Retro Vinyl Cupboard: "Other Voices" and "Full Circle" - The Doors

While I'm glad that these two albums have been released as a 2 for 1 CD, I'm not really recommending them for anyone but die-hard Doors fans. I've had both of these on vinyl for years. I find Other Voices almost completely unlistenable and think that Full Circle has three very good songs on it.

The main problem here is the vocals, handled by Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. What were they thinking? Neither of them can sing, especially Manzarek, who actually has a good voice, but tries too hard to sound like a Soul man and a boogie-woogie rock-n-roll man. His vocals are embarassing, and this is even more sad given how well he could sing the Jim Morrison Doors' songs. Guitarist Robby Krieger isn't much better, though I certainly can tolerate his thin, nasally voice much more than Manzarek's deep baritone voice. At least I don't feel like turning the music off when Krieger sings. Still, Manzarek and Kreiger should not have thought that they could replace Morrison as singer. It was silly!! It would have been like Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler taking over lead vocal duties after Ozzy left Black Sabbath.

I have tried to listen to Other Voices, but have been so unimpressed as what little I heard, that I didn't bother to go back and give it another listen. It would have been too painful.

Full Circle, however, has about three very good songs on it. The Mosquito starts off kind of humorous (intentionally humorous, I may add) with Krieger singing in Spaniash (or Mexican, I can't tell the difference) about a very annoying mosquito that is making it tough for him to enjoy his burrito. Most of the song is filled with some very exciting jamming between Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore. Densmore in particular sounds more awake and excited on this track than on any other tune on both albums. Densmore helped write the next track, The Piano Bird, which is a very laid back, jazzy tune and one of my favorite songs here. Not very Doors-like, but good nonetheless. I can even tolerate Ray's singing on it! It Slipped My Mind is another very good song...it's catchy, has a good, bluesy guitar riff to it and musically would not have sounded out of place on L.A. Woman. Other than these three songs and some exciting musical passages here and there on the first half of Full Circle, the rest of this is pretty lousy. I don't think that Jim Morrison was the Doors or vice-versa, but The Doors were certainly MUCH MUCH better with him and more focused musically. And Morrison wasn't just a singer (and a poet), he was also a presence, something that Manzarek and Krieger definitely are not. And some of the song titles...Jim Morrison never would have let The Doors title one of their songs ' I'm Horny, I'm Stoned '!

THE DOORS - Other Voices (1971)

Bitrate: 256K

RAR File Size: 73.56 MB

Original RIP Source: Vinyl
Tracklist:

1. In The Eye Of The Sun

2. Variety Is The Spice Of Life

3. Ships w/ Sails

4. Tightrope Ride

5. Down On The Farm

6. I'm Horny, I'm Stoned

7. Wandering Musician

8. Hang On To Your Life