40th Anniversary of The Doors' "L.A. Woman"

Here is some cool news I received about Rhino Records' latest Doors reissues. Read on...

In December 1970, Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore converged at The Doors’ Workshop on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles and began recording what would turn out to be the band’s sixth and final studio album, L.A. Woman. Released in April 1971, the album became an instant classic, earning double-platinum status on the strength of two Top 20 hits – “Riders On The Storm” and “Love Her Madly” – and the powerful and sprawling title track.

To mark the beloved album’s 40^th anniversary, Rhino will launch a celebration of L.A. Woman this April that will continue throughout the year. It begins on Record Store Day (April 16) with a “Riders On The Storm” 7” that contains the original stereo single b/w a previously unreleased mono mix of the single that was distributed exclusively to radio at the time.

The single will be presented in one of three different, randomly distributed picture sleeves, each featuring artwork originally used for the single’s international release. Limited to 2,500 total pieces, the “Riders On The Storm” single will be available exclusively at select independent music retailers during Record Store Day 2011 for a suggested list price of $6.98. For a list of participating stores, please visit www.recordstoreday.com. 

Rhino continues to give The Doors their due this Fall when it unveils a special 40^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of L.A. Woman. This two-disc collection contains the original album along with a selection of rare and previously unreleased session outtakes and studio dialogue.

Recorded mostly live in their rehearsal space, the 10-song album was produced by the band with longtime engineer Bruce Botnick, who created a comfortable vibe in the studio. In an interview with Modern Drummer, Densmore recalled the L.A. Woman sessions.

“We just did a couple takes, on everything. There were some mistakes, and I would say, ‘Ray, remember on Miles Davis Live At Carnegie Hall, on the intro of ‘So What’ there’s this horrible trumpet error? Miles said he didn’t care, because of the feeling.’ That’s what L.A. Woman is. Just passion — in our rehearsal room, not in a fancy studio. It was the first punk album! It was made cheap, in a couple weeks.”

There are more surprises in store for the L.A. Woman celebration, so stay tuned to The Doors (www.thedoors.com, www.facebook.com/thedoors) and Rhino (www.rhino.com, www.facebook.com/rhino) for additional announcements.