The Best of the Doors | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1966–1971 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 89:20 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer |
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The Doors chronology | ||||
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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.
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]
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]
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Per album liner notes: [4]
The Doors
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
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 | 10,000,000 [29] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The Doors is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on January 4, 1967, by Elektra Records. It was recorded in August and September 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, in Hollywood, California, under the production of Paul A. Rothchild. The album features the extended version of the band's breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and the lengthy closer "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section. Various publications, including BBC and Rolling Stone, have listed The Doors as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Strange Days is the second studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on September 25, 1967 by Elektra Records, arriving eight months after their self-titled debut album. After the latter's successful release, the band started experimenting with both new and old material in early 1967 for their second record. Upon release, Strange Days reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It contains two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between late 1967 and May 1968 mostly at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. It became the band's only number one album, topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks, while also including their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". The first single released off the record was "The Unknown Soldier", which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it reached number 16.
Morrison Hotel is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on February 9, 1970, by Elektra Records. After the use of brass and string arrangements recommended by producer Paul A. Rothchild on their previous album, The Soft Parade (1969), the Doors returned to their blues rock style and this album was largely seen as a return to form for the band. The group entered Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in November 1969 to record the album which is divided into two separately titled sides, namely: "Hard Rock Café" and "Morrison Hotel". Blues rock guitar pioneer Lonnie Mack and Ray Neapolitan also contributed to the album as session bassists.
L.A. Woman is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971, by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime, due to his death exactly two months and two weeks following the album's release, though he would posthumously appear on the 1978 album An American Prayer. Even more so than its predecessors, the album is heavily influenced by blues. It was recorded without producer Paul A. Rothchild after he quit the band over the perceived lack of quality in their studio performances. Subsequently, the band co-produced the album with longtime sound engineer Bruce Botnick.
An American Prayer is the ninth and final studio album by the American rock band the Doors. Following the death of Jim Morrison and the band's breakup, the surviving members of the Doors reconvened to set several of Morrison's spoken word recordings to music. It was the only album by the Doors to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Spoken Word" category.
"Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. Although it was principally written by the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, songwriting was credited to the entire band. Recognized as one of the earliest examples of psychedelic rock, it was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Due to its erotic lyrics and innovative structure, the track has come to be regarded as synonymous with the '60s psychedelic and sexual revolutions.
"Riders on the Storm" is a song by American rock band the Doors, released in June 1971 by Elektra Records as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, L.A. Woman. It is known for being the last song that Jim Morrison recorded prior to his sudden death in Paris on July 3, 1971.
13 is the first compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on November 30, 1970. The title refers to the thirteen tracks included, which feature a variety of songs from their five studio albums released up to that point. The cover shrink wrap featured a clear sticker that read: "A Collection of Thirteen Classic Doors Songs". It is the band's only compilation album released while lead singer Jim Morrison was alive.
Backstreet Boys is the debut studio album by American boy band Backstreet Boys, released on May 6, 1996, by Jive Records. It contains some of the band's most successful singles. The album was reissued in 1997 under the same name and released as their debut in the United States. The reissue also includes songs from the band's second international release Backstreet's Back (1997).
Alive, She Cried is the second official live album by the American rock band the Doors, released in October 1983 by Elektra Records. It is the follow-up to the 1970's Absolutely Live, produced by Paul A. Rothchild. The album's title was taken from a line in the song "When the Music's Over".
In Concert is a live triple album by the Doors released in 1991. The songs were recorded at several concerts between 1968 and 1970 in Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Copenhagen. The Doors' producer, Paul A. Rothchild, remarked, "I couldn't get complete takes of a lot of songs, so sometimes I'd cut from Detroit to Philadelphia in midsong. There must be 2,000 edits on that album."
The following is the discography of the American rock band the Doors. Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, the group consisted of Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums), and Robby Krieger (guitar). The Doors became one of the most popular rock bands of their era. Their debut album, The Doors (1967), released by Elektra Records, charted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and produced the group's most successful single, "Light My Fire". The album received several sales certifications including a four times multi-platinum from both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and from Music Canada (MC). The Doors' second studio album, Strange Days (1967), sold well commercially but did not reach the same level of success as the debut, and failed to produce a major hit single. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. The Doors' third studio album Waiting for the Sun (1968), was commercially very successful, reaching No. 1 in the US and France, and produced their second No. 1 single, "Hello, I Love You". Waiting for the Sun was the first Doors album to chart in the United Kingdom, where it peaked inside the Top 20. The album was certified gold in that country by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), as well as being certified gold and platinum in several other countries.
The Best of The Doors is a compilation album by the Doors released in 2000, and is different from the albums of the same name released in 1973 and 1985. All three albums feature a slightly different track listing and a different photograph of the band's late singer Jim Morrison as cover art. Unlike its predecessors, the 2000 release includes both "Break On Through " and "The End" in their uncensored form.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released in 1980. The album, along with the film Apocalypse Now, released the previous year, created for the band an entirely new audience of the generation that did not grow up with the Doors. The album went on to become one of the highest-selling compilations of all time, with combined CD and vinyl sales of 5,000,000 in the United States alone.
"People Are Strange" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears on the band's second studio album, Strange Days, released in September 1967. The song was written by the Doors' vocalist Jim Morrison and guitarist Robby Krieger, although all of the band are credited on the sleeve notes.
The Doors: Original Soundtrack Recording is the soundtrack to Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors. It contains several studio recordings by the Doors, as well as the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" and the introduction to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. None of Val Kilmer's performances of the Doors' songs that are featured in the movie are included in the soundtrack.
The Doors: Box Set is a box set compilation of recordings by American rock band the Doors, released on October 28, 1997. The four-disc set includes previously rare and unreleased studio, live and demo recordings, as well as a disc of the band's personal favorite tracks culled from their official discography.
"Love Her Madly" is a song by American rock band the Doors. It was released in March 1971 and was the first single from L.A. Woman, their final album with singer Jim Morrison. "Love Her Madly" became one of the highest-charting hits for the Doors; it peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached number three in Canada. Session musician Jerry Scheff played bass guitar on the song.
The Very Best of the Doors is the ninth compilation album by the rock band the Doors. It was released on September 25, 2007, to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. The masters were drawn from the same remixes/remasters used for the 2006 Perception box set and 2007 Doors reissues.