Raymond Manzarek (3,946 views)

[EddieCheivz]

Vocal Range: B1-G♯5
Voice Type: The Golden Baritone
Years Active: 1964-2013
Associated Acts: The Doors, Rick & the Ravens
Nationality: North American

Raymond Daniel Manzarek was the organist, keyboardist and pianist from american rock band The Doors. He was mainly the musical genious behind Doors music, his style and his playing at the organ was very prominent at late 60s, making harmonies at the keyboard along with good bass lines played and composed by him as well. Most of Doors songs was recorded without a bass player and Ray was responsible to create them.
The Vox Continental, Gibson G-101, or Fender Rhodes piano are some of his organ/piano models. Some examples of his most recognozibles melodies are the melody riff from "Light My Fire", the famous descending scale in "Riders On The Storm" or the classic introduction from "Strange Days".
He died at May 20th 2013, in Germany.

Significant High Notes:

G♯5 (“The Changeling", “Good Rockin'” Rose d'Or Festival 1972, "Tightrope Ride”)
F♯5 ("Geraldine", “Good Rockin'” Rose d'Or Festival 1972, "Rampage")
E5 ("Soul Train")
D5 ("Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form ( A Little Fart )" Hempstead Ultrasonic Studios 1974)
C♯5 (“Close To You" Rose d'Or Festival 1972, “He Can't Come Today”, "Soul Train")
C5 (“Tension”)
B4 ("Big Bucket T.", "Just For You")
B♭4 (“American Woman”, "Break On Through (Through the Other Side)" live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall -- Episode 18, “Geraldine", "Tightrope Ride” 2nd Version)
A4 (“Five To One" live, “Good Rockin'” Rose d'Or Festival 1972, "Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form ( A Little Fart )”, “Soul Train", "Tightrope Ride”, “The Unknown Soldier" live, "Verdilac” live 1972)
G♯4 (“The Dreamer”, “The Golden Scarab”, “Good Rockin'” Rose d'Or Festival 1972, “Hello, I Love You" world Pacific Studios, 1965, "In The Eye Of The Sun”, “I’m Your Doctor” various versions, “Soul Kitchen" live, "Soul Train", "Tightrope Ride”, “(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further”)
G4 (“Big Bucket T.", "Close To You", "Geraldine", "Get up and Dance”, “Hardwood Floor”, “Henrietta", "I’m Your Doctor” various versions, “Just For You", "Love Me Two Times” live 1972, “The Peking King and the New York Queen”, “Roadhouse Blues” The Soft Parade 50th anniversary deluxe edition, “The Unknown Soldier" live, "The Whole Thing Started with Rock and Roll Now It's Out of Control”, “Wondering Musician”, “(You Need Meat) Don't Look No Further”)
F♯4 (“Begin the World Again”, “Choose Up And Choose Off”, “Close To You", "Downbound Train”, “Five To One" live, "Hang On Your Life”, “I’m Your Doctor” various versions, “Light My Fire” live Paris 1972, “Love Me Two Times” live 1972, “Push Push", "Roadhouse Blues” The Soft Parade 50th anniversary deluxe edition)
F4 (“America”, “Barcelona”, “Begin the World Again”, “Choose Up And Choose Off”, “Downbound Train”, “The Dreamer”, “Game of Skill”, “The Golden Scarab”, “Good Rockin'”, “He Can't Come Today”, “Hello, I Love You" live, "Hurricane”, “Light My Fire” live Paris 1972, “Perfumed Garden”, “Ships With Sails”, “Tightrope Ride”)
E4 (“America”, “American Woman”, “Bicentennial Blues”,  "Break On Through (Through the Other Side)" live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall -- Episode 18, “Down On The Farm”, “Black Wine / Spank Me with a Rose”, “Cops Talk”, “The End" classic Albums, "Game of Skill”, “Get up and Dance”, “Good Rockin'”, “Hardwood Floor”, “Hurricane”, “I Wake Up Screaming”, “In The Eye Of The Sun”, “Kick”, “Just Like Sherlock Holmes”, “Love Me Two Times” live 1972, “Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form ( A Little Fart )”, “New Dodge City Blues”, “The Peking King and the New York Queen”, “River of Madness”, “Ships With Sails”, “The Whole Thing Started with Rock and Roll Now It's Out of Control”, “Wondering Musician”, “(You Need Meat) Don't Look No Further”)

