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Legends of Rock: Henry Rollins

22 Oct

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This past Friday I saw former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins perform his spoken word show at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. (Royal Oak, MI)

I’m a huge fan of Black Flag’s music and my favorite album that I still listen to is Damaged. (’81) Songs like “Rise Above,” “Depression” and “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” are gems. I also listened to the Rollins Band which he fronted during the 90s, I loved the music video to “Liar” which was off their ’94 album Weight.

Aside from being a musician, Rollins is also a writer, activist, actor, publisher and radio host. (to list a few of his titles) He is certainly a well-rounded guy that I have been a fan of since I was a teen.

His spoken word shows involve a raw-in-your-face direct account of him sharing his views, travels, and experiences. This past show did not disappoint with his latest stories about Lemmy from Motorhead, travels to Cuba and Haiti, past work with National Geographic, current work with the History Channel and his friday nights at Starbucks where he sits writing his 1,500 words among an atmosphere of screen writers and biker gear heads.

Also, once on stage Rollins goes non-stop for over two hours without even a water break. He gets pretty intense and passionate and I think it’s cool.  As Rollins likes to put it, he considers himself a work slut not a workaholic.

During this recent spoken word show, I loved when he stated:

“Rock ‘n’ roll will not die not as long as I am here and you are here. It’s not going to happen…not on our watch!”

I appreciate Rollin’s for being honest and sending a message to live without fear, to do good and look for good in the world, to step outside your comfort zone and most important be yourself no matter what anyone thinks of you.

At one point during his show he talked about how he enjoyed taking on jobs that he is not qualified for and how he is doesn’t worry about it because he figures if he screws it up it would be pretty funny. I laughed when he said this because I take myself way too seriously and somehow coming from him the advice to not take yourself seriously but take your work seriously just hit home.  Thank you Mr. Rollins for that much-needed inspiration.

You can keep up with Rollins on his official website, http://henryrollins.com. He also has a bunch of video clips through vimeo on his site.

Below is a link shared from his website that gives you a good impression of what his spoken word shows are like.

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Legends of Rock: Pennywise

23 Jul

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With frontman Jim Lindberg back with the band as of 2012, punk legends Pennywise released their 11th studio album, Yesterdays on July 15th!

The band originally formed in ’88 and are from Southern California. They are one of my favorite bands to see live. The best part is that their style remains rooted in classic hardcore punk.

I listened to Yesterdays and it sounds like classic Pennywise. I’m really liking: Violence Never Ending, She’s A Winner. I also like the track Thanksgiving because it has a positive message in the refrain that I like:

“Think about all that you have, not about what you can’t get.”

The whole album is catchy and definitely in the vain of their older stuff with the sound quality being raw.

According to the bands’ official website Pennywisdom.com, Yesterdays is part material written by original bassist Jason Thirsk who passed away in 1996 as well as outtakes from albums like ’97 Full Circle and ’99  Straight Ahead.

It seems like the band had a goal to go back to their roots with the latest album.

The last live show I went to was when they came to Detroit in 2009. This was right around the time Lindberg announced he was leaving the band after 20 years. I thought that show was the last  Pennywise show I was ever going to see in awhile. I’m so happy that it is not and that they are touring again.

Between 2010 and 2012 Pennywise replaced Lindberg with Zoli Teglas who was from the band Ignite. They recorded the album All Or Nothing in ’10 with Teglas. The album was ok and trademark in loud and fast speed but the feel and attitude just wasn’t the same.

Meanwhile Lindberg started his own music project too. He formed the band The Black Pacific in 2010 and released a self titled debut album which sounded good, but again I feel he has more impact when he is with Pennywise.

I am super happy things are back in place with the band because Lindberg is a cool guy. He even released a book in 2007 titled Punk Rock Dad. I liked the book and it was about him raising his three daughters and juggling being the frontman in a punk band.

Aside from Pennywise being a great band to watch live, I also love how they are cool to their fans.  Currently posted on their website is a chance for fans to win a free copy of Yesterdays, if the band likes your response via Twitter to what keeps you in a positive state of mind.

In an older blog post titled Where Have All My Music Stores Gone! I told the story of how I purchased my first Pennywise album, About Time ’95. I was trying to learn guitar at the time and I was curious about Pennywise because the album artwork caught my eye when I browsed the used section at my local record store. After I saw it marked for $4.00 I decided to buy it and check it out.

