The Doors: L.A. Woman (1971)

The Doors released the album that became Jim Morrison's swan song, "L.A. Woman", on April 19 1971. The album was recorded at The Doors' Workshop in Los Angeles, with Bruce Botnick and the band as producers. Botnick had previously worked with Love on several albums and had been the sound engineer for The Doors since the beginning.

By Martin Johannessen

So it was a break with producer Paul A. Rothchild, who didn't like the new songs and refused to produce what he called "cocktail music." Or blues rock, as we can also call it.

Guitarist Robby Krieger says: "We were bummed. Because he had done all the other ones and...it was sort of like he didn't like the music. 'It sounds like cocktail music,' he said about 'Riders on the Storm.' We were going, 'Oh shit, what do we do now?' We'd never been in this position before."

The producer himself said he was tired of the band: "I quit because I’d grown tired of dragging the Doors from one album to another, especially an unwilling Jim, and he had virtually dried up. Two out of three times, Jim would either not want to work, or would go into the studio drunk.”

Robby Krieger felt that it took too long with Paul A. Rothchild, that he had a tendency to overproduce, and that Jim Morrison started to get bored and went out to get drunk instead:

"As great a producer as Paul was, he tended to overproduce, a little bit like Hitler in the studio. Jim might've needed that, but on the other hand, if it had been a little more fun in the studio it might've gotten a little better. With Paul everything just took so long and was so drawn out that it would make Jim bored and want to go and drink. By the time it was his turn to sing, he was all messed up."

Back to the rehearsal room
It was Bruce Botnick who suggested they record the album in the band's rehearsal room, where there was a more relaxed atmosphere than in a studio. And the album was mostly recorded live, with some overdubs to get the songs just right. They only used six scattered days for recording and about a week for mixing. Spontaneous and nice.

They also enlisted Jerry Scheff on bass, who played in the band of none other than Elvis Presley, and guitarist Marc Benno on some of the tracks. Benno otherwise worked with Leon Russell.

Getting the bassist of the King on board was significant. Morrison was a big fan, and drummer John Densmore was impressed:

"He allowed me to communicate rhythmically with Morrison, and he slowed Ray down, when his right hand on the keyboards got too darn fast."

Back to the Roots

"L.A. Woman" is a very good album. The band had returned to their roots, back to the blues. And songs like "Been Down So Long" and "Riders on the Storm" are perfect songs in my opinion.

"Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm" were released as singles. The first was a catchy pop song, the second an epic conclusion to a legendary career.

The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” was one of the first tracks recorded for the band’s epic final studio album. More than 50 years after its original release as a single in 1971, it is The Doors most-streamed song.

Jim the Poet

The lyrics are also very good, honest, and raw: "Well, I've been down so Goddamn long / That it looks like up to me". True poetry in my opinion.

The relaxed atmosphere around the recording was good for the band. They took a short time, were inspired, and the songs came naturally.

"The songs were all together. 'L.A. Woman' just fucking exploded in the recording studio," said Ray Manzarek.

"L.A. Woman" was an album close to Jim Morrison's heart, Botnick explains: "The Doors were making the record Jim wanted, rather than what was expected. His notion of the Doors was as a blues band, and not a pop group."

The title track is also fantastic. A bold song with cool lyrical twists, such as Jim Morrison singing Mr. Mojo Risin’, which is an anagram for “Jim Morrison”. It's also one of the songs where Marc Benno plays guitar.

The album is still Ray Mazarek's favorite: "It’s alive, it’s free, it’s young and it’s wild."

Which of the six studio albums is my favorite varies, but today it's "L.A. Woman".

Gone, but not forgotten!
It would be the last album Jim Morrison was a part of. He died in Paris just a few months after the album was released. Gone, but not forgotten!

More about the album:

The Story of ‘The Doors L.A. Woman’
Doors’ ‘L.A. Woman’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know
The Stories Behind the Songs of the Doors’ Last Hurrah, ‘L.A. Woman’