Significant Low Notes:

B2 (“American Woman”, "Break On Through" live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall -- Episode 18, “The End" classic albums, "Hang On Your Life”, “Numbers”, "The Purpose Of Existence Is?" Hempstead Ultrasonic Studios 1974, “Relating How Riders on The Storm was created" The Doors: Mr. Mojo Risin - The Story of LA Woman, "Solar Boat”, “Tightrope Ride”)
B♭2 (“Down On The Farm”, “He Can't Come Today”, “Hurricane”, “Tension”)
A2 (“Choose Up And Choose Off”, “Eye In The Sun”, “Five To One”, “Good Rockin'”, “I'm Your Doctor" Backstage & Dangerous, "Just Like Sherlock Holmes”, “Kick”, “Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form ( A Little Fart )”, “The Piano Bird”, “Relating How Riders on The Storm was created" The Doors: Mr. Mojo Risin - The Story of LA Woman, “Ships With Sails”, “Solar Boat", "Verdilac”, "When the Music's Over" interview with Ben-Fong-Torres)
G♯2 (“The Golden Scarab”, “My Wild Love”, "Solar Boat")
G2 (“Five To One”, “The Gambler”, “Humming Lions In The Street Percussion”, “I'm Your Doctor" Backstage & Dangerous, “Numbers", "The Peking King and the New York Queen”, "The Purpose Of Existence Is?" Hempstead Ultrasonic Studios 1974, “Roadhouse Blues” The Soft Parade 50th anniversary deluxe edition, "Street of Crocodiles”)
F♯2 (“He Can't Come Today", "Humming Light My Fire Bass Line / Singing the Main Organ part at interview”, “I'm Horny, I'm Stoned”, "Verdilac")
F2 (“American Woman”, “The Gambler”, “The Golden Scarab”, “Good Rockin'”, “He Can't Come Today”, "Hurricane", "The Peking King and the New York Queen", "Solar Boat")
E2 (“Cops Talk”, “Down On The Farm”, “The Golden Scarab”, “Good Rockin'”, “Kick”, “Numbers","Solar Boat")
E♭2 (“He Can't Come Today”, “Hurricane”, “My Wild Love”, "Tension")
D2 (“The End" classic albums,  “Kick”)
C♯2 ("Verdilac")
C2 (“He Can't Come Today" Hempstead Ultrasonic Studios 1974, “Lions in the Street" Break It Down | L/Studio, "Verdilac”)
B1 (“Lions in the Street" Break It Down | L/Studio)

SPOILER: Click to show

{QUESTIONABLE NOTES}
G5 ("Tightrope Ride" [5])
C5 (“Big Bucket T." [5], Bicentennial Blues” [5], “Perfumed Garden” [2])

E2 ("Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form ( A Little Fart )" [5]
E♭2 ("The Peking King and the New York Queen” [1])
G♯1 ("Verdilac" [5])

[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

*Underlines marks notes sung in backing vocals/harmonies.
*Italics marks non-melodic notes.
*Blue marks soft falsetto notes.
*Boldface marks noteworthy singer's capabalities.

