The Doors- The Crystal Ship & Twentieth Century Fox (First Listen)

[@AriadneJC]

How perfect is Jim Morrison's voice? I mean, seriously!

[@JustJP]

It really is!

[@completecharleston7142]

Yes - jealous.....

[@rk41gator]

Always has such a haunting quality that is addictive.

[@ThaDude-ci1zk]

The best ever man..😂🤣😂 idc what anyone says.. he never sang at all before he joined the doors like never LOL and as someone once said it sounds like he's been singing for 500 years😂🤣😂

[@nj1639]

Unlike other artists at the time, there's a dark maturity to a lot of the Doors songs.

[@JustJP]

Agreed!

[@ThomasSmith-eo4dx]

Yes there is. They were true artists in every sense of the word.

[@glenndespres5317]

The Crystal Ship is absolutely a 60’s psychedelic love song and at the same time spoke to the hippie dream. Let’s get on the ship to a new land.

[@meistergedanken4790]

The Doors perfected that dreamy, languid feel in their songs; sometimes there are sinister undertones, but always there is that velvety potency of Morrison's that could burst out and be unleashed during any song's climax.

[@synen]

Which songs from their discography are like Crystal Ship though?

[@billjones8503]

@@synen First debut album-1967.

[@TD_JR]

The perfect album to play when you close down the kitchen for the night and have about an hour of cleanup ahead of you before heading home for the night. Wore this album out so many years ago and it still never gets old.

[@colecomatt]

Buffalo wing restaurant I presume?

[@TD_JR]

@@colecomatt Yep. Wings, tacos, subs. Open at 11am, close at 5am for the drunk college crowd. That was a long time ago.. late 80s. Nearly every restaurant in the area has wings... the best are usually in those small mom and dad owned pizza shops hidden in the burbs. Back then, there weren't as many as there are now, as we specialized in steak tacos...

[@joemaurone7923]

So, did you sleep all night in the "soul kitchen"?

[@TD_JR]

@@joemaurone7923 No. Although I did manage to stay over night with the lady who owned the Head Shop next door. She'd come knocking right when we closed and she'd offer some weed for food... among other things.

[@ericanderson8886]

Doors of perception. Always loved the crystal ship.

[@MissAstorDancer]

The book should be required reading!

[@shyshift]

Fave Doorsong: The Crystal Ship.

[@shyshift]

Having said that it’s for the studio albums because The Celebration Of The Lizard is amazing. It shows up on Absolutely Live and is absolutely mind blowing Prog but nobody realized it at that time.

[@mikewoodrow5878]

“Spooky vibe” - yup, you’ll come across that again, as you continue checking out Mr Mojo Risin and co. The Soft Parade is another different/unique one. Morrison was a bit of a modern-day American poet, and the Doors created the appropriate musical atmosphere.

[@markspooner1224]

The Doors are open and we are happy.

[@thegardenfix]

It's so much fun watching someone listen to The Doors for the first time. It is so entertaining watching you progress through this album...and seeing you realize they are insanely good. These realizations are what I come here for. They take me back to when I was a teenager and when a friend of mine started turning me on to the doors. I can't wait until you get to songs like When the Music's Over, the Soft Parade, and The End.

[@margueritewood7036]

This album is in my top 10 debut albums. The Crystal ship showcases Jim voice so wonderfully.

[@jfergs.3302]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this a great album. 11 fantastic tracks, diverse in style, but not a bad one among them. Relatively timeless, i've been listening to it forever, and will continue to do so. Doesn't get old.

[@ericanderson8886]

indeed it never gets old

[@thomasmcintosh390]

As a fledgling poet when I was 12, when this album came out, I became obsessed with The Doors. The whole haunted circus feel of their music, Morrison and myself a natural born crooner, as well as my being a student of the keyboard.

[@gog583]

The Doors "The End" is a must listen. You might have already heard it though. A version of it was used for the opening of the movie "Apocalypse Now". "Break on Through". is another one. "Riders on the Storm" has a bit of a "Crystal Ship" vibe to it.

