Love Lion

Beat Generation poet Michael McClure and legendary Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek teamed up for 1993's Love Lion, an unusually successful fusion of verse and music recorded live. Back in The Doors’ heyday, Manzarek was adept at supporting Jim Morrison’s spoken-word flights with his vivid piano and organ settings. Here, he graces McClure’s work with a shifting kaleidoscope of sounds that draw heavily from jazz and classical influences. The mood of this performance is by turns mystical, confessional, and ironic, sustained by McClure’s rich, provocative use of language and Manzarek’s empathetic piano touch. Highlights include “Antechamber of the Night” (ethereal yet darkly inviting), “Rose Rain” (a love ode set to cascading chords), “Indian” (a quietly angry piece with a jazzy rumble), and “In Memorium: Jim Morrison” (embroidered with quotes from The Doors’ tune “Soul Kitchen”). A sense of outrage at the madness of the modern world infuses these poems, along with a lyrical tenderness evident in both the words and music. With a sense of camaraderie that goes back decades, McClure and Manzarek rekindle the visionary brio of the Beats in this inspired collaboration.