Twenty-Five to One: THE DOORS RESULTS THREAD

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/styles/card_280/nprshared/201305/185837449.jpg

28 ballots received
69 tracks voted for
12,656 points available

points scored by post-Jim material: 12

hahaha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkGnXm-UVmw

69. The Mosquito
Full Circle (1972)
12 points, one vote

I'm not counting down from here, I just want it to have its day in the sun

haha i was gonna say, are we counting down every song

haha nice

The natural break in the order is at 25, so I'm counting down from there. Well from 26, because I really like no.26. Probably 26-16 tonight, 15-1 tomorrow.

man this is gonna make my night, I got a long night a work ahead, so I'm looking forward to this rollout

I dont have any special images or anything. How are we with youtubes? Embedding is probably not a good idea, right?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwtzhkFUTY1qf0uoxo1_500.gif

it cannot matter

woah

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7529/rivery.jpg

http://youtu.be/i27t5txCrwg

26. Yes, The River Knows
194 points, nine votes
Waiting For The Sun (1968)

Glad it made it in--great performances

http://youtu.be/pldftoUbM80

25. Love Street
Waiting for the Sun (1968)
217 points, ten votes

Oy. From the sublime to the ridiculous!

http://youtu.be/45TcV5rZQ4w

24. Hyacinth House
LA Woman (1971)
238 points, eleven votes, one no.1

#1!

It got a no.3 too, it has its admirers

Spotify playlist

I can't find LA Woman (the album) so will have to improvise, should any more tracks appear. I've made it collaborative in case anyone can do better.

http://youtu.be/c1huRuo6Wj0

23. Hello, I Love You
Waiting for the Sun (1968)
258 points, ten votes, two no.1s

Always wondered if Ray Davies sued (because of "All Day and All of the Night"):

According to the Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, courts in the UK determined in favor of Davies and any royalties for the song are paid to him.

Thought I might be the only #1. As crass and shameless as can be, still exciting (and punky!).

Here's a Spotify link for L.A. Woman.

Strange - only Changeling, LA Woman and the last three show up

The Doors overview page on Spotify is weird for me... it only loads partially until you scroll down to the bottom, then finishes loading. No other page has done that.

here in France all of LA Woman shows up on spotify except for "Love Her Madly"

http://youtu.be/hc46l54Cz10

22. You're Lost Little Girl
Strange Days (1967)
260 points, eleven votes

(xpost) If you're camping out at Morrison's gravesite, you're taking this poll too seriously.

almost every song on Strange Days has the song's title in its first line (not "Horse Latitudes" obv & I guess not "Moonlight Drive" either but the rest)

haha yeah I thought about going there when Ray died but...well, it's been rainy

and Jim's not there anyway

he should go hang it, it's always a party there

http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9679dc4f15c2960bc740be09bf13740/tumblr_mgu6awr1o61s035h6o1_500.jpg

seems like it's always like that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPNl6rMsQ3Q

21. When The Music's Over
Strange Days (1967)
264 points, fourteen votes

This is such an amazing song.

alive, she cried

now?

NOW

i can remember i think dave marsh or someone writing about the doors for i think a rolling stone guide and comparing them to tommy james and the shondells w/ the understanding that therefore these guys aren't true rock artists, they're bubblegum singles makers ie they're pop ('hello i love you' seems the most obv exhibit a for this argument). at this time i had kinda turned from the avid fandom i had circa 13 to thinking 'these guys are overrated, this poetry isn't very good, morrison's obv an asshole, etc' but i loved tommy james and the shondells so that cornball rockist diss inadvertantly made it impossible for me to write these guys off, cuz in a late 60s am radio context (which is a context they were in - 'light my fire' was a huge huge pop hit, much much huger than jimi or janis ever approached) the doors began to seem everything 13 yr old me imagined they were and more. one reason i can totally sympathize w/ iggy and patti smith and griel marcus and joan didion totally buying in; for ppl my age and younger (too young to have been there) morrison can seem like a cliche and empty ridiculous myth, someone just completely bettered by those who came in his wake be it iggy, patti, nick cave, david yow, whatever, but to have experienced it first hand, to have experienced in the context of the summer of love ('light my fire' knocked the association's 'windy' from #1 and was the arising of this dark byronic elvis figure from the west? i'm not sure i could trust anyone who was there and didn't buy in.

Morrison is ridiculous but it's interesting how nowadays people call him out for that, whereas say Robert Plant doesn't get the same flak for being more or less just as ridiculous in Zep days

"When The Music's Over" is amazing, i am hugely partisan about that song over "The End"

love how short and to the point "Hello, I Love You Is," and I'd been trying to figure out for AGES what "All Day And All Of The Night" reminded me of besides other Kinks songs, question answered!

Yes! to balls. Why is it that Jim attracts such contempt when nobody else really does? Patti Smith writes in her book about feeling that mixture of awe and contempt when seeing them in 1969.

rightly or wrongly, Morrison shoulders a lot of blame/guilt by association for 'rock lyrics are like poetry' types, whereas Plant's lascivious Tolkien nerd schtick had would up regarded more affectionately

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/172873/The+Doors.jpg

http://youtu.be/OAZdkCExkj8

20. Love Her Madly
LA Woman (1971)
267 points, twelve votes

blargh- ('light my fire' knocked the association's 'windy' from #1 and was replaced by the beatles' 'all you need is love') rather

Bathroom Echo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiS2kVJ6uJ0

19. People Are Strange
Strange Days (1967)
274 points, twelve votes

This was looking like a contender early on, but faded badly over the second half of polling

Balls, Marsh was comparing the Doors unfavorably to Tommy James and the Shondells, saying the latter were the superior singles band.

