Producer Paul.A. Rotchild sought more sophistication and studio work for Strange Days, with more sound effects creating a darker, more psychedelic landscape that best reflected the lyrics of Jim Morrison’s unique poetic style.
With more repertoire in the organ sound, the inclusion of a bassist for most of the songs, and the ability to record the album in 12 channels (the first album was recorded in 4 channels) the sound of Strange Days has a different bass style the same structure of the first job.
The legend of The Doors had already begun to be written a few months before after the shocking release of their debut album. The summers of students on California beaches smoking weed by the seaside, dreaming of being free and changing the world suddenly came true, it was indeed a strange day.
Applying the formula of the first album, what better way to close than with an extra-long song of more than ten minutes. “When The Music’s Over” has that cool organ opening that flows from Raymond Daniel Manzarek’s magical fingers. Jim’s wild screams and distorted guitars give way to the chorus … “When the music’s over turn off the Lights.”
After 3:50 minutes, the waters calm down a bit and the lyrical content of the theme full of metaphors appears, about freedom, religion, and the environment.
The electric bass in the background generates an intense drama, then raises the temperature until its climax and the famous phrase: We Want The World And We Want It Now.
On the other hand, the band’s theatricality had been growing since the closing of their debut with the apocalyptic “The End” and later with “When The Music Is Over”, in Strange Days.
Closing the album, just like in their debut album we have this magnum opus ‘When The Music’s Over’, which beats ‘The End’ in that it is somewhat more varied musically and obviously has more force.