Doors 13

Doors 13, released on Elektra EKS-74079 in November 1970, is the first official US compilation LP drawn from the band's studio catalog. Pressed domestically and carrying the standard Elektra butterfly label configuration of the period, this specific pressing is identified by its Pitman plant stamp and Artisan logo in the dead wax alongside etched runout text. The bottom rim of both labels reads "Elektra Records, 15 Columbus Circle, New York City 10023," which helps place it within a specific window of Elektra pressings before the label's address changed. Some copies circulated in shrink wrap carrying a sticker reading "A Collection Of Thirteen Classic Doorsongs" with the track listing printed beneath, and those intact-shrink examples command noticeably more attention from condition-conscious buyers.

The front cover photograph is a straightforward but quietly effective piece of design. The image presents the four band members rendered in soft, slightly washed-out tones, dominated by pale yellows, greens, and whites that give the whole thing an almost bleached, late-afternoon feel. Jim Morrison occupies the foreground and most of the visual real estate, his face in three-quarter profile, hair loose and somewhat wild, wearing what appears to be a light-colored shirt or jacket. The remaining three members, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, appear smaller in the background, their figures slightly blurred and less defined, which reinforces Morrison as the central visual focus. The band name "the Doors" appears in the upper left in a simple white script font, and the number "13" is printed large in the upper right in white, matching the script style. The overall layout is uncluttered, almost understated for 1970 rock packaging, with no busy graphic elements competing with the photograph. The back cover carries the standard Elektra copyright line, "Copyright 1970 by Elektra Records," along with the SHOREPAK patent notice and "Printed in U.S.A." There is no inner sleeve beyond a standard paper sleeve, and no lyric sheet or insert was included with this pressing. The gatefold option was not used here; this is a single-pocket jacket. Collectors should check the spine text and jacket seam construction, as later reissues of EKS-74079 used different jacket stock. Original first pressings tend to show a slightly heavier board with crisper printing on the back panel text.

The thirteen tracks across both sides pull from the band's output through Morrison Hotel, though notably without anything from Absolutely Live or the then-forthcoming L.A. Woman sessions. Side one opens with "Light My Fire" and moves through "People Are Strange," "Back Door Man," "Moonlight Drive," "The Crystal Ship," and "Roadhouse Blues." Side two covers "Touch Me," "Love Me Two Times," "You're Lost, Little Girl," "Hello, I Love You," "Land Ho!," "Wild Child," and closes with "The Unknown Soldier." The selection is competent but feels uneven in sequencing, and the absence of "Break On Through," "When The Music's Over," or "The End" struck many buyers at the time as a significant editorial miss. The contemporary critical reception was lukewarm, and the release has never fully shaken that reputation among longtime collectors. It reads more as a label-driven product than something the band shaped with intent, which is essentially what it was. For collectors comparing this directly against later Doors compilations, the Greatest Hits and The Best Of The Doors packages both offer stronger track curation and more substantial liner material. There are also multiple international pressings of this same compilation worth tracking separately; the UK and European variants of Doors 13 differ in label design, runout text, and jacket construction, and additional regional pressings are cataloged at Doors 13 variants and additional formats here on DoorsInfo. On Discogs, this specific US EKS-74079 pressing shows over 12,500 collectors marking it as owned against roughly 380 actively wanting it, which signals a release that is genuinely common in the secondary market. The audio sources are the standard studio masters used across Elektra's Doors catalog of the period, with no alternate takes, edits, or previously unreleased material anywhere on the record.

This is a common pressing with wide availability and no scarcity premium attached. If you already own the original studio LPs, including Strange Days and the others, there is little sonic or editorial reason to prioritize this one. The primary collector appeal here is completeness within the Elektra US catalog and, for some, the shrink-wrap sticker variant. Clean, unplayed copies with intact shrink are harder to find than the record itself, and that is where any meaningful condition premium sits. Otherwise, this is an honest but unremarkable entry in the Doors discography.