The Doors were an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The singer was Jim Morrison. They were one of the most important bands of the 1960s, and an important part of the counterculture. They were initially active until 1973, two years after Morrison's death. When I think of the Doors, I often recall hearing about their notorious appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which they defied the stipulation that Morrison couldn't sing the word "higher" in their hit, "Light My Fire", and subsequently were banned from the show. Kinda wish I could have been there for that, but of course it was before my time.

tek's rating: ¾

The Very Best of the Doors
AllMusic; Amazon; Apple Music; Discogs; Rhino; Spotify; Wikipedia

This is a greatest hits compilation, released in 2007. (There was another hits album by the same name, released in 2001.) There are three versions of this album: a single disc released in the UK, a double disc released in the US, and a slightly different double disc released in the UK. (I have the 2-disc US version.) I'm reviewing it in 2025. There are a lot of songs on the album that I was familiar with, and a lot I wasn't. The liner notes contain an essay about the band, which I haven't read. I had a hard time getting the discs out of the trays; I was afraid I'd break the discs, but I didn't.

Disc One

1. "Break on Through (To the Other Side)": This was the Doors' first single, from their debut album, "The Doors", in 1967. I'm a bit surprised to read that it didn't do that well on the charts, because it's one of the songs with which I've always been familiar. Not one of my very favorites, but it's still pretty good.

2. "Strange Days": When I first read the name of this song, the only thing I could think of was a line from a different song of which I didn't know the name, but I did some research and found out I was thinking of "Nobody Told Me", by John Lennon. This is a song I had never heard, I'm pretty sure. It's the title song from another 1967 album, "Strange Days". It's okay, but not something I'm going to remember.

3. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)": I didn't think I'd know this one, but upon listening to the CD, it did sound familiar. According to Wikipedia it's a cover of a much earlier song. It's fairly fun, I'd say. Feels more playful than most Doors songs. It appears on "The Doors".

4. "Love Me Two Times": This is the second single from "Strange Days", and it's always been pretty familiar to me. It's blues rock, and it's pretty good.

5. "Light My Fire": This was the second single from "The Doors", and I'd say it's possibly the band's most iconic song. The album version is 7 minutes long (the single version was less than 3 minutes). It's psychedelic rock, and a long stretch of it in the middle is instrumental. It's certainly among my favorite Doors songs, though not my very favorite, I guess. I could stand for it to be shorter, but I don't really mind the length. I could also stand to have more vocals in the song, but the instrumental part is good, too.

6. "Spanish Caravan": From their third album, "Waiting for the Sun" (1968). I honestly couldn't tell you whether I'd ever heard this before getting this hits collection, or not. But I like it.

7. "The Crystal Ship": From "The Doors". The title sounded familiar, but now that I listen to it I'm not sure if I'd heard it before or not. It's okay, but I had really hoped I'd like it more than I do. Because that's a cool title.

8. "The Unknown Soldier": The first single from "Waiting for the Sun", but I'm fairly sure I'd never heard it. I like some parts of it more than other bits, and overall I think it's just okay. I do like the concept, though. Sort of an indictment of how media portrayed the Vietnam War.

9. "The End": From "The Doors". It's over 11 and a half minutes long (though a shorter version exists). I've always been at least a little bit familiar with at least part of the song, but most of it I didn't remember. It really is an epic, but I can't say I follow most of it. It's weird. A lot of it is more spoken word than singing. I'm not sure how much I like it, aside from the few lines that were familiar to me. Actually, there are parts of it I definitely don't care for at all.

10. "People Are Strange": This is the first single from "Strange Days". It's weird, but it's always been one of my favorite Doors songs. It always reminds me of The Lost Boys, even though the version that appears in that movie is a cover by a different band.

11. "Back Door Man": From "The Doors". I didn't know this one. It's fine, but not something I really care about.

12. "Moonlight Drive": From "Strange Days". I didn't know this one, but I kinda like it.

13. "End of the Night": From "The Doors". I didn't know this one, but I like it.

14. "Five to One": From "Waiting for the Sun". I didn't know this one, but it's interesting. For some reason, I feel like I could imagine Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem playing this song.

15. "When the Music's Over": From "Strange Days". I didn't really know this one, but some of it sounds kind of familiarish. It's another epic 11-minute song, and it's progressive/experimental rock (though honestly I think that could describe almost every Doors song). I think it's cool, and somehow I could imagine beatniks grooving to it.

