From the late ‘60s to the start of the ‘70s, The Doors emerged as the figureheads for a bold new guard in rock, sharing a string of unprecedented albums that forever altered the face of popular music. Featuring the magnetic Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Kreiger and drummer John Densmore, the Los Angeles quartet pooled their talents and marked their unique perspective with a heady brew rock, blues, and psychedelia. After their final album L.A. Woman and Morrison’s sudden passing in 1971, their ride came to an end, but not before solidifying their status as one of the greatest bands of their era and leaving an enduring influence on generations of artists to come.
In honor of the immortal legacy of The Doors and the 60th anniversary of the band’s formation, Rhino Records–the catalog division of Warner Music Group–will release a range of commemorative materials to salute the legendary group and rejoin its still vital fan community. The centerpiece in this enterprise is The Doors 1967-1971, a 6-LP box set compiling the entirety of the band’s studio discography. Set to release on November 22, the collection includes all six original albums from the self-titled debut to L.A. Woman, cut from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio for a hi-fidelity remaster. The recordings are housed in a sleek green snakeskin box, with heavy gatefold jackets and rare photographs and liner notes from Doors archivist David Dutkowski. Only 3,000 copies of the set will be available at store.thedoors.com.
Rhino will round out its salute to The Doors with a testament to their tremendous stage presence. As part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday roster, the label will drop with a four-LP set of The Doors–Live In Detroit, marking the very first vinyl pressing of the revered live album. Captured during the band’s live performance at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on May 8, 1970, it show would become one of the band’s longest on record, featuring rare blues covers of icons like Robert Johnson and Junior Parker and a sprawling 17-minute treatment of “The End.”
As the final component of the tripartite tribute, Genesis Publications will unveil Night Divides the Day, the first-ever complete anthology book of the band. Chronicle the band’s journey in archival images, personal interviews with Krieger and Densmore and curated archival texts from Morrison and Manzarek, Night Divides the Day presents unparalleled insight into the band. Various memorabilia elevates the stylishly packaged tome even further, including childhood photos, song lyrics, poster designs, movie stills and an exclusive a seven-inch vinyl record with rare demos of “Hello, I Love You” and “Moonlight Drive.” The anthology is limited to 2,000 numbered box sets, each personally signed by Densmore and Krieger.
Night Divides the Day is available for pre-order now, and The Doors–Live In Detroit will arrive with the rest of the Record Store Day series on November 29. For more information on the endruring legacy of The Doors, visit https://thedoors.com.
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