A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.
Even if it’s not your cup of tea, The Doors demand your respect. Few bands carved out a more compelling crossroads of blues, rock and psychedelia. The music – at times – seemed almost possessed. The instrumentation was truly distinct – as they were one of the first bands to prominently feature keyboards and organs. And their frontman – Jim Morrison – is one of the greatest of all time, inspiring everyone from INXS’ Michael Hutchence to Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCullough. My favorite Doors album is their second release Strange Days, which opens with the title track.
The famed key part on “Strange Days” actually isn’t Ray Manzarek. It’s Morrison himself, playing the moog synthesizer. “Strange Days” was one of the first recordings to feature this mainstay instrument, a case in point to the innovative side of The Doors. The moog synthesizer would become as integral to rock and pop as the electric guitar. Despite being overshadowed by the classic singles “People Are Strange” and “Love Me Two Times”, “Strange Days” is arguably more quintessential Doors in its ability to create a world for you to get lost in.
“Strange days have found us.”