"The End" is one of the greatest achievements of the greatest artist period of the 20th century

Ridiculously overrated.

How old are you? How many times have you listened to it? Have you ever listened to it during a particularly disturbing yet beautiful period of your life at about 11:30 PM in a car and at a loud volume?

greatest artist period of the 20th century is like saying greatest religious thinker of the middle ages

it's not even the best The End

I'm a teacher in my 33rd year in the classroom.

Every year in June, there are 3 songs that I play on my way home from school for the last time:

"The End" by the Doors

"The Song is Over" by the Who

"F**k School" by the Replacements

I've been listening to The End when the school year's over since 1968.

The Doors are very overrated. I will not say they aren't good, they are, but very overrated.

It wasn't even until that tacky Oliver Stone movie that they were given so much attention.

I will add that like the OP, I too had some pretty good times with the Doors, but I never considered them to be anything more than they were.

C'mon, go check out The White Album or Graceland or Catcher in the Rye.

Think of them what you will, but The Doors got a LOT of attention before Oliver Stone's movie.

Usher wrote:

I'm a teacher in my 33rd year in the classroom.

Every year in June, there are 3 songs that I play on my way home from school for the last time:

"The End" by the Doors

"The Song is Over" by the Who

"F**k School" by the Replacements

I've been listening to The End when the school year's over since 1968.

Well, isn't that trite.

To the OP, it's one of the greatest achievements of one of the most overrated artists of the 20th century. Good song, but don't get carried away. Wasn't it in Apocalypse Now?

Intergalactic wrote:

How old are you? How many times have you listened to it? Have you ever listened to it during a particularly disturbing yet beautiful period of your life at about 11:30 PM in a car and at a loud volume?

I'm 46. I've listened to that song more times than I can count. Like the rest of the Doors stuff, it is terribly overrated. Good music and I like it but to call it one of the "greatest achievements of the greatest artist period of the 20th Century" is to demonstrate a breathtaking ignorance of music.

You need to get out more.

Pad Berson wrote:

Think of them what you will, but The Doors got a LOT of attention before Oliver Stone's movie.

Exactly. Maybe that is when the poster first heard of them or something, who knows.

It is hip to say the Doors and Jim Morrison were overrated, it's the thing to do. Sure Morrison had some hokey "poetry", but he also had some flat out amazing lyrics, at least as good as any of the great bands in history. And the rest of the band were quite good, and they had a unique sound.

Look, familiarity breeds contempt, and overexposure kills the enjoyment of most music. If the Doors had recorded all the works in secret, and no one ever heard of them, and then tomorrow it was all released for the first time, people would be going ga ga over them. And that's true of any great 60's/70's band. But by now we've all heard the songs 10000000 times, so.... one's mind becomes a bit immune to their magic. That's just the way it goes.

I'd have to go with this 'The End' as the greater artistic achievement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ddZU5Ipqg&feature=related

And in the end, the love you take

is equal to the love you make

God, the Doors suck. Self-important kitsch.

Try seeking out some bands from the 60's and 70's that don't get played at frat parties and on classic rock radio. Great music, just none of it commercial. The Doors will look like the shit they are when you check out these bands:

Velvet Underground

Television

Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Joy Division

Buzzcocks

NY Dolls

Big Star

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers

The Dead Boys

The MC5 (second album)

Iggy and the Stooges

Gang of Four (better than the Clash - Entertainment is the best album of the 70's).

I've heard at least four of these bands at frat parties or on classic rock radio.

greater than great wrote:

I've heard at least four of these bands at frat parties or on classic rock radio.

You must have a cool frat or a good radio station.

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. I don't even think 'The End' is the Doors best song.

Jim Morrison was good, no doubt. But Greatest? He's not even in the same creative league as say a Hendrix or Lennon.

I'm not even sure that Morrison was the greatest artist in his own band. He wrote some poetry and sang but didn't know squat about music. Gotta give Manzarik and Krieger (spelling?) some respect.

Brian wrote:

God, the Doors suck. Self-important kitsch.

Try seeking out some bands from the 60's and 70's that don't get played at frat parties and on classic rock radio. Great music, just none of it commercial. The Doors will look like the shit they are when you check out these bands:

Velvet Underground

Television

Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Joy Division

Buzzcocks

NY Dolls

Big Star

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers

The Dead Boys

The MC5 (second album)

Iggy and the Stooges

Gang of Four (better than the Clash - Entertainment is the best album of the 70's).

The Stooges are my favorite band and I regularly listen to 4 or 5 of the other bands you named. The Doors still are one of my favorites too. Your musical tastes don't require you to be a prick.

"Greatest artist period" my ass!

The generation that would change the world? They're still looking for their car keys!

The NY Dolls were a cute idea but musically, they pretty much blew.

Thunders is a great guitar player. I would love to have seen a live Dolls performance in their prime. How can you not love Johnny Thunders? Musically blew? Whatever.