The Golden Scarab
| The Golden Scarab | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 28, 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California, United States[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:17 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Bruce Botnick, Bob Brown | |||
| Ray Manzarek chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Golden Scarab is the debut studio album by former Doors member Ray Manzarek as a solo artist. It was recorded in 1973 and released in 1974 on the Mercury label, one year after the Doors breakup (at that time a trio formed of the surviving members of the band, more specifically Manzarek himself, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore).
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Uncut |  [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
Joe Viglione of AllMusic gave The Golden Scarab a rating of three out of five stars.[2] He considered it to be the "best embodiment of the Doors by one of the three surviving members", concluding:
It is amazing that such a fine work as The Golden Scarab escaped the masses, and shameful that classic hits stations don't add this to their incessant repertoire. Had Jim Morrison lived, this is the path the music of the Doors should have taken. Smooth and demanding of repeated spins.[2]
In contrast, Uncut magazine wrote a scathing review, ridiculing, "It sucks ... Even Jim at his dumbest, stinkiest drunk would have pissed himself laughing."[3]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Ray Manzarek except where indicated:[5]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "He Can't Come Today" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Solar Boat" | 5:58 |
| 3. | "Downbound Train" (Chuck Berry) | 5:31 |
| 4. | "The Golden Scarab" | 6:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Purpose of Existence Is?" | 6:38 |
| 2. | "The Moorish Idol" | 5:38 |
| 3. | "Choose Up and Choose Off" | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form" ("A Little Fart") | 4:57 |
CD Bonus tracks
- "Whirling Dervish" (Manzarek, Paul Davis) *
- "I Wake Up Screaming" (Manzarek, Danny Sugerman) *
- "Bicentennial Blues (Love It or Leave It)" *
- Bonus tracks taken from Manzarek's 1974 LP The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control.[6]
Personnel
- Ray Manzarek – lead vocals, keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizer, kalimba
- Larry Carlton – guitar
- Tony Williams – drums
- Oscar Brashear – trumpet
- Mayuto Correa – wood block, bongos, congas
- Milt Holland – pandeiro, cabasa, quica, African cowbell
- Jerry Scheff – bass
- Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone
- George Bohanon – trombone
- Steve Forman – tuned cowbells, whistles, guiro, tuned wood blocks
- Patti Smith – vocals on "I Wake Up Screaming"
References
- ^ David Dutkowski (10 April 2016). "1974: The Golden Scarab, A Rhythm Myth". Ray Manzarek's official website. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Viglione, Joe. "Ray Manzarek: The Golden Scarab – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Uncut staff. "Ray Manzarek – The Golden Scarab". Uncut. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 763. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ "Ray Manzarek - The Golden Scarab". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Ray Manzarek – The Golden Scarab (CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
