Rhino

RhinoThe Doors‘ fifth studio album, Morrison Hotel, was released 50 years ago this Sunday, February 9.

While the 11-track collection didn’t feature any hit singles, it does include the classic-rock staple “Roadhouse Blues,” plus such gems as “Waiting for the Sun,” “Peace Frog” and “Indian Summer.”

According to guitarist Robby Krieger, Morrison Hotel found The Doors taking a more simple, stripped-down approach following 1969’s more heavily produced Soft Parade.

“It was kind of a different experience for us,” Krieger noted during an interview at the recent NAMM music-equipment trade show. “Soft Parade…had the strings and horns and all that stuff, and it kind of got out of our control…So we wanted to make sure the next album…would just be us and our ideas.”

He added, “And we just had fun, you know? Just seemed like we did it…much quicker and it had a whole different feel to it.”

Almost half of the songs on Morrison Hotel were co-written by Krieger and singer Jim Morrison.

“At that time…Jim wasn’t really writing that much, but we’d find stuff in his poetry books, and I would write music to that,” Robby told to the media at The NAMM SHOW. “So, that was pretty fun.”

One example of this, Krieger said, was “Peace Frog,” whose lyrics were from a Morrison poem titled “Abortion Stories.”

“We said [to Jim], ‘Well, we can’t call it “Abortion Stories.” What do you want to call it?'” he recalled. “And he came up with ‘Peace Frog.’ Don’t ask me how.”

Morrison Hotel peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to sell more than a million copies in the U.S. Details of a planned deluxe 50th anniversary reissue are expected soon.

Here’s the album’s track list:

“Roadhouse Blues”
“Waiting for the Sun”
“You Make Me Real”
“Peace Frog”
“Blue Sunday”
“Ship of Fools”
“Land Ho!”
“The Spy”
“Queen of the Highway”
“Indian Summer”
“Maggie M’Gill”

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