The Doors discography
The Doors discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 9 |
Live albums | 4 |
Compilation albums | 21 |
Video albums | 13 |
Singles | 21 |
Bright Midnight archives | 18 |
The discography of the American rock band The Doors consists of nine studio albums, four live albums, 21 compilations, 18 Bright Midnight Archives and 21 singles. The list also includes thirteen home videos, a bibliography, and a filmography.
Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965 by UCLA film students Jim Morrison, vocals, and Ray Manzarek, keyboards; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire," in 1967.
Like "Light My Fire," the debut album was a massive hit, and endures as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but beguiling melodies, the band sounded like no other. With his rich, chilling vocals and somber poetic visions, Morrison explored the depths of the darkest and most thrilling aspects of the psychedelic experience. Their first effort was so stellar, in fact, that the Doors were hard-pressed to match it, and although their next few albums contained a wealth of first-rate material, the group also began running up against the limitations of their recklessly disturbing visions. By their third album, they had exhausted their initial reservoir of compositions, and some of the tracks they hurriedly devised to meet public demand were clearly inferior to, and imitative of, their best early work.
On The Soft Parade, the group experimented with brass sections, with mixed results. Accused (without much merit) by much of the rock underground as pop sellouts, the group charged back hard with the final two albums they recorded with Morrison, on which they drew upon stone-cold blues for much of their inspiration, especially on 1971's L.A. Woman.
From the start, the Doors' focus was the charismatic Morrison, who proved increasingly unstable over the group's brief career. In 1969, Morrison was arrested for indecent exposure during a concert in Miami, an incident that nearly derailed the band. Nevertheless, the Doors managed to turn out a series of successful albums and singles through 1971, when, upon the completion of L.A. Woman, Morrison decamped for Paris. He died there, apparently of a drug overdose. The three surviving Doors tried to carry on without him, but ultimately disbanded. Yet the Doors' music and Morrison's legend continued to fascinate succeeding generations of rock fans: In the mid-'80s, Morrison was as big a star as he'd been in the mid-'60s, and Elektra has sold numerous quantities of the Doors' original albums plus reissues and releases of live material over the years, while publishers have flooded bookstores with Doors and Morrison biographies. In 1991, director Oliver Stone made The Doors, a feature film about the group starring Val Kilmer as Morrison.
Studio albums
Date | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] |
UK [2] |
CH [3] |
NOR [4] | |||||||
1967 | The Doors
|
2 | 43 | — | — | U.S.: 5× Platinum[5] CAN: 4× Platinum[6] | ||||
Strange Days
|
3 | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | |||||
1968 | Waiting for the Sun
|
1 | 16 | — | — | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | ||||
1969 | The Soft Parade
|
6 | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | ||||
1970 | Morrison Hotel
|
4 | 12 | — | 13 | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | ||||
1971 | L.A. Woman
|
9 | 28 | — | 15 | US: 2× Platinum[5] CAN: 3× Platinum[6] | ||||
Other Voices
|
31 | — | — | — | ||||||
1972 | Full Circle
|
68 | — | — | — | |||||
1978 | An American Prayer
|
54 | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Live albums
Year | Album | Peak Chart Positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] |
UK [2] |
CH [3] |
AUT [7] | |||||||
1970 | Absolutely Live
|
8 | 69 | — | — | US: Gold[5] CAN" Gold[6] | ||||
1983 | Alive, She Cried
|
32 | 36 | — | — | US: Gold[5] CAN: Gold[6] | ||||
1987 | Live at the Hollywood Bowl
|
154 | 51 | — | — | |||||
1991 | In Concert
|
50 | 24 | 23 | 6 | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Gold[6] | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Compilation albums
Year | Album | Peak Chart Positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] |
UK [2] |
GER [8] |
CH [3] |
NL [9] |
NOR [4] |
AUT [7] | |||||
1970 | 13
|
25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | ||
1972 | Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine
|
55 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | US: Gold[5] | ||
1973 | The Best of The Doors
|
158 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
1980 | The Doors Greatest Hits
|
17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: 3x Platinum[5] CAN: 5x Platinum[6] | ||
1985 | The Doors Classics
|
124 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
The Best of The Doors
|
32 | 17 | — | 4 | 40 | 3 | — | US: Diamond[5] CAN: 6x Platinum[6] | |||
1991 | The Doors: Original Soundtrack Recording
|
8 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] CAN: Platinum[6] | ||
1996 | The Doors Greatest Hits
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: 2x Platinum[5] | ||
1997 | The Doors: Box Set
|
65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: Platinum[5] | ||
1999 | The Complete Studio Recordings
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
2000 | Essential Rarities
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
The Best of the Doors
|
— | 9 | 50 | 17 | 38 | — | 19 | CAN: Gold[10] | |||
2001 | The Very Best of The Doors
|
92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: Gold[5] CAN: Gold[6] | ||
2003 | Legacy: The Absolute Best
|
63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | US: Gold[5] | ||
2006 | Love/Death/Travel Box Set
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
Perception
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
2007 | The Very Best of The Doors
|
113 | 15 | 81 | 36 | 12 | 34 | 16 | US: Gold[5] | ||
2008 | The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits
|
161 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
The Platinum Collection
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
The Doors: Vinyl Box Set
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
2010 | When You're Strange: Music From The Motion Picture
