The Best of The Doors Volume 1

The Best of The Doors Volume 1, catalog number ABS-517 RV, is a Russian-pressed compilation LP, part one of a two-volume set, its companion being The Best of The Doors Volume 2. The pressing country is Russia, the label identifier is ABS-517 RV printed on both the disc labels and the rear sleeve, and the format is a standard single LP running at 33 RPM stereo. No release year is printed anywhere on the sleeve or labels, which is typical of this type of Russian market compilation.

The front cover photograph is immediately recognizable: a large, close-cropped black-and-white image of Jim Morrison, shirtless, wearing a thin bead necklace, his expression direct and slightly guarded. His dark, loosely curled hair fills the upper portion of the frame. The background is a pale, near-white tone, giving the whole image a stark, high-contrast look. Along the left edge, the title THE BEST OF THE DOORS runs vertically in narrow, spaced sans-serif lettering, rendered in a dark charcoal gray. In the upper right corner, a circled numeral 1 identifies this as the first volume. There is a faint blue smear near the lower left of the image, likely a printing artifact rather than intentional design, though it does give this particular pressing a small distinguishing mark. The cover stock has a glossy finish, which photographs cleanly but shows fingerprints readily. There is no additional text, band logo, or label branding on the front whatsoever; the design relies entirely on the Morrison photograph and the minimal title treatment.

The rear sleeve is strikingly plain, printed on the same glossy white stock. The entire back is white with no images. The only printed content is two track listings, presented in bold black sans-serif type: SIDE 1 and SIDE 2, each followed by song titles in bold with running times. Track titles are in all caps, with times given in decimal format rather than minutes-and-seconds notation. In the upper right corner of the rear, small text reads STEREO ABS-517 RV. That is the entirety of the rear cover information; no credits, no liner notes, no copyright text, no barcode, and no publisher details appear anywhere. There is no inner sleeve, no insert, and no lyric sheet. The package is as minimal as it gets.

The disc labels are a solid salmon-red, with THE BEST OF THE DOORS arching around the top in bold black uppercase lettering, and Volume 1 centered below it. To the left of the spindle hole, STEREO 33 is printed with an infinity-style symbol between the two words, and to the right, the catalog number ABS-517 RV appears. Below the spindle hole, Side 1 is printed, followed by the six tracks listed with decimal running times. The label design is clean and functional, with no additional decorative elements. The vinyl itself appears to be standard weight black vinyl.

The Discogs data for this Russian compilation LP ABS-517 RV reveals one immediately notable track substitution: Alabama Song appears as the opening track on Side 2 in place of Waiting for the Sun. That swap is worth paying attention to, because it distinguishes this pressing from many of the other Best of compilations cataloged here, including The Best of The Doors and The Best Of..., which carry different track configurations entirely. Alabama Song, originally a Brecht-Weill composition, was a somewhat unusual choice for a Doors hits package, and its presence here in place of a more expected track gives this Russian pressing a small but genuine curatorial distinction.

Across both sides, the ten tracks cover the band's most commercially recognized material: Break on Through (To the Other Side), Light My Fire at its full 7:05 album length, The Crystal Ship, People Are Strange, Strange Days, Love Me Two Times, Five to One, Spanish Caravan, and When the Music's Over at 10:55. The full-length version of Light My Fire and the inclusion of the extended When the Music's Over give Side 2 considerable running time. Collectors who want the deeper single edits or different track sources should look at The Best of The Doors Vol. 1 for comparison.

On Discogs, this pressing shows 89 collectors marking it as owned and 175 listing it as wanted, a want-to-have ratio that signals moderate demand and some scarcity. It is not a pressing that turns up at every record fair, and the complete two-volume set together is harder to find than either volume individually. There are no liner notes, no session or personnel credits, and no label history included anywhere in the packaging; the Russian market release was clearly aimed at accessibility rather than archival documentation. For collectors specifically researching Russian Doors pressings or building a regional variant catalog, this is a meaningful piece, even if the audio source information remains opaque.

This Russian compilation LP ABS-517 RV is a plainly packaged, no-frills regional pressing with a decent track selection and one interesting substitution in Alabama Song. It is not a rare item in the strict sense, but it is not common either, and the want-to-have ratio on Discogs confirms ongoing collector interest. Pair it with The Best of The Doors Volume 2 to complete the set. If you specialize in non-US and non-UK Doors pressings, this belongs in the collection; if you are only buying for audio quality or extensive documentation, look elsewhere.