L. A. Woman - THE DOORS*****

The Changeling/Love Her Madly/Been Down So Long/Cars Hiss By My Window/LA Woman/L'America/Hyacinth House/Crawling King Snake/ The WASP (Texas Radio & The Big Beat)/Riders On The Storm

L. A. Woman was the final album from The Doors with vocalist Jim Morrison at the helm before his untimely death. The group would continue to record but with much less commercial appeal. Includes the US top twenty hits Love Her Madly and Riders On The Storm.

“Musically speaking, the previous album's evocation of their blues-rock roots has progressed to a full fusion of blues and rock, with two longer tracks (L.A. Woman and Riders On The Storm) being standout moments. The playing is decent enough, but the vital spark which really pushes this album to greater heights comes from Morrison himself, who grunts, yells and roars his way through the material.”

“This was The Doors most pivotal album in that the songs flexed and ebbed through a variety of sonic channels, mixed unprecedented ingredients, gathered relentless bits of music from across the radio dial ... then dealt them out like worn playing cards, who’s tattered and marked edges merely hinted at what was coming next.”

“Very similar to Morrison Hotel in that the best songs are some of the finest The Doors ever recorded, and contains some of their most adventurous tracks.”

“L.A. Woman was the final album by The Doors before the death of Jim Morrison. What is so striking about it is how the two best tracks, the title one and Riders Of The Storm, are so different from the rest. Most of these are really blues oriented, with Love Her Madly clearly being the best of the bunch.”

“This masterpiece of psychedelic and blues rock has everything your heart desires. There are the hits Love Her Madly and Riders On The Storm, the rousing blues interpretations Cars Hiss By My Window and Crawling King Snake and west coast anthems like the famous title track L.A. Woman. You can't go wrong with this LP.”

“With L.A. Woman, the group go back to their roots as they nearly abandon the psychedelic influences in favour of a more blues-rock sound. If it weren't for Manzarek's keyboards and Morrison's distinctive voice, this would not sound like a Doors album. It lacks their unique style that made the band special in the first place.”

“One last swansong before Jim Morrison departed the world. By far the closest they ever came to being a blues act, but still with a large dose of psychedelic moments.”