There are
not many individuals that have truly changed the course of music as we know it,
so few who are such an integral part of any band as Ray Manzarek was to The Doors.
Together with Jim Morrison, John Densmore and Robby Krieger, he helped to change
the sound of the sixties and left behind a wonderful catalogue of music that is
not likely to fade away.
I remember
the first time I heard the Doors, my guitar player Nick and I were sitting in
his room, he put on the L.A. Woman Vinyl and we smoked some shwag weed and that
record blew our fuckin minds. I mean, here is a guy who played rock n roll with
so much soul that the record practically was dripping wet with it. From then
on, we spent our days interpreting the Doors works and doing our best renditions
of the all songs from that album.
Until I
heard that album, I had never known blues music could be so dynamic. One thing
that was so unique about The Doors was the fact that they completely omitted
the role of the bass player throughout most of their career. Even so, Ray Manzareck almost single handedly
influenced how I approach bass guitar. Before I ever knew he played all the
bass lines on his Fender Rhoads with his left hand, I remember trying to copy those
riffs on my old Washburn. His Coltrane inspired work on Light my fire, his
haunting bass riff on Riders on the Storm, the way his melody lines and tight
rhythms tied everything together like the Dudes rug, I was even trying to mimic
his organ sounds on my guitar , albeit unsuccessfully at the time. By opening
the doors of musical perception, their self-applied moniker was to be more
prophetic and appropriate than they could have known.
Underneath
the mysticism and mysterious veneer, was the music that captures the soul of
the beatnik poets and blended it with the peace and love ethics of the hippie
movement. While Jim Morrison may have been the face of The Doors, Manzarek was
the sound. Ray embodied so much of what made the Doors so unique. Baroque,
classical, jazz, blues, Cabaret, Chamber music- all of this is heard in his style.
Blend that with Jim Morrison’s LSD induced poetry and Robby Krieger’s jazz and
blues laden guitar riffs, add a healthy dose of John Densmore on percussion and
you get the sound of the Venice Beach summer in California in 1965 and with
that sound, they changed the world of music forever.
Together, they accomplished a sound
and feel that had never before been accomplished or since replicated. And to
think none of it would have happened if not for one chance encounter in Venice
Beach between Morrison and Manzareck in the summer of ’65 in which Jim remarked
he had been writing songs. Manzarek heard Jim sing an a capella version Moonlight
Drive and that was it. They put a band together. The rest is history.
Looking back
in reflection I realize I don’t have the adequate words to describe the man and
his music. Ray Manzareck was perhaps most innovative creators of rock in the
mid to late 60’s and his melodies are forever with us. The man inspired legions
of musicians and added a distinct sound that helped to define the 1960’s. Even
now, my grief unfolds and I realize how intimately I knew the man through his
unique music. Thank you for creating my summers and letting me know what music
can be when we are fearless in pursuit of our muse.
Ray Manzarek died after a long battle with Bile Duct cancer Sunday
night at 9:15 pm in Germany. If there is comfort to be found, it’s that he no
longer suffers firm that horrible disease. He was 72 years of age. HE is
survived by his wife Dorothy and his son Pablo.