[Henny Macc]

Cool stuff! Turns out he actually had an unfinished thread back on TRP2 that might have some useful notes for you to check out. I'm sure it has its fair share of inaccuracies/outdated info (the fact that it lists him for a fry G1 looks pretty suspect to me offhand) as well though, so take some of it with a grain of salt. Here ya go:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Old version of the thread}

Voice Type: Baritone
Sung Range: D2 - E5
Total Range: G1 - E5

Significant High Notes:

E5 ("Henrietta", "Geraldine", "Soul Train")
C♯5 ("Just For You", "Soul Train")
B4 ("Geraldine", "Big Bucket T")
B♭4 ("Hello, I Love You (Live)")
A4  ("Back Door Man (Live)", "Five to One (Live)", "In The Eye Of The Sun", "Oh Thou Precious Nectar Filled Form", "Soul Kitchen (Live)", "Tightrope Ride")
G♯4 ("Get Up And Dance", "The Golden Scarab", "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further")
G4 ("Close To You (Live)", "Good Rockin'", "Hardwood Floor", "Henrietta", "Love Me Two Times (Live ’72)", "Light My Fire (Live)", "The Peking King and The New York Queen", "Wandering Musician")
F♯4 ("Begin The World Again", "Choose Up and Choose Off", "Hang Onto Your Life")
F4 ("Downbound Train", "He Can't Come Today", "Hello, I Love You", "Ships With Sails”)

Significant Low Notes:

A2 ("In The Eye of the Sun", "Ships With Sails")
G♯2 ("The Peking King and The New York Queen")
G2 ("Solar Boat", "Verdilac")
F2 ("The Golden Scarab")
E2 ("Good Rockin'", "The Piano Bird")
D2 ("The End (Classic Albums)")
B1 ("Verdilac")
G1 ("(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further")

.......................................................
*Underlined marks notes in backing vocals or otherwise muffled/obscured in the song mix.
*Blue marks powerful, clear falsetto notes.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Grey marks heavily fryish notes.

Ray Manzarek was the late, great, keyboardist for The Doors, and their lead singer on most tracks on the two albums after the death of Jim Morrison. He possessed a surprisingly soulful and deep baritone voice, but didn’t quite have the charm or tunefulness of Morrison. He would often sing backing vocals on The Doors’ live shows, and often sounded like Jim at times, but didn't quite have the ease into the fourth octave of The Lizard King.

Research on previous thread by hummerhummer.

Aside from that, I'm hearing that low bit from "Tension" bottom around E♭2 rather than B♭1, and I definitely wouldn't call it sung. Can you link me to the alleged B♭1 from "I'm Your Doctor"?

[EddieCheivz]

-Thanks for the old thread! Some notes were wrong but it really help me, I checked all material with Rick & the Ravens, never heard Ray voice so light and constantly high!

- I didn't catch any low from (You Need Meat) Don't Look No Further.

-About "Tension" yeah, i hear E♭2 at the end of humming part as well, but what note do you hear here? "I'm finished" www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uQDMX3IxDw&t=6m08s I got something around B♭1, but it's a bit difficult to pitch, at least for me.

-Here's the B♭1 from "I'm Your Doctor" at the begging i didn't count it, consider it as non melodic context, but the way he talks, the way he start to talk just after singing at the end of the song sounding as the same context, make me decide to count it, i think it's something like Lennon's B1 at the end of "Help me to Help Myself" www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_5FAh6pCpk&t=3m47s
I admit i count it also for his sounding, sounds good, even now i listening again i hear G♯1

[Henny Macc]

Yeah, I just listened to "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" myself and didn't hear anything lower than like E3 in it, so safe to say we can definitely disregard that G1 from the old thread. I really have no idea how that ever ended up getting listed, cause I can't think of anything that could've even been mistaken for a note that low in the song.

That note on the "I'm finished" spoken bit in "Tension" just sounds like a whisper to me - not really getting any pitch from that. So yeah, I stand by E♭2 being the bottom note in that clip.

As for the B♭1 or whatever from "I'm Your Doctor", that is DEFINITELY not countable. There's nothing musical about that note at all, and it would be a stretch to even call it part of the song. It's literally him just speaking into the mic in between songs, and his voice happens to trail down to a low pitch during it. I'd consider that one about on par with counting random speaking from an interview towards a singer's range.

[Henny Macc]

Some F♯2s here while singing the main keyboard part from "Light My Fire".

edit: Just saw that you have him listed for an F♯2 from a clip of him singing a different riff from that song, incidentally enough. This one sounds a bit stronger to me offhand though, so feel free to use it if you'd prefer. :ball:

[EddieCheivz]

Dec 21, 2021 2:41:18 GMT Henny Macc said:

This one sounds a bit stronger to me offhand though, so feel free to use it if you'd prefer.

