Emerging from Los Angeles like a flash of psychedelic rock lightning in the late 1960s, The Doors were introduced to the world with one of the best debut albums of all time. Released 57 years ago today on January 4th, 1967, The Doors is arguably the band’s best studio work, brimming with a passionate energy from the beloved quartet comprised of Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore who collectively reign supreme from the opening notes of “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” and never letting go.
With nine original songs and two blues covers, The Doors emerged out of a college songwriting partnership between Morrison and Manzarek. The two met while attending the University of California, Los Angeles, and were able to work out the songs with a nightly residency at the now-famous Los Angeles club Whisky a Go Go. Nearly all of the album’s songs have become radio mainstays, including the bluesy “Soul Kitchen” and the soulful psychedelic anthem “The Crystal Ship”–which was assumed to be inspired by an illuminated oil rig off the shore in Santa Barbara–along with “Light My Fire”, “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”, “Twentieth Century Fox”, and the album finale, “The End”.
The Doors has sold over 20 million copies in its 57-year existence and was ranked as the No. 42 most influential album of all time by Rolling Stone (as well as the No. 1 album from 1967). Meanwhile, the album charted at No. 2 in the U.S., while the single “Light My Fire” reached No. 1 nationwide.
Today, The Doors remains one of the most acclaimed and influential American rock albums from the counterculture era. Have a listen to “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” below.
The Doors – “Break on Through (To the Other Side)”