Waiting for the Sun
Waiting for the Sun | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 3, 1968 | |||
Recorded | November 1967 – May 1968 | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound & TTG, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Psychedelia[1] | |||
Length | 32:49 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
The Doors chronology | ||||
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Singles from Waiting for the Sun | ||||
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Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between late 1967 and May 1968 mostly at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. It became the band's only number one album, topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks, while also including their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". The first single released off the record was "The Unknown Soldier", which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it reached number 16.
Having released two records that drew from a large pool of previously composed songs, the Doors started to improvise for their third album in late 1967. Due to the shortage of original material, the group suffered what drummer John Densmore described as the "third album syndrome", meaning the difficulty of a band to have a stock of good compositions, capable of filling a third disc in a row.[2] The recording sessions also proved difficult for the group due to lead singer Jim Morrison's worsening alcoholism.
The album provoked mixed reactions upon release, with many deriding its diversity and songwriting quality as detriments and inconsistent. However, it has attracted more sympathetic appraisal for its mellower sound and experimentation with other genres.
Background and recording
The Doors started recording Waiting for the Sun in late 1967 at
The removal of "Celebration of the Lizard" drove the band to resort to composing many of the album tracks in the studio and digging up older songs that they had previously decided against recording, such as "Hello, I Love You", to fill the gap of material.[10][11] The production by Paul A. Rothchild led to multiple takes as a result of his growing perfectionism, which was becoming an issue for the group. Morrison's increasing alcohol consumption also caused tension and difficulties in the studio,[12] and at one point drummer John Densmore walked out of a session frustrated at his behavior.[9] Alice Cooper was around during the recording sessions and he was reportedly worried about Morrison's health.[7] During the recording of "Five to One", Morrison was in intense state of intoxication, to a degree that the studio's assistants needed to support him to complete his vocal parts.[13] Each song on the album required overall at least 20 takes with "The Unknown Soldier", recorded in two parts, requiring 130.[14]
In her 1979 essay "The White Album," Joan Didion described a day at Sunset Sound during the recording of the album, where the mood was highly desultory, as Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore waited for an AWOL Morrison to arrive to lay down his vocals.[15][16]
Composition
Waiting for the Sun includes the band's second chart topper, "Hello, I Love You",[17] one of the last remaining songs from Morrison's 1965 batch of tunes. It had been demoed by the group for Aura Records in 1965 before guitarist Robby Krieger had joined the group, as had "Summer's Almost Gone". In the liner notes to The Doors: Box Set, Krieger denied the allegations that the song's main riff and vocal melody were stolen from Ray Davies, with a similar riff having been featured in the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night". Instead, he said the song's vibe was taken from Cream's song "Sunshine of Your Love".[18] Densmore said that when recording the song, Krieger had advised him to imitate Ginger Baker's drumming on "Sunshine of Your Love", and he followed that advice.[19] The courts in the UK determined in favor of Davies and any UK-based royalties for the song were paid to him.[19][20]
Waiting for the Sun contains two songs with military themes: "Five to One" and "The Unknown Soldier". Journalists Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard speculate that "Five to One" seems to be a revolutionary anthem,[21] spouted by the "hippie/ flower child" hordes Morrison saw in growing numbers. Regardless of this interpretation, Morrison confirmed that the lyrics were not political.[22] The lines "Night is drawing near/ Shadows of the evening/ crawl across the years" may have been lifted by Morrison from the 19th-century hymnal and bedtime rhyme "Now the Day is Over" ("Now the day is over/ Night is drawing nigh/ Shadows of the evening/ Steal across the sky").[23]
"The Unknown Soldier" exemplified the group's cinematic approach to their music. In the beginning, as well as after the middle of the song, the mysterious sounds of the organ are heard, depicting the mystery of the "Unknown Soldier".
The centerpiece of the album was supposed to be the lengthy theatrical piece "
The whimsical "Wintertime Love" and the mournful "Summer's Almost Gone" address seasonal themes, while the gentle "Yes, the River Knows" was written by Krieger.
Releases
Waiting for the Sun was officially released on July 3, 1968,[38] although some sources incorrectly noted on the day of 12.[39] As of 2015, the album has sold over 7 million copies since its 1968 original release.[35] Although "Celebration of the Lizard" was not included on the original release of the album, a recording of the long piece was later included along with two early takes of "Not to Touch the Earth" as bonus tracks on the 40th anniversary expanded edition release of the album (subtitled "An Experiment/Work in Progress").
Reissues
In 1988, Waiting for the Sun was digitally remastered by sound engineer
In 2018, Rhino Records released a 1-LP/2-CD deluxe edition to commemorate the album's 50th anniversary release, which was remastered by Botnick utilizing the Plangent Process.[49] The CDs are encoded with MQA technology.[50] The LP and first CD feature remastered versions of the same 11 tracks from the original 1968 release. The second CD features 14 previously unreleased tracks.[51] The 50th anniversary edition omits the bonus tracks featured on the 40th anniversary edition and also features rough mixes of all the album's tracks. Botnick recommended some of these versions, saying, "I prefer some of these mixes as they represent all of the elements and additional background vocals and some intangible roughness, all quite attractive and refreshing."[52]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [57] |
Despite its commercial success, Waiting for the Sun divided critics and many derided it as pretentious and over-arranged.
