The Doors

Originally released as part of the completed recorded works 2006 box set Perception, this deluxe edition of the Doors' classic 1967 debut is a double-disc set containing one CD featuring a newly remastered version of the album with bonus tracks and a DVD with a 5.1 Surround mix, bonus video footage, and a photo gallery. Given that the Doors catalog was remastered just seven years before this box, the sonics of these 2006s remasters are noticeable but not radically different -- with the exception of The Doors, for research revealed that the debut was mastered a half-speed slow and this edition restores it to its correct speed. It's a subtle but significant difference, as opposed to the rest of the remasters, which are subtle but only significant to audiophiles who know this music intimately. Similarly, the bonus tracks are not major revelations: two takes of "Moonlight Drive" plus a vocal version of "Indian Summer," while the videos include "Break on Through" and a Toronto television broadcast of "The End" from 1967. Just because these aren't big revelations doesn't mean that this deluxe edition doesn't live up to its title: this is the best-sounding, best-presented reissue of this album yet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide