Tightrope Ride / Variety Is The Spice Of Life

This is the French picture sleeve pressing of Tightrope Ride / Variety Is The Spice Of Life, issued on Elektra with catalog number 12036, pressed and released in France in 1971. The matrix inscription reads "IDN Made in France," confirming domestic French manufacture rather than a licensed import. This is a standard commercial single, not a promo, and it arrived during the period immediately following Jim Morrison's death in Paris, giving it a particular biographical weight for collectors tracking the band's final chapter. Other regional pressings of this same pairing exist elsewhere in the catalog, so the French origin and the 12036 catalog number are the identifiers that place this copy precisely.

The picture sleeve is what elevates this pressing above a plain-label copy, and the cover photograph is striking in its simplicity. The image shows three members of The Doors, photographed in a close, slightly cropped portrait format against a plain light background. All three men face the camera directly. John Densmore on the left has dark, curly hair and a full beard; Robby Krieger, center, has lighter, medium-length hair and a mustache; Ray Manzarek, on the right, and has longer straight hair. The overall palette of the photograph leans cool and slightly blue-tinted, giving the image a subdued, almost melancholy quality. At the top of the sleeve, "THE DOORS" is printed in clean, bold capital letters in blue. Below the band name, the two track titles are listed in a smaller font: "TIGHTROPE RIDE" on the first line and "VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE" on the second. The Elektra logo appears in the lower right corner, rendered in the label's standard small square format used during this era. The rear of the sleeve carries the catalog information and pressing details consistent with French Elektra releases of the period. The overall print quality is reasonable for a 1971 French commercial pressing, though sleeve wear is common on surviving copies given the lightweight stock typically used for European picture sleeves at the time. The disc itself would carry the standard Elektra label design used for French pressings, with the relevant matrix and side information. Collectors sourcing this copy should inspect the sleeve corners and spine carefully, as these tend to split or show ring wear more readily than heavier-stock sleeves from the same period.

Both tracks originate from the L.A. Woman sessions, the band's sixth and final studio album recorded with Morrison. "Tightrope Ride" is a Robby Krieger composition with a loose, rolling groove that sits comfortably on the album but was a reasonable choice for single release in markets that had been slower to fully embrace the band's later blues-leaning direction. "Variety Is The Spice Of Life" occupies the B-side role it held on most international pressings of this single, and the pairing is consistent with what you'll find on other pressings of this same single documented in the DoorsInfo catalog, as well as the additional variant listed separately here. What makes the French pressing specifically interesting is the picture sleeve, which not all regional releases of this single included. The sleeve design described above, with the three-member portrait, reflects the post-Morrison configuration that was becoming the band's public face in promotional materials around this time. Discogs data shows 142 collectors currently holding this pressing and 28 with it on their want list, which puts it in a moderately sought-after range. It is not scarce in absolute terms, but it is not a pressing you encounter in every lot. Collectors who track French Elektra pressings from this era, or who are building complete run of Tightrope Ride single variants, will recognize this as a legitimate gap-filler with genuine regional distinction. For context on how French Elektra handled the band's earlier singles output, the You Make Me Real / Peace Frog listing provides a useful comparison point from the same label infrastructure a year prior.

This French picture sleeve pressing of Elektra 12036 is a solid, honest addition to any international singles collection focused on The Doors' final studio period. The picture sleeve alone justifies the hunt over a plain-label copy, and the French manufacture distinguishes it clearly from UK or US pressings of the same tracks. With 142 known copies on Discogs, it is findable but not common enough to ignore when a clean example surfaces at a fair price. Recommended for completists and for collectors specifically building out French Elektra pressings from the early 1970s.