For a major act of their era, The Doors didn't exactly reel off a string of big hits. They would only have four Top 10 hits in Canada during Jim Morrison's lifetime (with a fifth, "Riders on the Storm", posthumously reaching number seven). Basically, the songs the average person would most likely know were the ones that put them over the top. "Light My Fire"? Check. "People Are Strange"? Check? "Hello, I Love You"? Check.
There was, however, a fourth and it just so happens to be the subject of this review. While "Touch Me" did very well in its day, it didn't seem to withstand the test of time the way its fellow Doors' hits did. While it has reliably popped up on their many compilation albums over the years, radio stations devoted to sixties' music have largely ignored it. Even less sizable hits like "The Unknown Soldier" and "Riders on the Storm" seem better remembered nowadays.
Far be it from being a mere afterthought, though, "Touch Me" is arguably their finest single. The band delivers a powerhouse performance that seems to bridge the more progressive elements of then current album The Soft Parade with the gritty Morrison Hotel, which would be released the following year. Not chiefly written by Jim Morrison, it is mercifully devoid of the Lizard King's faux-shamanist musings; instead, guitarist Robby Krieger wrote a song that brought out the best in the group's charismatic frontman with some wonderfully lovelorn lyrics that are also just a little bit lecherous. For his part, Morrison delivers an exceptional performance with a bandmate's material — which offers proof that Doors' songs tended to be better as either group collaborations or when someone other than their singer wrote them.
As an aside in his review of "Hello, I Love You", Tom Breihan observes that "Touch Me" "sounds a lot like Tom Jones". Now, he didn't point out that this was a bad thing but it kind of feels like that is what he had in mind. (Breihan says he would have given it a score of 5 had it been a number one on the Hot 100 so it's not as if he was enamoured by it or anything) If you compare Jim Morrison to Tom Jones then you aren't been complimentary. To this, however, I say two things: (a) Morrison sounds a bit like Jones — not a lot like him — and the strings and horns aren't that prominent for there to be much of a musical connection and (b) yeah, so? Morrison being akin to a Las Vegas lounge singer might seem funny but there's a dark heart to many balladeers. (Though Tom Jones isn't really one of them) Whether he was tapping into this tradition is anyone's guess but in any case it is nowhere near as out of place as it might seem.
Within the medium of the 45" single, The Doors never sounded so thrilling. More to the point, they never sounded so much like The Doors. Morrison takes command with his powerful voice, Kreiger plays some frantic Bo Diddley rhythm guitar, Ray Manzarek holds the fort on organ and John Densmore makes his case as his era's most overlooked drummer. Curtis Amy's tenor sax near the end almost doesn't need to even be there yet he fits in seamlessly, perhaps the closest thing to a fifth Door. Convinced that there can't possibly be bass in there - they never had a bassist of their own, you know - it's startling to discover that jazz great Harvey Brooks was a part of the rhythm section. If a more fleshed out Doors sounds unappealing to purists, then give this a listen and you might just be forced to acknowledge just how well the guests blend in.
"Touch Me" brings the story of The Doors to an end on this blog. Never quite a singles band, they truly thrived with album, putting out a series of successful and mostly acclaimed LPs until Morrison's death in 1971. (Officially, he died of heart failure but I think it's safe to say living Jim Morrison's life was what led to his early expiration) Their legend continued but now their reputation is much more mixed. Morrison being a pig and a fake visionary makes it easy to take the side of Doors detractors but their music cannot be denied. While their output is rather inconsistent, there weren't many groups who could touch The Doors when they were at their best. To wit.
No comments:
Post a Comment