In April of 1971 The Doors released their sixth and final studio album, L.A. Woman, and the occasion will soon be celebrated with a deluxe 50th anniversary edition.
L.A. Woman (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) comes out December 3rd and will consist of three CDs and one LP. The vinyl includes the original stereo mix remaster of the classic LP, while the first CD boasts the same mix plus two bonus tracks: a 1969 demo of “Hyacinth House” captured in guitarist Robby Krieger’s home studio, and an early demo of “Riders on the Storm”.
That demo was recently found on an unmarked tape reel in The Doors’ vault long after it was considered a lost relic. This version of “Riders on the Storm” was recorded with then-producer Paul A. Rothchild, who dropped out of the project, calling it “cocktail music”. When Rothchild bailed the band decided to co-produce L.A. Woman with their longtime engineer and mixer, Bruce Botnick (who has also remastered this deluxe edition).
Botnick said in a statement:
“The previously unreleased reels here – serial takes of ‘The Changeling,’ ‘Love Her Madly,’ ‘Riders On The Storm,’ and ‘L.A. Woman’ – depict a band obsessed with groove while executing turns and flourishes with the precision of a well-drilled soul combo. The idea was to go from song to song, to let it flow.”
In addition to those outtakes, the bonus material includes covers of Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake,” Big Joe Williams’ “Baby Please Don’t Go,” and Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out of My Life Woman,” which was written by Allen Toussaint.
Check out the recently unearthed "Sound City Version" of The Doors' "Riders on the Storm"...
