A Psych Tribute to the Doors

The Doors were among the inventors of psychedelia. Their first two albums, at minimum, fostered a lysergic sound that wasn’t afraid of catchy tunes in the process. Jim Morrison’s lyrics certainly turned Rimbaud and Celine into head consciousness in the ‘60s, but most of the band's psychedelic drama came from Robbie Krieger’s slide guitar, Ray Manzarek’s colorful organ runs, and John Densmore’s unorthodox drum patterns, which settled into tribal moves. This 2014 "psych tribute" to the band features an eclectic mix of groups warping out songs that were already at least subtly mutated. Dead Meadow’s “The Crystal Ship” is an immediate standout, made better by its lo-fi sense. The Sons of Hippies' version of “The Soft Parade” increases the weirdness with what feels like a camp version of the elaborate tune. Dead Skeletons take the 1971 track “Riders on the Storm” and move it back to 1967 with incredible results. Wall of Death do the impossible and re-energize “Light My Fire” for anyone weary of the song’s death grip on classic rock radio. The Raveonettes dismantle “The End.” Adventurous fans of The Doors should be intrigued.