The Doors
Studio album by The Doors
Released January 4, 1967
Recorded August 24 to 31, 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA
Genre Psychedelic rock, acid rock
Length 44:28
Label Elektra
Producer Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967. It was originally released in significantly different stereo and mono mixes. It features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with a substantial instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken-word section.
The Doors credit the success of their first album to being able to work the songs out night after night at the Whisky a Go Go and the London Fog. The album was ranked number 42 on Rolling Stone's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Background
The Doors final line up was formed in mid 1965 after Ray Manzarek's two brothers left and Robby Krieger joined. The Doors were initially signed to Columbia Records under a six month contract, but the band agreed to a release after being unable to secure a producer for the album from Columbia. After being released from the label The Doors played club venues including the London Fog and The Whisky a Go Go until they were signed to Elektra records by Jac Holzman.
Production
The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in California over six days, with producer Paul Rothchild and audio engineer Bruce Botnick. A four track tape machine was used for recording using mostly three tracks, bass and drums on one, guitar and organ on another with Jim's voice on the third. The fourth track was used for overdubbing. During recording of the album session bassist Larry Knechtel was present on some of the songs, while on stage Ray Manzarek used a left-handed keyboard bass. For tracks "The End" and "Light My Fire" two takes were worked of each and cut together to achieve the final song.
Writing and composition
Although composition credit went to the band as a whole, the album's primary writers were Morrison and Krieger. "The End"'s Oedipal climax was first performed live at the Whisky A Go Go; the band was thrown out as a result of Morrison screaming "Mother...I want to fuck you!" towards the end of the song. "Alabama Song" was written and composed by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in 1927, for their opera Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny); "Back Door Man" was written by Willie Dixon and originally recorded by Howlin' Wolf. The line "Some are born to sweet delight, some are born to endless night" from "End of the Night" is a quote from William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence".
Speed discrepancy
The 40th Anniversary Mix presents a stereo version in speed-corrected form for the first time. The speed discrepancy (being about 3.5% slow) was brought to Bruce Botnick's attention by a Brigham Young University professor who stated that all the video and audio live performances of The Doors performing "Light My Fire", as well as the sheet music show the song being in a key almost a half step higher than the stereo LP release. The mono 45 RPM single of "Light My Fire", and the mono LP were produced at the correct speed.
Mono version
The mono LP (Elektra EKL-4007) has unique mixes that sound different than the stereo version (EKS-74004.) The mono LP version was deleted not long after its original release and remained unavailable until 2010, when it was re-issued as a limited edition 180 gram audiophile LP by Rhino Records. This version has never been officially released on Compact Disc, it is however available for purchase through digital media outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.
Surround releases
This album has been released in 2006 in multichannel DVD-Audio, and on September 14, 2011, on hybrid stereo-multichannel Super Audio CD by Warner Japan in their Warner Premium Sound series.
Reception
Professional ratings
AllMusic 5/5 stars
Music Box 4/5 stars
Robert Christgau B−
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars
Slant Magazine 4/5 stars
The Doors made a steady climb up the Billboard 200, ultimately becoming a huge success in the US once "Light My Fire" scaled the charts, with the album peaking at #2 on the chart in September 1967 and going on to achieve multi-platinum status. In Europe, the band would have to wait slightly longer for similar recognition, with "Light My Fire" originally stalling at #49 in the UK singles chart and the album failing to chart at all. However, in 1991, buoyed by the high profile of Oliver Stone's film The Doors, a re-issue of "Light My Fire" made #7 in the singles chart and the album made #43. It eventually spent more time on the UK chart than any other Doors studio album.
The album is #42 on "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and is also on "The Rolling Stone Hall Of Fame". The album is on Q magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever" and ranked #25 in NME magazine's list of the "Greatest Albums Of All Time". Critic/historian Piero Scaruffi named The Doors the fifth greatest rock album of all time.
Censorship
The songs "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" and "The End" were both released censored on the album. During "Break on Through," the part where Jim Morrison sings "She gets, she gets" was originally recorded as "She gets high, she gets high." The vocal interlude near the end of "The End" includes Morrison using the word fuck repeatedly and was taken out of the album's stereo release; however, it remains in the mono LP release of the album. Subsequent releases of the album have both of the original parts intact, although 1980s compact disc reissues kept the verses censored. The band accepted this censorship, but refused to reword "Light My Fire" in their infamous Ed Sullivan Show performance ("Girl we couldn't get much higher").
Track listing
All songs written by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore, except where noted.
The running time of "Light My Fire", while listed correctly below, is incorrectly stated as 6:30 or 6:50 on some LP and CD versions of the album. An edited version was issued as the Doors' second single in May 1967, with most of its organ and guitar solos removed it had a running time of 2:52. As per the aforementioned speed discrepancy, the 40th anniversary speed-corrected mix made "Light My Fire" 6:58, with all solos intact.
Side one
1. "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" 2:29
2. "Soul Kitchen" 3:35
3. "The Crystal Ship" 2:34
4. "Twentieth Century Fox" 2:33
5. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) 3:20
6. "Light My Fire" 7:06
Side two
7. "Back Door Man" (Willie Dixon) 3:34
8. "I Looked at You" 2:22
9. "End of the Night" 2:52
10. "Take It as It Comes" 2:23
11. "The End" 11:41
Personnel
Jim Morrison – vocals, handclaps, percussion
Ray Manzarek – Vox Continental, piano, keyboard bass, marxophone, backing vocals
Robby Krieger – guitar, backing vocals
John Densmore – drums, backing vocals on "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)"
Additional musicians:
Larry Knechtel (uncredited) – bass ("Soul Kitchen", "Twentieth Century Fox", "Back Door Man", "I Looked At You", "Take It As It Comes")
Paul Rothchild - backing vocals on "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)"