The line in that review that probably resonated the most for me was about how the Densmore was "too laid back to really kick out the jams." I dig some Doors songs (most of all "Go Insane"), but the drumming was always a huge sticking point for me.

"Love Her Madly" is a fuckin JAM

I always liked the drumming in the instrumental section of Light My Fire.

Is the Byrds' drumming a turnoff too? They always struck me as similar.

on "Love Her Madly" you get the Van Morrison influence face on

yeah i never had a problem w/ densmore's drumming (though i will definitely defer to you there) but thinking about 'love her madly' just now and how great manzarek and krieger are there it did become apparent that johnny drama's the weak point of this band.

woah 'love her madly' IS a van morrison jam

yes

would have loved to heard Thin Lizzy do "Love Her Madly"

didn't vote for it but do love 'ppl are strange' even if it's become the doors anthem for ppl that post facebook macros

I just think of The Lost Boys when I hear it. voted it high of course

It's time for the greatest clip in television history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuZUrjWz-PE

18. The Soft Parade
The Soft Parade (1969)
289 points, twelve votes

knew that's what you meant

if we'd somehow done this poll at the height of my doors fandom it wouldn't have made my ballot, now it's #2

yeah i never had a problem w/ densmore's drumming (though i will definitely defer to you there) but thinking about 'love her madly' just now and how great manzarek and krieger are there it did become apparent that johnny drama's the weak point of this band.

― balls, Sunday, May 26, 2013 5:37 PM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

tbf, Densmore's laidbackocity serves songs like "Roadhouse Blues" very well.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2010/4/5/1270461640599/The-Doors-001.jpg

http://youtu.be/OCaDjpwuh08

17. Moonlight Drive
Strange Days (1967)
290 points, twelve votes

I wasn't expecting Moonlight Drive to place at all. Not sure why, now I hear it and it sounds great.

http://i1.fastpic.ru/big/2010/0108/85/88d2a2330a18ff97d92b707946c87d85.jpg

http://youtu.be/g425uuTkya4

16. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
LA Woman (1971)
292 points, fifteen votes, one no.1

That'll do me for the evening, talk amongst yourselves.

i grew up with "The End" and "When The Music's Over" as the big Doors epics, was surprised to hear something like "The Soft Parade" do something so different with that kind of running time

Just why is The Wasp so popular? I even voted for it myself, though I don't think I know why.

dunno, Ismael, but out here on the perimeter there are no stars.
out here we is stoned, immaculate.

that help any?

(my #1)

Sort of. It's not the only time Jim aimed at epic imagery, but it seems to be the one that resonates. Unless you all dig the hokeyness.

it's prophetic bullshit of the first order! also, as a modernist I go for strange new languages....

yeah personally my ballot did not feel complete without some batshit screaming Jimbo on it

densmore owes his entire career to good ol' ray and what'd i say in particular, i love his drumming tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPP8w0wMRgQ

i was watching the Classic Albums ep on the first album the other day, i like how Densmore came across in interviews and how he'd break down certain drum parts

I never understood the Densmore hate.

Thanks to killing myself putting in garden beds I didn't get to send in my ballot, but Love Her Madly would have been my #1 or 2.

Am I the only one that thinks "The Soft Parade" invented disco with the "Peppermint miniskirts" bit? Just try not to dance to that, I dare ya.

Densmore is a great drummer because he incorporates tons of little jazz flourishes like rim knocks and cymbal mute-holds. A really distinctive style that you just don't hear on a whole lot of rock records.

yeah..."rock drumming" as we know it now was still kinda coming into being at that point, it's interesting to hear guys like him who didn't inform the template as much as, like, charlie watts or keith moon

Am I the only one that thinks "The Soft Parade" invented disco with the "Peppermint miniskirts" bit? Just try not to dance to that, I dare ya.

Seriously, I couldn't believe that bit was recorded in 1969 the first time I heard it.

yeah..."rock drumming" as we know it now was still kinda coming into being at that point, it's interesting to hear guys like him who didn't inform the template as much as, like, charlie watts or keith moon

for that matter I think Ray made it cool to be a keyboardist as far as rock'n'roll was concerned. neither the Stones nor the Beatles were using organ, for the most part, as a main instrument, way back when the doors first came out. but after the debut you got the appearance of vox organs and farfisas and the like
xpost

yeah...Manzarek is still pretty unique, i feel like to find someone with anything like his range of sounds (as opposed to contemporary acts who had the same organ sound on every song) you'd have to go forward a number of years to, like, Steve Nieve from Elvis Costello's band, who i'm sure had much more advanced equipment available to him

Garth Hudson?

I meant not going forward quite as far but with a whole lotta sonic range

yeah good call

rock organ predates doors ('96 tears' and a million other garage bands), it was an easily acquired instrument and portable also. manzarek did a couple of garage sides pre-doors (i learned this from all my freakbeat friends last week) and also played some gigs as a jazz musician, doors seems like the synthesis of both. interesting that summer of 67 you have 'white rabbit' which owes some debt to sketches of spain and 'light my fire' which owes some debt to coltrane's 'my favorite things'.

plus very different from both '96 tears' and the doors but in the context of the mid-sixties and rock organ would be remiss not to mention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOAowiF3y_8

That "Hyacinth House" No. 1 is mine--side 2 of L.A. Wman is perfect, especially through headphones.

i'm sure this will raise objections but are there any other bands w/ more than say four albums where the first and the last album are so generally held to be the best albums?

