Robbie Krieger - Versions

Versions, released on Passport Records (catalog number PB6017) in 1982, is Robby Krieger's second US solo LP. The spine reads ROBBY KRIEGER • VERSIONS / PASSPORT RECORDS / LITHO IN CANADA / PB6017, confirming Canadian lithography despite its US origin and distribution. This pressing predates the 1996 double-album CD reissue, Versions / Robby Krieger, which paired this material with his debut. The original LP is long out of print and noticeably harder to track down than his first record.

The cover photograph is the dominant design element and it works well for what the album is trying to say. A close-cropped image of a hollow-body electric guitar, shot against a warm amber-orange gradient background, fills nearly the entire front. A pair of hands, presumably Krieger's, are positioned on the instrument mid-play, fingers visible against the fretboard. The guitar itself has a rich golden-brown finish and the shallow depth of field gives the image a slightly soft, intimate quality. The color palette, burnt orange, amber, and warm brown, has a distinctly early-1980s commercial photography feel. The album title VERSIONS appears in bold orange lettering at the lower right of the cover, and ROBBY KRIEGER runs along the top left in smaller orange text. The layout is clean and restrained, letting the guitar image carry the visual weight. There is no elaborate inner sleeve or gatefold on this pressing; it is a standard single-pocket jacket. The spine typography is straightforward, consistent with Passport Records' design sensibility of the period. The label itself carries the Passport imprint in the center, and the pressing quality is typical of early-1980s North American production, meaning it is serviceable rather than audiophile-grade. Copies in VG or better condition are not common, and finding a copy with a clean, unworn jacket takes patience given the album's limited initial run and niche audience at the time of release.

The track selection here is the central point of interest. Rather than presenting original compositions across the board, Krieger works through a set of covers and arrangements that span a striking range of genres, reflecting the Jazz, Rock, and Reggae classification on Discogs, with an Experimental tag that is reasonably earned. The Pretenders' Tattooed Love Boys, the Rolling Stones' Street Fighting Man, and The Four Tops' Reach Out I'll Be There share space with The Beatles' Her Majesty and Krieger's own Crystal Ship, a Doors composition revisited here in a decidedly different context. That reading of Crystal Ship is particularly interesting for collectors who already have the original Doors recordings; Krieger's instrumental take strips the song of Morrison's vocal and pushes the guitar work to the foreground, making it a genuinely distinct artifact rather than a redundant cover. Harlem Nocturne closes the B-side and is a natural fit for his playing style. The track Gavin Leggit is an original and stands apart from the covers. This is not a concept album in any rigid sense, but the sequencing suggests a guitarist running through material he admires and making it his own rather than producing a straightforward tribute record. Compared to his debut, documented on Robbie Krieger & Friends, Versions is a more focused, if occasionally uneven, solo statement. On Discogs, 680 collectors have logged a copy against 69 wants, which reflects a reasonably available record that nonetheless requires effort to find in good physical shape. The 1996 CD reissue on the double-album compilation is the easier route for listeners, but it does not replicate the experience of the original LP pressing. There is also a separate variant of this title documented at another listing on DoorsInfo, so collectors should compare catalog numbers and spine text carefully before purchasing.

For a Doors-adjacent collection, this Passport Records PB6017 pressing of Versions is a worthwhile addition, particularly for collectors focused on Krieger's post-Doors output. It is not a scarce record by strict rarity standards, but clean copies with solid jackets are genuinely hard to source. The 1982 original LP has a different character than the CD reissue and belongs on the shelf of any serious Krieger collector. Casual listeners are better served by the 1996 compilation.