Ray Manzarek of The Doors has died at age 74

Cafe Society
1

I can’t find any news sources yet, but this was posted to The Doors’ Facebook page just as little bit ago.

2

I have an LP of an early techno version he did of Carmina Burana that I used to listen to quite a bit.

I remember he was not a fan of the Oliver Stone movie and said in an interview at the time that Kyle McLachlan (who played him) really needed to get stoned and relax if he wanted to be convincing on screen.

RIP.

3

he broke on through.

4

Damn.

I remember reading No One Here Gets Out Alive in high school; The Doors were the first real Rock band I ever got into deeply. They’ll always have a special place in the soundtrack of my youth.

5

I saw him live back in 2003, on the Doors “reunion tour” with Ian Astbury fronting. It was an amazing show and the world is lessened by his passing.

I’m going to crank up “When The Music’s Over” now in his memory.

6

This kind of news always makes me realize my own mortality more and more every day…

7

I have to really take issue with the notion that “Hello, I Love You” was in any way groundbreaking, musically or lyrically.

8

That news sucks, but man, people are getting old. The keyboards in Light My Fire were groundbreaking. Ray was an original who will never be forgotten.

9

Just cranked up Riders on the Storm in his honor.

RIP. :frowning:

10

The very first LP I ever bought with my own money was The Doors. I wore that sucker transparent.

RIP Ray.

11

Wow - another rock legend passes away. :frowning:
The Doors exploded into the music world at a time when rock and roll was seriously changing - and they fit right in.
Most people always talk about Jim Morrison being the major Doors influence but you have to admit that Ray Manzarek seriously contributed to their musicianship, songwriting, mentality, etc.
R.I.P. Ray

12

For me, the sound of the Doors was Ray Manzarek. Now, I personally wasn’t a big fan of the sound, but he had a clear, distinct voice as a musician and it’s rare, if ever, you witness a keyboardist sculpting the sound of a rock band as much as Manzarek did. Plus, he’s a good Polish Catholic boy from a couple neighborhoods over, so I gotta be proud! I’ll raise a glass in your honor tonight, Ray.

13

Well stated.

14

That’s an excellent point - the Doors were kind of an idiosyncratic band in that respect. From snippets and tidbits I’ve picked up over the years, I wonder if I would have liked him all that much as a person. He always seemed just a bit too impressed with himself.

But that said, I loved his sound. And he was also the guy who helped introduce the great LA punk band X to the world. Kudos to you Ray and RIP, you certainly left your mark.

15

May is shaping up to be a shitty month for musicians.

RIP Mr. Manzarek.

16

Ray Manzarek published his autobiography in the late 1990s. It was really good.

17

This is the end…

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Manzarek also played keyboards on Weird Al Yankovic’s song “Craigslist,” which was a style parody of the Doors’ music. He made an invaluable contribution towards recreating the Doors’ distinctive sound.

19

In the early 1980s, there was a Doors parody band called “Jimbo and the Lizard Kings”. :stuck_out_tongue:

Around that time, my dad asked my brother and me, who were in our late teens, how many of the other Doors were now dead. We replied, “None of them!” and that was true until today. :frowning:

20

If you turn it up loud enough you can hear the entire sound being whispered under the regular track. It get’s louder as the song goes on.