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L.A. Woman 1971
Album · by The Doors ↗ View artist

L.A. Woman

When The Doors went to record L.A. Woman, the atmosphere was already tense. They had gone through a difficult 1969, with Jim Morrison facing charges after an incident at a concert in Miami, Florida. This had closed doors for them on the radio and on stage. In late 1968, Morrison had even hinted at leaving the group, but they convinced him to stay a while longer. In November 1970, shortly after his trial ended, they entered Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles. They were looking for a more direct sound, a return to their roots, something they had already been exploring with Morrison Hotel. This new material, like L.A. Woman, Riders on the Storm, and Love Her Madly, moved away from the complex structures of The Soft Parade. The record label, Elektra Records, had released a compilation without their consent for Christmas, which generated tension, but the contract still required one more album.

Year
1971
Songs
10
Duration
41 min 37 seg
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About the album

L.A. Woman, according to DoReSol

The recording of L.A. Woman took an unexpected turn: producer Paul A. Rothchild, who had worked with them on their first five albums, withdrew. He was not satisfied with what he heard in the studio, especially with Love Her Madly, which he called "cocktail music." Rothchild, however, clarified that this criticism was intended to motivate them. His departure, coupled with his own emotional state after the death of Janis Joplin, whom he had also produced, led to the recommendation of Bruce Botnick, his trusted sound engineer, to co-produce the album. Thus, The Doors and Botnick were responsible for shaping this work, which was released on April 19, 1971. It is the last studio album with Jim Morrison still alive, although his voice would appear posthumously on An American Prayer in 1978.

The album dives headfirst into blues, a genre that had already been marking their sound but which here feels deeper. Songs like Love Her Madly were released as a single in March 1971 and entered the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Upon its release, L.A. Woman reached ninth place on the Billboard 200, and Riders on the Storm also had its moment of success. Critics like Richie Unterberger and David Quantick have pointed to L.A. Woman as one of The Doors' best works, highlighting Morrison's vocal performance and the band's return to a rawer sound closer to blues-rock. The recording took place at The Doors' Workshop in Los Angeles, and the album, with a total duration of 48:25, is defined by its blues-rock and psychedelia genre.