I remember the first track Peaceful Day was drawing me in and when I got to the fourth track Every Single Day, I was  hooked. That song was motivating and powerful. The lyrics said everything I was feeling around that time in my life.

I’ve been a fan for the last 15 years and they have songs that are punk gems, like Society, Land of the Free, Waiting and of course their signature encore songs at live shows, Bro Hymn and Fuck Authority.

While About Time is my all time favorite Pennywise album, I also love Unknown Road ’93 and Full Circle ’97.

I started going to their live shows after seeing them at The Warped Tour. Ever since then I have kept up closely with their music and tour dates.

My favorite shows that I went to was for the albums Land of the Free ’01 and From The Ashes. ’03 Those two shows rocked with great music and I carry memories of joking around with my friend, watching a mom try to mosh with her teen son, and even little things like still being able to smoke inside a venue.

Last week I talked about what The Ramones meant to me and how the loss of their last founding member Tommy Ramone is a big loss because there are not a lot of bands who can continue what the Ramones brought to rock ‘n’ roll.

However, Pennywise is a band still rooted in old school punk who can carry the torch for what bands like the Ramones started. I hope they continue to make great hardcore music.

Below is a link shared from the EpitaphRecords You Tube Channel for the new track I like, Violence Never Ending.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Legends of Rock: The Ramones

16 Jul

 

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The Ramones are one of the most influential bands in my life and this past friday Tommy Ramone who was the last surviving member passed away!

Their legacy is known for pioneering the punk movement and by creating a following at the CBGB which was then a hole in the wall New York music venue.

I’m deeply saddened that all of them are now gone  R.I.P:

Joey Ramone, lead singer  (1951-2001),

Dee Dee Ramone, bassist  (1952-2002)

Johnny Ramone, lead guitarist  (1948-2004)

Tommy Ramone, drummer  (1949-2014).

Even the bands spokesman and designer, Arturo Vega who  designed the bands awesome presidential seal logo passed away in 2005.

Nothing has ever impressed me more than some loud and fast Ramones. Their music means so much to me and I hope I can put enough words together to express my appreciation for them.

My attraction to The Ramones started when they released their last studio album ¡Adiós Amigos! (1995). At that time I was 14 years old and only familiar with their well-known hits like Blitzkrieg Bop and I Wanna be Sedated. The radio played I Don’t Want To Grow Up and I loved the song and that opened me up to their music.

The Ramones mania and genius of their simplicity didn’t sink in until I joined a comedy/punk/new wave band in 2002.

The band I joined carried a sound heavy in drum machines and keyboards. I was supposed to play guitar but ended up playin’ bass keys instead. I found it was tough trying to merge our sound and play in the same style but The Ramones were a mutual influence to all of us. Ramones songs all have simple chord progressions that are easy to love.

We practiced covering Beat On The Brat from their (1976) debut self titled album even though we never did play it live.

I bought music books  about The Ramones to learn and study them, I recall reading in one of those books that they had issues with playing and singing at the same time. I related to this as I also found it tough to sing background vocals while keeping up with a beat.

However, The Ramones took their limitations and turned it around making it work for them instead of against them.

They gave rock ‘n’ roll meaning by creating one ingenious system that first cut out all the image based bullshit. They formed a brotherhood with all of them taking the surname Ramone and wore  black leather jackets, torn jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. The songs had  loud and fast simple beats, three chord guitar riffs and less serious more cynical lyrics.

I love the first four Ramones albums from their debut: Ramones (1976), Leave Home (1977), Rocket To Russia (1977) and Road To Ruin (1978).

Rocket To Russia is my favorite album: Cretin Hop, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Teenage Lobotomy and We’re a Happy Family, are all gems to me.

The Ramones never got big enough commercially during their two decades as a band but they live on to inspire.

In 2002 the band got inducted into the rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame; they also earned a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2011.

Left to carry on the brotherhood legacy is Marky Ramone and Richie Ramone, former drummers after Tommy Ramone left in 1977 and CJ Ramone who took over on bass after Dee Dee left in the late 80s.

I have formed a special collection of Ramones shirts. For over the past 10 years these shirts have become a weird part of my casual wardrobe, as I like to billboard the Ramones.

