You know the day destroys the night  . . . . Night divides the day

As seminal moments in rock music history go for me there is one towering moment and that is the first time I heard this album and the opening track 'Break On Through (To The Other Side)' still sends shivers if it catches me in the right mood [which is often] . . . . . . . Played first I think by an old grammar school chum, Alan Bateman, who coincidently lived directly next door to David Rodigan the actor dj and reggae master even at school and current Reggae Sound System Clash-meister bar none, but it was Alan who turned me on to much of the American sounds that were hitting in the late sixties and not, as I had remembered, my old school pal from Portland Oregon, Mike, who joined in with the influential collections that including Frank Zappa, Clear Light et al . . . so that Alan convinced me to go see this band and play hooky from school to see The Doors at the Roundhouse although I always get the year wrong and my memory is not what it was, so I checked with Mike and he assures me it wasn't him who convinced me to go see 'em, but the moment the side light hit Jim's face and the drums started with that infectious jazz rhythm, John seeming up in the clouds somewhere on a riser [about two feet off the ground it was THEN revolutionary (ha ha sic) ] the keyboard swirls and funky left hand bass from Ray and with Robby hitting those sliding ethereal other worldly tones, the world began again! Everything was as new! There was a strong smell in the audience I recall and Jefferson  Airplane had been on earlier and I could barely see them for clouds of smoke (aaah special affects!) but all in all the plea to break on through was taken as a challenge that I did not resist . . . . . . . . . 

"Everybody loves my baby, everybody loves my baby,        she get . . . . she get . . . . . 

she get high!"

On this day in music history: January 4, 1967 - “The Doors”, the debut album by The Doors is released. Produced by Paul A. Rothchild, it is recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, CA from August 24 - 31, 1966. The L.A. based rock band are signed to a contract by Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman after seeing them perform at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA. The album is recorded on a four track multi-track tape machine in only six days of studio time. Consisting of mostly original material (and two covers from their live act), the album initially gets off to a slow start, when the first single “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” does not chart, but the bands’ fortunes change dramatically with the release of the second single “Light My Fire” (#1 Pop). In time it is regarded as one of the most important and influential rock albums of the era. It is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2002, and is selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry of the Library Of Congress in 2015. Originally issued both in mono and stereo, the mono version of the album differs significantly from its stereo counterpart. The mono LP version of “Light My Fire” appears in its original recorded speed, while the more common stereo mix is slightly slower. The mono mix of the final track “The End” features Jim Morrison saying the words “f***, f***, f***” during his extended monologue, while the original stereo version have the expletives mixed out (though a later stereo remix restores them to the track). In April of 2008, the mono version of the album is remastered and reissued on vinyl as part of “The Doors -Vinyl Box” set for Record Store Day. Limited to 12,500 copies, it sells out of its pressing soon after its release. It is the first time this version of the album has been available since being deleted in 1968. In November of 2010, Rhino Records reissues the mono LP individually (limited to 3,000 copies) on Black Friday Record Store Day. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the album in 2017, it is reissued as an individually numbered 3 CD/ vinyl LP set. The package includes original mono and stereo mixes of the eleven song album on the first two discs. The third CD features eight tracks recorded live at The Matrix in San Francisco, CA on March 7, 1967. The anniversary set also includes a 180 gram vinyl pressing of the mono mix, previously reissued in 2008 and 2010. It comes packaged in a 12" x 12" hardbound book jacket, and contains a twelve page booklet with photos and with liner notes written by Rolling Stone magazine journalist David Fricke. “The Doors” spends two weeks at number two on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 4x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.



"I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chained us
Eyes that lied
Break on through to the other side . . . . . . . . "

Jim Morrison - Manfred Rehm, 1967

Jim goofing with a police phone