expanding perception. And once those doors of perception are opened, they never close. He taught me that we are the keys, that we can unlock all doors, everywhere, to create magic, to transform ourselves and power the world, through joy and love and imagination and art and, above all through music. – Exene

Ray was a mentor to X in our early days and a something of a father figure to Exene & me. He was brilliant & soulful. If Bob Dylan brought poetry & folk to popular music; Ray & the Doors brought the blues & poetry to rock music. The Doors are rock royalty. It has been a privilege & honor to call Ray a friend and share the stage w/ him. – John Doe

Ray always believed in us.  We’ll miss him.  My heart goes out to Dorothy and Pablo. – Billy Zoom

I am so sorry to hear about Ray’s passing. Not only was he an integral part of X’s history, he was a smart, funny, and kind friend. I will miss him. – DJ Bonebrake

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(Source: MAD Ink PR)

For more info on X, click on the links below.

http://www.xtheband.com

X facebook: X the official band page!

http://www.twitter.com/Xtheband

For more info on The Doors, click on the links below:

facebook: The Doors

http://www.thedoors.com

MetalOdyssey

LONG LIVE X.

REST IN PEACE, RAY MANZAREK.

Stone.

Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors, Passes Away at 74

Posted in classic rock, classic rock bands, Hard Rock, hard rock news, Music, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , on May 21, 2013 by Metal Odyssey

Ray Manzarek - The Doors - vintage photo promo - #1

As reported on the facebook page of The Doors (May 20, 2013):

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away today at 12:31PM PT at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.

Manzarek is best known for his work with The Doors who formed in 1965 when Manzarek had a chance encounter on Venice Beach with poet Jim Morrison. The Doors went on to become one of the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, selling more than 100-million albums worldwide, and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone. “L.A.Woman,” “Break On Through to the Other Side,” “The End,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “Light My Fire” were just some of the band’s iconic and ground-breaking songs. After Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek went on to become a best-selling author, and a Grammy-nominated recording artist in his own right. In 2002, he revitalized his touring career with Doors’ guitarist and long-time collaborator, Robby Krieger.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”

Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org

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Metal Odyssey expresses condolences to the family, surviving bandmates and friends of Ray Manzarek. Ray Manzarek was and always shall be an icon of Rock Music. God bless Ray Manzarek.

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For more info, click on the links below.

facebook: The Doors

www.thedoors.com

MetalOdyssey

REST IN PEACE, RAY MANZAREK.

February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013

Stone.

THE DOORS “Live At The Bowl ’68” – Releases On DVD & Blu-ray October 22nd Via Eagle Rock Entertainment

Posted in blues rock, classic rock, classic rock bands, Hard Rock, Music, psychedelic rock, rock music, rock music news, rock music videos with tags , , , , , , on October 17, 2012 by Metal Odyssey

Digitally restored video & audio, with two previously unreleased tracks!  In stores October 22!

On July 5th, 1968, The Doors took to the stage of the Hollywood Bowl for a concert that has since passed into legend. The Doors were performing on the back of their 3rd album release “Waiting For The Sun” and the US No.1 single “Hello, I Love You”. They had been honing their live performances over the previous 2 years and were on absolute peak form.

Now for the first time the original film footage from the Hollywood Bowl has been digitally scanned and restored to present the show better and more complete than it’s ever been seen before, with 2 previously unreleased tracks (Hello, I Love You & The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)) returned to the running order and with sound newly remixed and mastered from the original multitrack tapes by The Doors’ engineer and co-producer Bruce Botnick. This is now the definitive edition of this famous performance and features over an hour of bonus material!

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(Source: Eagle Rock Entertainment)

For more info, click on the links below!

http://www.thedoors.com

facebook: The Doors

http://www.eagle-rock.com

LONG LIVE THE LEGACY OF THE DOORS.

Rest In Peace, Jim Morrison.

Stone.

The Doors – Morrison Hotel: Revisiting a Rock Classic From 1970

Posted in classic rock, classic rock albums, classic rock bands, Hard Rock, metal odyssey, Music, psychedelic rock, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2011 by Metal Odyssey

THE DOORS – In these handful of days leading up to the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison’s passing away, I’ve decided to share a few thoughts about an album from The Doors. Jim Morrison passed away on July 3rd, 1971, in Paris France. He was only 27 years old. Forever a Rock legend Jim Morrison shall be. Jim Morrison’s lyrics, vocals and poetry always fascinated me. I was lured as a young lad into the Rock world of The Doors and essentially have never looked back. By the way, I was only four years old when Morrison Hotel was released… Metal be thy name.

Each studio album from The Doors is a unique Rock Classic. There will never be another band that comes even remotely close to their sound or style, in my opinion. The album I’ve chosen to revisit from The Doors is Morrison Hotel, released back in 1970, on Elektra Records. As with all of The Doors albums, listening to Morrison Hotel on CD isn’t quite the same as hearing the old school analog quality of it’s vinyl predecessor. I guess the same can be said for countless albums, from an untold number of bands from yesteryear.