**Below is a short paragraph that I had written in 2002 about The Ramones live performance scene from the 1979 movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. I wrote it intending for it to go under the influences section for a Yahoo GeoCities page that was for the band I was in. I never posted it to the band page but it’s one of those writing blurbs that I hung on to and it describes how I felt about The Ramones music during that time in my life.

The Ramones live performance segment in that 70s Rock `n` Roll High School flick blew me away.  The leaflet inside the movie stated that the Ramones played a 22-hour marathon set in Hollywood to get the right sequences for the movie. That makes them warriors in my book.   My arm is sore after playing guitar for 20 minutes. I am so influenced by watching that entire concert scene; I mean my desire to make it in a band just skyrocketed. In the movie you could see that The Ramones are normal guys who are not dressed to impress. Nobody seemed like they got tired of being on stage. Joey Ramone was confident and you can see that he put everything into his performance.  He stood lanky and humble with his hair dangling in his face. The Ramones were true rock stars. 

I have shared a link to a clip from the movie from Josteopal’s You Tube channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Legends of Rock: Flogging Molly Green 17 Tour

12 Mar
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My tribute collage to the Green 17 Tour

This past Thursday I saw celtic punk band Flogging Molly perform on March 6th at The Fillmore Detroit for their final round to the Green 17 Tour.  The band has done the tour annually for the past ten years as a countdown to St. Patrick’s Day.

They are one of my favorite bands and I have always looked forward to their shows because as a fan there is this familiar vibe of loving this music and knowing what to expect from the live shows.

Throughout the decade I have attended five of the ten shows from the Green 17 Tours and every single time was so awesome it made my entire week better.

The band is fan focused writing songs about liberty and hardship with hits like Black Friday Rule (2000) and Float (2008) while musically they fuse the speed of punk rock with celtic irish music.

Front Man Dave King along with his wife and band mate Bridget Regan have a home in Detroit. I am sure this is why the annual Detroit show has been known for being a bit more over the top as they hit the stage loud and fast complete with an extended set list.

One of the first things King likes to say to fans  when he walks on stage is:

“How many of you have to work early tomorrow?…your calling in!”

The Green 17 show is usually set up the same way each year by starting off at 7:00 p.m. with a couple of opening acts and Flogging Molly will hit the stage around 9:30 p.m.  King is always a lot fun as he will interact with the crowd making jokes and telling stories as they bring the house down jammin’ until midnight!

This past show being the final one for the era of the Green 17 Tour was one of the best shows I have seen them put on throughout the years.

They poured through all of my favorites like: Drunken Lullabies, (No More) Paddy’s Lament, Tobacco Island, Life in a Tenement Square, Saints & Sinners and Float to name a few.

According to the bands official site Flogging Molly has ended their run with the SideOneDummy record label and formed their own called Borstal Beat. Their most recent release Speed of Darkness from 2011 was the debut recording at their own label.  A new album is also in the works for 2015.

I can reflect on the first Flogging Molly show I went to in 2005 at Royal Oak Music Theatre. They had released the album Within a Mile of Home (2004) and at that time I only owned one album by them which was Drunken Lullabies from 2002, an album now considered gold according to the band’s website.

Of course I loved them from that very first show and hearing Black Friday Rule for the first time as the encore was memorable for me. After that show I bought Within a Mile of Home and I also made sure I bought their debut album Swagger which had Black Friday Rule.

All of the other albums released over the decade from Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, Float and their most recent Speed of Darkness are all great albums that carry individual gems; But there is something about Swagger that makes it my favorite one.

I think Swagger is perfection and I love every single song. I even scratched the first copy I had from playing the cd so much and had to buy it again!

During the show, King reflected on the last decade of the tour and thanked everyone who has been a part of it. For the encore he came out wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey because he is a fan and to honor Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.  Lidstrom had a retirement celebration that took place earlier in the day.

I love and appreciate Flogging Molly as a band and I am happy their audience has grown from the smaller venues like Royal Oak Music Theatre into consistently packing The Fillmore to rock out. Cheers to you Flogging Molly and I look forward to your next chapter.