[@Westerdd]

Think it was late in the film where it was used?

[@cadanrichards2615]

This album is Perfect! The End is Incredible and Light My Fire.

[@-davidolivares]

Stylisticsally, this reaction was great choice. Love The Crystal Ship, whether it’s a double, triple, or quadruple meaning, it’s a sexy love ballad for me. The dude has game, I betcha. A long while back, I saw a comment from a guy that mentioned his cover of Crystal Ship, so I checked it out and really dug it, by golly. Aura Blaze is the band’s name. Pretty cool longer version, not Jim but, I like it, wow. 20th Century Fox 🦊 is also a cool song just not as known to me. Some songs click with you at different times, this one is more a current click. Groovy. Take care everyone, live long and prosper, never give up, never surrender to the virus, mask up pls, Peace and sexy time Music

[@davidpeters44]

Before Zeppelin 1, one of the most astonishing debut albums. Brilliant from beginning to The End.

[@TheDivayenta]

Utter timelessness from the Doors. What a poet and vocalist Morrison was.

[@colecomatt]

True story: My brother introduced me to the doors when I was a teenager lost in 80's music. I still remember him asking me how old do you think Jim Morrison is? Because of the deepness and soulfulness of his voice I thought he was in his late thirties or forties. To this day I still cant believe he sang and wrote all of this incredible music in his twenties and didn't live to see 28!

[@O_Towne_Bear]

Nothing wrong with being lost in 80s music (as long as it's the good stuff, lol).

[@colecomatt]

@@O_Towne_Bear true....every once in a while Cinderella or Motley Crue is needed lol.

[@toots19]

what a way to start the day! love the Doors

[@justintime42000]

It’s been a long time since I heard Crystal Ship. I forgot just how good Jim Morrison’s vocal was here. It’s smooth and understated, with a strong conviction in the lyrics. There’s also an underlying sadness in the tone he uses that fits the lyrics perfectly. Brilliant! I’m so glad you are enjoying The Doors. They were part of the days of teenage bliss for me and so many others, and mind altering substances only deepened the experience. The Doors (along with others who were recording experimental music in that time, like Jimi Hendrix and the early Moody Blues) weren’t just a band you listened to; they were an experience. Their music has mostly aged very well. I got to see Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek play live with the lead singer from Tool around 2007, and they were incredible. I would have loved seeing them with Jim Morrison but they never played in the DC area. Ian Astbury did a fine job on lead vocals playing with RK and RM. His voice was perfect for the music and he had the kind of animal magnetism JM had as well. Wish I could have seen them live!

[@michaelz9892]

My favorite Doors song.

[@franciscoramirez4179]

This band doesn't get enough credit, they were the first ones to sing about the darker side of things, their music so unique they blend jazz blues and folk with a touch of mysticism and poetry, they touched so many different music styles (even metal, five to one, love that song!) so yeah the Doors are definitely my favorite band from the 60s no offense to the Beatles, stones, C.C.R. etc etc. great bands but the Doors have a special place in my Heart! R.I.P. JIM MORRISON AND R.I.P RAY MANZAREK! Total Legends!👍

[@jameswarner5809]

I would suggest The Soft Parade medley as a good example of the varying styles of the Doors in one track.

[@manualboyca]

is that the song that starts with Morrison preaching "YOU CAN NOT PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER!!"? If so...i LOVE that song! :)

[@jameswarner5809]

@@manualboyca That's the one.

[@stephanevilleneuve9450]

Crystal Ship with the gorgeous crooner voice of Jim Morrisson. Lovely music from the band.

[@Eduardo-Ferreira1982]

I grew with Morrison Hotel and only much later I heard this Crystal Ship pearl. Put Blue Sunday and even Indian Summer right next to it. What a Doors!

[@alexhamilton4084]

The Crystal Ship is one of my favourite Doors songs. 👍🏻

[@synen]

The Crystal Ship is a masterpiece of Classic Rock!

