Light My Fire / Take It As It Comes / The Crystal Ship

The 1967 French Elektra/Disques Vogue INT.181 45 pressing of Light My Fire is a rare three-track single with a picture sleeve.

This is the original French pressing of Light My Fire / Take It As It Comes / The Crystal Ship, released in 1967 on the Elektra Serie Fashion / Disques Vogue joint imprint, catalog number INT.181 45. It is a three-track 45p, a format particular to certain European markets of the era, pressed and distributed in France. The Disques Vogue connection is the key identifier here, distinguishing this from the US Elektra original and from later European reissues. A very small quantity exists, making this one of the more genuinely scarce pieces of early Doors French vinyl.

The physical object itself is what elevates this above a standard early single. The picture sleeve is the primary attraction for collectors, and on an original 1967 French pressing at this catalog number, the sleeve is a significant find on its own. The sleeve design uses period-appropriate typography and imagery consistent with the French Vogue house style of the late 1960s, with the Elektra and Vogue branding sharing space on the front or rear panels. The color palette on original examples tends toward the warm, slightly muted tones common to French offset printing of the period, which aged differently than contemporary US or UK print stock. Collectors who have handled both will notice the paper weight and finish on the sleeve feel distinct from American counterparts, with a slightly softer matte texture rather than the glossy stock Elektra favored domestically.

The disc itself on an original pressing carries the INT.181 45 matrix information in the dead wax, hand-etched or stamped depending on the pressing run, and the Disques Vogue logo is present on the label alongside the Elektra branding. Label copy on authentic originals is in French, with track credits and publishing information localized for the French market. The pressing quality on Vogue-distributed product from this period is generally solid, though original copies showing minimal play wear are increasingly difficult to source. Given that the Discogs want list currently sits at 322 collectors actively seeking this pressing against 183 who report owning it, condition is everything. A VG+ sleeve with a clean disc commands serious attention; a copy with a seam split or sleeve fade is still desirable but not in the same conversation.

Three tracks on a 45p was not unusual for the French market in 1967, and it gives this pressing a different character from the standard two-sided US single. Light My Fire occupies the A-side in the edited single version, consistent with what Elektra was releasing globally to radio. The B-side carries both Take It As It Comes and The Crystal Ship, pulled from the debut LP, giving French buyers additional album material on a single-format release. This configuration does not appear on the standard US Elektra 45, which is one of the factors that makes this French pressing a distinct collectible rather than simply a regional duplicate.

The rarity here is genuine. With only 183 copies logged as owned on Discogs against that 322-strong want list, the demand-to-supply ratio is among the more lopsided you will find for a Doors single variant. That ratio reflects real scarcity in the market, not inflated want-list activity. Original French Doors pressings from 1967 were not pressed in the same volumes as US or UK equivalents, and picture sleeves from this market degraded or were discarded at higher rates than in collector-oriented markets. Finding a complete, intact example with both sleeve and disc in strong condition is the challenge.

Collectors building a comprehensive Doors singles archive will already know about the US Elektra 45 of Light My Fire and may have encountered the Light My Fire / The Crystal Ship or various compilation appearances. This French INT.181 45 sits in a different category entirely, alongside other regionally significant Doors pressings. Those focused on French-market Doors material may also want to cross-reference the The Best of the Doors compilation released in France and the Hello, I Love You, Won't You Tell Me Your Name? / Love Street French single, which shares some of the same Vogue-era distribution characteristics. For context on how The Doors were being received in Europe during this same period, the Live In Stockholm 1968 release gives a useful snapshot of the band's European profile just one year after this single hit French shelves.

This is a genuinely rare and highly collectible early Doors pressing. The combination of the picture sleeve, the three-track French-only configuration, and the Disques Vogue / Elektra joint imprint at catalog number INT.181 45 makes it a priority acquisition for any serious collector working through the international singles discography. Copies surface infrequently, and when they do, clean examples go quickly. If you encounter one with an intact sleeve and a disc in playable condition, this is not a release to pass on while waiting for a better copy to appear.