L.A. Woman [2 Discs]

Rating

Album: L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary Edition)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	The Changeling	More Info...
2)	Love Her Madly	More Info...
3)	Been Down So Long	More Info...
4)	Cars Hiss By My Window	More Info...
5)	L.A. Woman	More Info...
6)	L America	More Info...
7)	Hyacinth House	More Info...
8)	Crawling King Snake	More Info...
9)	The WASP	More Info...
10)	Riders On The Storm	More Info...
1)	The Changeling (Alternate Version)	More Info...
2)	Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)	More Info...
3)	Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)	More Info...
4)	L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)	More Info...
5)	The WASP	More Info...
6)	Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)	More Info...
7)	Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)	More Info...
8)	She Smells So Nice	More Info...
9)	Rock Me	More Info...

Album: L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary Edition)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	The Changeling	More Info...
2)	Love Her Madly	More Info...
3)	Been Down So Long	More Info...
4)	Cars Hiss By My Window	More Info...
5)	L.A. Woman	More Info...
6)	L America	More Info...
7)	Hyacinth House	More Info...
8)	Crawling King Snake	More Info...
9)	The WASP	More Info...
10)	Riders On The Storm	More Info...
1)	The Changeling (Alternate Version)	More Info...
2)	Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)	More Info...
3)	Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)	More Info...
4)	L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)	More Info...
5)	The WASP	More Info...
6)	Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)	More Info...
7)	Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)	More Info...
8)	She Smells So Nice	More Info...
9)	Rock Me	More Info...

Performer Notes

The Doors: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robbie Krieger (guitar); Ray Manzarek (piano, organ); John Densmore (drums).
Additional personnel: Marc Benno (guitar); Jerry Scheff (bass).
Recorded at The Doors Workshop, Los Angeles, California.
Each CD cover has been crafted by hand to recreate the original see-through cover art.
Personnel: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robby Krieger (guitar); Ray Manzarek (piano, organ); John Densmore (drums).
Audio Mixer: Bruce Botnick.
Liner Note Author: David Fricke.
Recording information: The Doors Workshop, Los Angeles.
Photographers: Frank Lisciandro; Wendell Hamick.
The final Doors album to feature vocalist Jim Morrison reaffirmed the quartet's grasp of blues-rock. Beset by personal and professional problems, they retreated to a rehearsal room, cast pressures aside, and recorded a handful of their most memorable compositions. The overall sound of the record is relatively stripped down, but the musicianship is uniformly excellent, with empathetic interplay between guitarist Robbie Krieger and keyboard player Ray Manzarek. Jim Morrison's voice, though somewhat ragged and weather-worn, adds its fiercely unmistakable resonance.
The spooky, low-key "Cars Hiss By My Window" and an edgy cover of John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake" are straight, no-nonsense blues, but the album's highlights, including the jangling radio hit "Love Her Madly" and the breezy, chugging title track, which rides on a thrumming bass line and Krieger's fluid licks, mix bluesy bluster with the Doors' swirling, poetic magic. Morrison's death within weeks of the album's completion cast a pall over its content, especially the eerie rain and the funereal electric piano of "Riders On The Storm," the album's indisputable standout, and one of the most compelling, evocative songs in the band's catalogue. Though not the Doors' finest record, L.A. WOMAN was a fitting swan song for one of the most unique and important bands of the '60s.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.64) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's a surprisingly focused set, in part a return to the Doors' blues-rock roots. Morrison's hot baritone killed, Robby Krieger's guitar is laser-guided..."

Rolling Stone (5/27/71, p.49) - "...In terms of what they're after here the Doors as a band never falter and there isn't one bummer cut on the entire album--obviously a first for them..."

Q (11/00, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The Doors going back to their biker bar band roots....with a title track that inadvertently invented Billy Idol..."

Down Beat (p.69) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Morrison stars with his raw-angered vocals. Covers of John Lee Hooker and Willie Dixon complement the hits..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.83) - "[T]hey reconnected with their bluesy roots to create their finest album since their 1967 self-titled debut..."

NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #41 in NME's list of The Greatest Albums Of The '70s.

Uncut (magazine) (p.84) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "A rootsy album cut in The Workshop, The Doors' Los Angeles rehearsal space, LA WOMAN is at times a raw and bluesy affair..."