Local Spins Wednesdays at SpeakEZ Lounge presents The Insane Theatre tribute to The Doors tonight — the perfect opportunity to unveil our Top 12 playlist of the iconic band’s most memorable songs.
Classics All: Part of The Doors discography and Grand Rapids’ Insane Theatre.
Precisely 47 years ago this week, The Doors released their final studio album, “An American Prayer.”
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Nominated for a Grammy Award, that collection paid tribute to lead singer Jim Morrison (who had died seven years earlier), by unfurling music to accompany recordings of Morrison reading his poetry.
It was a poignant homage to the charismatic singer, and tonight at Grand Rapids’ SpeakEZ Lounge, West Michigan’s The Insane Theatre (led by Hazy Past’s Brian Haik) will further pay tribute to Morrison and The Doors’ music with electrifying sets covering more than 30 of the legendary band’s songs, from hit singles to deep cuts.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m.; details here.
To warm up fans for this spectacle, we decided it was a good time to unfurl our own “Ultimate Doors Playlist,” with The Insane Theatre sure to roll out several of these tracks on stage tonight. Have your own favorites? Feel free to add them in the comments below.
THE DOORS: The Ultimate Playlist
Scroll down to listen to this playlist on Spotify
1. “Light My Fire” – Released as part of the band’s self-titled 1967 debut album, “Light My Fire” became an instant radio hit and established them as rock’s newest stars. Indeed, it was the first single from Elektra Records to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEXlWgMOtqc
2. “People Are Strange” – Keeping with The Insane Theatre vibe, this theatrical, cabaret-like ditty appears on the band’s sophomore album, “Strange Days,” also released in 1967: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgHaGrZkkv4
3. “Gloria (Live)” – This amazing live rendition of Them’s “Gloria” recorded live at The Matrix in 1967 is a keeper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf_TiLFD43I
4. “Hello, I Love You” – Another No. 1 hit, this track from 1968’s “Waiting for the Sun” doesn’t necessarily mesh with the rest of this unusual album and even Morrison said he preferred the B-side, “Love Street.” But it remains a staple on classic rock radio more than 50 years later.
5. “The Soft Parade” – The closing track on the 1969 album of the same name, this wildly diverse eight-and-half-minute song is alternately goofy and penetrating — a nice bookend to the album’s single-savvy second track, which you can find at No. 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YWPhmduSDQ
6. “Touch Me” – Morrison’s operatic voice is on full display as is the organ work of Ray Manzarek. It also ranks as the band’s last Top 10 hit in the United States: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lVqEchxIxw
7. “Roadhouse Blues” – It’s impossible to leave this infectious harmonica-, piano- and guitar-fueled rocker off any Doors playlist. It’s racked up more than 363 million plays on Spotify alone and holds up magnificently a half-century later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV9DJwJKWMw
8. “Waiting for the Sun” – Following on the heels of the above track on “Morrison Hotel,” this is one of those Doors songs that lives up to their billing as “Kings of Acid Rock”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUI-ELCdjxo
9. “Queen of the Highway” – The interchange between keyboard, guitar, bass and Morrison’s vocals on this deep cut make this a hidden gem from “Morrison Hotel”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVAXpCJGW50
10. “Back Door Man (Live)” – Recorded in 1970 in Pittsburgh, it’s a signature live track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDC6Zzc-t1U
11. “L.A. Woman” – The title track from this bluesy 1971 album shows off The Doors at the peak of their powers, even if it was the last to feature Morrison — who had become a troubled soul, arrested for indecent exposure and appearing drunk on stage. He died three months after its release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHXjcdNIN-Q
12. “Riders on the Storm” – This mesmerizing final song ever recorded by Morrison tells the tale of a hitchhiking killer and was in constant radio rotation in the summer of 1971. It’s stature as a classic has only risen over the decades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2-FPlvY58
BONUS TRACK: “The Changeling” – Another psychedelic and bluesy jewel from the band’s final album with Morrison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtN8UPjN5WU
THE DOORS: Local Spins’ Ultimate Playlist on Spotify
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