The Best of the Doors - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The Best of The Doors delivers exactly what it promises. Rather than relying solely on the hits, this collection also mines the darker, and often richer, recesses of The Doors material resulting in a fairly representative statement. The hits are here: "Light My Fire" with Ray Manzarek's keyboards on a dizzy, psychedelic spree; "People Are Strange," with Morrison's tortured psyche barely being held in check; "L.A. Woman," with its bluesy sexuality. More important, favorites of fans are here, like the controversially (at the time) explicit "The End," which was one of the first of Morrison's forays into narrative poetry. In hits like "Break on Through," "Hello I Love You," "Roadhouse Blues," and others, The Doors melded psychedelia, blues, hard-edged rock, and poetry from the edge like no other band before. The Best of The Doors is a trip in every sense of the word. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews: Read 197 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Morrison's Magnetism Prevails June 16, 2000
60 out of 70 found this review helpful

A terrific retrospective of one of the most enigmatic rock groups ever, "The Best of the Doors," opens with "Break On Through," then takes you on a wild ride through nineteen cuts that illustrate just exactly why this is such an enduring group. Jim Morrison's mesmerizing vocals, Robbie Krieger's "bottle neck" guitar, Ray Manzarek's keyboards and John Densmore's drums combined to create a unique sound, later imitated, but never duplicated by anyone else since. The songs included on this two-disc album open the doors that lead you into the ethereal, sometimes spiritual world of Morrison's poetry. His use of imagery and metaphor is remarkable, especially on such cuts as "Light My Fire," "The Crystal Ship," "People Are Strange," the impassioned "When The Music's Over," the subtly disquieting "Riders On The Storm," and the quintessential Door's song, the spellbinding "The End." Then there's the hard-driving "Roadhouse Blues," and "L.A. Woman;" the admonishing "Five To One;" and the stoic "The Unknown Soldier." There's a lyrical, almost mystic, quality to the music here; a substance that is rare in rock music, and delivered with a pulsating force that is transporting. Morrison's magnetism prevails throughout, and the more you listen to it, the more you realize how good this music really is.

5 out of 5 stars

No One Here Gets Out Alive January 6, 2001
49 out of 51 found this review helpful

I was in high school when The Doors' debut was released and it remains the one essential album to have in The Doors' catalog. [Although LA Woman and Morrison Hotel are nearly as good.] If you're looking to expand your collection beyond that, this two-disc collection is a no-brainer. It contains all eight Top 40 hits from their all too brief 4-year history and enough key album cuts ("The End," "L.A. Woman," "Roadhouse Blues") to satisfy all but the die-hard fan. [Thankfully, there are no tracks included from either of the two post-Morrison albums released in the early Seventies.]

While the identity of The Doors is linked almost exclusively to the persona of its frontman, there's no denying Ray Manzarek's keyboards and Robby Krieger's guitar playing and songwriting as crucial to The Doors' sound. And Jim Morrison's power as a vocalist was his voice, which would make the listener ignore the sometimes pretentiousness of his lyrics.

My only real criticism of this collection is that for a two-disc set, it's fairly short--only 85 minutes. But it still wasn't enough to make me spring for the box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5 out of 5 stars LIFE CHANGING!!!   April 8, 2002
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

It is difficult to find words that can express the way i feel about this cd, it changed my life. I am 16 years old, and it was just last year that I found this cd in my dad's truck. I had never heard of the doors or Jim Morrison at the time so I decided to give it a chance and listen to it. I was entranced from the very first song, I was absolutely captivated by Morrison's sultry and sexy voice, and the powerful lyrics that lead you on a journey of the mind. Krieger's guiter work is excellent especially on track 12. Densmore's drumming is superb, and Ray Manzarek's keyboarding is amazing! The band complements one another perfectly. Every single track on this cd is different, yet it blends well together creating a perfect sound. My favorite track is "The End" the lyrics paint a picture in my mind and it opens my perceptions and my imagination. Of course I can't just recommend this particular Doors cd, because it is merely a stepping stone, an introduction into the band and their original style of music. In order to fully experience the doors, I would recommend buying all of the original LP's. The Doors expanded my mind, and introduced me to a new world and a new type of music, and changed my life forever.

3 out of 5 stars 18 Tracks Just Isn't Enough   May 17, 2005
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

As I stated in my review for "Legacy: The Absolute Best", no collection will truly ever encompass the best work of The Doors. However, there are still some that are definitely worth owning. "The Best Of The Doors", an imported two cd set, isn't.

The reason that this collection gets three stars is because it is The Doors, one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever and music pioneers. There's some true rock classics here, such as "Light My Fire", "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", "The End", "Hello, I Love You", "Touch Me", "Love Her Madly", "L.A. Woman" and the chilling "Riders On The Storm". These are just some of the highlights.

The fact is, 18 tracks just isn't enough to cover The Doors. And while all the stuff on here is brilliant, there's some excellent stuff left off. For example, their brilliant reworking of Willie Dixon's classic "Back Door Man", one of their best known album tracks, is strangely omitted. Similarly, classics like "Not To Touch The Earth", "My Eyes Have Seen You", "The Changeling" and "Twentieth Century Fox" have also been omitted, and judging by the small amount of tracks on both discs, probably could have all fit.

My suggestion is that instead of this, you pick up "Legacy: The Absolute Best". It is also a two disc collection, but it has 34 tracks on it including all of the songs on here as well as all the songs that I mentioned should have been on here. It even includes an unreleased track, the seventeen minute "Celebration Of The Lizard".

So, while I guess this okay, I recommend either "Legacy", the boxed sets or the whole albums. This really isn't needed.

4 out of 5 stars The Pieces Fit Well.   January 6, 2007
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Morrison, Densmore, Krieger, & Manzarek fit & balanced each other like a sprawling jigsaw puzzle. They are the best American band to date. Yes, the Doors, not Nirvana! Here the 1960's aesthetics hit one of their musical highs. Sarcastic instincts & reason clash in the lyrics & the droning guitar riffs & are made new. This compilation captures the brooding dark mystique that the band wore like a cape. The long majestic "Light My Fire" has stood as a sensual anthem for over forty years. The raucous "Break On Through," a true modern rapture. The Medieval "The End, & the "Crystal Ship," are my favorites. In the latter they delicately explore intimacy. That is something you would not expect from this band.

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