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The Doors or The Byrds


myshkin

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Bit of an American version of The Beatles Stones thing that seemed to be a popular dividing line in times of yore. The Doors are a band I used to listen to a lot in smoke filled days a few years back but who I never really listen to now. A chance listen to a Best Of a few days ago left me decidedly unimpressed. Though The End still sounded great allowing for the silly Freudian "Father I want to kill you, mother I want to ....". However The Byrds a band who've grown in my estimation, with particular mention to the awesome Eight Miles High and Notorious Byrd Brothers, one of the great albums by anyone. Especially flawless in the sense of being an album that fits together perfectly from beginning to end. With special mention off the top of this entity I call my head, to Draft Morning and Change is Now. SO in case anyone is in doubt that means i choose The Doors...I mean The Byrds.

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I vote for the Doors, The Soft Parade, When the Music's Over, great epic length songs, great studio recordings that stand the test of time.

 

Chestnut Mare by the Byrds makes me want to tear my hair out.

Give me Dylan's version of Tambourine Man and My Back Pages any day.

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Originally posted by Trick

Is there a better line in rock than "I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer"? That said why one or the other? I enjoy both. Also while Jim Morrison was probably a major tool he was blessed with one of the greatest rock voices ever.

 

 

Well obviously there is no necessity for choosing one over the other, but it does seem to be a fairly interesting comparison for certain reasons...rock/pop etc. Also where would pointless music discussion be without these kind of questions

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Originally posted by myshkin

Well obviously there is no necessity for choosing one over the other, but it does seem to be a fairly interesting comparison for certain reasons...rock/pop etc. Also where would pointless music discussion be without these kind of questions

 

 

Totally agreed and if I had to choose just one, I'd probably have to go with the doors. :p

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I really can't fathom comparing these two bands. To me they are so remarkably different from one another. Each offering something the other couldn't. Both were necessary, revelant and influencial. Obviously history hasn't treated the Byrds as well as the doors, but that doesn't make em any less influencial or important.

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Originally posted by Jimbroni

I really can't fathom comparing these two bands. To me they are so remarkably different from one another. Each offering something the other couldn't. Both were necessary, revelant and influencial. Obviously history hasn't treated the Byrds as well as the doors, but that doesn't make em any less influencial or important.

 

 

Where would pointless music discussion be without these kind of questions? If I were to ask you your favourite albums ever, would you say what's the point in comparing one album to another that is utterly different? And ultimately there probably is little point. But still... I'd probably disagree though on influence. I could pick out The Smiths and The Stone Roses, for example, as influenced by The Byrds, but I'd struggle to pick great bands with much influence by The Doors. As for comparing them on other grounds, what about the attitude to creating works of art. I'd describe The Byrds as much more classical in terms of a succinct , well-crafted work with every note counting, whereas The Doors are more drawn out, and that to me now is less-satisfying. There are similar reasons The Beatles are so great- no padding going on, everything very much to the point.

So having said that, it seems to me there probably are good reasons to compare artists to each other.

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I agree with myshkin. The Byrds have stood the test of time better than the Doors, more bands cite them as influences, and more of their DNA can be traced to modern bands. Though the Doors were more experimental at the time, you tend to credit them more for their courageous approach rather than the stuff that came from the process.

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I listened to both about equally all those years ago, but now I see the Byrds as basically having a richer, more varied, more meaningful and influential output. Definitely more musically sophisticated and experimental.

 

But for pure soul and heat, the Doors have buckets of more sweat and testosterone.

 

So I don't see them as interchangeable parts.

 

Thinking of the two bands, I can't keep from reflecting on Hendrix and how he pulled off both the brit-influenced, psychedelic/experimental thing WITH oohgahs of sweat and testosterone -

 

and he made it look easy, too. :cool:

 

nat whilk ii

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Neither were seminal influences for me, but I'd say I generally prefer The Byrds. I've grown more sympathetic to the Doors in my old age (when I was younger, I loathed them; thought they sounded like a toy band; now I think toy bands sound pretty cool).

 

re: SoCal rock, frankly, I was more influenced by the first few James Gang albums...or at least their 2-record greatest hits set.

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Doors for me,

 

Had a hippie baby sitter back in seventy eight, brought up on a healthy diet of Doors, Zep and Floyd.

 

I honestly never was immersed in the Byrds, so am certainly biased. This thread makes me want to go back and check them out (someone please give me three or four songs I should check that proves their point) .

 

For me, lifelong Doors memories:

- keyboard solo on light my fire, every single note is perfect...

- densmore on absolutely live, lots of good stuff, basic, but strong and dynamic

- kreiger on LA Woman

- the mention of "woke up this morning and I got myself a beer, the future's uncertain and the end is always near" is pretty much a perfect example of Morrison's contribution to rock n roll....

 

Seems I'm a fan of the Byrds disciples (Stone Roses / Smiths), however I'm definitely unfamiliar with their work, someone please throw me a bone.

 

EZ

Dahkter

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