'Ballads Before the Rain'
What The Critics Say
Most rock & roll fans associate the title "Love Her Madly" with the Doors' hit from 1971, especially when the former keyboardist of the band Ray Manzarek is involved. In the case of this Oglio release, Love Her Madly has nothing to do with the Doors, but it is the title of both a film and soundtrack produced by Manzarek along with Bruce Hanifan. Manzarek is a noted fan of film noir, so it should come as no surprise that both the movie and soundtrack follow that dark shadowy tradition while doing an admirable job injecting electronica and techno into the musical mix. There is a tricky aspect that goes along with composing for film. The listener is aware that the music was written with a specific scene in mind, but without access to those visuals, the listener often feels left out. That's not the case with Love Her Madly, since Manzarek and Hanifan approached the score knowing that it should not only enhance what's on the screen but also provide an enjoyable listening experience sans visuals. While Manzarek and Hanifan composed and performed the whole of this set, they engaged the assistance of guitarists Gregg Montane and another former member of the Doors Robbie Krieger. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
'The Doors: Myth and Reality'
What The Critics Say
A brilliant idea that could have gone on to be a benchmark in terms of spoken word histories, this pilot release from the ill-fated Monster Sounds label showcases Doors keyboardist and musical architect Ray Manzarek laying out the band's story with great recall and an entertaining flow. Interviewed and produced by West Coast music journalist/historian Harvey Kubernik, this double CD allows Manzarek a great opportunity to lay out the Doors' story with fabulous detail, and includes some very interesting and little-told stories, particularly about the formation of the band as well as the relationship between Manzarek and Jim Morrison. It's a shame that this format wasn't taken to an even higher level, for despite Kubernik's excellent interview and Manzarek's skill as a speaker, the series was, sadly, short-lived. The CD also contains an excellent new instrumental by Manzarek titled "All Men Are Created Equal." ~ Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is a staggeringly different piece of music for those who only know the Ray Manzarek of "Light My Fire" or "L.A. Woman" fame. The 1983 collaboration with Philip Glass and Kurt Munkacsi holds many revelations. As the post-Morrison Doors splintered off into various side projects, Manzarek's notable The Golden Scarab and The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control to the Krieger/Densmore schizophrenic unit known as the Butts Band, as well as guitarist Krieger's jazz-flavored solo discs, the journeymen musicians opened windows beyond the music of the Doors. Carmina Burana's power emerges from the fusion of musical forms, heralded by Manzarek's sincere approach to the project. The liner notes give an explanation of German composer Carl Orff's rediscovery in 1935 of the Medieval poems found in 1803 from 13th century "renegade monks and wandering poets." The modern-day minstrels that Manzarek and Glass are add a contemporary twist to the music Allen Lannon helped bring to America in 1954, when it was first performed on these shores in Boston. There are seven primary musicians who back the chorus, which features ten principal singers conducted by Michael Riesman. The music is intense, evocative, and highly spiritual, with Larry Anderson's drums adding something the rebels from hundreds of years ago would probably be proud of. A four-page pink booklet with Latin and English translations comes with the vinyl LP, and it's all wrapped up in an old-world-meets-new-world setting, including illustration by Hieronymus Bosch, his work previously showing up in rock & roll on Deep Purple's self-titled Tetragrammaton release, itself a pretty heady production. Ray Manzarek's Carmina Burana went out of print after its 1983 vinyl release on A&M, and the artist expressed hope in a January 2002 interview that the music would be re-released on CD. It's too good to remain in the shadows as a cult item, traded on E-Bay or fetching high prices at record shows. It was the popularity of the Doors which gave their keyboard player the opportunity to record such a beautiful and compelling work, and hopefully that significance will lead to these 16 selections finding a wider audience. As an educational tool, it is exquisite; as a listening experience, it is a tremendous addition to the Doors' library. Manzarek's own father liked it, which pleased the artist very much. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