[@SteveLaneGalway]

It's just so rewarding to see young people like yourself discovering c. 60-year-old music and finding it amazing. I can't wait till your reactions to Light My Fire and The End.

[@SteveBarbe]

The Doors definitely formed a big part of the sound-track to my late teen years. I hold them solely responsible for me messing up my final exams. Other-worldly.

[@completecharleston7142]

We were so spoiled growing up with bands like this, I had all of the Doors albums (and 8 tracks!), and they helped me learn guitar (I mean, I listened to /practiced along with, hours and hours in my bedroom). My first band, we played "When The Music"s Over", was pretty awesome. But, I didn't fully appreciate how great the Doors were at the time, but, yes, I do now. Justin, feel free to react to ANY doors song, especially from the first 3 - 4 albums.

[@joanbounacos8958]

Jim Morrison's voice on Crystal Ship is pure sex. The first line is guaranteed to make any woman (and many men!) melt. The organ and piano are so different from anything else we had heard at the time and that stays true to today. I'm glad you got to it. 😁

[@kevind4850]

"Crystal Ship", "Break on Through", "End of the Night", "The End" stay with me. "20th Century Fox" is a fun romp. Interesting to hear your dissection of these. I also always took the Crystal Ship and slipping into unconsciousness as referring to a drug trip.

[@jamiegagnon6390]

Rohypnol,perhaps.......

[@kevind4850]

@@jamiegagnon6390 Certainly some sort of depressant, though I'm not sure that was very available back in the 60s and early 70s (Quaaludes were more prevalent). If Morrison was writing about Pamela, she did have a heroin habit that eventually killed her.

[@kevind4850]

Also, the crystal ships being "filled" may refer to a bong, etc. being loaded with hash or some mixture of harder stuff.

[@twelvemonkeys8786]

Brilliant songs.. Doors, LA Woman is one of the best songs ever written..

[@MissAstorDancer]

L.A. Woman is my favorite Doors song, followed by "Love Her Madly".

[@sean-ew2qv]

I had some wonderful trips to this back in the day.

[@meurglysthefourth]

great to see one of my favourite albums of all time in this channel, I'd say you should check out "End of the Night" and "The End" next, if you want to continue with the debut

[@craigfazekas3923]

Great sampling of Doors' material. Two great examples right there....🚬😎edit: I actually bought a DePaul University sweatshirt because Ray went there, as did several members of Chicago.

[@O_Towne_Bear]

After "Break On Through" I have to say that "Twentieth Century Fox" is my second fave Doors song. This is easily my fave Doors album and IMO their best.

[@elegantirony78]

Oooh two of my favorite Doors songs

[@RichieG]

The Doors, another favorite. Sadly, never got to see them.

[@floorticket]

Check out The Kids in the Hall sketch: "Into The Doors."

[@sean-ito_kel1336]

"Jim FUCKIN' Morrison told me!!!"

[@mariosandri4010]

The Crystal Ship is iconic, Jim Morrison and Doors at their best. Twentieth Century Fox, on the other hand, merely sounds as a Merseybeat song circa 1962, embellished and sonically updated, with clever lyrics.

[@SpaceCattttt]

I would sum up both these songs as....OK. "The Crystal Ship" has a nice jazzy chord progression in its verses and "Twentieth Century Fox" sounds like the quintessential 60's song. But it's mindboggling to me how the same band that produced this could also create something as apocalyptic as "The End". On the same album!

[@anthonylovavto3228]

My brother lives on Moon street in albuquerque where Jimm Morrison resided for a few years, I pass his house and wish I could purchase it! Just a modest home.....

[@maruad7577]

Good tunes. Easy listening for a Wednesday morning while I have coffee and plan lunch. I never owned this album but I am certain I have heard it many times back in the day. I lost track of the Doors once I discovered Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Very moody music but in a good way. For something with a different mood. Patrick Watson is very ethereal. Start with his Wooden Arms album and then Adventures In Your Own Backyard (a very covidesque title if there ever was one). Good songs. Great review. Take care all. The finish line isn't in sight yet but you can hear the murmur of the crowd at the finish line, maybe just over the rise and a around the corner. Stay the course.

