 The album received mostly positive reviews . Rolling Stone 's Robert Meltzer was impressed by the sense of fun and the togetherness of the band , saying it was " the Doors ' greatest album " and the best album of the year . Robert Christgau appreciated Morrison 's sense of humor in some of the lyrics and believed " the band has never sounded better " , although he was disappointed with " Been Down So Long " and " L 'America " . More recently , Richie Unterberger , writing for AllMusic , described L.A. Woman as " uneven " , but noted that the album contains compositions that " rate among their finest and most disturbing work " . Sal Cinquemani , reviewing the album for Slant Magazine , considers L.A. Woman to be " the sound of a band in perfect harmony " . He describes the Doors ' material as " disturbing and cynical over the years , and these songs were no exception " . Stephen Dalton of Classic Rock , reviewing the 40th Anniversary Edition of the album , remarks how " the original L.A. Woman still stands proud , an all @-@ time classic journey into bright shining darkness . " 
