The Best of The Doors (1985 album)
1985 greatest hits album by the Doors
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The Best of The Doors is a compilation album by American rock group the Doors. Released in November 1985, the double LP set contains 18 songs from their six albums with lead singer Jim Morrison, including charting singles and selected album cuts.[2] Danny Sugerman contributed a short essay that discusses the band's origins and influences and Morrison's personality, and was printed inside the gatefold sleeve.
| The Best of the Doors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1985[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1966–1971 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 89:20 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer |
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| The Doors chronology | ||||
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When the album was released on compact disc in 1991 (with one bonus track), it reached number 32 in the U.S. and the top twenty in several other countries. In February 2007, the album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Bruce Eder gave the album a rating of four and a half out of five stars. He commented that, when it was released in 1985, The Best of the Doors was the most comprehensive Doors compilation to date and provided a good overview. However, he opined that the Doors' songs are better heard in the context of the original albums than in compilations, and criticized the non-chronological ordering of the tracks. Eder added that the remastering of the Doors discography that began in 1996 "renders this collection somewhat less attractive than it was on its initial release".[3]
Track listing
Original album
All tracks are written by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore), except as noted. Details are taken from the 1985 U.S. Elektra release; other releases may show different information.[5]
| No. | Title | Original album (year) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" | The Doors (1967) | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Light My Fire" | The Doors | 7:05 |
| 3. | "The Crystal Ship" (Morrison) | The Doors | 2:31 |
| 4. | "People Are Strange" | Strange Days (1967) | 2:09 |
| 5. | "Strange Days" | Strange Days | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Love Me Two Times" | Strange Days | 3:13 |
| 7. | "Alabama Song" (Kurt Weill, CD-only bonus track) | The Doors | 3:16 |
| Total length: | 24:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Original album (year) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Five to One" | Waiting for the Sun (1968) | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Waiting for the Sun" | Morrison Hotel (1970) | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Spanish Caravan" | Waiting for the Sun | 2:57 |
| 4. | "When the Music's Over" | Strange Days | 10:55 |
| Total length: | 22:20 | ||
| No. | Title | Original album (year) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hello, I Love You" | Waiting for the Sun | 2:14 |
| 2. | "Roadhouse Blues" | Morrison Hotel | 4:02 |
| 3. | "L.A. Woman" | L.A. Woman (1971) | 7:48 |
| 4. | "Riders on the Storm" | L.A. Woman | 7:14 |
| Total length: | 21:25 | ||
| No. | Title | Original album (year) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Touch Me" | The Soft Parade (1969) | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Love Her Madly" | L.A. Woman | 3:17 |
| 3. | "The Unknown Soldier" | Waiting for the Sun | 3:22 |
| 4. | "The End" | The Doors | 11:41 |
| Total length: | 21:39 | ||
Personnel
Per album liner notes:[5]
The Doors
- Jim Morrison – vocals, production
- Ray Manzarek – keyboards, production
- John Densmore – drums, production
- Robby Krieger – guitar, production
Technical
- Paul A. Rothchild – production
- Bruce Botnick – engineering, co-production
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[18] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA)[19] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[20] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | 6× Platinum | 600,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[22] | Gold | 22,150[22] |
| France (SNEP)[23] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[25] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Spain (Promusicae)[26] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[27] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Diamond | 5,000,000[30] |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||