Album of the Day

By 1971, years of touring and battling controversy had left The Doors bloodied but unbowed, and by shaking things up a bit for their sixth studio set, the Los Angeles band came up with one of their most distinctive collections. L.A. WOMAN was cut at The Doors' workshop rather than at Sunset Sound, with former engineer Bruce Botnick stepping up to co-produce, and was for the most part recorded live. The band turned to the power of the blues for such songs as “Been Down So Long,” “Crawling King Snake” and the title track, though singles “Love Her Madly” and “Riders On The Storm” are equally compelling. The last album from the original quartet, the Top 10 L.A. WOMAN was released 50 years ago today, and shows the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers in peak form.