The Best of The Doors Vol. 1

The Best of The Doors Vol. 1, released in Mexico in 1985 on Elektra with catalog number LWE-6669, is a ten-track LP compiled from the band's studio catalog. This is the Mexican pressing of the compilation, distinct from the original US release of the same name, and carries its own regional catalog identifier that sets it apart for collectors tracking Latin American Doors pressings. The LWE prefix places it firmly within Elektra's Mexican licensing operation during the mid-1980s.

The cover art on this Mexican pressing mirrors the iconic portrait that appeared on the original US compilation, and the image is striking even in reproduction. A black-and-white close-up photograph of Jim Morrison dominates the entire sleeve. He is shirtless, wearing a thin necklace, his hair long and slightly tousled, his expression direct and composed, carrying the particular kind of weight that made this image one of the most reproduced in rock photography. The crop is tight, centering Morrison from roughly the chest up, with a neutral, slightly graduated background that keeps all visual attention on the subject. The album title, rendered in white text, appears in the upper left corner in a clean, unadorned typeface. The band's name, the Doors, is set in their familiar logo style along the top of the cover, also in white. The overall layout is minimal and confident, relying entirely on the photograph to do the work. The back cover and inner sleeve details are not visible in the available photo, but given the era and Elektra Mexico's typical production practices, collectors should expect a standard single-pocket sleeve without an inner printed liner. The spine would carry the catalog number LWE-6669, useful for shelf identification. Vinyl quality on Mexican Elektra pressings from this period can vary; surface noise is more common on these than on contemporaneous US or European pressings, and collectors acquiring this one for play rather than display should grade accordingly.

The track selection across the two sides covers familiar ground: Side One opens with Break on Through and moves through Light My Fire, The Crystal Ship, People Are Strange, Strange Days, and Love Me Two Times. Side Two carries Five To One, Waiting For The Sun, Spanish Caravan, and closes with When The Music's Over. All tracks are drawn from the band's official Elektra studio recordings, with no live material or alternate takes included. This is a straightforward best-of configuration, covering the band's most commercially recognized work from their first three albums. Collectors interested in the Mexican market's appetite for individual Doors tracks around this era might also want to cross-reference regional 45 releases like Light My Fire / People Are Strange and Gloria / Love Me Two Times, both of which circulated in Latin American markets and provide useful context for how Elektra packaged the band for that audience. The Spanish-language market also saw unique Doors releases; Esta Vivo Grito Ella is worth noting as another regionally distinct item for completists focused on Latin American Doors output. On Discogs, this specific Mexican LWE-6669 pressing shows 64 collectors marking it as owned and 122 with it on their want list, a want-to-have ratio that reflects genuine collector interest without pushing this into the category of a hard-to-find rarity. It surfaces with reasonable regularity in online marketplaces, though condition can be inconsistent, and sealed or near-mint copies command a noticeable premium over well-played examples. There are no bonus tracks or regional-exclusive recordings here; the value proposition for collectors is purely in having the Mexican pressing with its correct catalog number as part of a comprehensive regional variants collection.

If you are building a set of Doors Latin American pressings or tracking every regional variant of this compilation, the LWE-6669 Mexican Elektra pressing belongs in that collection. It is not a scarce item, and it offers nothing in content that the original US pressing does not, but as a documented regional variant with its own catalog number and a healthy want-list on Discogs, it is a legitimate and worthwhile addition for the serious completist rather than the casual buyer.