[@williamallen3715]

Freakin classic shiit. Great tunes.......when the music’s over. That’s my request...wait...LA women is also my request. Lol. Great reaction as usual.

[@lynnsmith3976]

Oh my Justin, YES, YES, YES The Crystal Ship has always been one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite groups. I would put this album on, get lost in it and before you know it, had to put Side 2 on. Thank you so much for The Doors and please keep on this journey.

[@JustJP]

Thanks Lynn! Hope you're having a great day!

[@anthonyblakely399]

Right Again!!!! Love you Justin!!!! Great perception!!!!

[@SG-js2qn]

Crystal Ship is iconic Doors. 🤘🔥

[@wendyt7958]

oh man the dark crooner..so love this! Now you have to continue on to the next songs.

[@thishappybreed6505]

Enjoying a healthy lunch, listening to some great sleazy music!

[@JustJP]

Haha nice! Hope you had a good day

[@j20tower]

One of the greatest groups of all time.

[@modmary3527]

Love ❤️ The Stylistics!!!

[@JustJP]

They're awesome!

[@modmary3527]

@@JustJP You were singing them, at the start of your video.

[@lloydclevenger6756]

Thanks, havent heard this in a long time. Whole album is good, Take it as it Comes is relatively unknown song, but it is exceptional.

[@SonicJaneStooge]

Please do "If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next" by Manic Street Preachers. A number 1 smash in the UK years ago. I'm from the UK so I remember it very fondly.

[@HippoYnYrEira]

Then Motorcycle Emptiness A Design For Life From Despair to Where Barclays Nat West Midlands Lloyds Rewind the Film ( with your current fave, Richard Hawley jp) And not forgetting La Tristessa Durerra And all the rest inc. This is Yesterday & Faster IfWhiteAmericaToldThe*****.... Yes All surface no Feeling And finally, Hibernation 🧸

[@samuelmregister]

One of Morrison's best vocals.

[@myishaprincess8515]

"Love Street" is my second fav after Chrystal Ship. If you want a unique experience, "Horse Latitudes".

[@dolfinpt]

Love Both!

[@toddmcclellan979]

Jim Morrison idolized Frank Sinatra, and in the studio the engineer told Jim what microphone he would be singing into for the track, and he remarked that it was the same model of microphone that Sinatra used in his recordings in studio.

[@beenthroughnam3747]

The Doors? Yess! Now this is why I'm Subbed!

[@JustJP]

Haha ty!

[@zenclover8468]

Peace frog is a cool little song worth checking out. Needs no introduction, just a neat tune.

[@lloydclevenger6756]

Great analysis!! Heard others try, they most certainly dont fo as well. Major kudos. I'm Eighteen-alice cooper, Aerosmith-Same Ol Song and Dance, J. Geils-Comeback and Walls Come Tumblin Down, Doors WASP texas radio and big beat.. Been Down So Long.. The Changeling all from LA Woman, Warren Zevon-Excitable Boy, Spirit-Got A Line On You, Neil Young+Down By the River and Cowgirl on the Sand, Focus-Hocus Pocus, Springsteen/Tom Morello r and r hall of fame Ghost of Tom Joad

[@blitztim6416]

I read Ray's book. I believe he said that Robbie had not played electric guitar before joining The Doors.

[@ricobonifacio1095]

I got drunk years ago and tried to sing The crystal ship at my local karaoke bar and was so off key lol. Gotta leave it to Jim.

[@Gravel-Idle]

ha ha, me too. I got voted worst song of the night

[@justinscrivner5457]

Do the end. Masterpiece.

[@robertasirgutz8800]

Best vocal intro.

[@hongfang2508]

Some of the Doors stuff reminds me of Pink Floyd, first half of this medley for example. Doors would have been even more influential if Morrison had been able to control his habits.