Why not include both? 
BTW am i the only one who cannot seeing the photo??? :scratch:

[leafylemontree]

You're not the only one, the picture doesn't show for me too.

[EddieCheivz]

Need some oppinions here! It's the lowest note i have in the thread, i catched as B1, but listening today with better headphones i got something around A1 what does people hear? :scratch:

[rob]

Dec 30, 2021 0:43:54 GMT EddieCheivz said:

Need some oppinions here! It's the lowest note i have in the thread, i catched as B1, but listening today with better headphones i got something around A1 what does people hear? :scratch:

Are you referring to the "Van HellSING" part? Cause if so I think you're right that it's an A1.

[SailorBlue]

I hate to be that guy. But here I am anyway. Lowest I'm getting there is E2. The C2 in the same song is legit tho.

[Henny Macc]

I'm actually with them - I hear "VAN HELL-" on D2/C♯2, and then "-SING" possibly getting as low as G♯1 even, though it's hard to tell where it should stop being countable with the way it trails down. I'm not 100% certain of that as the bottom pitch, but there's no way it only bottoms at E2; I'm sure of that much.

[Karen’s Kickassarole]

Alright, so I asked around and it seems that everyone is hearing different things for the note, ranging from E2, D2, B1, A1, and G#1. So I vote that the note goes in the bin.

[Henny Macc]

What are you hearing for the notes on "VAN HELL-"? Cause those are a lot clearer to me and I don't see any way around them being below E2.

[Baronessa]

Wherever that breathy fry lands it is not even the slightest bit countable.

C♯2 is the lowest remotely pitchable note in that passage to me.

[Henny Macc]

Now there's a verdict that at least makes sense to me.

[EddieCheivz]

Just dust off my best headphones (from my father rather lol) to listen again and make my veredict, now think i got one:

VAN: (C#2 or at least closer to C# than D) HELL: (Eb2) SI: (B1) INGG: (/G#1)

At: "Sing" part i got B1 at the beginning of the shoot and ending with that slide tonally on G#1 "ing"

In my opinion the B1 still sounding well to keep it on, and we can trash out the G#1 since doesn't sound completely well controlled the final part of the slide

[SailorBlue]

Call me Simon Cowell, cause that's gonna be a no from me. I vote the note gets burnt at the stake. Considering there's like 6 different opinions on what it is. The note itself is lackluster anyway so who cares, there's a legit C2 in that song anyway.

[EddieCheivz]

I mean, at least til some point there's a countable note there that its pitch worth counting, like just trahs out it for a common difference between opinions

[Henny Macc]

I could probably settle for counting it as C♯2, since that much is pretty definite and anyone who doesn't hear it getting that low is wrong and dumb. It's hard to place a pitch on that last note at the end of the phrase without resorting to nanonotewatching, so I suppose I can come to terms with spoilering that one.

[EddieCheivz]

Think that sounds righteous and make some sense, at least suppose i agree with that logic.

On the other hand, what does people think about this?? "Summer Ground" B1? could worth counting as a non melodic note? and i think C#2 at 3:13 "Shoulder"

[SailorBlue]

Jan 10, 2022 23:16:19 GMT Henny Macc said:

I could probably settle for counting it as C♯2, since that much is pretty definite and anyone who doesn't hear it getting that low is wrong and dumb.

what if this was in your house and room?

[Henny Macc]

Then I would tell it that it was wrong and dumb for not hearing it get below E2 as well

[EddieCheivz]

Hey friends first of all, i found this amazing note!:

I decided by now bold it, but i'm not completely sure if that's worth, i mean the tone and all is good but could not be soooo impressive for a bold, what would you say? On the other hand don't know either if mark it as black or blue note; i'm more inclined to hear it as a black note but i'd like to receive oppinions as well.

[Platypus]

nah, man. keep it bolded, king :headbang: