On the Importance of The Doors’ Self-Titled Debut Album

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a look at the impact ‘The Doors’ had on music

January 4 marked the 50^th anniversary of the release of The Doors’ debut self-titled album. To celebrate the occasion, the band is planning to release a 50^th anniversary 3 CD /LP deluxe edition of the album, complete with mono and stereo versions of the album on CD, the mono mix on vinyl, and a live recording of their March 7, 1967 show at The Matrix in San Francisco. Packaged in a 12x12 hardcover book with rare photos and liner notes, the deluxe edition will be released on March 31.

‘The Doors’ has been lauded by many publications and critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone and NME ranked the album at number 42 and 226, respectively, on their lists of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

The album was, and still is, a fan favorite too. Featuring the band’s two biggest hits, “Break on Through” and “Light My Fire,” ‘The Doors’ peaked at number two on the Billboard charts, coming in second only to The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’ The band released five more albums before singer Jim Morrison’s death in 1971, none of which had the same kind of impact as their debut.

So what made this album so special in particular? Perhaps it was the band’s unwillingness to sound like any other band out there at the time. The band never had an official bass player because Morrison felt like it made them sound too much like everyone else. On ‘The Doors,’ all bass parts were played by Ray Manzarek on keyboard, and then overdubbed after the fact.

The Doors also made it a point to try and capture the essence of their live show in that first recording. According to Manzarek in the documentary ‘Classic Albums: The Doors,’ “It’s ‘The Doors: Live from the Whisky a Go Go’… except in a recording studio.” It was on stage during their legendary high-energy, drug-addled performances, that the band developed what would become their signature sound; a mixture of rock, blues and jazz. Combined with Morrison’s weighty, sharp lyricism and passion for poetry, and The Doors became like no other band before them.

And other artists took notice. If it wasn’t for The Doors, some of punk’s heaviest hitters, such as Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, may never have gotten into music. Even younger rock bands like The Strokes and The Dandy Warhols were inspired by the band’s work.

The Doors’ music has inspired countless other artists, as well as generations of fans. It is because of the unique sound and “live-ness” that the band created on their first album that we are still talking about them today. After 50 years, ‘The Doors’ is still as impactful as it was when it was first released in 1967. With this new 50^th anniversary deluxe edition, fans of all ages will be able to experience the genius that was The Doors all over again in a whole new way.

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Find music from The Doors and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop, and vinylbay777.com. We have thousands of titles ranging from the classics to new favorites and everything in between. Open seven days a week, we have a wide selection of new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and memorabilia in store and online.