In his retrospective review, Richie Unterberger of AllMusic wrote, "The Doors' 1967 albums had raised expectations so high that their third effort was greeted as a major disappointment. With a few exceptions, the material was much mellower and while this yielded some fine melodic ballad rock ... there was no denying that the songwriting was not as impressive as it had been on the first two records." but concluded that "time's been fairly kind to the record, which is quite enjoyable and diverse, just not as powerful a full-length statement as the group's best albums."[4] In his review of the 2007 reissue, Sal Cinquemani of Slant praised the album, writing that "Despite the fact that Morrison was becoming a self-destructing mess, Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore were "never more lucid – perhaps to compensate. This was a band at its most dexterous, creative and musically diverse."[5]
Track listing
Original album
All tracks are written by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore individually). Details are taken from the original 1968 Elektra Records release.[62]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:22 |
2. | "Love Street" | 3:06 |
3. | "Not to Touch the Earth" | 3:54 |
4. | "Summer's Almost Gone" | 3:20 |
5. | "Wintertime Love" | 1:52 |
6. | "The Unknown Soldier" | 3:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Spanish Caravan" | 2:58 |
2. | "My Wild Love" | 2:50 |
3. | "We Could Be So Good Together" | 2:20 |
4. | "Yes, the River Knows" | 2:35 |
5. | "Five to One" | 4:22 |
Total length: | 32:49 |
Reissues
40th Anniversary Edition
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Albinoni's Adagio in G minor" | Remo Giazotto | 4:32 |
13. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Dialogue) | 0:38 | |
14. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Take 1) | 4:05 | |
15. | "Not to Touch the Earth" (Take 2) | 4:18 | |
16. | "Celebration of the Lizard" (An Experiment/Work in Progress) | 17:09 |
50th Anniversary Edition second CD bonus tracks[63]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:23 |
2. | "Summer's Almost Gone" | 3:23 |
3. | "Yes, the River Knows" | 2:38 |
4. | "Spanish Caravan" | 2:57 |
5. | "Love Street" | 3:05 |
6. | "Wintertime Love" | 1:56 |
7. | "Not to Touch the Earth" | 3:57 |
8. | "Five to One" | 4:23 |
9. | "My Wild Love" | 3:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Texas Radio & the Big Beat" | 1:33 |
11. | "Hello, I Love You" | 2:27 |
12. | "Back Door Man" | 2:06 |
13. | "Five to One" | 4:38 |
14. | "The Unknown Soldier" | 4:53 |
Personnel
Details are taken from the 2019
The Doors
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – keyboards, piano on "Yes, the River Knows"[64]
- Robby Krieger – guitar
- John Densmore – drums
Additional musicians
- Douglas Lubahn– occasional bass, electric bass on "Spanish Caravan"
- Kerry Magness – bass guitar on "The Unknown Soldier"
- Leroy Vinnegar – acoustic bass on "Spanish Caravan"
Technical
- Paul A. Rothchild – production
- Bruce Botnick – engineering
- William S. Harvey – art direction and design
- Paul Ferrara – front cover photograph
- Guy Webster – back cover photography
Charts
Album
Chart (1968–69) | Peak |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[65] | 3 |
Finnish Albums ( Soumen Virallinen)[66]
|
8 |
UK Albums (OCC)[67] | 16 |
US Billboard 200[68] | 1 |
Chart (2018) | Peak |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[69] | 20 |
Singles
Year | Single (A-side / B-side) |
Chart | Peak |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | "The Unknown Soldier" / "We Could Be So Good Together" | Billboard Hot 100 | 39[68] |
1968 | "Hello, I Love You" / "Love Street" | Hot 100 | 1[68] |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[70] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France ( SNEP)[71]
|
2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[72] | Gold | 250,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[74] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
See also
Notes
- ^ According to music journalist Gillian G. Gaar, the album's recording started in January 1968,[6] but engineer Bruce Botnick confirmed the date as being in late 1967.[7]
- ^ Although American Songwriter critic Hal Horowitz rated the original album with four stars overall, he gave the 2018 reissue two stars out of five.[53]
- ^ Praising though other songs such as "Five to One", "My Wild Love", "Spanish Caravan", and "Summer's Almost Gone".[21]
References
- ^ Buskin, Richard. "Classic Tracks: The Doors 'Strange Days'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
Engineer and producer Bruce Botnick recorded some of the greatest artifacts of West Coast psychedelia, among them the first five albums by the Doors.
- ^ Densmore 1991, p. 159.