I have included a link from the SideOneDummy records You Tube channel to watch Flogging Molly’s music video for Drunken Lullabies. (it’s the song that started it all for me)

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Legends of Rock: Bad Religion Release a Christmas Album

18 Dec

Punk icons Bad Religion released a Christmas album simply titled Christmas Songs.

The last thing I expected to hear this holiday season is that this band would put out a Christmas album.

I only say that because as far as I know lead singer Greg Graffin is an atheist and in general the band disagrees with organized religion.

According to their official site under the legacy tab it stated that:

“Bad Religion have threatened to record an album of seasonal classics for years, and now they’ve gone and done it, tackling eight chestnuts in their classic punk rock style.”

I would have thought  this sort of project would come from the punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies, who are known to cover classic songs from any genre and give it a punk spin.

However weird it seems I listened through it and I’m hooked. The album is awesome with loud and fast rendition’s of the traditional Christmas classics. The album also includes a different recording of their well-known hit American Jesus too.

After listening to each song from the album on You Tube, I love Little Drummer Boy which isn’t even one of my favorites traditionally because the word rum-pah-pum-pum is ridiculous but Graffin gets away with saying it! I also loved God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman and this version now trumps any other one I thought I liked before it because it’s such a fierce and fueled rendition.

As if this new album wasn’t enough of a surprise treat, the band has also created a advent calendar on their official site that fans can click on each day and win a present. My click got one free download of What Child is This? from iTunes.

I got into Bad Religion when I was a teen and first heard 21st century Digital Boy over the radio. I started buying their albums with their 1996 release The Gray Race and the rest is history.

Their songs have a signature classic punk style with catchy guitar riffs and it’s infectious with one listen.

My favorite album is (1992) Generator. I love every song on that album especially Fertile Crescent and Atomic Garden.

I assure any hardcore punk fans this Christmas album will not disappoint and it’s consistent in the bands trademark speed and unique riffs. The album is also a nice break away from the traditional versions of Christmas music that play on the radio!

Bad Religion is set to appear on Conan O’Brien tonight.

I have a link below from the EpitaphRecords You Tube channel.

 

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Legends of Rock: David Bowie At His Best In 2013

13 Nov

As a huge David Bowie fan I was looking  forward to The Next Day Extra, an expanded collector’s edition released on November 5th.

The extra edition includes a copy of the original album The Next Day (released back in March of this year ) along with a dvd and 10-track bonus cd which includes five unreleased songs.

According to his official website, he had not released a new album in ten years and he surprised fans with his new material in 2013.

I listened through the new stuff from the extended edition and I love the remix of Love is Lost and I also liked God Bless the Girl because the way he sings it reminds me of his hit Let’s Dance.

I also liked The Informer and Born in a UFO which both have that quavery sound in the vain of his well-known hit Space Oddity.

I have always loved Bowie because he is an eclectic singer/song-writer who fuses fashion, style and art into his music. Not to mention he paved the way for glam rock  creating his Ziggy Stardust persona in the 70s.

One of my favorite Bowie albums is his 1977 release Heroes. In fact, the cover artwork for The Next Day uses the Heroes album cover obscured with a white square. An article by Chris Roberts from The Quietus put it best stating,

“He is still fashion, still twitching, as the artwork for The Next Day – papering over the old icons – and the self-referential new videos insinuate. Bowie Fever has, entertainingly, dominated 2013 thus far.”

I remember hearing Bowie songs like China Girl and Fame in 80’s movies and being attracted to his music.

I am also a fan of the 1986 fantasy cult classic movie Labyrinth which starred Bowie as Jareth a Goblin King with a wild maze. I absolutely loved that movie as a kid and I thought Bowie was so cool with his spinning crystal balls.

In the mid 90s he head lined a tour with Nine Inch Nails opening for him and I was dying to go to that show but I was too young.

I am hoping with the new material that he will surprise fans with a possible tour maybe!? (crossing my fingers)

From Bowie’s style to song lyrics, he continues to create music like only a legendary artist of his stature could.

I have included a link from Redsails2008 You Tube channel for Heroes.

 

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Legends of Rock: R.I.P rock icon Lou Reed

30 Oct

Sunday was not a perfect day after reading the news that legendary Velvet Underground frontman and solo artist Lou Reed passed away in Southampton New York.

Reed was 71 years old and had complications from a liver transplant.

