The Door’s self titled first album came out at a strange time in America, sandwiched between established [and Establishment] AM Radio, who played the three minute or so radio version of the song, and the fledgling [and Anti Establishment] FM Radio, which usually came on at night, from 8 PM until 12 or 2 AM, playing the album length version of the song “Light My Fire.”

This record was a breath of really fresh air, if not hazy blue smoke, in a variety of ways ... the first being that it was an American band, and they were challenging the British Invasion, more aptly, The Beatles, with darker more prophetic lyrics that reflected the underside of the Flower Power movement, and in many respects, is probably responsible for its demise.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the movie, but to have been there when this record hit the streets was an event like no other. If you were lucky enough to have gotten the album instead of the 45 rpm, then you were in for a real treat, because once you got past the hit, the music was like opening a long lost and forbidden book of truth, passion, horror, and total abandonment ... all set to a new blues / rock beat, with psychedelic overtones.

Sometimes the album's going to seem disjointed, perhaps fragmented, and travel off in way too many directions, just listen to "I Looked At You," and tell me you don't hear hints of the chart-topping Dave Clark 5, but Jim and the boys were walking on uncharted water here ... with their next album Strange Days, finding more unification, though like this release, later outings all had their own special issues. I realize this sounds like I’m speaking of a weakness, but that’s hardly the truth. It’s just that The Doors had so much to say, both lyrically and musically, that it was nearly impossible to scoop all that was flowing out of them and create a concise release ... and for me, I like it just the way it was, they just kept opening door after door after door, and I wandered down every hallway totally bathed in the harmonies and luster that have made this band one of the most magical groups of all time.