The Doors: Box Set is a box set compilation of recordings by American rock band the Doors, released on October 28, 1997. The four-disc set includes previously rare and unreleased studio, live and demo recordings, as well as a disc of the band's personal favorite tracks culled from their official discography.

The Doors Box Set
Box set by
ReleasedOctober 28, 1997 (1997-10-28)
Recorded1965–1971
GenreRock
Length257:50
LabelElektra
Producer
The Doors chronology
In Concert
(1991)
The Doors Box Set
(1997)
The Complete Studio Recordings
(1999)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Iowa State Daily     [2]
Uncut     [3]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Bruce Eder gave the album a rating of four and a half out of five stars. He noted:[1]

In essence, this was the group's own musical story told the bandmembers' way, without regard to technical perfection or record label (or corporate, or middle-brow) sensibilities with regard to taste or mass appeal, a perfect sweep-away-all-the-bullsh*t audio account of who and what they were. In the process, in the sheer power of the music and the presentation here, they not only leaped far beyond the boundaries of any of the video documentaries dealing with their history (aimed, as those were, at the widest possible audience) but also reduced the Oliver Stone movie to a piece of self-indulgent fiction.[1]

Track listing

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Details are taken from the original 1997 Elektra Records box set liner notes and may differ from other sources.[4] All songs written by the Doors (Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore), except where noted.

Disc one: Without a Safety Net
No.TitleVenue / studioLength
1."Five to One" (live)Dinner Key Auditorium, Miami, 19697:29
2."Queen of the Highway" (alternate version)Elektra Studios, Los Angeles, 19693:32
3."Hyacinth House" (demo)Krieger's home studio, 19692:40
4."My Eyes Have Seen You" (demo)World Pacific Studios, Los Angeles, 19652:01
5."Who Scared You"Elektra, 19693:16
6."Black Train Song" (writers: The Doors, "Mystery Train" by Junior Parker; live)The Spectrum, Philadelphia, 197012:22
7."End of the Night" (demo)World Pacific, 19653:02
8."Whiskey, Mystics & Men"Elektra, 19702:19
9."I Will Never Be Untrue" (live)Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, 19693:56
10."Moonlight Drive" (demo)World Pacific, 19652:31
11."Moonlight Drive"Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, 19662:40
12."Rock Is Dead"Elektra, 196916:39
13."Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor" (Tomaso Albinoni)TTG, Hollywood, 19684:40
Disc two: Live in New York (all at Felt Forum, New York City, in 1970)
No.TitleLength
1."Roadhouse Blues"4:19
2."Ship of Fools"5:20
3."Peace Frog"3:15
4."Blue Sunday"2:27
5."Celebration of the Lizard"17:18
6."Gloria" (Van Morrison)7:14
7."Crawling King Snake" (John Lee Hooker)6:12
8."Money" (Hooker [sic])2:49
9."Poontang Blues/Build a Woman/Sunday Trucker"3:35
10."The End"18:01
Disc three: The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
No.TitleVenue / studioLength
1."Hello to the Cities" (live)The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967 & Cobo Hall, Detroit, 19700:56
2."Break On Through" (live)Isle of Wight Festival 1970, England, 19704:32
3."Rock Me" (Muddy Waters; live)PNE Coliseum, Vancouver, 19706:36
4."Money" (Hooker [sic]; live)PNE Coliseum, 19702:59
5."Someday Soon" (live)Seattle Center, Seattle, 19703:41
6."Go Insane" (demo)World Pacific, 19652:30
7."Mental Floss" (live)Aquarius Theater, 19693:38
8."Summer's Almost Gone" (demo)World Pacific, 19652:17
9."Adolf Hitler" (live)Boston Garden, Boston, 19700:12
10."Hello, I Love You" (demo)World Pacific, 19652:28
11."The Crystal Ship" (live)The Matrix, San Francisco, 19672:55
12."I Can't See Your Face in My Mind" (live)The Matrix, 19673:16
13."The Soft Parade" (live)PBS Television, New York City, 196910:03
14."Tightrope Ride" (Manzarek, Krieger)The Doors Workshop, Los Angeles, 19714:17
15."Orange County Suite"Elektra, Los Angeles, 19705:27
Disc four: Band favorites
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Light My Fire" (Krieger, Morrison)The Doors7:05
2."Peace Frog" (Morrison/Krieger)Morrison Hotel2:57
3."Wishful Sinful" (Krieger)The Soft Parade2:55
4."Take It As It Comes" (Morrison)The Doors2:14
5."L.A. Woman" (Morrison)L.A. Woman7:49
6."I Can't See Your Face in My Mind" (Morrison)Strange Days3:22
7."Land Ho!" (Morrison/Krieger)Morrison Hotel4:06
8."Yes, The River Knows" (Krieger)Waiting for the Sun2:34
9."Shaman's Blues" (Morrison)The Soft Parade4:47
10."You're Lost Little Girl" (Krieger)Strange Days2:59
11."Love Me Two Times" (Krieger)Strange Days3:15
12."When the Music's Over"Strange Days10:56
13."The Unknown Soldier" (Morrison)Waiting for the Sun3:21
14."Wild Child" (Morrison)The Soft Parade2:35
15."Riders on the Storm" (Morrison/The Doors)L.A. Woman7:09

Tracks 1–5 selected by Krieger, 6–10 by Manzarek, 11–15 by Densmore[4]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Eder, Bruce. "The Doors Box Set – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Jones, Ben (November 19, 1997). "Rarities, band favorites, carry Doors Box Set". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Bell, Max (December 1997). "Once upon a time in the west". Uncut. No. 7. pp. 83–84.
  4. ^ a b The Doors Box Set (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1997. 62123-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – The Doors Box Set". Recording Industry Association of America.