Strange Days is the second studio album by rock band The Doors, released on September 25, 1967, by Elektra Records. After the successful release of The Doors, the band started experimenting with new and old material as well in early 1967 for this second record. Upon release, Strange Days reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned RIAA platinum certification. It contains the two Top 30 hit singles, People Are Strange and Love Me Two Times.
Strange Days incorporates various instruments, from the marimba to the Moog synthesizer, which has been described as one of the first uses of the synthesizer in the history of rock music. The synthesizer contribution was programmed with the help of Paul Beaver and performed by singer Jim Morrison. Session musician Doug Lubahn occasionally played bass during the album’s recording.
Strange Days has been described alternately by music critics as acid rock, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock, or simply psychedelia; Barney Hoskyns labeled it as “post-psychedelic pop”. Several of the album’s songs had been written around the same time as the ones that appeared on The Doors. Two (My Eyes Have Seen You and Moonlight Drive) had been demoed in 1965 at Trans World Pacific Studios before Robby Krieger joined the group; Indeed, the latter had been conceived by Morrison prior to his fateful reunion with Manzarek in the summer of 1965. Although the song was attempted twice during the sessions for the band’s debut, both versions were deemed unsatisfactory. A conventional blues arrangement, Moonlight Drive features a defining slightly off-beat rhythm and Krieger’s bottleneck guitar, which create an eerie sound.
Tracklist:
Side A:
1.- Strange Days
2.- You’re Lost Little Girl
3.- Love Me Two Times
4.- Unhappy Girl
5.- Horse Latitudes
6.- Moonlight Drive
Side B:
1.- People Are Strange
2.- My Eyes Have Seen You
3.- I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind
4.- When The Music’s Over
The Doors:
Jim Morrison: vocals, moog synthesizer on Strange Days
Ray Manzarek: keyboards, marimba, harpsichord on Love Me Two Times
Robby Krieger: guitar
John Densmore: drums
Additional musicians:
Doug Lubahn: bass guitar (except on Unhappy Girl, Horse Latitudes and When the Music’s Over)
Paul Beaver: moog synthesizer programming on Strange Days
Technical:
Paul A. Rothchild: production
Bruce Botnick: engineering
Joel Brodsky: cover photography
William S. Harvey: cover concept and art direction
