The Doors’ iconic late singer Jim Morrison will always be associated with the band through their golden years, and guitarist Robby Krieger seems to agree with this notion. In a recent interview with Goldmine, Krieger shared that, in the end, he regretted making music without a lead vocalist. According to him, they should have continued playing musically without trying to replace Morrison.
In the early ’70s, Morrison had taken a break from the band and moved to Paris with his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. Mind you, the guys were still waiting for his return so they could wrap up their next album ‘Other Voices.’ However, that never came to fruition as the lead singer tragically passed away in a bathtub when he was only 27.
After the tragic news, the remaining bandmates didn’t know what to do moving forward. They tried to find a new vocalist to replace their late frontman; however, no one worked out. By the end, Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek decided to take on the vocals themselves. They finished the album to be released in October 1971, a few months after Jim Morrison’s passing. In hindsight, Robby shared that they should have only made music in their wavelength instead of trying to replicate something only Jim Morrison could do.
Robby Krieger’s words on whether Jim Morrison’s passing pushed them in a different direction and whether he had any regrets:
“I’m sure it did, but I wish we had not even tried to sing. Maybe we should have just become a jazz band or something because, musically, it just always worked. Everything we played was so amazing. Trying to be a rock and roll band without a lead singer wasn’t easy, but that’s how things worked out. Finally, we decided to try and find a lead singer, and we all moved to England. But it never happened.”
In the end, the guitarist is proud of the effort they put into ‘Other Voices,’ ‘Full Circle,’ and even ‘An American Prayer.’ Yet, he is also aware that after Morrison’s departure, the band’s sound inevitably tilted in a different direction that didn’t have the same public appeal as their prior albums did with the late frontman. So, he will always hold some regret of their decision to take on the vocals.
