THE DOORS – L.A. WOMAN – Elektra EKS 75011 – April 19, 1971
The Doors’ historic self-titled debut album was released in January 1967 – four years and five studio albums later their sixth album, “L.A. Woman” would go down in Rock History as the last album with Jim Morrison, and also as a fulfillment of the band’s legacy by getting back to the mystical Big Beat and Rockin’ Blues.
00 has always held The Doors in high esteem and is grateful for their timing and unique music that was perfect for the Strange Days that he and the Counter-Culture were experiencing.
Ironically enough while reveling in the times, for all of its free-form psychedelic Hippie high-jinx and trippy adventures, 1971 was at once the climax and the very beginning of the end, as it was for The Doors. Their karmic parallel of those specific times in History and in Rock History is yet another mystical aspect of The Doors. They came in at the beginning and left premature – but actually right on time.
If you listen closely you can hear Jim’s Dionysian Soul at twenty seven making the transition into the man he saw for himself. These tracks are mature, real, gritty, strong, but always shrouded in mystery. “L.A. Woman” is a perfect swan song album for the originals; The Doors.
THE DOORS – L.A. WOMAN All songs Morrison unless otherwise stated. The Changeling 4:21 Love Her Madly Krieger 3:20 Been Down So Long 4:41 Cars Hiss by My Window 4:12 L.A. Woman 7:49 L’America 4:37 Hyacinth House Manzarek, Morrison 3:11 Crawling King
Snake Anon, arr John Lee Hooker 5:00 The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) 4:16 Riders on the Storm Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger, Densmore 7:09
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THE MYSTERIES OF JIM MORRISON’S “DEATH”
For those who think they know; know they cannot – however the following facts themselves are well-known. 00individual connected the obvious, as have others, but the bottom line is that the only two people who “saw” Jim’s “dead” body are themselves dead and that leaves only one way to solve the mystery; verify who is in Jim Morrison’s grave. And that’s not going to happen. And even if it ever did, DNA from dental pulp would be all that would be left of a skeleton body and dental records can be altered.
So, the mystery will never be solved, but there is one fact that will always remain. Something strange and “not right” happened that night.
Apparently, Jim was sick of the Rock Star life, declared that he would never perform live on stage again and wanted to start over anonymously so he could just write his poetry; his common-law wife Pamela Courson wholeheartedly agreed so they moved to Paris.
On July 3, 1971, less than three months after the release of “L.A. Woman” Jim Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment by Pamela.
The Doors road manager Bill Siddons was met at the Paris apartment with an already-sealed coffin and a death certificate signed by a medical examiner named Dr. Max Vasille.
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The death certificate stated that the cause of death was “heart failure”. As far as can be determined no one else but Pamela and Dr.Max Vasille ever saw Jim’s “dead” body.
Biographers Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman published the rumors that Pamela, Jim and possibly several friends (or family?) faked Jim’s death. There was no police report or autopsy which was normally de rigueur in France, and the burial was conducted in secrecy. The death certificate stated no living relatives even though back in Arlington, VA his immediate family was alive and well. There are apparent facts that the gravesite was hand-selected by Morrison and that he visited it three days before his “death”. And when Doors drummer John Densmore was finally able to visit the gravesite he supposedly blurted-out that, “the gravesite is too short!”
Not weird enough? Read on, and remember; nothing is as it seems, and truth is stranger than fiction . . .
For two years after his “death” Morrison was said to be seen by many in Paris.
In 1973 a man that resembled Jim Morrison with short hair and wearing a business suit named James Douglas Morrison, who claimed to be the Rock Star, began making transactions at a Bank of America in San Francisco, supposedly his photo ID is still on file at the bank.
The only people who knew what really happened were Pamela Courson – she died from a Heroin overdose in 1974 and Dr. Max Vasille – who avoided the issue and has since passed.
And none of the above includes any of the detailed in-depth Occult theories regarding his “death”.
