Roadhouse Blues

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"Roadhouse Blues"
Roadhouse Blues.jpg
Single by the Doors
from the album Morrison Hotel
A-side"You Make Me Real"
ReleasedFebruary 1970 (1970-02)
RecordedNovember 4–5, 1969
StudioElektra Sound Recorders, Los Angeles
GenreBlues rock[1]
Length
  • 4:04 (album version)[2]
  • 3:49 (single version)
LabelElektra
Composer(s)The Doors
Lyricist(s)Jim Morrison
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"Runnin' Blue"
(1969) 		"Roadhouse Blues"
(1970) 		"Love Her Madly"
(1971)
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"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors, and appears on the 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[3] The song became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists.

Recording[]

The song was recorded over two days, from November 4 to 5, 1969. Producer Paul A. Rothchild insisted on several takes, some of which were included on the 2006 remastered version of the album.[4] Morrison, who was intoxicated during the sessions, flubbed several lyrics and kept repeating the phrase "Money beats soul every time".[5]

There was more progress on the second day when venerable guitarist Lonnie Mack (then employed as an Elektra Records A&R representative) joined in to play bass; Ray Neapolitan, the regular bassist during the Morrison Hotel sessions, was stuck in traffic.[4][6] Although there has been speculation that Mack also contributed the guitar solo, he confirmed that he had played bass and nothing else.[7] While Mack had stopped working as a professional musician at the time, he decided to return to his career following the session.[8]

Guitarist Robby Krieger is responsible for all guitar parts on "Roadhouse Blues"; Morrison shouts "Do it, Robby, do it!" (especially audible on the official audio proof of DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD where the single vocal track can be separated from other instruments) at the start of the guitar solo. Ray Manzarek switched from a Wurlitzer electric piano to a tack piano (the same type as used on the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations").[4] Ex-Lovin' Spoonful frontman John Sebastian contributed harmonica (listed as "G. Puglese" for contractual reasons).[4]

Alice Cooper claimed that he was the inspiration for the line "Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer", as stated on his Planet Rock morning show.[9]

Other versions[]

A live version appeared on the posthumous album An American Prayer and that same version can be heard again on In Concert and Greatest Hits. On this version, Morrison talks for a short while to a female audience member about his Zodiac sign and, with a sudden, ironic twist that causes the audience to erupt in laughter, denounces his belief in it. The song was also featured twice in the movie The Doors; the studio version in the film, and the aforementioned live version over the end credits.

A studio version of the song with John Lee Hooker sharing vocals with Morrison can be found on the 2000 tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors.[10] A studio rehearsal of the song with Ray Manzarek on lead vocals was recorded on May 6, 1969.[11] This version was finally released on The Soft Parade: 50th Anniversary Edition in 2019.[12] "Roadhouse Blues" was also performed by the surviving members and Eddie Vedder at the Doors' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1993.[13]

Personnel[]

The Doors

Additional musicians

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[14]
sales since 2009 		Gold 35,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Status Quo version[]

"Roadhouse Blues"
Roadhouse Blues (Quo).jpg
Promotional single by Status Quo
from the album Piledriver
Released1972 (1972)
GenreHard rock
Length7:26
LabelVertigo
Composer(s)The Doors
Lyricist(s)Jim Morrison

Status Quo, while touring in Bielefeld, Germany, in 1970,[15] heard the Doors' recording shortly after it was released. They were looking for a change of direction, away from their original psychedelic pop style, and were unsure about what to do; after hearing the song in a club, they enjoyed its 12-bar shuffle and thought it would be a good template for future original material.[16] The group recorded a studio version on the 1972 album Piledriver, with bassist Alan Lancaster taking the lead vocal and featuring an extra verse with three-part harmonies, which the Doors' recording did not have.[15] The lyrics differed from the original; for instance, "I should have made you" instead of "Ashen lady".[17] The track was released as a promotional single, with Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" on the B-side.[15]

The song was a regular feature of Quo's live setlist throughout the 1970s, its performance coming towards the end of the show. It was extended to allow a jam session in the middle, featuring snippets of other songs, including the traditional "The Irish Washerwoman" and "Shakin' All Over".[18][19] A 14-minute version appears as the final track on 1977's Live.[20] In 1992, the live album Live Alive Quo featured Roadhouse Medley, which blended other songs into the main Roadhouse Blues riff.[21]

"Roadhouse Blues" was revived for the "Frantic Four" tours in 2013.[22] In 2014, a deluxe reissue of Piledriver included a 15-minute live version, recorded in 1973.[23]

Personnel[]

Additional musicians

  • Bob Young – harmonica
  • Jimmy Horowitz – piano

References[]

Citations

  1. ^ Luhrssen & Larson 2017, p. 97.
  2. ^ Morrison Hotel (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1970. Back cover. EKS-75007.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "The Doors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Botnick, Bruce; Fricke, David (2006). Morrison Hotel (Remastered) (Album notes). The Doors. pp. 1, 3, 7.
  5. ^ Marcus 2012, p. 100.
  6. ^ Densmore 1990, p. 235.
  7. ^ CRL Chapter 05. November 1, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2016 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Cianci, Bob (February 11, 2010). "Robbie Krieger - The Doors' Distinctive Fret Master". Premiere Guitar.
  9. ^ "Jim Morrison Quoted Alice Cooper in 'Roadhouse Blues'". Uncut. July 10, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  10. ^ "Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  11. ^ The Soft Parade (50th Anniversary edition liner notes). The Doors. Rhino Records. 2019.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "The Doors: The Soft Parade – 50th Anniversary [Deluxe edition]". Thedoors.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "The Doors with Eddie Vedder Perform 'Roadhouse Blues'". Rockhall.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Italian single certifications – Doors – Roadhouse Blues" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 18, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Roadhouse Blues" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c Stroud 2017, p. 78.
  16. ^ Rossi, Parfitt & Wall 2005, p. 88.
  17. ^ "Roadhouse Blues". Status Quo. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  18. ^ Stroud 2017, p. 113.
  19. ^ D. Harrison, F. Welch & Adler, p. 291.
  20. ^ "Live! – Status Quo". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  21. ^ "Status Quo: Live Alive Quo". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Music review: Status Quo: The Frantic Four Ride Again, Manchester Apollo". The Independent. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Status Quo: Piledriver [Deluxe Edition]". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

Sources

  • Densmore, John (1990). Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors. Delacorte Press. ISBN 978-0-385-30033-9.
  • D. Harrison, Scott; F. Welch, Graham; Adler, Adam (2012). Perspectives on Males and Singing. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-9-400-72660-4.
  • Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1440835148.
  • Marcus, Greil (2012). The Doors. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-27996-8.
  • Rossi, Francis; Parfitt, Rick; Wall, Mick (2005). XS All Areas: The Status Quo Autobiography. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-41962-8.
  • Stroud, Graeme (2017). Status Quo: Song by Song. Fonthill Media.

External links[]

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