Morrison Hotel

Morrison Hotel
Studio album by The Doors
Released	February 1970
Recorded	November 1969 "Indian Summer": August 1966 "Waiting for the Sun" begun in March 1968
Genre	Rock
Length	37:05
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (B+) link Rolling Stone (mixed) link Slant Magazine link
The Doors chronology
The Soft Parade (1969) Morrison Hotel (1970) Absolutely Live (1970)

Morrison Hotel (sometimes referred to as Hard Rock Cafe from the title of the first side of the LP, whose second side is titled Morrison Hotel) is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots. On this album, there is a slight steer toward blues, which would be fully explored by the band on their next album, L.A. Woman. The strategy worked; even though no major hit singles were drawn from the album, Morrison Hotel reestablished The Doors as favorites of the critics, peaking at #4 on the US album chart, and when they followed with L.A. Woman the next year, they were rewarded with two more US Top 20 hits. The album also became the band's highest charting studio album in the UK, where it peaked at #12.

Additional musicians include harmonica whiz G. Puglese (aka John Sebastian) and blues master Lonnie Mack on bass.

The cover photo was taken at the actual Morrison Hotel located at 1246 South Hope Street in Los Angeles. The band asked the owners if they could photograph the hotel and they declined, so the band went inside when nobody was looking and took the photograph.

Track listing

Side one: "Hard Rock Cafe"

1. "Roadhouse Blues" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:03
2. "Waiting for the Sun" (Morrison) – 3:58
   • Begun during The Doors' sessions for Waiting for the Sun in 1968
3. "You Make Me Real" (Morrison) – 2:53
4. "Peace Frog" (Morrison, Robby Krieger) – 2:51
5. "Blue Sunday" (Morrison) – 2:13
6. "Ship of Fools" (Morrison, Krieger) – 3:08

Side two: "Morrison Hotel"

1. "Land Ho!" (Morrison, Krieger) – 4:10
2. "The Spy" (Morrison) – 4:17
3. "Queen of the Highway" (Morrison, Krieger) – 2:47
4. "Indian Summer" (Morrison, Krieger) – 2:36
   • Outtake from The Doors' debut album sessions (Backing track recorded in August 1966)
5. "Maggie M'Gill" (Morrison, The Doors) – 4:23

Notable is the inclusion of the track Indian Summer, the first track ever recorded by The Doors^[1]. Morrison's vocal track was re-recorded for this release.

40th Anniversary CD bonus tracks

12. "Talking Blues" - 0:59
13. "Roadhouse Blues" (Takes 1–3, recorded November 4, 1969) - 8:47
14. "Roadhouse Blues" (Take 6, recorded November 4, 1969) - 9:26
15. "Carol" - 0:56
16. "Roadhouse Blues" (Take 1, recorded November 5, 1969) - 4:32
17. "Money Beats Soul" - 1:04
18. "Roadhouse Blues" (Takes 13–15, recorded November 5, 1969) - 6:21
19. "Peace Frog" (False Starts & Dialogue) - 2:00
20. "The Spy" (Version 2) - 3:48
21. "Queen of the Highway" (Jazz Version) - 3:36

It must be noted that the 40th anniversary reissues were completely remixed along with being remastered. This practice extended to incorporating vocal and instrumental components which were not part of the original album. As Ray Manzarek said, "There are background vocals by Jim Morrison, piano parts of mine that weren't used, and guitar stingers and solos by Robby Krieger that never made the original recordings, that can now be heard for the first time."

Reception

Morrison Hotel was, upon its release, seen by many as a comeback for the Doors following the mild critical failure of The Soft Parade and the Miami incident of 1969. Dave Marsh, the editor of Creem magazine, said of the album that it was: "the most horrifying rock and roll I have ever heard. When they're good, they're simply unbeatable. I know this is the best record I've listened to ... so far"^[2], while Rock Magazine called it "without any doubt their ballsiest (and best) album to date"^[3]. Circus Magazine praised it as "possibly the best album yet from the Doors" and "Good hard, evil rock, and one of the best albums released this decade"^[4].

Personnel

• Jim Morrison – lead vocals
• Robby Krieger – lead guitar, rhythm guitar
• Ray Manzarek – organ, piano, keyboard bass, backing vocals (Waiting For The Sun and Peace Frog)
• John Densmore – drums
• Lonnie Mack – bass guitar on "Roadhouse Blues" and "Maggie M'Gill"
• G. Puglese (aka John Sebastian) – harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues"
• Ray Neapolitan – bass guitar on "Peace Frog" and "Ship of Fools"
• Henry Diltz- Photographer

Miscellanea

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2008)

• The casual dining restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe was reportedly named after the first side of the album.
• Floater from Portland, Oregon performs the song "Waiting for the Sun" on their 2001 album Burning Sosobra.
• Part of "Waiting for the Sun" was used in the soundtrack for Gran Turismo.
• "Peace Frog" was sampled by early 1990s rap group 3rd Bass on their song "The Cactus".
• In the 2007 thriller film, Disturbia, a poster of the album cover can be seen at the wall of Kale's room.
• The Morrison Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where the album's cover photo was snapped, closed its doors in 2007. Prior to that, the hotel had been low-income housing for residents of the central city.

External links

• Morrison Hotel Goes on the Market - Information about the Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe photo shoot

References