We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
Who would have thought that two years after the death of Jim Morrison that The Doors could release a fairly entertaining record. Certainly not as intense as they were when Morrison’s savage imagery was driving their lyrics but 1972’s “Full Circle” definitly has it’s moments.
Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger share the vocal duties along with the cream of female backups of the day…Venetta Fields & Clydie King. New producer Henry Lewy also brings in a number of studio cats to add to the sound including bassists Leland Sklar, Jack Conrad, Charles Larkey and former Burrito Brother Chris Ethridge. Charles Lloyd also adds his sax and flute as a number of these tunes shows the jazzier path that Manzarek wanted to take. ” Verdillac” and “The Piano Bird” are examples of this.
The album included an unlikely hit (the band’s last) in “The Mosquito”, a song sung in Spanish and the lightweight lyrics kinda hide the nice music on this one. I also liked “It Slipped My Mind” and “The Peking King and New York Queen”. Plus they do a cover of Roy Brown’s chestnut “Good Rockin”.
The band splintered after this one but it’s not a bad swan-song considering the what was lost when Morrison shuffled off this mortal coil.
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