My two favorite songs heard on Morrison Hotel are: Roadhouse Blues and Peace Frog. I personally like all eleven songs on this album. I’m not ashamed to admit, (and it might sound crazy), yet I’ve never disliked any song from The Doors. This band was just that artistic and unique to me. Roadhouse Blues is just a sensational Blues Rock song, one that uncannily radiates an incredible amount of relevance in 2011. Seriously, (and this is my opinion), Roadhouse Blues rocks along like it was recorded yesterday.

Peace Frog is just a provocative listen into Jim Morrison’s thoughts, with the lyrical content really being a recounting of what personal events troubled him. Waiting For The Sun has always given off a sonically melancholic vibe to me. Regardless of the “sun” being a focal point in the lyrics, this song has it’s doom switch turned on that I can never get enough of. Land Ho! with all of it’s quirky song structure and Folk stylings dominating, still triumphantly rocks along. A knee tapper and cool drinking song is Land Ho!.

Like all of The Doors albums, there is so much more to the “hits”. Songs like Maggie M’Gill, You Make Me Real, Queen Of The Highway and Blue Sunday are gems of Rock Music history in their own right. I always felt the need to listen to the entire album to take in The Doors. The Doors music just gives off that feel, where listening to Morrison Hotel (or any album from The Doors) from beginning to end is an experience, rather than just a listen for me.

The album cover to Morrison Hotel says it all, with Jim Morrison being in the forefront and most prominent in the picture. The Morrison Hotel actually did exist in Los Angeles, with no ownership ties to Jim Morrison, of course. However, think about this… how many bands today could take the last name of their singer and attach it to “hotel” as an album title? Not many I would think. Daughtry Hotel? I don’t think Chris Daughtry would even care for it. Could Aerosmith ever pull off an album title of: Tyler Hotel? Nah.

The coolness and flamboyancy of Jim Morrison’s vocals were ahead of the times, couple that with his overall mystique and I see the realism behind the album title: Morrison Hotel. The album title of Morrison Hotel just makes more sense to me today, than it did say in 1982. I guess I never read into this album title as deeply as I do now. The songs on Morrison Hotel have never checked out for me. If anything, I will continue to “check-in” at the Morrison Hotel for the rest of my life… and be glad I did.

THE DOORS:

Jim Morrison – vocals

Ray Manzarek – keyboards

Robby Krieger – guitar

John Densmore – drums

Morrison Hotel – Track Listing:

Hard Rock Cafe:

Roadhouse Blues

Waiting For The Sun

You Make Me Real

Peace Frog

Blue Sunday

Ship Of Fools

Morrison Hotel:

Land Ho

The Spy

Queen Of The Highway

Indian Summer

Maggie M’Gill

* Morrison Hotel was produced by Paul A. Rothchild.

* For more info on THE DOORS, click on the link below:

THE DOORS – Official Website

LONG LIVE THE DOORS.

Rest In Peace, Jim Morrison.

Stone.

I accepted an 8 track tape of The Doors “Alive She Cried”, now what?

Posted in Hard Rock, Metal, Rock with tags , , , on March 28, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

409613Just over this past Winter, I believe it was sometime in January, I stopped by a “good” neighbors house for a visit. It was early evening, I forget the actual day of the week, however it was arctic cold outside. The visit to see my neighbors went well, good conversation, fine refreshments and an offer I just simply could not refuse. My neighbor friend offered me, a mint in-package, factory sealed, 8-track tape of The Doors “Alive She Cried”. This little gem was also for free too. So, I replied to my neighbor, upon being asked if I wanted this 8-track, “yes, yes, I would like to have it, thank you.” Once it was time to set forth on my journey home, (about a 30 second walk), I tucked this factory sealed 8-track into my leather jacket to protect it from the wind and cold. 

Upon my return home, I was a tad bewildered with myself. Why? Why I asked myself. Why did I accept an 8-track tape knowing that there was no way on mother Earth that I could ever possibly play it and enjoy it? Did I accept it for it was free? Did I accept it for it was The Doors? Did I somehow go into some sort of cosmic and chaotic mind loop and think that maybe, just maybe, I was once again in 1981, with the ability to just “plop” the 8-track into my 8-track player waiting for me at home?

I believe the answer is simple. I get so darned crazy for my music I love, that I will jump for joy at the chance to accept any freebie that is Rock & Roll related. Even if the freebie is an item that could never be considered functional or of quality use, heck, if one of my favorite bands is remotely related to the object, I am all over it, thank you very much. Now, is this 8-track of The Doors “Alive She Cried” worth any money? I doubt it is worth much loot at all. My guess would be, say, 2 dollars? Maybe this item is worth, because it is still sealed in it’s original plastic wrapper, 3 dollars? I really do not care about the monetary value of this 8-track at all. It is the novelty of the item, a conversation piece if you will. 

I do stare at this 8-track now and again, thinking about how I used to own not one, but two 8-track players when I was in High School. Back then, I was considered the cool “stereo wizard” on my block. Now, this “technology” is considered prehistoric, ancient, dark ages, take your pick. If you were to show an 8-track tape to 100 college seniors today, I bet 100 college seniors would not be able to identify the darn thing. I am satisfied that I did accept this 8-track tape from my neighbor, on that arctic cold night. It is mine now, for me to not be able to play it, only to gaze at it and be reminded of how I really do not miss the “hissing” and “cluncking” sound of the old 8-track players, back in the dark ages.

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