[@zerglilngvet5428]

i like the doors they have aunique sound

[@bradmacarthur3810]

The Soft Parade!!

[@radicaladz]

I love the first one, but I don't believe I've heard the second before. The Doors is one of those bands that I came to as a kid, but my relationship with their music and Morrison's poetry gets deeper and more complex every time I revisit them.

[@radicaladz]

Sidenote, are those HESH 3 headphones? Coz if so, snap - I got those too. :)

[@HippoYnYrEira]

I had to push myself to listen to this but The Crystal Ship was rather soothing . Constant radio over-exposure has made me rather blasé and apathetic toward the familiar Doors hits. A few druggy school friends put me off them too... The second song was more conventional but has prompted me to remind you to play Thomas Dolby's slow burning underrated gem - "Screen Kiss" from one of the best 80s albums ever. Did I read recently that Jim Morrison is still alive? Nothing surprises me anymore. Diolch! Hang on , love the claps and overdubbed vocals on 20thCenturyFox on second listen thru the late night transistor radio /phone speaker. I’m in a movie, and I’m Nicholas Cage and Peggy Sue’s gone off with the beatnick poet... Art imitates art and comment section reality once again changes it’s perspective. JP, it’s uncanny. TommyDolby’s on hold...🦆

[@robertlear2735]

In the 60's a fox was a slang term for an attractive woman. Thus, twentieth century fox. It was a pun on the movie company

[@matthewrobinson7379]

A fox is still a hot chick. ("Foxes Five" from Pulp Fiction. Catch up!) And nowadays a cougar is a predatory older experienced woman seeking a lustful willing young man. What's an old queen? A bit suspect, I think!

[@TUTU2235]

great!!!!

[@zappa1952]

"Crystal Ship" is one of my favs. Another I'm sure you'll enjoy is "Blue Sunday"

[@missblink4611]

And Indian summer!

[@gregdavis4978]

The general consensus on "The Crystal Ship" is that Morrison wrote it for his first girlfriend after their breakup. It has also been suggested that the song is about crystal meth, though the surviving band members say no. "20th Century Fox" is Morrison using a pun to indulge his carnal tendencies. And they were legion.

[@falcongal63]

That organ and that voice are so deep and sexy and mesmerizing. You could just never mistake The Doors for anyone else. 🥰🤤

[@brucster99b2]

Ahh..., The Doors. Twentieth Century Fox would have made a killer single with it's tight punchy feel/attitude. I know people always go on about The End, but I prefer other songs myself. "Riders On The Storm" is my fave song. Come to think of it, "L.A.Woman" and "When The Music's Over" are also classics! Oh dear, Alabama Song up next?? Anybody else kinda get into "The Soft Parade" album?

[@WMalven]

There is a perfect descriptive...Morrison sings "The Crystal Ship" langorously.

[@Blue-qr7qe]

The crystal ship is being built - I was seventeen and heard this as a coming age of enlightenment. We were leaving behind war (we were deeply entangled in a quagmire called Vietnam, and we were rising up against those who had put us there) and greed. We were building the social vessel which would float us (my and Jim Morrison's generation) above and away from all of this. I think it's important to be aware that the ever-present threat from the Vietnam war in the lives this generation had huge influence on the music. You could be snatched away by your government and be sent to kill/be killed at an age of eighteen. But you wouldn't be allowed to vote for representation in that government for another three years. Body-counts, napalm, and the warmongers from Johnson to Nixon fillid the news broadcasts. In fact that would be a good song for you to react to: Simon and Garfunkel's Silent Night/The Six O'Clock News. Whenever you listen to mid-sixties to mid-seventies music, you might want to keep that debacle in the context. It was no small matter. 58,000 young men just old enough to hear this song were killed in Vietnam.

[@joemaurone7923]

Idea: From "20th Century Fox" by the Doors to "20st Century Boy" by T. Rex, next..."Yay!" or "Nay!" ? (Don't think I've heard any T. Rex reactions yet, anywhere...)