I wish the Doors had covered "96 Tears" with a poetry break in the middle of the song.

Don't forget "California Sun".

Though as a kid I was really sad to discover both it and "96 Tears" were not on the Doors Greatest Hits.

Most of my high votes have already appeared. Yes The River Knows and Hyacinth House are their two most beautiful songs. Love Her Madly is one of my favourite Doors big pop moments (one their other big ones was my number one) So happy Love Street made it, as I said in the nominations thread I love how camp it is.

You're a Lost a Little Girl is another great one, I listened through their albums over the weekend and Strange Days was easily my favourite. My list included almost every song from that album.

I would have liked to vote in this. It came up at a bad time but

Morrison is ridiculous but it's interesting how nowadays people call him out for that, whereas say Robert Plant doesn't get the same flak for being more or less just as ridiculous in Zep days

I think Morrison was FAR more limited as a vocalist. Also, Plant never did spoken word or asked for you to take him seriously as a poet. I pretty much hear Zeppelin lyrics just as things that were there for him to hang his voice on. (Plenty of people hate his voice btw.)

well they're out there a'having fun in that warm california sun WELL ALRIGHT NOW

Damn I meant to vote in this. Ever since I saw that ridiculous Oliver Stone movie I've always regarded Morrison's pretensions as just another pop shtik; as Christgau says, "Shaman, poet, lizard king - believe that guff, and you'll miss a great pop band." I feel less guilty about liking them than I do about liking the Eagles. And the Doors were certainly the more interesting group. Morrison and Manzarek sure were some El Lay Men, though. I used to think Densmore was kinda weak too, but as a marching band drummer with a modicum of jazz chops he wasn't "laid back." He just didn't hit hard. I'm listening to "Waiting for the Sun" on Spotify right now and there's some good stuff I missed - it's a pretty neat little psych record, isn't it? Thanks for the poll.

waiting for the sun, it's the departure point

LOL

I think the fact that I haven't met anybody who took Morrison seriously since high school really helped to suppress the gag reflex with Morrison's bleargh "poetry". RIP to Manzarek, but he was as guilty as anyone else of building a cottage industry around Jimbo's ridiculous mystique.

I really think all the instrumentalists, including Densmore, were great and worked really well together.

If Morrison hadn't died I think he would have had a far less angst fuelled 70s than Lennon. JM certainly comes across in '69/'70 interviews as far more personable and relaxed then JL in the 70s.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4793/morrisonstage.jpg

http://youtu.be/tb0MF1UnD3o

15. Strange Days
Strange Days (1967)
307 points, thirteen votes, two no.1s

My number one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_d_VJbYAfc

14. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)
The Doors (1967)
321 points, thirteen votes, two no.1s

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/1835/collared.jpg

http://youtu.be/0bAFITGnjrg

13. Five To One
Waiting for the Sun (1968)
334 points, fourteen votes, one no.1

One thing I like most about The Doors is how relentlessly bad vibes they are. Obviously this one's meant to be unsettling, but to my ears even their more celebratory stuff goes all askew. Only the Stones compete on this front, I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRwwUZLV-IE

12. The End
The Doors (1967)
336 points, thirteen votes, two no.1s

One of those #1s for The End was mine....

Nearly everything in the upper reaches got a no.1 vote, there's a notable lack of consensus at work.

Anyway we're into the top ten next (via a tie) but I'm getting something to eat first.

I was the #1 vote for "Five To One" -- was ALWAYS my favorite growing up, and almost got self-conscious about 'oh it's a predictable favorite for rap fans after the Jay-Z sample, maybe it should be my #2' but then i had to give it up. a little shocked it missed the top 10, honestly.

I love the story about 'Five To One', where Morrison recorded the vocals and then stumbled out of the booth and said "If I had an axe, I'd kill everyone, except, er, my friends".

haha awesome

"NOONE HERE GETS OUT ALIVE, except, er, my friends"

I think there's a heavy unconscious shame factor that is sort of understandable. To even say you like the Doors these days is still pretty uncool. "Five to One" is one of those mockable songs for the haters I think

really? i've never heard of anyone say "Five To One" is anything but straight fire

I think people patronizingly cop to liking the sleazeball Jim of L.A. Woman but anything where he gets heavy (no pun intended) seems like prime mocking material. Maybe I'm just projecting after years of trying to defend the Doors!

http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2010/11/doors-2.jpg

http://youtu.be/X34JarNjoIU

10. Peace Frog
Morrison Hotel (1970)
359 points, seventeen votes

wooow i thought that would be way higher too.

Otm thats way too low

http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2010/11/morrison.jpg

http://youtu.be/58ceB8U9N3w

10. Soul Kitchen
The Doors (1967)
359 points, fifteen votes

Wait a min... iirc peace frog was my numero uno. Did my ballot not get through?

ARGH

Taxi for Mr Klata

lol I imagine Jimbo and especially Ray having a good laugh of that!

I don't have it moka, I've got three no.3s but nothing higher. I sent a thank you to everyone, if you didn't get that then it didn't reach me.

I hate the idea of this poll having an asterisk, that's ruined my life evening life

"Weird scenes inside the goldmine (with an asterisk)"

imo, you should just continue the poll as planned, and after the whole wrap up you can post how it would've looked w/ moka's ballot. it's unfortunate but don't sweat it, things happen.

