THE DOORS' "RIDERS ON THE STORM": DEMO AND WORK IN PROGRESS VERSION
After the promotional tour for the LP “Morrison Hotel”, which lasted throughout the first half of 1970, and their performance at the Isle of Wight on August 29, ‘70, The Doors returned to Los Angeles for a few months of rest. The familiar surroundings and free time inspired the band to start working on songs that would eventually be included on their next album. In autumn 1970, the band met with producer Paul Rothchild, who had worked with them since their debut album, to see how he would react to these new compositions. Among them was "Riders on the Storm", an idea from singer Jim Morrison that the band developed collectively. At this early stage, the song was four and a half minutes long, shorter than the seven minutes of the final version. However, it was essentially complete in terms of instrumentation and lyrics ( link here ). The structure of the tune was also finalized: a verse, a bridge, and a short chorus that reprises the verse. Two solos punctuate the p...