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
2011 | A Collection
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Bright Midnight archives
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Sales & certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [1] |
CH [3] |
U.S. [5] |
CAN [6] | ||
2000 | The Bright Midnight Sampler
|
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Live In Detroit
|
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2001 | Bright Midnight: Live in America
|
79 | |||
Live in Hollywood Highlights From The Aquarius Theatre Performances
|
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Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance
|
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Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The Second Performance
|
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No One Here Gets Out Alive
|
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The Lost Interview Tapes Featuring Jim Morrison Volume One
|
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2002 | The Lost Interview Tapes Featuring Jim Morrison Volume Two
|
||||
Backstage and Dangerous: The Private Rehearsal
|
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Live in Hollywood
|
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2003 | Boot Yer Butt: The Doors Bootlegs
|
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2005 | Live in Philadelphia '70
|
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2007 | Live In Boston
|
145 | |||
2008 | Pittsburgh Civic Arena
|
||||
Live at the Matrix 1967
|
191 | ||||
2009 | Live in New York
|
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2010 | Live in Vancouver 1970
|
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] |
UK [12] |
GER [13] |
AUT [14] |
NL [15] |
CH [16] | |||||
1967 | "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" B-side: "End of the Night" |
106[17] | 64 | — | — | — | — | The Doors | ||
"Light My Fire" B-side: "The Crystal Ship" |
1 | 7 | — | — | 27 | — | ||||
"People Are Strange" B-side: "Unhappy Girl" |
12 | — | — | — | — | — | Strange Days | |||
"Love Me Two Times" B-side: "Moonlight Drive" |
25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
1968 | "The Unknown Soldier" B-side: "We Could Be So Good Together" |
39 | — | — | — | — | — | Waiting for the Sun | ||
"Hello, I Love You" B-side: "Love Street" |
1 | 15 | 33 | — | 14 | 10 | ||||
"Touch Me" B-side: "Wild Child" |
3 | — | 39 | 16 | — | 10 | The Soft Parade | |||
1969 | "Wishful Sinful" B-side: "Who Scared You" (non-LP track) |
44 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Tell All the People" B-side: "Easy Ride" |
57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Runnin' Blue" B-side: "Do It" |
64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
1970 | "You Make Me Real" B-side: "Roadhouse Blues" |
50 | — | — | — | — | — | Morrison Hotel | ||
1971 | "Love Her Madly" B-side: "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" (non-LP track) |
11 | — | — | — | 4 | — | L.A. Woman | ||
"Riders on the Storm" B-side: "Changeling" |
14 | 22 | 28 | — | 7 | — | ||||
"Tightrope Ride" B-side: "Variety Is the Spice of Life" |
71 | — | — | — | 23 | — | Other Voices | |||
"Ships with Sails" | — | — | — | 23 | — | |||||
1972 | "The Mosquito" B-side: "It Slipped My Mind" |
85 | — | 25 | 15 | 17 | — | Full Circle | ||
"Get Up and Dance" B-side: "Tree Trunk" (non-LP track) |
— | — | — | 15 | 17 | — | ||||
"The Piano Bird" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
1979 | ""Roadhouse Blues"(live) B-side: "Albinoni's Adagio (The Severe Garden)" |
— | — | — | — | — | An American Prayer | |||
1980 | "People Are Strange" B-side: "Not to Touch the Earth" |
— | — | — | — | — | The Doors Greatest Hits | |||
1983 | "Gloria" B-side: "Moonlight Drive" |
71 | — | — | — | — | — | Alive, She Cried | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. NOTE: "Break on through" (1967) was not a hit in the UK until 1991, and "Light my fire" originally made No.49 in the UK in 1967 (the 1991 re-issue attained the peak position of No.7) |
Official Videography DVD
Release date | Video | Label | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | The Doors Collection - Collector's Edition | Universal Pictures | Platinum |
1991 | The Doors | Pioneer Entertainment | |
1998 | The Doors Are Open | Pioneer Entertainment | |
2000 | The Doors Live At The Hollywood Bowl | Universal Pictures | Platinum |
2001 | The Doors - 30 Years Commemorative Edition | Universal Pictures | Platinum |
2001 | No One Here Gets Out Alive | Eagle Vision | Gold |
2001 | VH1 Storytellers | Image Entertainment | |
2002 | The Doors Soundstage Performances | Eagle Vision | Gold |
2003 | The Doors of the 21st Century: L.A. Woman Live | Image Entertainment | |
2004 | The Doors Live In Europe 1968 DTS | Eagle Vision | Platinum |
2005 | The Doors Collector's Edition - (3 Dvd) | Eagle Vision | |
2008 | The Doors Classic Albums: The Doors | Eagle Vision | |
2010 | When You're Strange | Universal Pictures | Gold |
References
- ^ a b c d allmusic ((( The Doors > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums)))
- ^ a b c "Chart Stats - The Doors". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ a b c d "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ a b "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by The Doors
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) Cite error: The named reference "CAN" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "austriancharts.at - Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - Doors, The". www.musicline.de. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification – May 2001". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ allmusic ((( The Doors > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))
- ^ "Chart Stats - The Doors". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - Doors, The". www.musicline.de. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "austriancharts.at - Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". www.austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ in the documentary DVD When you're Strange Part 2, minute 8:46 features the following credits the Single Peak chart positions in the United States 106.