Strange Days was recorded during tour breaks betwixt May as well as August 1967 at Sunset Sound Recorders inwards Hollywood (the same studio equally their showtime LP). In contrast to the 1966 sessions, producer Paul A. Rothchild as well as engineer Bruce Botnick employed a cutting-edge 8-track recording machine. The protracted sessions allowed the band to experiment inwards the studio as well as farther augment their otherworldly audio amongst odd instrumentation as well as sonic manipulation; developed amongst the assistance of Paul Beaver, the championship rail constitutes 1 of the earliest uses of a Moog synthesizer inwards rock. On the Morrison poesy form "Horse Latitudes", Botnick took the white dissonance of a tape recorder as well as varied the speed past times hand-winding it (resulting inwards a audio akin to wind) equally the 4 band members played a diversity of instruments inwards odd ways. Further varispeed was as well as hence employed to create dissimilar timbres as well as effects.
Much similar their debut album, Strange Days features several moody, authentically odd songs, although some critics experience it does non quite fit upwardly to its stellar predecessor. In his AllMusic review of the album, Richie Unterberger notes, "Many of the songs on Strange Days had been written approximately the same fourth dimension equally the ones that appeared on The Doors, as well as amongst hindsight 1 has the feel that the best of the batch had already been cherry picked for the debut album. For that reason, the band's 2nd sweat isn't equally consistently stunning equally their debut, though overall it's a real successful continuation of the themes of their classic album." Two of the album's songs ("My Eyes Have Seen You" as well as "Moonlight Drive") had been demoed inwards 1965 at Trans World Pacific Studios earlier Krieger joined the group; indeed, the latter had been conceived past times Morrison prior to his fateful reunion amongst Manzarek inwards the summertime of 1965. Although the vocal was attempted twice during the sessions for the band's debut, both versions were deemed unsatisfactory. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 conventional blues arrangement, "Moonlight Drive"'s defining features were its slightly off-beat musical rhythm as well as Krieger's bottleneck guitar, which create an eerie sound.
The LP's showtime single, "People Are Strange", was composed inwards early on 1967 afterward Krieger, drummer John Densmore, as well as a depressed Morrison had walked to the overstep of Laurel Canyon. Densmore recalled the song's writing procedure inwards his mass Riders on the Storm. Densmore as well as Krieger, who had as well as hence been roommates, were visited past times a dejected Morrison, who was acting "deeply depressed." At the proposition of Densmore, they took a walk along Laurel Canyon. Morrison returned from the walk "euphoric" amongst the early on lyrics of "People Are Strange".
Although Morrison was the Doors' main lyricist, Robby Krieger wrote several of the groups hitting singles (the showtime vocal the guitarist always wrote was "Light My Fire"), including the bluesy "Love Me Two Times". According to band members, the vocal was nearly a soldier/sailor on his lastly 24-hour interval amongst his lady friend earlier transportation out, ostensibly to war. Manzarek described the vocal equally "Robby's non bad blues/rock classic nearly lust as well as lost, or multiple orgasms, I'm non certain which." In 1997, Krieger stated to Guitar World's Alan Paul that the musical thought for "Love Me Two Times" came from a lick from a Danny Kalb album. Manzarek played the lastly version of this vocal on a harpsichord, non a clavichord. Manzarek described the musical instrument equally "a most elegant musical instrument that 1 does non commonly associate amongst stone as well as roll." It was edited to a 2:37 length as well as released equally the 2nd unmarried (after "People Are Strange") from that album, as well as reached No. 25 on the charts inwards the US. "Love Me Two Times" was considered to live somewhat risqué for radio airplay, beingness banned inwards New Haven for beingness "too controversial," much to the dismay of the band.
The album concludes amongst an eleven minute-long epic, "When the Music's Over."
The album comprehend of Strange Days, photographed past times Joel Brodsky, depicts a grouping of street performers inwards New York. The place of the photograph is at Sniffen Court, a residential alley off of East 36th Street betwixt Lexington as well as Third Avenue inwards Manhattan. The availability of such performers pictured was low, hence Brodsky's assistant stood inwards equally a juggler piece a random cab driver was paid $5 to pose playing the trumpet. Twin dwarfs were hired, amongst 1 appearing on the forepart comprehend as well as 1 appearing on the dorsum cover, which is the other one-half of the same photograph on the forepart cover. However, a grouping shot of the band does look on a poster inwards the background of both covers, bearing captions of the band as well as album name. (The same photograph previously appeared on the dorsum comprehend of the band's debut album.) Because of the subtlety of the artist as well as album title, most tape stores seat stickers across the comprehend to aid customers position it to a greater extent than clearly.
Even darker than their purple-hued debut, the Doors' follow-up, Strange Days, unopen 1967 amongst an ominous flourish. Highlighted to a greater extent than frequently than non past times short, radio-friendly tunes such equally the bluesy "Love Me Two Times" as well as the cabaret-style "People Are Strange" as well as featuring a smattering of edgy recitations ("Horse Latitudes") as well as smoky rockers ("My Eyes Have Seen You"), the album features a centerpiece that was some other ambitious extended track, "When the Music's Over." On it, Morrison railed at everything from organized religious belief to pollution, as well as his rallying cry--"We desire the world, as well as nosotros desire it now!"--became a telephone phone to arms for the counterculture ascent upwardly approximately the band.
Track listing:
01 Strange Days 3:05
02 You're Lost Little Girl 3:01
03 Love Me Two Times 3:23
04 Unhappy Girl 2:00
05 Horse Latitudes 1:30
06 Moonlight Drive 3:00
07 People Are Strange 2:10
08 My Eyes Have Seen You 2:22
09 I Can't See Your Face In My Mind 3:18
10 When The Music's Over 11:00
Personnel:
Vocals – Jim Morrison
Guitar – Robby Krieger
Keyboards, Marimba – Ray Manzarek
Drums – John Densmore
Bass [Occasional] – Douglas Lubahn*
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