THE BASS-DRUMS DIALOGUE IN THE DOORS’ “RIDERS ON THE STORM”

 

The Doors' famous song, "Riders on the Storm", released on the L.A. Woman LP in April 1971, drifts through the gloomy, hypnotic spirals of a fascinating rhythm section.

The latter consists of John Densmore's drums and the electric bass of session musician Jerry Scheff, who was hired specifically for the album's recordings.

The interplay between the two musicians strongly characterizes this seven-minute composition: their instruments blending together in a close and effective sound collaboration.

Their musical dialogue moves with steady circumspection, weaving a rhythmic path dominated by somber colors and a uniform cadence.

This gives the song an atmosphere of dark tension, expressed vividly through restless bass notes and the measured simmering of the drums.

According to an interview with Ray Manzarek, it was the band's keyboardist that devised the repeated and ingenious bass line that runs through this piece with intense stubbornness.

He developed it through his familiarity with the Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, a small keyboard that emulates the frequencies of the electric bass. He mostly played it during concerts with his left hand while his right hand played the electric organ.

Once the eight-note bass line was defined, it was given to Jerry Scheff. The bassist translated its insistent pacing into a tight and repeated phrasing.

In the final mix, the evocative undercurrent created by the main bass part is perceived as the indistinct approach of an imminent danger rather than being distinctly audible.

This “feeling expressed through music” technique, is one of the most remarkable features of "Riders on the Storm," permeating its structure with an intangible aura of deep mystery.

The drums build their progression on two parallel motions. The first is delineated by the ride cymbal, whose sound is spiced up by small nails affixed to its bronze surface.

This produces a faint, incessant sizzle: shimmering and enigmatic vibrations that resonate in assonance with the rain effect heard throughout the track.

The second percussive element is the synchronized use of the snare and bass drums, which provide an unchanging accompaniment during most of the composition. It’s a regular, jolting, low-toned commentary on the sound evolutions that follow one another in the song.

Occasional changes in Densmore's path are heard in the bridge (for example, from 1:22 to 1:27) and in the refrain (for example, from 1:32 to 1:37). Anyway, these are brief episodes, although made valuable by expressive interventions played on the tom-toms and floor-tom, which immediately give way to the prevailing pacing.

The bongos complement the rhythmic interweaving of the electric bass and drums, sinking into the overall arrangement so much that they are almost imperceptible.

The muffled, rounded flickers generated by this Afro-Cuban percussion instrument were overdubbed by Densmore and became more apparent in the last part of the tune (from minute 4:51 to minute 6:20).

In the context of this track, the bongos play a merely decorative role; however, they enrich and punctuate the rhythmic pattern of the drums with an understated, vaguely exotic nuance that is not at all misplaced.

This conversation between the electric bass and the drums cloaks "Riders on the Storm" with its distinctive mysterious and shadowy atmosphere.

Moreover, this creative dialogue's darkly charming nature is enhanced by three elements: the song's lyrics, Jim Morrison's singing, and the sampled storm.

Densmore and Scheff constructed a rhythmic setting that propels this composition into new and interesting musical landscapes, which the band unfortunately failed to explore due to Morrison's untimely death six months after recording this alluring tune.

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”

About "Riders On The Storm" on this blog:

The Doors' "Riders On The Sotrm": a trip through Ray Manzarek's solo

The Doors' "Riders On The Storm": how the rain effect is used