L.A. Woman

Fantastic finale for an iconic frontman.

Hearing the more familiar, earlier Doors sound that I know from the self-titled perfectly blended into traditional 12 bar blues is as powerful as it is unexpected. It’s a blend you can’t hear anywhere else that no other band could deliver. Oh - and of course it’s got tonnes of great songs on it.

The Good: We love it, I love L.A.!
The Bad: Oh wait, that is a different song…
The Ugly: Accidentally watching the Billy Idol cover video…

What’s there to say… I love several of the songs on this album. And the closer, well, the closer has a special spot in my heart as it belonged to a mix-tape a buddy of mine made for me while I was in college…

I can vividly recall driving in the rain, listening to Riders On The Storm, while all just made perfect sense…

Yet, this album, I had never listened to… and though, again, there are several songs on here that I absolutely LOVE and can listen to on a weekly basis, there’s some filler on there that just made me want to hit the skip button… and that is never the sign of a 5* album, nor a 4* one…

So, this one’s down the middle… sad really...

While this may not have the highs of The Doors' self titled album, I think this may be more consistent. Unfortunately, even a Riders On The Storm or an L.A. Woman doesn't quite reach the level of a Break On Through or a The End But however you cut it, this is still an album that captures the doors at the approximate peak of their abilities. Interestingly enough this means that The Doors were operating at their strongest at only the start and end of the Jim Morrison era. And Morrison was pretty much falling apart at this point: breakdowns, legal troubles, substance abuse, the rock and roll classics. And I will say that I'm at least glad he was able to put a strong, dignifying bookend on his life and career. The material itself here, as I mentioned, is generally strong, and quite a but more even than The Self-Titled, in many ways. The Self-Titled's best was better and it's worst was worse. And it's general tone was lighter, but something like The End is the kind of dark that L.A. Woman doesn't even really aspire to achieve. Conversely, L.A. Woman's tone is a consistent moodiness, and it maintains a level of engaging quality throughout, even though I could probably live if one of the less important songs here was cut. Perhaps not as intriguing as The Doors' more daring, earlier works, this still features great writing, and remarkable performances from Morrison. And Riders On The Storm serves as a very strong end to Morrison's career: with it's foggy, mysterious atmosphere, it cements this album as worth a listen.

Love me some Doors. This is an excellent Doors album. Riders On The Storm is a delicious groove. I'm going to be harsh and mark it down half a star cos Morrison's vocals are a little rough. Cool album though.

It's The Doors - what's not to like? This is a tight, exciting, sexy album full of swagger, confidence and playful psychedelia. Rock Riffs, jazzy basslines, daft lyrics, all backed by organ and solid drums. One mistep: The WASP is a crap track. Otherwise really good record

One last gasp from the corniest guys to ever do it, and this time they're bluesmen! Surprisingly funky opener then it slows into a plodding 12 bar formula for a while. The fuzzy guitar leads are nice in that quintessential 60s psych way and the massive swirling organ sounds work great - they're at their best when they're a jamband. 12 good songs spread over 6 albums makes them a very frustrating band.

I don't really care for the doors on the whole. A few really amazing songs. Generational moments. Aside from that myeh.

Ujevnt

L.A. Woman by The Doors is, for me, their best album — and one I’ve always loved.

The Doors can be very hit and miss. At their best, they’re brilliant, but too often they drift into middle-of-the-road blues or songs that just don’t work. L.A. Woman, however, captures them at their strongest.

Standout tracks like Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, and Riders on the Storm are exceptional — full of atmosphere, groove, and unforgettable basslines. The lyrics are haunting yet melodic, and these songs were a huge part of my musical journey growing up.

Favourite track: L.A. Woman and Love Her Madly
Least favourite track: Crawling Kiss Snake
Album artwork: Iconic, instantly recognisable cover.

As much as I like The Doors’ first outing, I detest this one. Where their debut was raw, wild, inventive, and fun to listen to, L.A. Woman drags; it’s bloated, self-indulgent, and at times an uninspired blues-rock cliché (especially Been Down So Long, Crawling King Snake, and The WASP). L’America, which follows after L.A. Woman, is an extraordinarily annoying song („Change the weather, change your luck / And then he’ll teach ya how to… find yourself” - ahem, wow).

Of course, there is still quality songwriting: in the moody Cars Hiss By My Window, Morrison conjures up vivid images of estrangement, longing, and ennui. However, that a largely improvised, fragmentary track stands as one of the album’s strongest is telling.

In other songs, Morrison’s songwriting craft has waned significantly (he actually sounds tried), which is a pity, because he was the one who elevated The Doors from a good band to a special one. It’s also unfortunate that the group weren’t able to meet the standard set by the opener The Changeling in the following tracks. I can understand why people judge the quality of L.A. Woman based on the strength of the title track and Riders on the Storm, but this overlooks the record’s filler-heavy reality. Their producer even went so far as to call parts of the recordings “cocktail music.” He wasn’t entirely wrong…

The Doors again, eh? I know they're super famous, but it's not for me. The album cover reminds me of a poison control sticker, which is apt.

'The Changeling' made me think they're like the musical equivalent of the show "Supernatural". 15 seasons of these brunette guys who look the same and do the same stuff every time? Really? I guess so.

At least 'Love Her Madly' has an adverb in it.

I know the song 'L.A. Woman' because of Billy Idol (who cut the length in half, thank goodness), but I don't really like either version, even though I like songs about places generally. Supposedly this was ranked the best song about LA. Wrong. Here are 5 that are better: 'Ænema' by Tool, 'California' by Rufus Wainwright, 'California Love' by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre, 'Come Monday' by Jimmy Buffett, 'Drinking in L.A.' by Bran Van 3000. I do like that they sing "Mr. Mojo Risin'" because it's an anagram of "Jim Morrison". The Doors > JKR (but we're low in the rankings as it is).

I assumed "L'America" meant "Lil America" because that's how I use L', but I turns out it's actually... Latin America. That's way worse.

Overall, this album isn't bad, but I don't like it, so I'm going to give it a 2. Sorry for them that it didn't come 100 albums ago when I was still doing grade inflation!

This was a huuge vibe. It might be a tad too long, but I just had fun with almost every track. An amazing record, but I don't think it's too original. I hope most of the stuff wasn't just straight up stolen, but still, can't help but vibe with this one.

oh yeah. love the doors love jim morrison

5.0/5.0: Iconic

i didnt like the doors as a kid and because of that have never really given them a chance as an adult but i really enjoyed this one

I gotta say, I was not expecting to like L.A. Woman as much as i did but good lord this is genuinely a glorious album. In my eyes, this album represents everything a psychedelic rock album should be. A fun, catchy, ever-changing experience that anyone using psychedelic drugs can enjoy (not that i was using any, I'm only 20 years old as of writing this which is probably underage for these drugs) with a good dose of quirkiness but not too much to make the album annoying. The songs, at worst, could be a little repetitive but even that flaw was very rare as the songs always had elements to help keep themselves from getting stale. This is easily one of the best psych rock albums i have heard.
Best Song: L'America
Worst Song: Crawling King Snake

One of my favourite Doors albums. Jim Morrison was a genius. This was a nice return to their blues rock roots after a few drug addled psychedelic albums. I love how unpolished it is. That grit just hits right.

Favourite songs: Been Down So Long, Riders on the Storm, The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat), Love Her Madly, The Changeling, Cars Hiss By My Window, Crawling King Snake, L.A. Woman, Hyacinth House

Least favorite songs: L'America

4/5

Boring

This is one of the better Doors albums.