He was a mysterious man indeed – who “died” mysteriously.
. . . but we’re not done yet, what if something much more plausible took place?
Jim was healthy prior to Paris, and he not only didn’t do Heroin, but was against most all drugs as alcohol was his weapon of choice. Yet he dies of heart failure from natural causes or Heroin overdose?
Jim’s father, Rear Admiral George Stephen Morrison was a U.S. Navy intelligence/counter intelligence chief and caused a lot of animosity with the Israeli’s over the USS Liberty flap. Was retribution to what the Israelis saw as a U.S. staged incident to call for an economic and military attack on Israel countered by threatening, then assassinating Admiral Morrison’s son?
Had Jim quit Rock ‘n’ Roll and cut a deal with his father to follow in his father’s “business” if he would provide him an out with his “death”?
According to writer Thomas Lyttle, there are hundreds of files both classified and declassified concerning James Douglas Morrison’s involvement with various American Intelligences and Interpol.
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There are a lot of facts that tend to back up this theory regarding Jim’s death, most obvious; by the typical government cover-up techniques used regarding his death, and how everything was handled. With the news blackouts, his initially unmarked grave, and obvious key procedural inconsistencies that point to the fact that requests to French authorities by an influential U.S. Admiral would certainly be honored. In the end, the Admiral could say nothing, the Doctor would say nothing, until her death by overdose/suicide/murder, Pamela, possibly threatened with her and her families’ lives said nothing, and the Lizard King was dead. Or was he? . . .
Something even more plausible? 00individual got to thinking and took the plausible one more step, and maybe others have thought about this theory, but what if the Admiral took the Israeli threat seriously and master-minded his son’s “death” to literally preempt any deadly Israeli action? And in so doing saved his son’s life and gave him the new life he wanted, as part of his father’s “intelligence business”.
Trippy Jim Morrison anagram Mr Mojo Risin’
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00individual was fortunate to have seen their historic concert live at the Hollywood Bowl July 5, 1968.
Jim Morrrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, gifted all Rockers with a vibe they could relate to, as the turmoil of the Vietnam War, the Draft and the general injustice made them all feel like riders on the storm of life.
The last track on L.A. Woman side two, Riders On The Storm, was a transcendent stone groove instant classic and a “Farewell” from The Doors that sadly served as a preview of things not to come.
BEST OF LEON – LEON RUSSELL – ShelterSRL 52004 – 1976
Leon was an American musician, producer, and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling pop music records during his 60-year career. His genres included pop, country, rock, folk, gospel, bluegrass, R ‘n’ B, folk rock, blues rock, surf, standards, and Tulsa Sound.
As a session musician he collaborated with many notable artists as varied as Jan and Dean, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Doris Day, Elton John, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, The Byrds, Barbra Streisand, The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, The Band, Phil Spector, Glen Campbell, Badfinger, the Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Dave Mason, Joe Cocker, Freddie Cannon, The Flying Burrito Bros., and The Rolling Stones.
Leon recorded at least 31 albums and 430 songs. He wrote “Delta Lady”, a hit by Joe Cocker, and organized and performed with Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour in 1970. His “A Song for You”, has been recorded by more than 200 artists, and his song “This Masquerade” by more than 75. He performed piano, vocals, bass, backing and lead vocals at/on the worldwide smash live “Concert for Bangladesh” album, especially his “Jumpin’ Jack Flash / Youngblood”.
Roll Away The Stone 3:06 Delta Lady 4:00 Tight Rope 2:59 Out In The Woods 3:35 Shoot Out On The Plantation 3:10 Stranger In A Strange Land 3:58 Hummingbird 3:57 A Song For You 4:08 Lady Blue 3:28 This Masquerade 4:22 Bluebird 3:55 Back To The Island 5:20
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The ROLLING STONES – STICKY FINGERS – RSCOC 59100- April 23, 1971
A perfect example of how the Rolling Stones and Rock ‘n’ Roll continue to be timeless entities of joy and cultural influence is represented by this classic Stones album “Sticky Fingers”. Released over five decades ago – a lifetime for some – it still sounds as gritty, pure, beautiful and rousingly
refreshing as the era in which it impacted!
