What is real and fantasy, and where does time begin and end? Many have asked these burning questions throughout the ages. However, what it really boils down to is perception… and who is to say what perception is right?
Allow yourself a moment to break down what this means and how it relates to what each of us considers reality. Fortunately, we have art that provides a pathway into different concepts. Whether it be thinking in a non-linear manner or presenting a song that expands into different corners of our mind, you could argue The Doors are a definitive glimpse into something beyond.
At their core, a Blues Rock band, The Doors’ unification of Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Guitarist Robby Krieger, and Drummer John Densmore created sounds that defined the mid-60s and the early ‘70s era. Different from any other band at the time, the intangible factor in the legacy of The Doors is Jim Morrison’s voice and words. At his heart, a poet turned Rock-n-Roll singer, Morrison transferred thoughtful, introspective words into something that was complex yet nakedly upfront at the same time. Galvanized by an uninhabited stage presence, he and The Doors will go down as one of Rock-n-Roll’s most significant bands to ever exist.
Not just hyperbole, The Doors are still at the forefront of many Rock-n-Roll lovers’ minds, and their music sounds as exceptional as ever. From the animalistic rawness of 1967’s “Break on Through (To the Other Side) and the bizarre out-of-body experience of “People Are Strange” to the haunting quality of lesser-known songs like 1971’s “L’America,” it would be a tall-order to find something within The Doors catalogue of music that is not at least interesting. In fact, you can turn on any of The Doors albums between their 1967 self-titled debut through 1971’s L.A. Woman (their last with Jim Morrison before his death) and still be enthralled… even sixty years later.
Thinking about this for a moment, The Doors are set to celebrate their sixty anniversary since initially forming back in 1965. A long time ago, in 2025, many plans were set, including The Doors’ first-ever complete anthology book called Night Divides the Day. Set for release in April, it will offer never-before-seen rare photography, feature interviews with Robby Krieger and John Densmore, and sourced archival text from both the late, great Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek. Something to keep an eye out for: in late 2024, there are also some early celebratory releases on the docket.
First, Rhino Records has unveiled a really nice-looking logo for The Doors’ 60th anniversary. Second, Rhino Records also has put out some really enticing physical format releases that fans will want to check out. This includes the release of The Doors – Live in Detroit as a 4-LP set for the first time ever as of November 29th, as well as a stunning new 6-LP Vinyl Box Set chronicling the band’s first six albums.
Calling the release The Doors 1967-1971, it arrived on November 22, 2024, and includes extremely high-quality vinyl reissues of 1967’s The Doors, 1967’s Strange Days, 1968’s Waiting for the Sun, 1969’s Soft Parade, 1970’s Morrison Hotel, and 1971’s L.A. Woman. Individually packaged LPs with original replicated artwork, rare photos, and expanded liner notes are inside, so the outer box of this set is something to behold. Heavy duty, the box itself is a green snakeskin hardcover with gold leaf print of The Doors logo, presenting itself like a classic novel.
Ascetically looking stunning, the sound quality is surely breathtaking as well, with each of the six albums pressed from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio. Standing out, planting one of these 180-gram thick LPs on your turntable and putting the needle to the groove will blow away any lesser experience of merely streaming the music.
In truth, there is hardly any better way to celebrate 60 years of The Doors than The Doors 1967-1971 box set. Highly limited, there were only three thousand copies of the new set pressed, and you can pick one up exclusively either at thedoors.com or rhino.com. Urging you to waste no time and make the investment because it is well worth it, Cryptic Rock gives The Doors 1967-1971 6-LP High Fidelity Box Set 5 out of 5 stars.
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