Published on Aug 25, 2005
By the time Waiting for the Sun rolled around, the Doors had used up their original stash of material and were coping with stardom and Jim Morrison's increasingly odd behavior. While that would derail a lesser band, Waiting for the Sun is one of the group's stronger efforts, far better than Strange Days or the experimental The Soft Parade that followed one year later.
Sure, "Hello, I Love You" is a little annoying, but still fairly catchy. "Love Street" is decent but features the usual Morrison oddball lyrics ("She has robes and she has monkeys / Lazy diamond studded flunkies"). "Not to Touch the Earth" is a bit warped but still accessible; it is actually one part of the 20-minute "Celebration of the Lizard," which would show up in its finished form on the Legacy hits collection. This is the song where Morrison claims his title of Lizard King — the point where the listener realizes this is no longer the shy kid singing with his back to the crowd.
"Summer's Almost Gone" and "Wintertime Love" are just average, as is "Yes, the River Knows." They are redeemed by "Spanish Caravan," an incredible display of Robbie Kreiger's guitar skills, a flamenco piece that switches to electric guitar and keyboards halfway through, repeating the opening theme with psychedelic flourishes. It's a bizarre mix but it works well at creating a mood, and it comprises the approachable weirdness so unique to this band.
"The Unknown Soldier" is another semi-lost classic, starting with a creepy opening keyboard and adding on some fractured guitar/organ work under anti-war lyrics. The song breaks in the middle for a war scene, then reprises the opening minute and closes with increasingly loud repetitions of church bells and a jaunty guitar riff.
Finally, the album closer "Five To One" features Morrison snarling over a ridiculously easy drum beat (his request to John Densmore); it is as close to garage rock as the band ever got and is the birthplace of the famous "No one here gets out alive" lyric.
While a few boring Doors-by-number tracks keep this from being a classic, it still is one of the better Doors albums of the original six and is worth seeking out.