eMusic Review
Time, and rock critics, have not been kind to the Doors' third album. Yet, Waiting for the Sun was their only No. 1 long-player. The explanation probably lies in "Hello, I Love You," which also hit the top of the charts. But the song — an early effort by Morrison, inspired by an African-American beach babe he'd spotted in Venice — was derided by some as a rip-off of any number of Kinks songs (think "All Day and All of the Night"). Which makes Robby Krieger laugh. "We actually stole it from Cream's 'Sunshine of Your Love,'" he told me.
While some critics dismissed the new hit as a pop ditty, The Doors included a couple of songs that seemed to sound political notes. "Five to One" warned, "The old get old and the young get stronger…they got the guns but we got the numbers."
And then there was "The Unknown Soldier," which producer Paul Rothchild figured to be the album's big hit. It was a powerful anti-war statement, especially when it was acted out on stage, with Krieger "executing" Morrison with his guitar-as-rifle. But radio went, instead, for the safer, and somehow more familiar-sounding "Hello, I Love You."
