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The Doors

A Lifetime of Listening to Five Men
by Greil Marcus
The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Men. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Nov. 2011. c.240p. photogs. ISBN 9781586489458. $21.99. MUSIC
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The poetic lyrics and haunting melodies of the Doors created a distinctive sound in the 1960s, and the life and death of Jim Morrison, the charismatic, outrageous lead singer, have prompted numerous books and the Oliver Stone movie The Doors. Longtime fans will be excited to see new material written on the band but may be ultimately disappointed with this addition from well-known critic Marcus (Lipstick Traces; Invisible Republic). He attempts to focus solely on the music and present a new story, but his narrative is disjointed, as particular songs send him on rambling dissertations about everything from pop art exhibits to Charles Manson. VERDICT Doors fans will not find new material here. Better choices remain popular titles like Chuck Crisafulli's The Doors: When the Music's Over, Ray Manzarek's Light My Fire, and Stephen Davis's Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. Still, completists will be looking for Marcus's latest. [See Prepub Alert, 5/23/11.]—Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL
The poetic lyrics and haunting melodies of the Doors created a distinctive sound in the 1960s, and the life and death of Jim Morrison, the charismatic, outrageous lead singer, have prompted numerous books and the Oliver Stone movie The Doors. Longtime fans will be excited to see new material written on the band but may be ultimately disappointed with this addition from well-known critic Marcus (Lipstick Traces; Invisible Republic). He attempts to focus solely on the music and present a new story, but his narrative is disjointed, as particular songs send him on rambling dissertations about everything from pop art exhibits to Charles Manson.
VERDICT Doors fans will not find new material here. Better choices remain popular titles like Chuck Crisafulli's The Doors: When the Music's Over, Ray Manzarek's Light My Fire, and Stephen Davis's Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. Still, completists will be looking for Marcus's latest. [See Prepub Alert, 5/23/11.]—Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL
Reviewed by Barry Zaslow , Oct 01, 2011
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