THE MUSICAL EVOLUTION OF THE DOORS' "YOU MAKE ME REAL" (1969-1970)

 

"You Make Me Real" by The Doors is a lively rock composition by Jim Morrison, derived from the rhythm and blues genre popular in England and the United States in the first half of the 1960s.

It belongs to the early period of the California based band and became part of the setlist of several concerts held by the quartet in Los Angeles in 1966 (here is the link to the article where I analyze the first available version of this tune, playied live at the London Fog).

Not being among the tracks recorded for the first album ("The Doors", recorded in the late summer of '66), the song gradually disappeared from the group's repertoire, being permanently shelved by the beginning of 1967 and replaced in live performances by other sound options.

After two and a half years of oblivion, we find "You Make Me Real" resurfacing on July 21, 1969, as part of The Doors' concert at the Aquarius Theatre in Los Angeles.

The moment was completely different from the one in which the song was originally conceived. Rock, which had since evolved in many directions, no longer considered the rhythm and blues paradigm that had marked its exciting beginnings in the mid-1960s.

Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore had also gone through relevant and multiple shifts in style, encountering both considerable public success and insidious shocks to their own inner stability along the way.

Bringing this multifaceted musical and personal baggage onstage, the band attempted to revive the piece by playing it live in their hometown in the summer of '69 (link here).

The result of this performance was ambivalent: the arrangement, essentially unchanged since '66, leaves a pleasant but not particularly incisive memory, and is used in both shows of that night as a transition between songs of greater depth.

At the Aquarius Theatre, the track is slightly extended than its original '66 length, the two electric guitar solos are more prominent thanks to a higher-quality recording, the main riff is modified in its final section, and Morrison's voice has taken on complex and intriguing nuances in the intervening years.

It all comes together in an engaging and energetic version, although the weight of the years is clearly felt on a composition born from the enthusiastic passion The Doors showed for rhythm and blues at the beginning of their career.

The show at the Aquarius Theatre brought the song back into circulation among the ideas of the four musicians, who considered it at the end of the same year for the album "Morrison Hotel" (recorded mainly in November-December 1969).

Better suited to the rock feel The Doors wanted to give to the LP, "You Make Me Real" was chosen over other available tracks, and thus was recorded for the first time on vinyl almost four years after it first appeared in the band's early live gigs.

The version included in "Morrison Hotel" (released in February 1970) is certainly the best known and the one that can be deemed the most convincing (link here).

The riff we can follow during the verse takes on a melodic shape with the addition of two flowing chords to the dry, percussive 1966 theme.

A riff that, stripped of its edgy aspect, is delineated by two instruments.

The first is Ray Manzarek's piano, modified by small iron objects placed on the strings (tack piano) to transform its original sound into that of a 1920s upright piano.

The second is Robby Krieger's electric guitar, whose performance is fragmented and made harsher by the distortion obtained through the fuzz pedal. This effect allows the guitarist to dominate the recording and drive the song, even during the chorus.

In addition, Krieger produces himself on two solos, dedicating their simple development to the eminent artistic figure of Chuck Berry.

John Densmore's drums move dynamically between the typical surf rock pattern (already used in the '66 version), while the creative line drawn by sessionman Ray Neapolitan's bass guitar fits perfectly into the song's direct, rhythmic mood.

The rock immediacy of "You Make Me Real" is interpreted by Jim Morrison's voice with amused fervor, using his unmistakable grave and abrasive timbre in the service of a powerful and passionate tone.

From min. 2.03 to min. 2.16 the singer also briefly mentions one of the vocal parts he already used in "Roadhouse Blues" ("Let it roll baby roll"), a composition recorded during the same weeks and included in the LP "Morrison Hotel" as well.

All in all, this is a thrilling vocal performance which raises the quality of song of perhaps insufficient artistic weight by the band's standards.

Released in March 1970 as the A-side of the only single from the "Morrison Hotel" LP, the track would only reach number 50 in the U.S. charts, failing to enter the UK charts.

Coinciding with the release of "Morrison Hotel," The Doors included "You Make Me Real" in the setlist of the concerts that would make up the promotional tour for the record itself.

We've chosen one such occasion (Detroit, May '70, link here) as representative of the last of the four existing versions of this song (1. London Fog, May '66; 2. Aquarius Theatre July '69; 3. "Morrison Hotel" late '69, 4. "Morrison Hotel" tour January-August '70).

From the slowed down tempo to the electric organ that replaces the modified piano, The Doors fail to top the album's recording here, leaving the song to slip away as a filler between other tunes more acclaimed by the audience.

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, ca, etc.

Here’s the link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”