This recording of "Back Door Man" comes from The Doors' 1967 self-titled debut album. Written by Willie Dixon and originally recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960, the song is a deep blues classic that The Doors transformed into a raw, menacing showcase for Jim Morrison's vocal persona. Robby Krieger's electric guitar solo takes the form of a single chorus over the 12-bar blues form in A at a slow, grinding 89 BPM. His solo is steeped in the blues tradition, with bent notes, sharp staccato attacks, and a gritty tone that pays homage to the Chicago blues lineage from which the song emerged. Krieger's fingerpicking technique gives his blues playing a distinctive character, producing a thicker, more tactile sound than a pick would yield. The slow tempo allows each note to resonate fully, and Krieger uses the space to build tension through carefully placed phrases that ebb and flow with the intensity of Morrison's surrounding vocal performance. The Doors' decision to include a Willie Dixon cover on their debut album signaled their deep respect for the blues as a foundational element of their sound. Krieger's solo on "Back Door Man" demonstrates that the band could inhabit the blues idiom authentically while still bringing their own psychedelic sensibility to the material.
