Check in to the ‘Morrison Hotel’ 40 years later
For all the chaos that continued gathering around the band, as the dust from Miami refused to settle; for all the disquieting misbehavior that was becoming more and more a part of the Jim Morrison persona; and for all the audience expectation that now seemed to hinge around the possibility of Morrison getting his penis out once again, the shows catch The Doors firing on every cylinder, a blazing rock ’n’ roll band at the height of its creative and improvisational powers.
Plus, says Manzarek, New York was the Doors’ favorite place to play. “The New York audience was always interesting. London was great, and Los Angeles was good. But New York was the best, and you can feel that in the live show.”
“Morrison Hotel” was still several weeks away from release at the time of the Felt Forum shows, but much of the album was already firmly nestled in the live set, including the song that remains the new record’s definitive track, the opening “Roadhouse Blues.”
“What a telltale lick,” says Manzarek. “What a signature lick. That’s all you have to hear, and you know what that song’s meant to be. And that great last stanza by Morrison… ‘I got up this morning and got myself a beer.’ Is that rock ’n’ roll or what?”
Retrieved on 15 December 2018 from https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/check-in-to-the-morrison-hotel-40-years-later/2
