An American Prayer

The release under review here is the US pressing of An American Prayer on Elektra, catalog number 61812-2, issued May 27, 1995, by Specialty Records Corporation under the Elektra umbrella. This is a distinct CD variant from the original 1978 LP and differs from other CD iterations cataloged here at DoorsInfo, including the An American Prayer (8-track) and An American Prayer (Cassette) entries. The 61812-2 catalog number is your primary identifier when hunting this specific pressing in the wild.

The cover art on this pressing is immediately recognizable to anyone who has spent time with Morrison-related releases. The image shows Jim Morrison from roughly the chest up, his face slightly turned, wearing what appears to be a light-colored shirt, his dark curly hair full and loose. The photo has a soft, almost washed-out quality, with a rocky or stone background behind him, giving the whole image a contemplative, slightly timeless feel. The composition is tight and centered, with Morrison's gaze directed just off-camera. Across the top of the cover, in clean serif lettering, runs the title AN AMERICAN PRAYER, and below that, in slightly smaller text, the credit reads JIM MORRISON. Lower still, separated visually, is the line MUSIC BY THE DOORS, which is rendered in a noticeably bolder or larger font, giving the band's contribution prominent billing. The overall color palette is muted and warm, leaning toward creams, tans, and browns, consistent with the photographic tone of the Morrison image. The layout is sparse and restrained, which suits the material. The back cover and liner notes package on this 1995 CD pressing includes session and production credits referencing Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles for mixing, with new music tracked at Hollywood Sound Recorders. The three bonus tracks, Babylon Fading, Bird of Prey, and The Ghost Song, were recorded and mixed separately at Ocean Way Recording and Post Logic, and those credits are noted accordingly. The disc itself carries standard Elektra pressing markings consistent with mid-1990s US production from Specialty Records Corporation.

The original An American Prayer LP appeared in 1978, seven years after Morrison's death, pairing his spoken-word poetry recordings, made primarily in 1969 and 1970, with newly constructed musical backdrops by the surviving Doors. That album was a commercial and critical curiosity when first issued, but has grown considerably in stature among collectors. This 1995 CD pressing via catalog number 61812-2 is significant for one concrete reason: it adds three bonus tracks not present on the original LP or on earlier CD versions. Babylon Fading, Bird of Prey, and The Ghost Song represent additional poetry recordings set to new music, tracked at Ocean Way Recording, and they push the runtime well beyond the original sequence. The core album is divided into five titled suites: Awake, To Come Of Age, The Poet's Dreams, World on Fire, and An American Prayer, a structure carried over from the LP. Having Roadhouse Blues appear within the World on Fire suite remains one of the more jarring contextual choices on the record, dropping a hard-rocking studio track into what is otherwise an atmospheric spoken-word sequence. It works, or it doesn't, depending on your tolerance for the project's broader ambitions. For collectors cross-referencing versions, the original An American Prayer entry on DoorsInfo covers the LP iteration, and this 1995 CD pressing should be understood as a meaningfully expanded edition. On Discogs, this specific pressing shows 271 collectors marking it as owned and 112 in the want list, numbers that put it firmly in the range of a common but consistently sought release rather than a scarce one. It moves regularly, and copies turn up without much difficulty. Anyone building a complete Doors CD discography will want this variant specifically for the bonus tracks, which are not available on the earlier LP or on all CD editions. The production work throughout credits mixed sessions at Cherokee Studios, and the resulting sonic environment, particularly on the bonus material, is cleaner and more defined than some of the earlier pressings allowed.

This 1995 Elektra pressing, catalog 61812-2, is the version to own if you want the complete 23-track sequence including the three Ocean Way bonus tracks. It is not scarce, and copies are readily available through the usual secondary market channels. That said, it is the definitive CD edition of this title for content completeness, and any serious collection covering the post-Morrison Doors catalog or Jim Morrison's spoken-word output should include it. Collectors building out their Elektra catalog holdings will find this a straightforward acquisition at current market prices.