Disc Two

1. "Twentieth Century Fox": From "The Doors". I didn't know this one. It has nothing to do with the movie studio. It's about a woman. I don't know what else to say.

2. "Love Her Madly": First single from the band's sixth album, "L.A. Woman" (1971). This is a song I knew, and I like it well enough, but it's not one of my favorites.

3. "Riders on the Storm": Second single from "L.A. Woman". It's around 7 minutes long. I can't really say what it's about, but still it's always been one of my favorite Doors songs. I just like the sound of it, and before I actually listened to the album, it was the song that most often came to mind while anticipating my listening. (Though the only lyrics I thought about were the title of the song.)

4. "My Eyes Have Seen You": From "Strange Days". I didn't know this one, but I like it.

5. "Tell All the People": From their fourth album, "The Soft Parade" (1969). I didn't know this one, but it's okay. This is a song that I wouldn't call rock; it has a lighter feel than most Doors songs.

6. "Hello, I Love You": This is the second single from "Waiting for the Sun". It's one of the songs I've always known, and I like it well enough, but it's not a favorite.

7. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)": From "L.A. Woman". I didn't know this one, and I think it's kinda weird.

8. "Not to Touch the Earth": From "Waiting for the Sun". I didn't know this one. It's also weird, but I guess I like it. Kind of. Parts of it, anyway.

9. "Soul Kitchen": From "The Doors". I didn't know this one, but it's not bad.

10. "Peace Frog": From their fifth album, "Morrison Hotel" (1970). From the title, I couldn't remember whether I'd heard it before or not. But listening to it, I'm pretty sure I hadn't. It's interesting, though. And kind of disturbing.

11. "L.A. Woman": Obviously, the title track from "L.A. Woman". At about 8 minutes, it's the longest song on the second disc of this hits album. It's a song I knew and like. It's about the city of Los Angeles itself, not actually about a woman. It contains the lyrics "Mr. Mojo Risin'", which is an anagram of "Jim Morrison". And while that's supposed to be a random allusion to sex or whatever (it doesn't seem connected to the rest of the song), it mostly just reminds me of Mojo Jojo from The Powerpuff Girls. But anyway, that's just a small part of the song.

12. "Waiting for the Sun": I assumed this would be from the album "Waiting for the Sun", but oddly enough, it's actually from "Morrison Hotel". I didn't know this one, but it's not bad.

13. "Touch Me": The first single from "The Soft Parade". Based on the title, I didn't expect to know this one, but upon listening to it, it was totally familiar. It seems like maybe the lightest, poppiest Doors song I've heard. An actual soulful ballad, more than rock.

14. "The Changeling": From "L.A. Woman". I don't think I'd ever heard this one. It's kinda weird, but it's another song I could strangely imagine the Electric Mayhem doing.

15. "Wishful Sinful": From "The Soft Parade". I didn't know this one. It's another love song I guess, but I prefer "Touch Me".

16. "Love Street": From "Waiting for the Sun". I didn't know this one. It's another fairly light song. And it's yet another song that doesn't really make much sense to me (which is true of most Doors songs). But it's okay.

17. "The Ghost Song": From the band's ninth album, "An American Prayer" (1978). I wasn't sure whether or not I would know this one, but I didn't. Despite Jim Morrison having died years earlier, this is a recording of him reading his poetry, set to new music. It all seems pretty random, but I kinda like it.

18. "Gloria": From the band's second live album, "Alive, She Cried" (1983), though it was recorded in 1969. It's a cover of a Van Morrison song (no relation). I'm not particularly familiar with any version of this song, but part of it sounds at least vaguely like something I've probably heard before. It's okay.

19. "Roadhouse Blues": From "Morrison Hotel". I've probably heard this before, but I'm not as familiar with it as some other Doors songs. But it's blues rock that I could absolutely imagine hearing in a roadhouse. I like it.

Well, I think this probably includes all the Doors songs I already knew, plus a bunch of others. I don't love all of them like I do most of the familiar songs, but certainly none of the songs are bad. And even if I won't remember the ones that were new to me, I'm sure I could enjoy them anytime I listen to the album again. The Doors were just a really incredible band, no matter what style of music they were playing. (Mostly psychedelic rock, but plenty of other genres mixed in there.) So I'm really glad to own this collection.