It's finally time to open the doors on the much-anticipated 40th anniversary celebration of The Doors' L.A. Woman. We first reported on the L.A. Woman festivities back in April 2011, the actual month of the anniversary. The band looked forward to the fall release of a deluxe edition of its acclaimed sixth and final album with Jim Morrison. Then in September, we passed on an update from Jeff Jampol, the steward of The Doors' legacy, announcing "The Year of the Doors" campaign and promising the L.A. Woman project for 2012. At that point, it was envisioned as a 5-CD Super Deluxe Edition. Soon, plans were reconfigured to offer a reasonably-priced 2-CD edition (the original album on Disc 1, and outtakes and alternates on Disc 2) and a 3-CD compendium of session material. A Record Store Day-exclusive singles collection previewed the alternate material. Well, the New Year has come, and in just two weeks, the first of the album's related reissues arrives along with a documentary on its making. Another vinyl release will follow, and the celebration will conclude with the 3-CD box set.
On January 24, Elektra and Rhino will release the 40th Anniversary Edition of L.A. Woman. Its centerpiece can be found on Disc 2, a recently-discovered track entitled "She Smells So Nice," which finds Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek jamming on an original melody before seguing into "Rock Me" and Morrison's "Mr. Mojo Risin'" chant. The second disc also presents eight previously-unissued alternate takes of the album's songs such as "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm." It's promised that "the studio chatter between the songs is a revelation, transporting listeners to The Doors Workshop: the West Hollywood rehearsal space where they recorded the album with [Bruce] Botnick. One segment in particular captures a fascinating moment of inspiration when Morrison suggests they add the now-iconic thunderstorm sound effects to the beginning of 'Riders on the Storm'."
The same date will bring Eagle Rock Entertainment's release of Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman, featuring new interviews with the three surviving members of The Doors, as well as Bruce Botnick, Elektra founder Jac Holzman and others. The documentary will be available on both DVD and Blu-Ray, and the discs will contain bonus material.
What's next in the L.A. Woman brigade of releases? Hit the jump, and you'll find more information including full track listings for each of the planned titles!
On March 16, the contents of the 40th Anniversary second disc will be released as a stand-alone 2-LP set. The Workshop Sessions will be pressed on audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl at RTI, with the lacquers cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The set contains all of the alternate takes and session chatter present on the CD version.
Finally, the balance of the material originally scheduled for the discarded Super Deluxe Edition is promised by Jampol to arrive as a 3-CD box. Though details are tentative, the Doors' manager offered readers of the band's official message board a work-in-progress track listing, containing a whopping 88 tracks of session material including dialogue, early takes, false starts and other studio miscellany. We emphasize that Jampol's track listing, reprinted below, is still tentative. We'll update accordingly once finalized details are made available.
The L.A. Woman celebration is just one aspect of the Year of the Doors campaign, currently underway. Other projects include a new series of SACDs (in both high resolution stereo and surround) and vinyl releases from the Analogue Productions label. As always, stay tuned for more details on the ongoing Doors reissue program. You'll find pre-order links and track listings below. And please do sound off: are you happy with The Doors' decision to release the elements of a Super-Deluxe Edition piecemeal? Or would you have preferred the option to purchase one mega-box? We'd love to know!
The Doors, L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino, 2012)
CD 1
- The Changeling
- Love Her Madly
- Been Down So Long
- Cars Hiss By My Window
- L.A. Woman
- L'America
- Hyacinth House
- Crawling King Snake
- The WASP
- Riders On The Storm
CD 2
- The Changeling (Alternate Version)
- Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)
- Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)
- L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)
- The WASP
- Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)
- Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)
- She Smells So Nice
- Rock Me
The Doors, L.A. Woman: The Workshop Sessions (Elektra/Rhino, 2012)
Side 1
- The Changeling (Alternate Version)
- Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)
- Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)
- L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)
Side 2
- The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) (Alternate Version)
- Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)
- Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)
Side 3
- She Smells So Nice / Rock Me
The Doors, L.A. Woman Outtakes Box (title and contents both tentative, planned for 2012, all information from The Doors Message Board)
1 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
2 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 2) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
3 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 3) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
4 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 4) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
5 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 5) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
6 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 6) [no take] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
7 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
8 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
9 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 8) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
10 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 9) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
11 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
12 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
13 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
14 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
15 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 11) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
16 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
17 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 12) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
18 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
19 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
20 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
21 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
22 TUNING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
23 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
24 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
25 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
26 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
27 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 8) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
28 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
29 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
30 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
31 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
32 THE DICK BILLS SHOW THEME THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
33 RAWHIDE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
34 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 6) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
35 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
36 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 9) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
37 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
38 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
39 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 11) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
40 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 12) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
41 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
42 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 16) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
43 L.A. WOMAN (run through) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
44 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
45 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
46 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
47 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
48 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
49 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 3) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
50 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
51 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
52 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 4) [flase start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
53 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
54 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
55 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
56 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 8) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
57 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
58 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
59 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
60 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 11) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
61 CRAWLING KING SNAKE (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
62 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
63 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
64 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
65 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
66 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 4) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
67 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
68 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 6) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
69 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
70 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 7) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
71 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
72 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 8) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
73 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 9) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
74 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
75 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 11) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
76 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
77 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
78 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
79 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
80 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 3) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
81 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 4) [incomplate] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
82 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
83 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
84 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
85 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 6) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
86 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
87 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
88 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 8) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
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I'm happy with two releases, as I might be satisfied with one alternate version of each track rather than ten.
I'm also happier with two separate releases! The packaging of these super deluxe editions usually becomes so large and cumbersome that I decide not to buy them. But two separate releases should fit nicely on a CD shelf, so now I will be getting both for sure!
Very true, I have the 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe of Layla, got as gift, and while it's really cool, it's so big that I have to keep it on shelf & not in my cd bookcase.
I'm going to stick with the 2 cd version % the new doc. Don't need 10 different false start versions of Love Her Madly...
I guess rather than having the super deluxe edition, it has now been decided to have the releases as a separate entity, which will allow the fan{s} to have a choice.Preference wise would it have been better to have the full box set a la Pink Floyd? Either way i am very happy with the results in "The End".
Nah, because one of two things is guaranteed to happen: either the super-limited edition factor won't come into play, because the 3 CDs of false starts, studio chatter, Ray coughing, etc. will inevitably tank, and after a couple months Amazon will be selling it for 20 bucks to get them out of the warehouse.
Or some 'calculating' fans will scoop up four or five extra sets for their kids' college funds but will realize that anyone who really wants 52 versions of "The Wasp" already owns this set and they'll have to sell it at a loss.
it would be cool if it all ties together within a complete box.