Ray Manzarek, 1939-2013

"It sounds like music in black-and-white".

The devastating (to me) verdict of a twenty-something I'm lift-sharing with when I play her some Doors in 2004. Thankfully there are plenty of people who disagree: when I go to gigs by cover bands the audience is mostly young people.

As a teenager this was the second  rock band (The Who was the first) that really meant anything to me. I was blown away by the TV documentary 'The Doors are Open' in 1968, went out and bought 'Waiting for the Sun' and subsequently all of the Doors releases.

I was couple of years too young to have the chance of seeing the band, but hearing the live 1970 album (Absolutely Live) for the first time was probably the most exciting moment of my life at that point.

So the news of Ray Manzarek's death yesterday was very sad. There was a shock when Morrison died, but I knew very little about the band then, apart from the songs. Now, having been privileged to have seen Manzarek perform 4 times and seen and read every documentary and book I could find on the Doors, I know he was way cooler than Jim and his death is a genuine loss. (Not in the personal way that Jerry Garcia's death was a blow, but a loss nevertheless.) His keyboard work was a major component of the Doors's sound. His solo in Riders on the Storm is still the most trippy keyboard playing I've heard.

In honour of Ray I am playing all of my Doors albums, and am publishing a review of the Manzarek-Krieger band's 2003 gig at Wembley Arena.