37: THE DOORS
One of the few debut albums that was the artist's strongest. The only other albums that comes to mind are Elvis Presley, The Pretenders, Boston and, of course The Cars. Let me know if you can think of others.
The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band the Doors. Recorded in 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California, it was produced by Paul A. Rothchild and released on January 4, 1967. The album features their breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section.
The Doors was central to the progression of psychedelic rock, and has been critically acclaimed. In 2012 it was ranked No. 42 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time.
The original album has sold 20 million copies, and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; "Light My Fire" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It has been reissued several times on CD, including a 1999 remaster in “96/24 bit advanced resolution”, a 2007 remixed ”40th Anniversary new mix” and a 2017 new remaster in stereo and mono - "50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition."
In 2015 the Library of Congress selected The Doors for inclusion in the National Recording Registry based on its cultural, artistic or historical significance.
The Doors' final lineup was formed in mid-1965 after Ray Manzarek's two brothers Rick and Jim Manczarek left and Robby Krieger joined. Krieger had only been playing the electric guitar for six months when he was invited to become a member of the band. The group also featured jazz-influenced drummer John Densmore and Jim Morrison on vocals. The band was initially signed to Columbia Records under a six-month contract, but they asked for an early release after the record company failed to secure a producer for the album and placed them on a drop list. After being released from the label, the Doors played residencies in mid-1966 at two historic Sunset Strip club venues, the London Fog and Whisky a Go Go, until in summer they were signed to Elektra Records by Jac Holzman on the recommendation of producer Paul Rothchild.
The album was recorded by producer Paul A. Rothchild and audio engineer Bruce Botnick at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California in less than one month in August and September 1966. A four-track tape machine was used for recording, using mostly three tracks: bass and drums on one, guitar and organ on another, and Morrison's vocals on the third. The fourth track was used for overdubbing. Krieger and session musician Larry Knechtel played electric bass on several songs in order to give some "punch" to the sound of Manzarek's Fender Rhodes keyboard bass. For "The End", two takes were edited together to achieve the final recording. Full article