LA Woman,the last breath of the original Doors line up,whether it was known or not,they had reached their height,and before the wagon of fame rolled down hill and the band turned into a facade of what they originally were,there was one last album of splendour left in them though,and it was blues based with the twist of Morrisons lyrics and delivery.
Morrisons voice,strained by the alcohol abuse and the hefty lifestyle,had left him sounding three times his 27 years,like an old blues man hollering in a bar 'I've been down do goddamn long...'
The front photo of the album a dead giveaway as this was the true group effort,Morrison in height,less than any of his band members,bearded and blended into the album,the focus was not entirely on him,unlike the debut album and subsequent releases.
The journey to this point had only been a mere four years,the same time most modern bands leave between albums,but they managed to tour,write and release five other albums,this been their sixth,this is where it had all been leading.
The Doors workshop was built for the recording,A two-story building at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard.Long time producer Paul Rothchild walked out early on in rehearsals,as legend goes,describing the studio rehearsal of 'Riders On The Storm',cocktail music and a step back from all that was accomplished on Morrison Hotel.
With Bruce Botnick now at the helm,recordings began at the Doors workshop,December 1970 and would last right through until January 71.A very short amount of time but that was Morrison had.
The added in House bass player,guest bass players were nothing new to Doors albums, and “LA Woman” was no exception. For that one, Jerry Scheff rounded out the band and played on every song.Giving it as live as possible feel,added to roundness of the overall sound,the blues numbers grooved,and listening back now you hear the sound of musicians and the height of their game,effortless music flowing,every melody line memorable.
The raw sound created by the band made the final mix,very little overdubs used,except for keyboard lines and of course the thunder and lighting affect on 'Riders On The Storm',the second single to be released,the first been the keyboard driven rocker 'Love Her Madly'.Both well received,as was the album in its entirety,the maturity and Morrisons deep immersion in the blues on tracks such as 'Crawling King Snake
and the title track,this was the record to end on.
While the mixing took place in February '71,Morrison went to France to take time out,work on his poetry and plot out the next course of his life.There was going to be no tour for this album,he never returned and that chapter of the Doors has now closed.
Mr Mojo Risin' had checked out for the last time.