"The End*"

Hahaha. Okay, stiff upper lip, just like Jim would've wanted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39IldUW7QpM

9. Love Me Two Times
Strange Days (1967)
367 points, fourteen votes, one no.1

Ismael, seriously, don't sweat it! We are all grateful you are doing this...just keep your eyes on the road buddy

so, no Spanish Caravan?

I've been trying to think of a suitably buoyant, motivational lyric to get us through - but like I say, there's nothing but bad vibes.

just push on through to the opposite side

I'm gonna whip some horses' eyes, that'll make me feel better

Don't wanna derail, but I found this in The Book of Rock Lists (1981 edition), thought it was kinda cool:

Ray Manzarek's Most Memorable Doors Concerts

1. Whisky a Go-Go, Los Angeles
When Jim first did "Father, I want to kill you, Mother I want to fuck you!" We were fired that night.

2. Fillmore West, San Francisco
The weekend of the Human Be-In, the world's first love-in ever. We were the opening act. The first number was "When the Music's Over." We'd never opened with it before, or since.

3. Singer Bowl, New York
What a show! The Doors and The Who. And what a riot! One of the best riots I've ever been in.

4. The Roundhouse, London
The Doors and The Jefferson Airplane: Psychedelic West Coast comes to England.

5. Miami
I think we all know what happened there. Or do we? Did he really do it? If he did it, how long was it?

6. Des Moines
Thirty-four people in the audience. One of the last college gigs before "Light My Fire" hit the top of the charts. We were a little early for Des Moines. The promoters told us that the week before, more than 5000 people had come to the same auditorium to see The Association.

Take a long holiday

Derailment welcome - that's great, The Doors at a love-in

(erm, xp)

nice. The Doors and The Who in '68, jesus christ.

^inspired "Sally Simpson"!

Yeah, the Who weren't happy about opening for the Doors (they weren't exactly fans), and their smashup "accidentally" damaged some of the Doors' gear.

yeah i can't picture townshend enjoying the doors

another tie

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/GoD/img/2013/05/2013-05-20-ray_manzarek_2-533x348.jpg

http://youtu.be/A0kypyGSKsE

7. Waiting for the Sun
Morrison Hotel (1970)
371 points, eighteen votes

yay for that one!

"Waiting" is one i hadn't heard in ages before this week and i was like oh i kinda remind how it goes, i guess it's ok, no wait hold up this is AWESOME

first major instance of 'the title track for an album actually ends up on a later album'?

"Waiting" is one i hadn't heard in ages before this week and i was like oh i kinda remind how it goes, i guess it's ok, no wait hold up this is AWESOME

otmfm

remind=remember obv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE32pvvaDT8

7. Roadhouse Blues
Morrison Hotel (1970)
371 points, fifteen votes

in some ways the motherseed of all buttrock, over the stones possibly even

It is immense, was my no.2. I can only imagine how much fun to open your show with it.

Can't get enough of that live version

guh i knew there'd be some stuff i'd forget to put on my ballot due to not listening to this stuff in awhile but boy 'waiting for the sun' is a big regret right now.

out in back of the roadhouse they got some bungalows

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3246/whenyourestrangemovieim.jpg

http://youtu.be/M_yWyBjDEaU

6. Light My Fire
The Doors (1967)
490 points, nineteen votes, one no.1

Well then my ballot got lost :( Peace Frog deserved better.

You love it, I love it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAv6_ZebiN0

5. Touch Me
The Soft Parade (1969)
507 points, nineteen votes, three no.1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOecSnD1qdY

very nearly my #1, such a jam

So many great moments in that clip, but I love that sax jam the best

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/695/barpt.jpg

http://youtu.be/b-wgIht3roA

4. LA Woman
LA Woman (1971)
526 points, twenty-one votes, two no.1s

Just checking this thread out now.

Too Low:
Moonlight Drive, Peace Frog, Light My Fire, LA Woman (my #1)

Too High:
Touch Me, Love Me Two Times, Alabama Song

Can guess 1 of the top 3 fer sure. The other 2 are a little tricker, depending on how many of you go for Doors ballads.

aw man too low on la woman (listening to it right now lol), thought it had a very real shot at #1

rooting for 'crystal ship' to pull it out (EH?) over 'riders on the storm'. ecstatic if 'the wasp' takes it.

And allow me to preemptively say that Maggie M'Gill wuz robbed!

ROTS, BOT and ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkGxwE-wBZc

Yes, that's it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOpQjD-rX0g

3. Break On Through
The Doors (1967)
582 points, twenty-one votes, three no.1s

She get high (in this poll)

wow

o duh

lol 'the wasp' was #16 i'm an idiot

If there's one song that's completely wack, that really ought to be no higher. A song I always skip in fact, someone should throw it in a fire. Peace Frog is just fucking dire.

had to be done

Break On Through was my #1, without having to think about it for more than a second. How many cheap plastic radios must that have melted in 01/67.

always so weird to me that 'break on through' flopped on initial release (enough so that it apparently nearly threatened the future of the band), always wondered if it got revisited by radio and became a hit after 'light my fire' was so huge (the same way 'welcome to the jungle' was a small hit on first release but became a huge megasmash when rereleased after 'sweet child o mine' was a huge hit) or if it became a hit thru fm radio a la 'roadhouse blues' and 'la woman'.

here we go

http://www.billboard.com/files/styles/promo_650/public/media/the-doors-650-430.jpg

http://youtu.be/rYE1S6r3bkg

2. Riders On The Storm
LA Woman (1971)
595 points, twenty-two votes, three no.1s

should've known all the durannies on ilx would push 'crystal ship' to #1

first track on first album at 3, last track on last album at 2

Amazing, no? There can't be another band could do that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VN8JFPSmZs

