L.A.’s ‘Day of the Doors’ marks 50th anniversary of debut album
It’s the “Day of the Doors” on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the 50th anniversary of the release of the rock quartet’s debut album, “The Doors.” The work instantly put the band on the map nationally thanks to the breakthrough hit “Light My Fire.”
The band’s surviving members, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore, were scheduled to take part in a ceremony in Venice, near the well-known mural with the band’s image, along with members of singer Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek’s families.
L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin was to present a proclamation recognizing the group’s contributions to the region’s culture through its music.
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“Very apropos that The Doors are jump starting our 50th in Venice where we started,” Densmore said in a statement. “Our songs sprang up out of the Pacific like beautiful, edible silver fish... and apparently the world took a big bite.”
In the same statement, Bonin added: “Venice is a place where many have chased their pleasures or dug their treasures. It is a place that birthed The Doors and taught us all to cherish the funky, weird, and world-renowned vibe that Jim, Ray, Robby, and John helped make famous.”
Also recognizing the half-century anniversary of that debut album, Rhino Records announced plans for a deluxe reissue of “The Doors,” originally released Jan. 4, 1967, in a 3 CD, one LP set that will be available March 31.
“The Doors: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” will include stereo and mono mixes of the album. The stereo version has been remastered for the first time in nearly 30 years and the mono edition is appearing for the first time on CD, along with a 12-by12-inch hardcover book and a CD of a live performance from the Matrix club in San Francisco, which the band gave shortly after the album debuted.
Although the Matrix performance had been previously available, Rhino officials noted that the 2008 release was taken from a third-generation source, and that recently discovered original tapes long thought to be lost have been used for the new version. It will list for $64.98.
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