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L.A. Woman
Studio album by The Doors
Released	April 1971
Recorded	December 1970 – January 1971
Genre	Blues-rock
Length	48:24
Label	Elektra
Producer	The Doors, Bruce Botnick, Joey Levins Adam McCabe
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A-) link FasterLouder 2005 Music Box link Rolling Stone link Slant Magazine link
The Doors chronology
Morrison Hotel (1970) L.A. Woman (1971) Other Voices (1971)

L.A. Woman is The Doors' sixth and last album recorded with lead singer Jim Morrison. Morrison died later that year in July 1971. The album's style is arguably the most hard rock blues-like of the band's catalogue. Following the departure of their record producer Paul A. Rothchild around November 1970, the Doors and engineer Bruce Botnick began production on the album at The Doors Workshop in Los Angeles. Most of the tracks were recorded live, except for a few overdubbed keyboard parts by Ray Manzarek. Session musicians Jerry Scheff and Marc Benno entered the studio in January 1971 to put some finishing touches. It is the only Jim Morrison-era studio album which the Doors did not follow up with a concert tour; Jim had moved to Paris by the time it was released in May 1971 and died two months later on July 3, 1971.

Botnick produced and mixed a new 5.1 Surround version of the album, which was released on DVD-Audio, December 19, 2000. It was produced from the original 8 track analog 1" master tapes.^[1]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 362 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

A new version of the album, titled L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary Mixes) was released on March 27, 2007 on Rhino records. It contains two bonus tracks: "Orange County Suite" and the Willie Dixon-authored "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further". The latter track features Manzarek on vocals. The track "Orange County Suite" was not recorded with the other tracks on the album, the song is originally a Morrison solo vocal and piano recording with music later overdubbed by the surviving Doors.

Track listing

All songs written by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore except where noted.

1. "The Changeling" – 4:21
2. "Love Her Madly" – 3:20
3. "Been Down So Long" – 4:41
4. "Cars Hiss By My Window" – 4:12
   • The 2007 re-issue includes an additional verse making it 4:58 in length.
5. "L.A. Woman" – 7:57
6. "L'America" – 4:37
7. "Hyacinth House" – 3:11
8. "Crawling King Snake" (Tony Hollins, Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker) – 5:00
9. "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" – 4:16
10. "Riders on the Storm" – 7:09

2007 re-issue bonus tracks

11. "Orange County Suite" – 5:45 [Same Version Found on Essential Rarities]
12. "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" (Willie Dixon) – 3:41

Personnel

The Doors

• John Densmore – drums
• Robby Krieger – guitar
• Ray Manzarek – organ, bass, piano, keyboards
• Jim Morrison – vocals

Additional personnel

• Marc Benno – rhythm guitar on tracks 3,4,5 and 8
• Jerry Scheff – bass on tracks 1,2,3 and 5
• John Hanus III - additional guitar on tracks 2,5,6,and 7

Production

• Bruce Botnick – producer, mastering, master tape preparation
• Paul Rothchild – mastering
• Carl Cossick – design, concept
• Wendell Hamick – photography

External links

• L.A. Woman lyrics

References