1. The Crystal Ship
The Doors (1967)
611 points, twenty-four votes, three no.1s

"Changeling" TOO LOW!

no "L'America"? more like LAMErica ilx!

my ballot

1. l.a. woman
2. the soft parade
3. the wasp (texas radio and the big beat)
4. five to one
5. crystal ship
6. twentieth century fox
7. moonlight drive
8. love her madly
9. love street
10. light my fire
11. celebration of the lizard
12. when the music's over
13. touch me
14. break on through (to the other side)
15. wild child
16. the unknown soldier
17. soul kitchen
18. riders on the storm
19. peace frog
20. the end

man 'twentieth century fox' not placing kinda bumming me out. i remember when i lived in italy there was this tiny movie theatre that would screen american movies actually in english and they'd always play 'twentieth century fox' immediately before the show started, always made me feel weirdly patriotic.

1. L'America
2. Soul Kitchen
3. Waiting For The Sun
4. The Crystal Ship
5. 20th Century Fox
6. Light My Fire
7. My Eyes Have Seen You
8. Love Street
9. Alabama Song
10. You're Lost Little Girl
11. The End
12. The Soft Parade
13. The WASP
14. Unhappy Girl
15. Take It As It Comes
16. Hyacinth House
17. Summer's Almost Gone
18. LA Woman
19. Peace Frog
20. When The Music's Over

Here's the full 69. You could throw a handkerchief over the top three - in fact it was a tie before the last ballot gave The Crystal Ship 16 points and Riders zero.

611 The Crystal Ship
595 Riders on the Storm
582 Break On Through (To the Other Side)
526 LA Woman
507 Touch Me
490 Light My Fire
371 Waiting for the Sun
371 Roadhouse Blues
367 Love Me Two Times
359 Soul Kitchen
359 Peace Frog

336 The End
334 Five to One
321 Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
307 Strange Days
292 The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
290 Moonlight Drive
289 The Soft Parade
274 People Are Strange
267 Love Her Madly

264 When the Music's Over
260 You're Lost Little Girl
258 Hello, I Love You
238 Hyacinth House
217 Love Street
194 Yes, the River Knows
149 Take It as It Comes
148 My Eyes Have Seen You
147 The Changeling
145 Twentieth Century Fox

139 Not to Touch the Earth
129 Spanish Caravan
129 L'America
125 The Unknown Soldier
113 Cars Hiss by My Window
111 End of the Night
102 Back Door Man
099 Indian Summer
098 Tell All the People
086 Maggie M'Gill

086 Blue Sunday
085 Wild Child
076 Unhappy Girl
074 The Spy
055 Wintertime Love
053 Wishful Sinful
051 My Wild Love
043 Celebration of the Lizard
041 I Can't See Your Face in My Mind
038 Crawling King Snake

036 We Could Be So Good Together
035 Summer's Almost Gone
035 Shaman's Blues
031 Land Ho!
028 Who Do You Love?
027 I Looked at You
027 Gloria
026 Runnin' Blue
025 Do It
023 Been Down So Long

020 Talking Blues
020 Horse Latitudes
019 Ship of Fools
018 Easy Ride
018 Close To You
017 Orange County Suite
014 Queen of the Highway
012 Graveyard Poem
012 The Mosquito

I couldn't believe the winner when I counted the votes - seeing them come in, I was sure Riders had taken it comfortably. I've rechecked several times and it's still correct. I think they're an excellent top three for showing just how important Ray was to the band.

Now watch moka post her ballot and ruin it all!

If I'd voted, Riders would've won because I wouldn't have given Crystal Ship any points at all while Riders would probably have been my #1. I COULD'VE MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE!

027 Gloria

A few years ago I was running a booth in the swap meet of an indoor 4-day car show, and the guy next to me was selling reconditioned jukeboxes. He had a demo model running at all times, playing through the 30 or so singles he'd stocked it with. Due to the noise of our environment, I didn't hear most of these songs, but for some reason I did manage to catch this one (single from Alive, She Cried?) through the din at least thirty times during the event.

Now, I love me some Them w/Van, and Van by himself, and Patti Smith too, but I'll be happy to never hear Jimbo & the gang's version again.

Riders On The Storm was my number one, to me it's their Gimme Shelter.

wtffff "crystal ship," never would've dreamed it'd even be top 10

literally the only value that song has to me is the gag in The Dead Milkmen's "Bitchin' Camaro" where the Doors cover band is called Crystal Shit

You and three others; otherwise ilm <3s it.

Thank you, Ismael! Here are mine:

1. The End
2. Roadhouse Blues (Live)
3. Soul Kitchen
4. Moonlight Drive
5. Love Me Two Times
6. Yes, the River Knows
7. The Crystal Ship
8. Touch Me
9. You’re Lost Little Girl
10. Celebration of the Lizard
11. Light My Fire
12. Take It As It Comes
13. Waiting for the Sun
14. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
15. Orange County Suite
16. The Unknown Soldier
17. End of the Night
18. Hyacinth House
19. Blue Sunday
20. The Spy

My totals by album:
The Doors 7
Waiting for the Sun 3
Morrison Hotel 3
L.A. Woman 3
Strange Days 2
The Soft Parade 1
American Prayer 1

Very pleasantly surprised at Crystal Ship winning

Crystal Ship and Hyacinth House have a mystery about them that has lasted the decades well

