Five Songs To Remember The Doors’ Ray Manzarek
The Doors keyboardist and founding member passed away today, aged 74.
The Doors are a funny band for me, equal parts inspiring and embarrassing. You certainly can’t blame an artist for their fans, but it’s hard to not let the clamouring Jim Morrison fanatics cloud your perception and interrupt any potential interaction with their music. Taking down the “myth” of Morrison has been done a million times over, so I won’t bother touching that here, but to me he was never the focus of the band anyway.
When I was younger, The Doors made me excited to be a musician. Their vision seemed so singular; everything about their songs and their albums made sense in the world they’d created, and it really seemed like four artists trading ideas within that world. Listening to their music made me want to write and create and play with other people. Listen to the chorus of ‘Soul Kitchen‘ or the intro to ‘I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind‘ and tell me there isn’t something a little special there.
They hit me harder than Zeppelin or Sabbath or The Who, and it had nothing to do with Jim. As a young bassist learning my craft, finding a band without a bassist confused me, then intrigued me and then ultimately captivated me. Ray Manzarek became my favourite bass player who didn’t play bass. Sure, they employed a studio musician for Strange Days and some of the early demoing, but most of their recorded and live material just used Ray’s keyboard ingenuity, emulating the sound in the lower octaves. I legitimately laboured over my instrument for what seemed like years, attempting the same fills and arpeggios and lines that this guy managed so easily. It was baffling and greatly inspiring.
This morning’s news that he had passed away hurt more than I thought it would. All recent footage I’d seen of the man indicated that he was in surprisingly good health, with a lot of energy. I even enjoyed seeing him interact enthusiastically with Skrillex in the documentary that paired them in collaboration, RE:GENERATION, ultimately culminating with ‘Breakn’ A Sweat‘.
So, in tribute, here are five classic Ray Manzarek moments. I’ve tried to steer clear of the obvious, but please do yourself a favour and re-visit the keyboard solo in ‘Light My Fire‘. It’s still amazing.
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1. ‘Not To Touch The Earth’
This might start slow, but the moment those keys enter, that slowness makes way for confidence. The Doors were always good at rewarding the patience of their listeners, rarely showing all their cards at once. At the 0.48 mark, a signalling drum fill erupts and the band follows, snowballing their energy through the remainder of the track, while pausing for breath only once. Ray’s brief solo towards the end is great, but it’s his sustained virtuosity which keeps this track both grounded and explosive.
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2. ‘Back Door Man’
This is Ray channeling Green Onions-era Booker T. in all the best ways on a cut from The Doors’ self-titled debut. The band played with explicit blues structures to greater effect later on L.A. Woman, but the rawness here gives me chills. Listen carefully for the piano he also laid down on the track; it’s a crucial layer to the swagger of the whole song.
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3. ‘Touch Me’
Okay, this is CHEESY, but undeniably iconic. Strip away the strings and the sax solo and some of Morrison’s worst lyrics, and you’ve still got one of the most recognisable intros in rock history. Plus, I happen to love harpsichord in pop and rock music and believe it’s used better here than in most other instances (looking at you, Beach Boys).
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4. ‘Crawling King Snake’
The Doors’ take on this Delta blues standard is among the sexiest versions of an already very sexy song. Ray’s classy keyboard solo towards the end (probably my favourite of all his studio-recorded solos) elevates the proceedings slightly, but it isn’t long before Jim is slithering on his stomach again. This moment has made me laugh in the past; their yin and yang musical interaction is one of the more entertaining things about the band.
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5. ‘You’re Lost Little Girl’
Finally, one of the most beautifully simple Doors songs. It would almost be enough with just the elegant chord progression and brilliant performance from the entire band, but when Ray finally enters on keys during the first chorus it’s to buoyant effect, even more noticeable when he leaves again, letting everything float gently back to Earth. It’s an absolute testament to his artistry, and a lasting example of the difference his involvement made to one of the most iconic rock bands in history.
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Alexander Tulett presents Close To The Edge on FBi 94.5, plays bass for alt-pop band Maux Faux and DJs hip hop under the name Moranis. You can also find him on Twitter.