"Morrison Hotel"'s back to basics approach largely stemmed from the group's dismay over the protracted sessions for "The Soft Parade", which took nine months to record and cost $86,000 (equal to $ today), far more expensive than any previous Doors record. The band had also been stung by the critical reception to the record. On this album, there is a slight steer toward blues, which would be fully explored by the band on their next album "L.A. Woman". "Morrison Hotel" was recorded between November 1969 and January 1970 with the exception of "Indian Summer", which was recorded in August 1966 during sessions for "The Doors" (in contrast to the 1969-1970 tracks, additional reverb is evident on Morrison's vocal) and "Waiting for the Sun", which was written for the band's third album. "Queen of the Highway" was previously recorded in a jazzier arrangement (with Harvey Brooks on bass) during "The Soft Parade" sessions, while "You Make Me Real" (initially revived for the band's July 1969 Aquarius Theatre engagement) was one of Morrison's earliest compositions, dating from 1966.