1. "Hello, I Love You" (40)
2. "Soul Kitchen" (36)
3. "L.A. Woman" (33)
4. "Riders on the Storm" (30)
5. "Love Me Two Times" (28)
6. "Love Street" (26)
7. "The Crystal Ship" (25)
8. "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" (24)

"You're Lost Little Girl" slipped my mind, and, if I'd really tried, I'm sure I could have come up with a tenth. Surprised by "The Crystal Ship" winning. I kind of hate "Touch Me"--that and the Guess Who's "Undun" go together for me.

my ballot:

Five To One
Touch Me
L.A. Woman
Riders On The Storm
My Wild Love
When The Music’s Over
Do It
Break On Through
Waiting For The Sun
The Soft Parade
Roadhouse Blues
Alabama Song
Hello, I Love You
Land Ho!
Maggie M’Gill
The Changeling
Moonlight Drive
Not To Touch The Earth
Yes, The River Knows
The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)

My totals by album (which, now that i look at it, does make me feel not very centrist here):
Waiting for the Sun 5
Morrison Hotel 5
L.A. Woman 4
The Soft Parade 3
Strange Days 2
The Doors 1

'crystal ship' winning doesn't surprise me though 'riders on the storm' struck me as the heavy fave before this started. i'm guessing 'not to touch the earth' and 'celebration of the lizard' canceled each other out.

Even as a lapsed, part-time fan, I do think "The Crystal Ship" has one of the greatest opening lines ever.

am i crazy or would 60s sunset strip scene beat 60s san francisco scene in an ilx poll pretty easily?

Would that be Love and the Seeds and who else? Probably would, but I'd be an SF guy.

Spirit, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds,...Rhino has box sets devoted to this

kaleidosope too

The L.A. Nuggets box is amazing

Okay, the Byrds and Mothers, too...the Airplane/Dead/Charlatans/Moby Grape/Beau Brummels would still be tough to beat for me. It'd be a good poll, though.

am i crazy or would 60s sunset strip scene beat 60s san francisco scene in an ilx poll pretty easily?

Byrds threads seem to outnumber Dead threads by a wide margin

interesting poll idea

Very happy to see The Crystal Ship at number one it's great song and yeah I like the Duran version too.

My list,

1. Touch Me
2. Yes The River Knows
3. Hyacinth House
4. Strange Days
5. Love Me Madly
6. The Crystal Ship
7. Love Me Two Times
8. Love Street
9. Blue Sunday
10. Unhappy Girl
11. Waiting For The Sun
12. L.A. Woman
12. I Can't See Your Face in Mine
13. The Changeling
15. You're a Lost Little Girl
16. Indian Summer
17. Riders on the Storm
18. My Eyes Have Seen You
19. Light My Fire
20. Peace Frog

Riders On The Storm
Roadhouse Blues
The Soft Parade
Break On Through
Who Do You Love?
Cars Hiss By My Window
The Crystal Ship
Touch Me
The End
Love Me Two Times

Maggie M'Gill
Spanish Caravan
When The Music's Over
Yes, The River Knows
People Are Strange
LA Woman
Strange Days
The Wasp
Wild Child
Graveyard Poem

In the Forever Changes 33 1/3 they listed a 60s LA eccentric-genius canon: Zappa, Beefheart, Neil Young, Arthur Lee, Brian Wilson. Add the Byrds & the Doors, and maybe Kaleidoscope, snd I'd vote LA over SF in the blink of an eye

Parsons might have been in the genius canon as well...

My ballot:

1. The End
2. Roadhouse Blues
3. The Changeling
4. Love Her Madly
5. Five to One
6. People Are Strange
7. L.A. Woman
8. Break On Through (To the Other Side)
9. Peace Frog
10. Light My Fire
11. Riders on the Storm
12. Hello, I Love You
13. Touch Me
14. Love Me Two Times
15. When the Music’s Over
16. Waiting for the Sun
17. The Soft Parade
18. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
19. Land Ho!
20. Crawling King Snake

Thanks for running this one, Ismael!

1. Break On Through (To the Other Side)
2. Light My Fire
3. Riders on the Storm
4. The Crystal Ship
5. The End
6. Twentieth Century Fox
7. Roadhouse Blues
8. Hello, I Love You
9. Love Street
10. The Spy
11. L.A. Woman
12. Soul Kitchen
13. Love Me Two Times
14. Waiting for the Sun
15. Peace Frog
16. L’America
17. Hyacinth House
18. Take It as It Comes
19. Touch Me
20. Love Her Madly

Looking forward to Moka's ballot to see what changes in the final order.

1. Riders on the Storm
2. The End
3. Roadhouse Blues
4. Light My Fire
5. L'America
6. L.A. Woman
7. Cars Hiss by My Window
8. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
9. Break On Through (To the Other Side)
10. The Spy
11. Five to One
12. The Unknown Soldier
13. People Are Strange
14. Soul Kitchen
15. The Crystal Ship
16. Love Street
17. Peace Frog
18. Strange Days
19. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
20. Waiting for the Sun

nos. 1 and 2 in this poll are otm, though you could reverse them and i wouldn't mind

My ballot

01 Strange Days
02 The Crystal Ship
03 Alabama Song
04 People Are Strange
05 Touch Me
06 Spanish Caravan
07 Indian Summer
08 My Eyes Have Seen You
09 Tell All the People
10 Blue Sunday
11 Light My Fire
12 Riders on the Storm
13 L.A. Woman
14 The Soft Parade
15 End of the Night
16 You're Lost Little Girl
17 When the Music's Over
18 Five to One
19 Wishful Sinful
20 Peace Frog

YES YES YES Crystal Ship is amazing.

