Search - Various Artists :: Stoned Immaculate: Music of the Doors

I wish I could give this 5 stars...

Dustin H. | Indpls, IN | 11/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the Doors tribute album I have so eagerly awaited. I am a huge Doors fan and maybe I expected the second coming of the Doors to happen on this disc. Unfortunately that doesn't happen. Not to say that this isn't a good album, but I just couldn't bear to hear Train hack up "Light My Fire." First of all, whoever the lead singer of Train is needs to sit down and smoke a few cigarettes and indulge in some Wild Turkey to rough up his prissy voice a little before even attempting to cover a Morrison classic. Second, Ray Manzarek was nowhere to be found on this song, and it was a sheer disappointment to not hear a new fabulous organ solo. Ok, enough venting about that...STP, Days of the New, and Creed all turn out fabulous renditions of the songs they cover, and Aerosmith hasn't sounded so raw since 1975! I expected more from Smash Mouth on "Peace Frog," and the pairing of John Lee Hooker's adlibs with Jim Morrison's pre-recorded vocals on "Roadhouse Blues" seem a little out of place. This disc really shines on the "new" Doors material. None of it is really new, though. The new material features new, haunting intrumentals of Doors classics not covered by other bands on the compilation played by the surviving members of the band. Jim himself, William Burroughs, and a few others recite miscellaneous lines of poetry over the familiar melodies that make you wonder where the Doors could be now had Jim not died. Please don't expect a complete Doors revival from Stoned Immaculate:The Music of the Doors. Give it a few listens to let it all sink in, and enjoy..."

Good Tribute, Could Have Been Better.

Mr. Fellini | El Paso, Texas United States | 03/03/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Doors remain one of the most influential bands of all time and so it seems fitting that big names like Creed, Stone Temple Pilots and Aerosmith would pay them tribute, and they do it with flare and gusto. The album is a great exhibit of the theater, poetry and sound The Doors brought to rock music. Yet, this album could have been much more. First let's look at the performances. Stone Temple Pilots open the album with a stylish, energetic "Break On Through" that serves as great modernization of the song but also a loving homage to the original. One of the band's stellar tracks (especially when you look at their recent material). Creed follows with another masterful cut, their "Riders On The Storm" pulses and builds, it is a perfect hybrid of the Creed sound and Doors spirit. Robby Krieger here adds a great slide guitar solo. Train kills the mood with a horrible "Light My Fire" that totally loses the timeless essence of the original and makes the lame assumption it is nothing more than a hippie tune. Smash Mouth delivers a fun "Peace Frog" that keeps the spirit of the original with a little modern fusion of what one can see as hip-hop and semi-Punk feels. Days Of The New also delivers with an exhilarating, edgy "L.A. Woman" (eventhough I would have preferred Iggy Pop here considering he was the original rumored name for this song). Aerosmith burns and grinds with an awesome "Love Me Two Times" that stands as the best cover of this song ever performed. The Cult proves to be a metal band of great magnitude with "Wild Child," a burning cover that retains the tribal feel of the original. Ian Astbury delivers one of the best vocals on the record. Some have given a bad look towards the combination of John Lee Hooker's vocals with Jim Morrison's for "Roadhouse Blues," this is not a bad track though. It's a great blues jam with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea on bass. William S. Burroughs delivers his last recording here, the grandfather of Punk reads a loving homage to Morrison in the form of his poetry. Oleander (whatever happened to them?) gives a not so-great "Hello I Love You" (U2 would have been perfect here). Ian Astbury of The Cult performes an unwanted "Touch Me" while Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and Exene Cervenka of X read some more Morrison poetry (why not sing a duet?) while Bo Diddley presents a rather boring "Love Her Madly." Days Of The New finish with a rather fresh, alsmost hypnotic "The End." It seems that the first half of the album works while the second feels lazier. Oh, the Burroughs track is great and "The End" rocks, but do we honestly want "Touch Me?" Why not "People Are Strange," "The Crystal Ship" or "When The Music's Over?" Even a Blondie "Moonlight Drive" would be welcome. "Five To One" was recorded by Marilyn Manson but was kept to be used a B-side for his "Holy Wood" album (great track too). "Under Waterfall" and "The Cosmic Movie," remixes of Doors samples are interesting, but not as interesting as it would have been to see maybe U2 or Pearl Jam deliver a track. If one looks at the current Ramones tribute album, one sees what this one was missing: More bands performing. Hell, where's Jim Carroll? Iggy Pop is sorely missed as well as all of X and Jane's Addiction, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Garbage could've done a track. The plain truth is, a fanatic Doors fan like myself expects more from people who supposedly want to keep Jim Morrison's legacy alive (is Bo Diddley really the best way to introduce "Love Her Madly" to a new audience?). I say a re-make is needed, Danny Sugerman and Ray Manazarek, the most feverent keepers of the flame, should've thought of more to add. Reportedly, a new Doors album is in the works, let's hope some of the mentioned abscentees can make it."

A Rousing Success

Jonathan M. Butler | Cleveland, USA | 12/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me start by saying I'm 18 years old so I can't claim to possess the amazing Doors experience that some of the older fans received by actually seeing them in person. All I have is the albums (and the bootlegs wink, wink), and along with Zeppelin and Aerosmith I consider them the Holy Trinity of Rock N Roll. Encomium is the tribute cd by which all others should be measured, so how does this hold up? Pretty darn well I must say! Several good points were raised regarding some of the weaker points on the album, which is why I didnt give it a five. I'm not too familiar with Train, but wow, they just butchered "Light My Fire". I happened to like the Smashmouth version of "Peace Frog." It seemed to be just the right merging of pop music and that Morrison vibe we all love. Yeah, some of the sampled stuff is a bit unnecessary, but look at the high points: STP's cover of "Break on Through" is a sonic assault that currently has me questioning which lead singer I like singing it better, the highest compliment to a cover I can give. Creed's arrangement of "Rider's on the Storm" transforms a mellow song into a rising crescendo much in the vein of "Stairway to Heaven." Outstanding stuff! Other highlights include Aerosmith's raw "Love Me Two Times," the hard-hitting "Wild Child" performed by Ian Astbury of the Cult, and Bo Diddly turning in a funked out intepretation of "Love Her Madly." As it states within the liner notes, this is an influences album, and any fan of The Doors should buy this just to see how omnipresent Jim and the gang truly are in today's music scene."