The Doors’ classic 1971 album L.A. Woman turned 50 this year. To mark the occasion, a special 50th anniversary deluxe edition, featuring a newly remastered version of the original album by the Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, plus stacks of unreleased studio outtakes, demos and more, has been announced for release later this year. Pre-order, here.
The collection of outtakes includes some classic blues covers, like John Lee Hooker’s Crawling King Snake and Junior Parker’s Mystery Train, an early demo for Hyacinth House recorded at Robby Krieger’s home studio in 1969.
The release has been previewed with a previously unheard original demo of Riders On The Storm from the early recording sessions for the album at Sunset Sound studios. The demo was recently discovered on an unmarked tape reel in the band’s vault after being assumed lost for decades. Listen to the earliest known recording of Riders on The Storm, below.
The Doors | Riders on the Storm [Sunset Sound Version - Original Demo]
The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin’) in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band’s rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains some of the band’s most enduring music, including Love Her Madly, Riders On The Storm, and the title track.
The band's longtime producer Paul Rothchild famously quit on the band during the recording of L.A. Woman referring to the new songs as “cocktail” music, which created an opportunity for the band to relocate to their rehearsal studio to record the album themselves with longtime engineer Bruce Botnick.
The L.A. Woman 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is a 3-CD/1-LP set that includes the original album newly remastered by Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Extensive liner notes from veteran rock journalist David Fricke explores the whirlwind making of the album, which would be the last with Morrison, released just months before his death in Paris.
“Morrison may never have come back to The Doors,” ricke writes. “But with his death, L.A. Woman became rebirth, achievement, and finale, all at once. It’s the blues too – original blues, as Morrison promised. Fifty years later, there is still nothing like it.”
L.A. Woman 50th Anniversary Deluxe Version is out on December 3rd, pre-order below.
PRE-ORDER L.A. WOMAN (50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION), HERE.
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