Doors get so much shit, it's one of those things that make me IA. But then I clicked on that "Touch Me" video link and before watching some hilarious rad 60s vegas clip I had to endure 40 sec of poetry and ambient noise, and I was like "oh yeah, I remember why they are hated". But still. So many great bands take themselves too seriously. So many music fans and critics take music too seriously. Why pick on the Doors? Is it some fallout from the almighty gospel of punk rock where pretension is hated unless you are singing about heroin or something?

Btw, there is a bit in "L.A. Woman" where Jim Morrison is rocking out and audibly almost falls on his ass but is the exact right level of intoxicated to just barely turn it into a badass rock n roll "Yeah!" instead. Every time I hear that song that part makes me LOL.

Oh hell yes it's at 6:10 in this version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JskztPPSJwY

If my ballot had made ir Riders would have gotten the first place (it was my #2) and peace frog would have entered the top 10 (well, not sure about this one... It was my number one vote, not sure how many points that gets).

Fucking stupid ipad wifi mail ruined my ballot.

My ballot, it'd be totally different if I did it now, all of 5 days later:

1. Love Me Two Times
2. Break On Through
3. Light My Fire
4. Touch Me
5. Five to One
6. The Unknown Soldier
7. L.A. Woman
8. You're Lost Little Girl
9. Wild Child
10. Riders on the Storm
11. The Crystal Ship
12. Peace Frog
13. Wishful Sinful
14. The Soft Parade
15. Waiting for the Sun
16. Yes, the River Knows
17. Moonlight Drive
18. Tell All the People
19. Love Her Madly
20. Alabama Song

If there's a drunker vocal than "Five to One" in recorded music I'd like to hear it.

Alabama Song
Waiting for the Sun
Riders on the Storm
Five To One
LA Woman
Break On Through
People Are Strange
Roadhouse Blues
Love Her Madly
Back Door Man
The End
Indian Summer
The Crystal Ship
Touch Me
Hyacinth House
The Changeling
Strange Days
My Eyes Have Seen You
Love Me Two Times
When the Music's Over

"If there's a drunker vocal than "Five to One" in recorded music I'd like to hear it."

i think there might be a few other contenders that also happen to be sung by Jim.

the noodling towards the end of Five to One really does expose Krieger as a guitar novice. that's not to say that he couldn't be extremely effective at times.

You have a strange idea of what constitutes a guitar novice

ha...that's just what i was thinking

Many thanks to Mr. Klata (one of the few of you who appreciates Maggie M'Gill) for running this poll. It will always hold a special place in the Hyacinth House of my heart. Here is my ballot.

L.A. Woman
Light My Fire
Maggie M'Gill
Peace Frog
Moonlight Drive
Break On Through (To the Other Side)
The Crystal Ship
Wintertime Love
Riders on the Storm
Roadhouse Blues
Waiting for the Sun
Soul Kitchen
Love Street
Love Her Madly
The End
The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
Twentieth Century Fox
Take It as It Comes
Five to One
Not To Touch The Earth

how the hell did I manage to miss this

I mean, my 9 song ballot would have been semi meaningless but "Alabama Song" deserved better

"show me the way to the next little girl" <-- so he could sell a compilation album to them no doubt

weird that "The Crystal Ship" won; I guess it's a consensus point in a poll without much consensus

I think it needed a perfect alignment of the planets to win - e.g. Riders On The Storm would've won if JF had voted, or if moka's email had got though; and I got another late ballot through last night that probably would also have given Riders the win (it was also unranked, so will remain a mystery). And while I haven't checked, I suspect Riders was leading for about 95% of the time voting was open. It was like nineteen Riders and one Crystal Ship, all playing pass-the-parcel.

I'm so happy The Crystal Ship won though, it's beautiful.

yeah, I voted for it! just even when I was 13 it never stood out at the their best. still, it's a cool result, yay ILM

yeah i figured 'riders' was the heavy fave and so when 'la woman' (it's strongest comp in my mind)(ie i voted it #1 lol) finished TOO LOW i thought 'riders' had a pretty clear path though 'crystal ship' had alot of stuff working for it - ubiquitous enough for everyone to know it/remember it but not so ubiquitous (like 'riders' thx to classic rock radio) for ppl to be a little tired of it and maybe underrate it or strategically vote in re: to it or whatever. i love both but i'm glad 'crystal ship' won and not just cuz i like it more than 'riders' but cuz anywhere else 'riders' would win a doors track poll (or if not 'riders' than 'light my fire' (never a real contender on ilx) or 'la woman' or maybe 'people are strange') but on ilx the winner is 'crystal ship'.

Has David Bowie ever commented on the Doors?

i can't think of any direct comments but between also doing 'alabama song' and 'jean genie' which ok is just 'i'm a man' but sounds very much like 'i'm a man' via 'roadhouse blues' to me (enough that i always sing some 'roadhouse blues' if i ever do 'jean genie' at karaoke) i can't imagine he's not a fan on some level or at least was at some point.

I've got Wild Is The Wind right next to Crystal Ship on a well-played old playlist.

