The Doors’ album Morrison Hotel was released in 1970. Elektra Records issued the band’s fifth studio album on February 9, 1970, after the more heavily arranged The Soft Parade had divided critics and listeners.
Morrison Hotel marked a return to the band’s blues-rock roots. The album includes “Roadhouse Blues,” “Waiting for the Sun,” “Peace Frog,” and “Ship of Fools,” combining tighter grooves with Jim Morrison’s increasingly rough-edged vocal style. It was recorded in Los Angeles during late 1969 and early 1970.
The album’s title and cover came from a real downtown Los Angeles building. Photographer Henry Diltz photographed the band through the window of the Morrison Hotel, despite initially being told that photography was not allowed inside. The record’s two sides were labeled “Hard Rock Café” and “Morrison Hotel.”
Morrison Hotel is often described as a comeback or return to form for The Doors. It preceded Absolutely Live later in 1970 and L.A. Woman in 1971, the final studio album released during Jim Morrison’s lifetime.