The Best of The Doors (1985 album)
| The Best of the Doors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1966–1971 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 89:09 | |||
| 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 first six albums with lead singer Jim Morrison, including charting singles and selected album cuts.[1] Danny Sugerman contributed a short essay which discussed the band's origins, 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 in the top twenty in several other countries. In February 2007, the album was certified as Diamond 10× by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
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 collection to date and provided a good overview.[2] However, he noted:
Good as it is, the compilation misleads somewhat by removing the material from its original context and also shuffling the order, so that songs off of The Soft Parade bump up against tracks from L.A. Woman. The hits can stand on their own, but overall the music lacks the broader impact that it was intended to have when heard juxtaposed with the other tracks on their respective original albums.[2]
Eder added that more recent albums, which also benefit from remastering, "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.[3]
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Personnel
 |
The Doors
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – organ, piano, keyboard bass
- John Densmore – drums
- Robby Krieger – guitar
Additional musicians
- Douglass Lubahn – occasional bass guitar on the tracks that came from Strange Days & Waiting for the Sun except disc 2, track 7
- Jerry Scheff – occasional bass guitar on the L.A. Woman tracks
- Ray Neapolitan – bass guitar on disc 1, track 9
- Lonnie Mack – bass guitar on disc 2, track 2
- John Sebastian – harmonica on disc 2, track 2 (credited as "G. Puglese")
- Harvey Brooks – bass guitar on disc 2, track 5
- Paul Harris – orchestral arrangements on disc 2, track 5
- Curtis Amy – saxophone solo on disc 2, track 5
- Marc Benno – additional guitar on disc 2, track 3
- Kerry Magness – bass guitar on disc 2, track 7
- Leroy Vinnegar – acoustic bass on disc 2, track 10
- Larry Knechtel – bass guitar on disc 1, track 2 (though was uncredited)
Technical
- Paul A. Rothchild – producer of all tracks except the L.A. Woman selections
- Bruce Botnick – co-producer of the L.A. Woman selections
Charts
Certifications
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See also
References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Best of the Doors [1973] – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "The Best of The Doors – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ The Best of the Doors (Album notes). The Doors. New York City: Elektra Records. 1985. LP labels.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doors – The Best of The Doors" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "The Doors Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "The Doors: The Best of The Doors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Doors – The Best of the Doors" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Doors – The Best of The Doors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Doors | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Doors – Best of The Doors". Music Canada.
- ^ a b "Doors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ^ "French album certifications – Doors – Best of the Doors" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Doors – Best Of The Doors". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 11, 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Norwegian album certifications – The Doors – Best Of The Doors" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Best of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – The Best of the Doors". Recording Industry Association of America.