- ^ a b Weidman 2011, p. 156.
- ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "The Doors: Waiting for the Sun". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Cinquemani, Sal (April 18, 2007). "The Doors: Waiting for the Sun | Album Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ Gaar 2015, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Botnick 2007, pp. 3–4.
- ^ a b c d Weidman 2011, p. 197.
- ^ Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Kielty, Martin (September 7, 2018). "Robby Krieger Recalls Doors' Battle with Waiting for the Sun". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Wall 2014, pp. 251–252.
- ^ Paul, Alan. "The Doors' Robby Krieger Sheds Light — Album by Album". Guitar World. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Taylor 2006, p. 89.
- ^ a b Hopkins & Sugerman 1980, p. 179.
- ^ LAtimes.com
- ^ Reachcambridge.com
- ^ Luhrssen & Larson 2017, p. 97.
- ^ a b The Doors: Box Set (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1997. 62123-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Wall 2014, p. 252.
- ^ Deevoy, Adrian (May 11, 2017). "The Kinks' Ray Davies: Brexit is 'bigger than the Berlin Wall'". The Guardian. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Brackett & Hoard 2008, p. 255.
- ^ Weidman 2011, p. 193.
- ^ "Now the Day is Over". Encyclopedia Titanica. October 12, 2005. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^ a b Phull 2008, p. 68.
- ^ Greenwald, Matthew. "The Unknown Soldier". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Jerry (July 26, 1969). "The Rolling Stone Interview: Jim Morrison". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Fanelli, Damian. "Watch Robby Krieger Play the Doors' "Spanish Caravan" with a String Quartet". Guitar World. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Gaar 2015, p. 46.
- ^ Wall 2014, p. 201.
- ^ Goldsmith 2019, p. 94.
- ^ "The Hot 100 - May 18, 1968". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Weidman 2011, p. 159.
- ^ Manzarek 1998, p. 78.
- ^ a b Moskowitz 2015, p. 223.
- Vulture.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Hopkins & Sugerman 1980, p. 112.
- ^ "The Doors Music". Thedoors.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ Weidman 2011, p. 154.
- ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Elektra. 1988. 7559-74024-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - DCC Compact Classics. 1993. GZS-1045.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Media Notes). The Doors. DCC Compact Classics. 1998. LPZ-2049.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Elektra. 1999. 74024-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Elektra. 2006. R2 77645 C.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Elektra. 2007. R2 101191.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Media notes). The Doors. Elektra. 2009. 8122-79864-8.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Media notes). The Doors. Analogue Productions. 2012. APP 74024-45.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Analogue Productions. 2012. APP 74024 SA.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Simpson, Dave (September 24, 2018). "How we made the Doors' Hello, I Love You". The Guardian. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ Waiting for the Sun (Booklet). The Doors. Elektra. 2018. 603497857067.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Waiting for the Sun 50th Anniversary Edition Coming September 14". Thedoors.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ Classic Rock. Louder. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Horowitz, Hal (September 17, 2018). "The Doors: Waiting for the Sun — 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ a b Miller, Jim (September 28, 1968). "Waiting for the Sun – Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "The Doors: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Schinder & Schwartz 2008, p. 263.
- ^ Gilmore 2008, p. 260.
- New Musical Express. July 13, 1968. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via TheDoors.com.
- ^ Nelson, Michael; Leas, Ryan (July 29, 2015). "The Doors Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ Waiting for the Sun (Album notes). The Doors. US: Elektra Records. July 1968. EKS-74024.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Rhino Records. R2-537344.
- ^ Gerstenmeyer 2001, p. 87.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5809". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Doors Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Doors – Waiting for the Sun". Music Canada.
- ^ "French album certifications – Doors – Waiting for the Sun" (in French). InfoDisc. Select DOORS and click OK.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Doors; 'Waiting for the Sun')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "British album certifications – Doors – Waiting for the Sun". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – Waiting for the Sun". Recording Industry Association of America.
Sources
- Rhino Records.
- ISBN 978-1439109397.
- ISBN 978-0385304474.
- Gaar, Gillian G. (July 8, 2015). The Doors: The Illustrated History. ISBN 978-0760346907.
- Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors (in German). ISBN 978-3-8311-2057-4.
- ISBN 978-0743287456.
- ISBN 978-0-446-69733-0.
- Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ISBN 978-1440835148.
- Phull, Hardeep (2008). Story Behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs that Changed the 20th Century. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0313341410.
- Schinder, S.; Schwartz, A. (2008). Icons of Rock. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0313338465.
- Taylor, Steve (2006). The A to X of Alternative Music. ISBN 978-0826473967.
- Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1440865787.
- ISBN 978-0-399-14399-1.
- ISBN 978-1409151258.
- Weidman, Richie (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. ISBN 978-0-446-69733-0.
- Moskowitz, David (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. ISBN 978-1440803390.
External links
- Waiting for the Sun at Discogs (list of releases)