the doors – morrison hotel (1970)

The Morrison Hotel was a real spot that organist Ray Manzarek discovered in downtown LA. He said it was the kind of place where you could “start a religion or plan a murder”. The Doors glowed with unnerving mystique. Whether it was Jim Morrison’s consecrated looks, his brutal behaviour, or the psychedelic rhythms, the band enraptured and perturbed audiences. Despite some lyrical baldness, this is the perfect road trip album. It tells stories that rock, rather than roll; there’s even space for some brooding depth. The Doors never assembled their multiplicities well enough across an entire album: here, they made their most unmitigated rock record. 

26/30

A favourite: ‘Queen of the Highway’