L.A. Woman was the sixth and last studio album recorded by The Doors with singer Jim Morrison, who died in July 1971 while the album was still in the charts. It is made up largely of blues rock tracks, with singer Morrison's voice audibly throatier and deeper, the result of years of drug and alcohol abuse.

The album opens with The Changeling, an uptempo song that finds Morrison yelling "I'm a changeling... see me change" in a threatening growl. Love Her Madly is another of those light, rather poppy songs along the lines of Love Street and the like. Been Down So Long (from which the title of my review is taken) is a harder, more rocky song with a strong beat.

Cars Hiss By My Window drifts along in a lazy, relaxed, Sunday morning fashion, while uptempo epic L.A. Woman largely coasts by, with a middle change in pace. L'America has a dark, threatening undertone, while Hyacinth House is another one of those songs that has a cheerful tune which belies the subject matter.

Crawling King Snake is a menacing blues rock song, while The W.A.S.P. has been described as an example of the "mythical tale of American music and culture". For me though, the closing track Riders on the Storm really stands out. An epic with atmospheric guitars and rain sound effects, it is eerie and melancholic.

Track Listing
1. The Changeling
2. Love Her Madly
3. Been Down So Long
4. Cars Hiss By My Window
5. L.A. Woman
6. L'America
7. Hyacinth House
8. Crawling King Snake
9. The W.A.S.P. (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
10. Riders on the Storm

I feel L.A. Woman is the band's best album apart from their first two. It has many good songs including two epics, one of which is my favourite. It feels as though the band were settling into a blues rock style. Who knows what they might have achieved if Jim Morrison hadn't died. Then again, they might have burnt out - I guess we'll never find out.