One of the most influential keyboard players in the history of rock music, Doors member Ray Manzarek was born on February 12, 1939. Born to Polish immigrants in Chicago, IL, he grew up admiring the boogie-woogie piano players that became popular in the '50s. After dropping out of U.C.L.A.'s law program, he reconsidered going to graduate school, eventually going back under their prestigious film program. It was in this environment that Manzarek helped form the Doors. Being one of the most influential rock bands in America, they would go on to release several albums before the untimely death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July of 1971. Devastating the band, they attempted two albums without Morrison featuring Manzarek on vocals, but fan support was low and the band slowly fell apart. In 1974, he released his first solo album, The Golden Scarab, and began to tour again. 1975's The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll, Now It's Out of Control came next, but Manzarek was itching to work with a band again and eventually started Ray Manzarek's Nite City. They released an eponymous album in 1977 and Golden Days Diamond Nights in 1978, but they failed to capitalize on the success of the original Doors and fell apart again. It was soon after that that the punk movement became a driving force in Los Angeles, and the band X contacted Manzarek about working with them in a production capacity. The end result was Los Angeles, one of the all-time most important punk albums. Reinvigorated, he began work on Carmina Burana, a high concept solo album about opera and minstrels that was released in 1983. Unfortunately, the effort was viewed as too pretentious and he quietly faded away for almost ten years. When Oliver Stone's film biography The Doors was released in 1991, Manzarek came out of semi-retirement to voice his displeasure in how the band was portrayed by the controversial filmmaker. In 1993, he released an album of Michael McClure's beat poetry over his keyboard playing, Lion Love, to a warm reception. The duo toured the country with the act, while Manzarek worked on his autobiography and a Doors tribute album. Both eventually came out, and he has continually voiced his desire to make a musical based on the career of his former band. At the turn of the century, he released an album with British musician/actor Darryl Read and saw his son score a major label record deal with his band A.I. Although he has made some challenging and interesting music since that time, his huge influence over the world of rock will forever associate him with the Doors, and luckily Manzarek seems completely comfortable with that legacy.

And here is His discography:

1974 Golden Scarab. Mercury Records
1975 The Whole Thing Started With RnR, Now Its Out Of Control. Mercury Records
1977 Nite City: Nite City. 20th Century
1978 Nite City: Golden Days Diamond Nights (only in Germany)
1980 X: Los angeles. Slash (producer)
1981 X: Wild gift, slash (producer)
1982 The Zippers. The Zippers. Rhino (producer)
1982 X: under the big black sun. Elektra (producer)
1983 X:more fun in the new world Elektra (producer)
1983: Carmina Burana A&M
1993 Love Lion with Michael mclure

Where did you pick that up? If you can credit original sources, that would be great!
Dave

~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide (The text part)

And i have 6 page Doors article on my Finnish record collectors magazine.
and that discography is in that mag.

Tomi

You missed out
There's A Word with McClure which is rather brilliant
Freshly Dug with Darryl Read (ditto)which has just been re released....the Revelation Blues album with Scott Richardson (which is available from Amazon here and is the only album with a substantial contribution from Ray I ain't heard) .....

Oh yeah and Myth & Reality spoken word album which is even better....

Thanks for help! but those things are what ive read

Hi,

does anybody know why this album was only released just in Germany???

It was released in WEST Germany only....don't forget the German state was divided at the time.....a lot of US Servicemen were posted there so possibly for that reason......maybe the sales did not inspire confidence and it was never released anywhere else..... I remember that the music press import services was where I got mine ....I never saw it in a record shop.....
One of the more bizarre marketing strategies of the 70s without a doubt....

Ray must be aware of the interest in his Nite City projects. Does he have any control over the rerelease of these?

perhaps if Lemon Records gets enough emails to release these two albums they will, just like they did with Golden Scarab and TWTSWRR

yeah, but i want original LPs...

Then I think you're destined to find them at record fairs and auction houses. I am pretty sure nothing in the Doors or Ray's catalog will ever again be released on vinyl.

Dave

But does Ray have any control over it? Could he initiate a rerelease?

Honestly Im not sure but it worked for two releases, no reason why it can't work for more

yeah

My favorite Nite City song is America, since it has Ray on vocals (since we're discussing Nite City I figured id throw that in)

Ive never heard that band X, anybody?

heard them no, just read about them and seen photos

thanks, i just thought that X is ghost band

If I'm not mistaken the lead singer of X is the main character in Rays LA Woman video

It would be interesting to know what is sound of band X...

You can buy their albums. Then you'll know what they sound like! Ray produced them and is featured on multiple tracks. And the lead singer is John Doe, the guy featured in the LA Woman video.
Dave

But how is he featured? Aren't they a punk band? Does he just have phantom keyboards beating to the noise?

yeah, X is punk band

back when Ray sported a "mohawk"