I was one of the #1's for Crystal Ship. It has always struck me as the Doors' one perfect song: ethereal and anthemic, docile to the point of saccharine AM fodder, but with the powerful undertow of the first (perfect) line, Morrison's visions manifesting themselves in the tawdry hedonism of "a thousand girls, a thousand thrills" while Manzarek's super-cheesy piano solo definitively establishes Jim as the lounge singer on the cruise ship towards oblivion, perhaps his most enduring persona, certainly moreso than the Lizard King or Mojo Risin or even Oedipus Rex

I still have lots of love for the Doors, and I always kind of wince whenever I see someone take an easy pot shot at them, always silently applaud whenever anybody sticks up for them. As a band they were certainly more fascinating than great, and every album after the first two are imo a hot mess, but they were huge for me for quite a while when I was younger. They absolutely helped to invent psychedelia, for better or for worse, and for all of their gauche elements, there really is a startling originality there that has not really faded that much after almost fifty years...

The Crystal Ship
Light My Fire
Peace Frog
Soul Kitchen
Touch Me
Waiting for the Sun
The End
The Soft Parade
Hyacinth House
Yes, the River Knows
You're Lost Little Girl
Horse Latitiudes
Riders on the Storm
Break on Through
Strange Days
Indian Summer
Alabama Song
My Wild Love
L'America
Wintertime Love

(also: lol @ me being the only one to vote for "Horse Latitudes" which really isn't that bad as a poem. One of the main reasons I connected so much with Jim was because around the same time I was also obsessed with Faulkner, and both of them were influenced by many of the same poets in their early-20s, ie the French Symbolists. I wd say that a phrase like 'mute nostril agony' probably would not at all be out of place in "Carcassone" or even Flags in the Dust)

"Not to touch the earth" is their actual #1 shit though, it's ok if you guys were on crack when you voted
http://collections.museumca.org/?q=system/files/imagecache/collection_image2/z0004249.jpg

lol

happy to see someone else voted for "My Wild Love," that's such a cool-sounding track

"Not to touch the earth" is their actual #1 shit though, it's ok if you guys were on crack when you voted

I am proud to have carried the banner for Celebration of the Lizard...was I the only one to vote for it?

Has the passing of Manzarek and his constant shilling made it safe to like the Doors again?

If there is one thing I have discovered by watching Doors videos since Ray died, Robby Krieger and his wardrobe are much more embarrassing than Ray ever was. The baggy (pleated?) leather pants at the RnR Hall of Fame induction are particularly indefensible.

Is that the one with Eddie Vedder singing and Krieger duckwalking? It is heartbreaking.

Two votes for Lizard - iirc balls is your soulmate.

Yeah, looking at Google Images, it appears that Krieger just gave up at some point and started wearing novelty pants always.

Is that the one with Eddie Vedder singing and Krieger duckwalking? It is heartbreaking.

And Ray playing a blue-light special Casio. :(

Best thing they ever did? lol at Eddie not knowing what to do with himself during the solos.

yeah I voted for celebration of the lizard also

Everybody loves my baby.

biggest lizard named after Doors frontman

SHE GET HIGH BWYEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

i was going to vote in the poll and then I got distracted and now that I've visited with the rollout I feel bad

I'm listening to the Doors now as penance

sorry ismael hope we r still cool

wuhladeegodibbledownabout an hour ago!

actually I have a legit question -- how do ilxors rate their albums? I'll admit to really only ever listening to The Very Best Of, a lot a lot alot

xpost loool

Of course we're cool, silly! I'm actually just as grateful to everyone who didn't vote - I feel like we achieved perfection here, a single ballot more and somehow it would've turned into a boring Light My Fire landslide.

ohhh so it was perfect without me?

hmph

:)

actually I have a legit question -- how do ilxors rate their albums? I'll admit to really only ever listening to The Very Best Of, a lot a lot alot

I think the first 3 are all great, but Strange Days is a total classic imo.

and probably has more killer songs that aren't on the greatest hits collections than any of the other albums

TELEVISION SKIES! TELEVISION SKIES! TELEVISION SKIES!

i still really hate one of the organ breaks in Break On Through

the one where it goes DOOT DOOT DOOTDOOT DOOTDOOT DA DOOTDOOT ... DA DOOTDOOT DOOOTDOOT

the short sharp bursts annoy me, it reminds me of car horns playing la cucaracha but not in the good awesome way

it's trying to break on through maaaan

stop playing like a toddler maaaaan

actually I have a legit question -- how do ilxors rate their albums? I'll admit to really only ever listening to The Very Best Of, a lot a lot alot

I like all of them! Seriously, that's like six albums in a row with only a few dud tracks here and there, pretty consistent if you ask me, having said that I don't think any of their albums are genuinely great.

Strange Days, definitely. Less organ and more piano, less blues and more psychedelia.

Less blues is always a good sign with the Doors.

otm

BADEEPACHONKA EEESONGHONG YEEAAAAHH RRRIIIIGGGHT

brb, going over to the "Posts you had second thoughts about" thread to enter the "Cambodian grocer" joke I was about to make in re: BADEEPACHONKA EEESONGHONG

lol that's terrible

Less blues is always a good sign with the Doors.

Hmmmm, not always

HYYYEAAAHHHURRRRIGGGHT

welliwokeupdeezmaownin'

wellthecuawshissssbahmahwindowowowww

it's the funnest way to sing, cards on the table here

i love it

yeah i've done doors karaoke where i didn't sing a single word except the occasional 'well ALRIGHT NOW' as punctuation, ppl "loved" it

Ugh. “Crystal Ship”? Really? “BEEE FORE YOU… listen to the first-class pop tune 20th Century Fox I’d like to bore you for two minutes and thirty seconds.” Lovely piano solo though.