I think that Reed is everything that would define the word cool and his thought-provoking lyrics tend to always linger in my head.

Reed  also was an influential guitarist.  An article published in The Guardian stated that Reed’s guitar tuning style coined the term ostrich guitar which meant he would tune all strings to one note.

He is best known for hits like Heroin from the 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (Andy Warhol created the album cover showing a peel-off banana) as well as Sweet Jane from the 1970 album Loaded.

His solo hits include; Take a Walk on the Wild Side and Perfect Day from his 1972 album Transformer.

My interest in listening to Reed and The Velvet Underground was first triggered through hearing  R.E.M. cover his songs.

While R.E.M has covered many Reed songs throughout their albums, the Dead Letter Office album in particular covers a few with: There She Goes, Pale Blue Eye’s, and Femme Fatale.
I also remember in 1993 the group Cowboy Junkies covered Sweet Jane and it was a major hit that earned a lot of radio play.
In 1995 Duran Duran released a cover album called Thank You and they covered Reed’s Perfect Day which is  my favorite song by Reed.

The song is a simple masterpiece and my favorite line is:

“Just a perfect day, problems all left alone, weekenders on our own, It’s such fun.”

An article by Associated Press writer Hillel Italie put Reed’s influence in music best stating:

” Indie rock essentially begins in the 1960s with Reed and the Velvets; the punk, New Wave and alternative rock movements of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s were all indebted to Reed, whose songs were covered by R.E.M., Nirvana, Patti Smith and countless others.”

I thank my favorite bands for triggering my interest in Reed’s music which was before my time.

Aside from his role as a pioneer in rock music, Reed’s creativity spans into photography and film projects. Further details into his other creative projects are on his official website.

There is also a B&W photo of Reed on the official site showing him with his fist up and I love the photo because it says it all. The caption above the photo said it was recently taken by photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino.

I’m grateful for the music and inspiration Reed left. He will always be a true rock legend with his smooth voice and conversational spoken word style delivery that makes you feel like your right there with him.

 

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Legends of Rock: 90s Grunge Rockers Pearl Jam With New Album

23 Oct

Seattle rock legends Pearl Jam released a new album called Lighting Bolt, which is great news for grunge era fans like myself.

The album is their 10th studio album and was recently released on October 15.

The band has also started touring with the dates listed on the bands official website.

I listened through the tracks and I liked the song Mind Your Manners which has a faster thrash style beat in the vain of an old school punk song.

The mood becomes a little calmer with the song Sirens but my favorite so far is Let the Records Play, which has a rockin’ bluesy kick.

You can stream through the full album on iTunes .

Pearl Jam have been around for 23 years and are one of the key bands born out of the 90s grunge scene.

The bands line up has remained original except for the drummer:

Eddie Vedder – lead vocal and rhythm guitar

Stone Gossard – rhythm and lead guitar

Mike McCready – lead guitar

Jeff Ament – bass guitar

Matt Cameron – drums

My two all time favorite albums that I definitely exhausted playing are Vitalogy (1994) and Yield (1998).

Late Night with Jimmy Fallen is dedicating a week of love to Pearl Jam from October 21 to 25 following the release of the new album.

Pearl Jam is also known for supporting social and political issues and are environmental activists.

You can read more about what the band supports under their activism tab on the bands official site.

 

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Legends of Rock: Stone Temple Pilots With Weiland

2 Oct

When I heard that Stone Temple Pilots (STP) joined forces with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, I couldn’t see the fit. Bennington has his own style and Scott Weiland is an awesome showman with a loyal STP fan base.

I listened to STP in the 90s and they are one of my grunge era favorites. I loved the album Core and the song Creep was one of my favorite music videos of that time.

Weiland has known issues with drugs and I hope he can one day overcome his addictions.

He is a great songwriter and showman.

This merger thing with STP gives me mixed feelings since Bennington is a good singer and I like Linkin Park.

However, I don’t agree with Bennington getting added to the STP name.

If your going to  collaborate with someone new do not confuse or piss off your fan base, simply change your band  name, after all it is a new project and sound.

The new STP five track EP titled High Rise will be released on October 8.

I did check out the new songs from STP’s  official website. The track “Out of Time” is ok but I didn’t like the collaboration enough to download anything.

Weiland left STP before over tensions between the band and joined supergroup Velvet Revolver before reconciling back with STP in 2008.