[@sylvanm4216]

Followed by "20th Century Man" by the Kinks?

[@joemaurone7923]

@@sylvanm4216 and THAT followed up by "21st Century Schizoid Ma [comment blocked by Robert Fripp for copyright infringement]

[@bobholtzmann]

Robbie Krieger adds some interesting bass strings on "20th Cent. Fox", something uncommon on a Doors song!

[@jimhardiman3836]

Morrison can go from sultry crooner to lunatic screams. The Doors were head and shoulders above most others in the sixties.

[@garyarnett1220]

Overanalysizing: "Before you Slip".. before she falls asleep he'd like another kiss...he's going out on tour "The Crystal Ship", and they'll meet again.

[@josephworthfiftiesguy]

2 great doors songs' the alabama song and love street are 2 more great ones-could you please react to the 13th floor elevators, the originators of phsychadelia-roky erickson was the lead-youre gonna miss me, and splash 1 are 2 great songs-ty

[@kenhoyer8601]

He is the crystal ship.

[@jameswarner5809]

I'm by no means sure, but I think Jim is talking about a 'trip' on the Crystal Ship, as in a drug trip, and the person he's talking to doesn't want to go on the trip with him.

[@missblink4611]

Very interesting outlook, I’ve been a doors fan for 30 years and I’ve always just thought of it as being chosen for death ( in this case a partner of his)

[@sylvanm4216]

The Doors being from LA, it's reasonable to think the girl from "20th Century Fox" may represent an actress or aspiring film biz person. This lyric about a hip young lady of 1967 reminds me of the obscure early XTC track "She's So Square", about an un-hip young lady of 1977 who "thinks this is 1967". I wonder if "20th Century Fox" may have been on Andy Partridge's mind when he wrote his song 10 years later.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

Here's my parody of "The Crystal Ship", entitled "The Creamy Dip": Before you go into the kitchen, dear I'd like to have another beer Another foamy glass of cheer Another beer, another beer And as we eat, each salty chip I'd love some guacamole dip Your recipe is such a trip Must get a grip, before I flip Oh tell me those are curly fries And tater tots before my eyes And what's that yummy prize I spy A hunk of pie, I think I'll die The freezer is, chock full of fish Please fry some up, with horseradish The kind you make is so delish Please grant my wish, I'll wash the dish

[@JustJP]

🤣🤣🤣

[@joelliebler5690]

It took you awhile to catch up though you did figure Jim out in the end Justin

[@christopherboethius5314]

I tend to think the Crystal Ship is about a girl who'd rather avoid life or a troubled relationship by getting high, while he's there trying to confront things soberly and is trying to encourage her to do the same. The Crystal Ship is the vehicle to the island of a warm drug haze. The last verse is like a teenage wasteland idea--everyone is washed out and gone.

[@gretch8928]

Your "take" feels fresh and authentic to me: kudos to you!

[@827dusty]

Jim Morrison said he hated "Hello I Love You" because it was a sellout to Bubble Gum Rock, but the record Company had them over a Barrell. I think that may have been The Doors last top 50 single in about 1970 with Jim, before his death soon after that record. I agree, it was a very "childish" sounding song for a Band like The Doors, and Jim wasn't writing the same level of music he once was, due to Booze and drugs. Great Band, but Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis, none of them had long careers. They all belonged to the cursed "27 Club." All of them were Mega Rock/Blues Superstars of the late 60s. What talent they had.

[@mikeklesic7535]

The Alabama Song ( Whiskey Bar)

[@jasontharp699]

For someone who was untrained, Morrison could belt it out. Maybe he was known for that more, but he could be tender as well. Can't wait for the next song Light My Fire, actually written by guitarist Robbie Krieger.

[@godbluffvdgg]

The entire 70's was filled with The Doors...We heard them a million times...We never complained about it either...Jim was a real iconoclast....

