One of the disappointing aspects of Morrison Hotel- and by no means confined solely to this album- is the often dreary nature of the lyrics. Cliches abound and, though fans of the band would certainly disagree, Jim Morrison is no poet. He also seems obsessed with the word 'girl' and unable to write a song without it. 'Blue Sunday' captures both these points well, with Morrison at his most uninspiring: "My girl is mine/she is the world/she is my girl".
In contrast is the excellent musicianship and creativity demonstrated on the majority of the songs. A few of these, namely 'You Make Me Real', 'The Spy' and 'Maggie M'Gill', it should be said, are average. However the rest of the album is of a very high standard. 'Roadhouse Blues', the perfect travelling song, is a really great opener. Then, as if to demonstrate that The Doors are not a one-dimensional band, comes 'Waiting for the Sun', which is subtle as the previous song is direct.
There are some other excellent moments on Morrison Hotel too. The funky 'Peace Frog' refers, in part, to Morrison's violent arrest by police at a New Haven concert in 1969: "Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven." This wonderfully segues into the dreamy 'Blue Sunday', a haunting (albeit unoriginal) love song, of which Morrison's singing is an obvious highlight. Then there's 'Ship of Fools', a catchy song reminiscent of the classic 'Love Her Madly'.
Morrison Hotel should prove two things if nothing else- The Doors can write excellent songs and Jim Morrison is not God (even if they did name a hotel after him). Although there are some weaknesses on this record, it is a lot better than a lot of other albums.
RATING: 7.5/10
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