"Riders on the Storm"

There seems to be a healthy debate concerning the Doors and particularly, Jim Morrison's status as a cult god. Was he an unutterable wanker who faithfully inflated his own sense of self-importance before expiring in a haze of his own overextended imagination? Or was he really a poet-genius who simply couldn't control his impulses? When the Doors were restrained, when they held themselves in check and when Morrison wasn't allowed to run riot, they were a pretty damn decent band. This track is probably the best example of low-key Doors, minus the Ghormenghast of Morrison's indulgences (such as "The End"), or their occasional forays into straight-ahead rock. It's almost jazz in some ways, delicate keyboards and a gentle but insistent beat, and you can almost forget the lyric as the melody swirls around you like smoke in a crowded club. This really works.