[@Thievius333]

I (wrongfully) thought that Crystal Ship was a lament about his girlfriend's drug of choice - heroin - which Jim was constantly at odds with her about., but the song actually preceded that relationship and was merely a goodbye song to a former girlfriend. I actually had to look that up. Just shows you that with Morrison's often cryptic lyrics, we tend to dive a lot deeper and search for a meaning that isn't there. Crystal Ship sure sounds like a drug reference. (Perhaps like Crystal meth.)

[@dougthePogingguitarist]

do you take request if so can you do a reaction to Uriah Heep The Magicians Birthday

[@JustJP]

Ty Doug, ive done that one actually 😁

[@dougthePogingguitarist]

@@JustJP ok how about Bob Seger Get out of Denver

[@robertcartier5088]

In the eighties, I had a couple teenage nieces obsessed with the New Kids on the Block... They laughed at my old-man music. I scoffed and told them they'd grow out of it, eventually. No more than 2 yrs later, "Hey, uncle Bob, can we get you to make us a cassette of your Doors greatest hits CD?!" Yes, rest assured, I reminded them! ;-] It seems that The Doors have a resurgence every few years... Every generation eventually rediscovers them and boom, sales go up again! They are a necessary step in growing up, I guess!

[@alexhamilton4084]

I agree. In 1987 I was a taxi driver and got a call to pick up 3 girls going out for the evening. I had a cassette of the doors “Strange Days” playing quietly in the background. Suddenly one of the girls yells, “you’re playing the Doors! Turn it up please”. I was surprised because they were probably about 19 years old. There’s hope for humanity I guess. 😁

[@danreed5171]

Playing not 1 but 2 songs without interrupting.AMAZING!! everybody else, has never even heard these songs and they stop it ALL the time.. i hate that. You are doing it rt bro... The Crystal Ship Morrison refers to, is the whirlwind of Jim's life........I guess he felt that to hang with him., you gotta board this magical ship of debauchery and let it ride......... dude read 'Nobody here gets out alive....the Morrison story

[@JustJP]

Appreciate that Dan!

[@Yaktahbay]

My take on The Crystal Ship is Jim, budding celebrity in wild LA, regretfully splitting with a girl who can't relate to his new path, or vice-versa. "The days are bright and full of pain" is the double-edged sword of the fast life, and he will miss the comforting albeit less exciting life with her. In the end he appears to decide she's kind of a buzzkill and looks forward to the million new experiences (1000 girls - as I hear it - times 1000 thrills) that await. But WTFDIK?

[@willasacco9898]

No one has expressed a clear sense of the symbolism of the crystal ship. Someone in the commentaverse must know. Please enlighten us and put us out of our 50 plus years of not knowing🙏

[@kevind4850]

Remember that the crystal ship "is being filled", which I've always taken as a clear reference to drug paraphernalia - whether some sort of glass pipe, or perhaps a syringe (remember, this was back when syringes were still generally glass and reused). Heroin also comes in crystalized form, but that gets melted or powdered and not "filled".

[@willasacco9898]

@@kevind4850 That makes sense. Was he implying that drug use would likely lead to death, as he, unfortunately, proved later?

[@kevind4850]

@@willasacco9898 As you know, death was a theme that crops up frequently in Morrison's lyrics. However, I personally think that turning off the noise and feeling good was the reference here. Putting myself back in my reckless 20s mindset, death was an abstraction that simply didn't matter (still doesn't matter to me, but it is a more concrete reality as it inevitably gets closer). Morrison had a poet's knack for being vague, though, and it makes it easy to insert one's own interpretation and enjoy them on multiple levels. The "crystal ship" can represent other, more innocuous, ideas depending on the mood (e.g., a reverie that takes one to another plane, or a fairy vessel taking people off to a Tolkienesque land).

[@willasacco9898]

@@kevind4850 Thanks for that. Maybe it is like quantum theory- It can mean all of those things, some of them or none of them, all at the same time.

[@Blinkerson55]

No song was scarier than The End...