'The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's out of Control'
What The Critics Say
Ray Manzarek's 1974 follow-up to his excellent The Golden Scarab (A Rhythm Myth) from the same year finds producer Bob Brown stepping into Bruce Botnick's shoes. Over 40 minutes of music from the Doors' keyboard player expands the excellent concepts initiated by the Doors' Other Voices and Full Circle albums, with the thread continuing on the aforementioned The Golden Scarab. The title track was composed by Manzarek, manager Danny Sugarman, and journeyman guitarist Dick Wagner, fresh from his stint in the Lou Reed's Rock & Roll Animal Band and right before he would co-author hits by Alice Cooper. Flo & Eddie provide backing vocals on the two-minute-and-33-second title song, the shortest on the disc. "I Wake up Screaming" resembles music from An American Prayer, and indeed, it's a poem by James Douglas Morrison featuring an early performance by poetess Patti Smith. With so much depth and intrigue here, Polygram Records deciding to take three tracks from this album and tag them on the end of a 1994 re-release of The Golden Scarab deprived Manzarek and Doors fans of the full scope of this work. The complete sessions from both projects in one package would be appropriate. "Bicentennial Blues" could be an outtake from Other Voices and features Manzarek at his most Doorsy, especially when the long keyboard solo in this nearly eight-minute track gets the tonal quality and riffs from "Light My Fire." Had the three Doors continued their musical journey together, this important music may have found a wider audience -- it definitely grooves. Where Larry Carlton performs on The Golden Scarab (A Rhythm Myth), Eagles/James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh shows up here, as do Steve Forman -- percussion player with Marty Balin among many others -- and Paul Davis. It's an interesting musical mix, with Manzarek indulging in all sorts of keyboard instruments and synthesizers. He's flanked by enough equipment on the back cover to stock a music store, but refrains from drenching the disc in those sounds, as Gary Wright would with 1976's Dream Weaver. Rock meets jazz here on "Perfumed Garden" and other tracks, providing a unique glimpse of one of rock & roll's most enduring characters. "The Gambler" moves with authority, while the quirky instrumental "Whirling Dervish," co-written with Paul Davis, keeps the momentum and is chock-full of the creative sparks Manzarek always provides. "Begin the World Again" is thought-provoking and entertaining, as is this entire disc. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More than Full Circle and Other Voices, The Golden Scarab is the best embodiment of the Doors by one of the three surviving members, and it is amazing it wasn't a huge underground smash. With mentions of moonlight drives, tightrope rides, and titles of past Doors tunes in "The Solar Boat," drummer Tony Williams, guitarist Larry Carlton, bassist Jerry Scheff, and producer Bruce Botnick generate an eerie sound behind the singer, creating a title track as mysterious and fun as anything by Morrison and company. With intense rhythms and tons of creativity, Ray Manzarek brings us on a musical journey as unique as The Phantom's Divine Comedy, and if Robbie Krieger brought the commercial element to the Doors' gravy train, it is clear here that the eldest of the quartet had more a hand in the development of the Doors persona than he may have been given credit for. One can't fault Krieger and John Densmore for stretching out with Butts Band, but there is a certain responsibility hit artists should have to their audience. The Bright Midnight releases finally address those concerns, but decades before the opening of the Doors tape vaults, that sound from L.A. Woman was most obvious on "The Purpose of Existence Is?" on this solo effort. Yes, Ray Manzarek veers off into his jazz leanings; given the players on this, how could he not? But he gives enough of a taste of past glories to make The Golden Scarab accessible, spoon feeding his musical styles to those who couldn't get enough of the music he was associated with. It's dramatic and cohesive, making more sense than Jim Morrison much of the time, with more controlled insanity. It is amazing that such a fine work as The Golden Scarab escaped the masses, and shameful that classic hits stations don't add this to their incessant repertoire. Had Jim Morrison lived, this is the path the music of the Doors should have taken. Smooth and demanding of repeated spins. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