When 00individual hears any of the songs from this album they serve as time-travel catalysts of those free-form days of 1971 when life was taking off in many exciting ways. It also represents the igniting of the first half of the decade that would forever stand as the pinnacle of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Imagine hearing this album for the first time in 1971; Rockers were still reeling from the Stones’ previous masterpiece “Let It Bleed”. Life wasin a flux between serious issues and exciting episodes of ecstasy, and “Sticky Fingers” fell right in place to inspire and rock lives.
1965 to 1975 was, and is, undeniably the Historic Era of Rock with thee finest album releases of all time. And the Stones set the Rock ‘n’ Roll standard with the solid quartet of “Beggars’ Banquet” 1968, “Let It Bleed” 1969, “Sticky Fingers” 1971, and “Exile On Main Street” 1972 – they were untouchable and undisputed as the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band!
It’s common knowledge that Mick Taylor’s influence was inspiring and served the Stones very well, so it’s too bad that he wasn’t appreciated or accepted by some Stones as he should have been. Instead of jealousy or whatever issues they had with him, they should have embraced him like they did with Wood – although Ronnie did, and does, fit like he was an original member of the band from the start. But if the truth be known, and it has been, Taylor’s contributions during those highly creative and extremely impressive years of albums and tours was epic. So the fans and The Stones can all be very fortunate indeed for him to be in the right place at the right time.
Side One:: 1 Brown Sugar (3:49) 2 Sway (3:50) 3. Wild Horses (5:44) 4 Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (7:16) 5 You Gotta Move (2:33) Side Two: 1 Bitch (3:37) 2 I Got The Blues (3:54) 3 Sister Morphine (5:34) 4 Dead Flowers (4:05) 5 Moonlight Mile (5:57)
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FUNKADELIC – MAGGOT BRAIN – Westbound WB 2007 – July 1971
Classic album cover art imprint: the ecstasy of Rock and the unrestricted expression of the Id.
While 00 was hip to Parliament, the group that would spawn Funkadelic, and really dug the “Up For The Downstroke” album – played it a lot – Testify, All Your Goodies Are Gone and The Goose – all signs of Funkadelic on the rise! However, it was Eddie Hazel and George Clinton’s guiding force that turned this track into an Epic Masterpiece. Eddie Hazel’s place in Rock History as a guitarist was solidified, stamped, and etched-in-stone forever by the soul, emotion, grandeur, grunge, virtuosity, and pure Hard Rock that he achieved with this heavy solo masterpiece – it is beyond belief!
It was hard to get past Maggot Brain to continue listening to the rest of the album. It was hard to listen to anything after hearing this incredible ten minute epic excursion into raw Soulful Psychedelic Rock emotion. And it almost feels sacrilegious to comment on it, so he won’t.
BEST OF THE DOOBIES – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS – WB BS 2978 – Oct. 29, 1976
Certified diamond by the RIAA for album sales of ten million copies and with a winning combo of a mainstream rock sound with elements of folk, country and R&B, the Doobies rode a string of big hits across numerous genres.
China Grove 3:14 Long Train Runnin’ 3:23 Takin’ It to the Streets 3:36 Listen to the Music 3:49 Black Water 4:14 Rockin’ Down the Highway 3:19 Jesus Is Just Alright 4:30 It Keeps You Runin’ 4:20 South City Midnight Lady 5:27 Take Me in Your Arms 3:39 Without You 4:58
Tom Johnston – guitars, vocals Michael McDonald – vocals, keyboards Patrick Simmons – guitars, vocals ,Jeff “Skunk” Baxter – guitars, pedal steel guitar Tiran Porter – bass, vocals Michael Hossack – drums John Hartman – drums Keith Knudsen – drums, vocals.
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