Since the counterculture was at its peak in 1967, there has been a continued and substantial argument that The Doors remain the movement’s defining act. Although there are other shouts for the likes of The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the leading position, given just how much the swirling music of the Los Angeles band contributed to the mythos and ethos of hippiedom.
Of course, much of The Doors’ cultural standing is to do with their late frontman, Jim Morrison, best known as ‘The Lizard King’ – a title he aptly bestowed upon himself. A controversial figure, his lyrics were often angled towards the more surreal edge of poetry, combining religious and fantastical themes to round off The Doors’ transcendental sounds. Augmenting his music was that Morrison was a fine performer, and although this might have earned him notoriety and brought him into direct conflict with the law, Morrison was one of the first great frontmen. Amid all the mystery and controversy, this is a point that often gets overlooked.
Outside of Morrison, it must be acknowledged that The Doors would not have been so without the three other members. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek was a particular spectacle, playing the lead parts with one hand and filling in bass duties with the other. As for guitarist Robby Krieger, he is a fine musician, dovetailing with Manzarek’s lines and providing bending flourishes from his Gibson SG. meanwhile, drummer John Densmore held everything together in a musical and personal sense. An unrelenting character, he is credited with helping The Doors stay true to themselves in the wake of their frontman’s death. This came by vetoing the attempts of his surviving bandmates to accept offers to license the rights to the band’s pieces for commercial purposes, as well as his objections to their use in the 21st century of The Doors name and logo.
Whilst The Doors remain the most eminent psychedelic act from 1960s Los Angeles, the city produced many other notable outfits, including The Seeds.
The Sky Saxon-led group’s best-known track is the proto-punk classic ‘Pushin’ Too Hard’. However, they released a string of other highlights, including ‘Mr. Farmer’ and ‘A Thousand Shadows’. With that, the Seeds were often compared to The Doors due to the prominence of the keyboard, the use of a frontman, and, ultimately, the city they called home.
During a 1987 interview quoted in the book Psychedelic Psounds, Saxon was asked whether he thought there were any similarities between the styles of both bands. The ever-confident frontman replied: “Definitely. The only thing the Doors had that we didn’t was Fender Rhodes bass which gave them that bottom sound. Ray Manzarek was a really good organ player. Jim was in his drinking days, so his vocals were lowdown and gravelly”.
He added: “The Seeds music, however, was the polar opposite. It was flower music for the flower children. I saw something had to change because hippies were getting a bad name. I thought the flower children and flower power could start something brand new. I basically created the flower power movement!”