The Best of The Doors (1985 album)

For other albums of the same name, see The Best of The Doors (disambiguation).

The Best of the Doors
Greatest hits album by the Doors
Released	1985 (1985)
Recorded	1966–1971
Genre	Rock
Length	89:20
Label	Elektra
Producer	Paul A. Rothchild Bruce Botnick The Doors
The Doors chronology
The Doors Classics (1985) The Best of the Doors (1985) Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1987)

The Best of The Doors is a compilation album by American rock group the Doors. Released in 1985, the double LP set contains 18 songs from their six albums with lead singer Jim Morrison, including charting singles and selected album cuts. ^[1] Danny Sugerman contributed a short essay which discusses the band's origins and influences and Morrison's personality, and was printed inside the gatefold sleeve.

When the album was released on compact disc in 1991, it reached number 32 in the U.S. and the top twenty in several other countries. In February 2007, the album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Bruce Eder gave the album a rating of four and a half out of five stars. He commented that, when it was released in 1985, The Best of the Doors was the most comprehensive Doors compilation to date and provided a good overview. However, he opined that the Doors' songs are better heard in the context of the original albums than in compilations, and criticized the non-chronological ordering of the tracks. Eder added that the remastering of the Doors discography that began in 1996 "renders this collection somewhat less attractive than it was on its initial release". ^[2]

Track listing

Original album

All tracks are written by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore), except as noted. Details are taken from the 1985 U.S. Elektra release; other releases may show different information. ^[4]

Side one

No.	Title	Original album (year)	Length
1.	"Break On Through (To the Other Side)"	The Doors (1967)	2:25
2.	"Light My Fire"	The Doors	7:05
3.	"The Crystal Ship" (Morrison)	The Doors	2:31
4.	"People Are Strange"	Strange Days (1967)	2:09
5.	"Strange Days"	Strange Days	3:06
6.	"Love Me Two Times"	Strange Days	3:13
7.	"Alabama Song" (Kurt Weill, CD-only bonus track)	The Doors	3:16
Total length:			24:01

Side two

No.	Title	Original album (year)	Length
1.	"Five to One"	Waiting for the Sun (1968)	4:25
2.	"Waiting for the Sun"	Morrison Hotel (1970)	3:57
3.	"Spanish Caravan"	Waiting for the Sun	2:57
4.	"When the Music's Over"	Strange Days	10:55
Total length:			22:20

Side three

No.	Title	Original album (year)	Length
1.	"Hello, I Love You"	Waiting for the Sun	2:14
2.	"Roadhouse Blues"	Morrison Hotel	4:02
3.	"L.A. Woman"	L.A. Woman (1971)	7:48
4.	"Riders on the Storm"	L.A. Woman	7:14
Total length:			21:25

Side four

No.	Title	Original album (year)	Length
1.	"Touch Me"	The Soft Parade (1969)	3:10
2.	"Love Her Madly"	L.A. Woman	3:17
3.	"The Unknown Soldier"	Waiting for the Sun	3:22
4.	"The End"	The Doors	11:41
Total length:			21:39

Personnel

Per album liner notes: ^[4]

The Doors

• Jim Morrison – vocals, production
• Ray Manzarek – keyboards, production
• John Densmore – drums, production
• Robby Krieger – guitar, production

Technical

• Paul A. Rothchild – production
• Bruce Botnick – engineering, co-production

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [5] 14 Chart (1991) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [5] 17 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [7] 18 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [8] 4 UK Albums (OCC) [9] 17 US Billboard 200 [10] 32 Chart (1997) Peak position Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [11] 9 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 57 Chart (1998) Peak position Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [13] 3 UK Albums (OCC) [14] 37

Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [15] 44 Chart (1993) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) [16] 32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF) [17]	Platinum	60,000^
Australia (ARIA) [18]	4× Platinum	280,000^
Belgium (BEA) [19]	Gold	25,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [20]	6× Platinum	600,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [21]	Gold	22,150 [21]
France (SNEP) [22]	Platinum	300,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [23]	Platinum	15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [24]	Gold	25,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [25]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [26]	Platinum	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [27]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA) [28]	Diamond	5,000,000 [29]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. "The Best of the Doors [1973] –Review". AllMusic . Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. Eder, Bruce. "The Best of The Doors – Review". AllMusic . Retrieved August 7, 2020.
3. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 763. ISBN   978-0857125958.
4. The Best of the Doors (Album notes). New York City: Elektra Records. 1985. LP labels.
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doors – The Best of The Doors" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
6. "Australiancharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
7. "Charts.nz – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
8. "Swisscharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
9. "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
10. "The Doors Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
11. "The Doors: The Best of The Doors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Doors – The Best of the Doors" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
14. "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
15. "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
16. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1993". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
17. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
19. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
20. "Canadian album certifications – The Doors – Best of The Doors". Music Canada.
21. "Doors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
22. "French album certifications – Doors – Best of the Doors" (in French). InfoDisc.Select DOORS and click OK. 
23. "New Zealand album certifications – The Doors – Best Of The Doors". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 2024-11-20.
24. "Norwegian album certifications – The Doors – Best Of The Doors" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
25. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 953. ISBN   84-8048-639-2 . Retrieved 23 August 2019.
26. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Best of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
27. "British album certifications – Doors – Best Of". British Phonographic Industry.
28. "American album certifications – The Doors – The Best of the Doors". Recording Industry Association of America.
29. "The Doors a Billboard Chart History". Billboard.