According to an article from Los Angeles Times, the turmoil between Weiland and the rest of the band caused them to terminate him as their frontman back in February.

Weiland responded with:

“Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out.”

He further stated in the article:

“First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band,” he wrote on his website. “And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.”

I am on Weiland’s side in that his former band mates are acting hasty and should walk away from the name, especially since they are writing new music with Bennington!

Weiland on the other hand is doing a Purple to the Core tour which is covering the music from STP’s best albums Purple and Core but he is performing under his solo project Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts.

You can check out the latest tour dates from Weiland’s site, www.scottweiland.com.

I have always raved that STP is one of the best concerts I have ever attended.

Weiland is an impressive frontman who is pretty tough to match. He has that quality about him where your eyes follow his every move and your waiting to see what he will do next.

I have seen STP twice in concert and the first time was in the summer of 1999.

I will never forget the first show which was for the No. 4 album.

Weiland come out shirtless in black pants doing his slither dance, at one point he came out draped only in the american flag which he dropped (on purpose) and then streaked off the stage. He interacted a lot with the fans and he even ran over to fans seated in the nosebleed section and performed a couple of songs.

They performed everything from the No 4. album and they also did all of their hits, Sex Type Thing, Vaseline, Plush, and Interstate Love Song.

I thought it was cool that they still played all of their hits. Usually a band will perform new material and then do a couple hits but STP truly performs for their fans and we love every minute of it!

I still like Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots separately but I wish both sides the best of luck.

I also hope the turmoil clears between Weiland and his former band mates.

 

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Legends of Rock: RIP Doors Keyboardist Ray Manzarek

31 May

Choosing to discuss my admiration for The Doors and the inspiring musical experience they set off in me, is something I can do with great passion!

My rock ‘n’ roll heart sinks again with the passing of The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek on May 20th.

Manzarek was a founding member for The Doors and was an iconic badass on the keys. He truly was a pioneering keyboardist playing bass keys with his left hand while playing organ with his right. I love the classical, jazz and psychedelic influences that he blended into the band’s sound.

According to The Doors official website, Manzarek’s was 74 years old and passed away in Germany from his long battle with bile duct cancer.

The Doors formed in 1965 with the original lineup as:

Jim Morrison – Vocals

Ray Manzarek – Keyboard, Bass (on Keyboard)

Robbie Krieger – Guitar

John Densmore – Percussion

I really like the following quote by Manzarek about performing with The Doors:

“The power existed in every member of The Doors. We all understood that sinking into the rhythm of the music and we all tried to do that and when we all did it together it was invariably an incredible show.”

The Doors music kind of hits you at a certain age and for me it started in my preteen years when I first heard People Are Strange  on the radio and it was so catchy to me and I loved it.

I truly began to feel and understand The Doors music when I got into buying albums in my late teens.

I bought L.A. Woman for Love Her Madly. I remember first listening to that last track on the album, Riders On The Storm  and feeling cool and immersed with The Doors experience.  Waiting For The Sun was another album in my favorites list that blew me away too. The title track Waiting For The Sun is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I’m glad The Doors successfully recorded six studio albums. Even when it all ended after Morrison passed away in 1971, their music still lives on with strong impact!

Years from now teens will still be discovering The Doors with their interest peaked by hearing, “Light My Fire” or “Break On Through” which I still frequently hear on the radio.

An article by Martin Weil from The Washington Post puts the birth of The Doors best stating:

“Morrison sang, Mr. Manzarek liked it, and the Doors were founded.”

One album I choose to pay my tribute to is The Soft Parade. I actually leave this album sitting in my antique record player next to my desk.

The Doors released The Soft Parade in July of 1969 and it carries a mellow eccentric mood.

This was their fourth studio album and according to The Doors official site, critics like Rolling Stone viewed this as a weak album!

I have to disagree because I think The Soft Parade is a gem full of creativity.

Throughout the album I love Morrison’s sultry singing and the offbeat addition of horns in the songs.

I feel so inspired listening to this album like I understand something about rock ‘n’ roll that not every listener could understand.

I wish I could write one verse of musical genius that would come close to The Doors influence but alas I am not a partying creative poet who lived through the 60s either.

The Doors are rock legends and nobody can match them.

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