THE DOORS' "STRANGE DAYS" LP HITS THE MARKET AND IT'S IN GOOD COMPANY

 

At the end of September 1967, The Doors released their second album, "Strange Days". It is still undoubtedly one of the best albums of all time in contemporary music.

However, this was not the only notable release of that month. In fact, the second LP by the Californian band was preceded by a whole month of significant discographic events.

We will cite four examples, imagining ourselves in an American or British record store at that momentous time for rock and pop rock music.

September 1967 began with the release of "Crusade" by John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers, which reached number 8 in the UK and number 136 in the US. It featured blues and rock blues tracks, both of which are exquisitely crafted by the group. Incidentally, Mayall had just recruited a very young and highly talented guitarist for this LP: Mick Taylor.

Shortly afterwards, "Procol Harum" was released, the debut LP by the band of the same name who had recently become famous with the single "A Whiter Shade of Pale". This excellent album can be classified as pop-rock, showcasing pleasant psychedelic elements and clear influences from Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited". It reached number 47 in the US and was released about two months later in England with a different track listing.

On 15 September 1967, ten days before the release of "Strange Days", a psychedelic masterpiece arrived on the market: the Kinks' "Something Else by the Kinks" (number 35 in the UK and number 153 in the US). While the album's atmosphere is filled with irresistible melodies and ironic magic, there are some quality lapses. However, among the 13 tracks, we can find some of the best examples in the history of the pop-rock genre.

The final release from September '67 is a single: "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave. It went to number 2 in the U.S.A. and number 24 in the U.K., completing a month of great releases and soon establishing itself as one of the cornerstones of soul music.

As we have seen, “Strange Days” was in good company during that wonderful September of 1967.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”