The Doors Album: “Legacy: The Absolute Best”

I don't know about "definitive", but this is the most comprehensive "unboxed" Doors collection to date. (The original "Doors Box Set", in my opinion, contains much filler and substandard performances, and is for diehards and completists only.) This 2-disc collection contains all their chart hits (seven top 40 singles, including two #1's) and most of their better album tracks, including the two epics, "The End" and "When the Music's Over". Generally, the track choices are on the money, although I would have liked to see the title track of "The Soft Parade" included. Also, I have mixed feelings about "Celebration of the Lizard", a lengthy unreleased work which contains the original version of "Not to Touch the Earth", and has more archival than musical value. If you have no Doors in your CD library yet, however, this is the best collection out there.

I have been a Doors fan for many, many years. I love this CD to pieces. I keep hearing people complain 'well they put out a dozen greatest hits cds'. Yes this is true, but when you hear this CD you HEAR it. The sound is almost flawless. Every song was fixed to be heard on even the most powerful stero systems. Sure, this cd does miss out on a few essentials, but if you're like me and own every single cd that has came out then there shouldn't be a problem. This cd is excellent for fans who have just tuned into The Doors. Some of The Doors greatest stuff is on here including Break On Through, Back Door Man, Light My Fire, Alabama Song (on of my personal favorites), The End, Soul Kitchen, Love Me Two Times, People Are Strange, When The Musics Over and Riders On The Storm. A beautiful cd, worthy of the twenty and some odd dollars. If you're a Doors fan, you probably have all their cds, but believe me, this cd just sounds so much more crisp. Take a newly recorded cd and test it with this. I'll tell you this, it's just like that Doors are right here with you! Jim Morrison will not be forgotten, he will be forever remembered for what he did on this earth. He will be forever remembered in our hearts and our prayers.

"There are things known, and there are things unknown, and in between are The Doors" --- Jim Morrison

James Douglas Morrison

It is hard to describe in printed word The Doors' contribution to popular music. To say they were one of the greatest rock and roll bandsof all time is not enough. Lead by the greatest frontman ever, rock's poet Jim Morrison, The Doors' genius to this day permeates through the music world even today.

So, 38 years after their first album we have the two disc "Legacy: The Absolute Best", a 34 track collection of some of their bests songs. Now, most people will tell you that no "greatest hits" or "best of" or even boxed set can ever fully encompass The Doors' effect on music, but this collection is nonetheless loaded to the hilt with rock classics.

Here are some great reasosn to buy this collection

-All of their top 40 hits are here: from the big hits ("Light My Fire", "Hello, I Love You", "Touch Me") to the ones that barely squeaked in ("Love Me Two Times", "Unknown Soldier"), all of them are here.

-All the key minor hits and album tracks are here: "Back Door Man", "Roadhouse Blues", "When The Music's Over", "Crystal Ship", "L.A. Woman" (to be honest, and I know I'll be endlessly criticized for it, I like Billy Idol's version slightly better) and many others are available here.

-No tracks are edited. Most collections of many artists edit tracks down so weak songs or new songs can be added. That means epic tracks like "Riders On The Storm" and the epic 11 minute long "When The Music's Over" are all included in their full version.

-The previously unreleased complete version of "Celebration Of The Lizard" is here. 17 minutes of brilliance.

-Liner notes are brilliant.

I won't waste time: buy this album.

One of the few things most reviews presented so far have excluded to mention is that there are a few extra goodies in this package of greatest hits. For one, they put back in the "she gets high" lyrics in Break On Through (To the Other Side), which was originally taken out for controversy. So now the song sounds, for the first time, what they originally wanted it to sound like. Also, they have loudened morrison's voice in The End where he goes off in the "f-word" frenzy (which was included in the Apocalypse Now version of the song). And finally, there is the studio version of The Celebration Lizard. Unfortunately, Morrison sounds subdued and weary and unprophetic here...as if they recorded it casually on a saturday afternoon. The live version is by far much better, since it is raw, and pure, and true in emotion and brilliance. The studio version just puts Jim reading his lyrics to the ad libbed playing of Manzarek and Krieger. Nothing special, even for true fans dying to here it for the first time. Once again, The Doors are trying to reap profit of a double cd by adding a few changes to their music. This cd can be skipped. Do yourself a favor and by the original six studio albums.

I should start off saying that I love The Doors, and this is a fine compilation. The main problem is that all of the tracks are distorted and clipped. I work in the audio industry and was able to get in contact with Bruce Botnick the recording engineer who did the original tracks and this remastered version. He said that this recording was from digital transfers that were made in the late 80s. He said the original two track analog masters were lost, so he had to use these clipped digital transfers! But he had the original analog 4-track masters and was working on remixes with pristine sound quality. These are currently available on various releases, such as the Doors of Perception Box Set, so I don't recommend this one.