Curated By Record Store Day — Record Store Day - John Densmore's Set List

Released November 29, 2013, for Record Store Day Black Friday, this Elektra LP carries catalog number R1-537456 and was pressed in a numbered edition of 7,500 copies for the US market. Two artwork variations exist, each distinguished by which surviving band member provided the handwritten track list; this is the John Densmore variant. The Robby Krieger version is cataloged separately over at Curated By Record Store Day on DoorsInfo. The numbering is embossed on the back sleeve, and the barcode appears on a sticker applied to the shrinkwrap rather than printed directly on the cover. There are roughly 3,750 of each variation.

The sleeve photo tells you a lot before you even pull the record out. The front cover is a die-cut design set against a warm tan or light kraft-paper background, and it features the classic repeating grid of the Doors logo in a faded, tonal pattern, white or off-white text layered over itself in a wallpaper-like arrangement. The band name appears in the upper right in the familiar clean serif font, while a large, bold lowercase rsd sits prominently near the lower portion of the cover. A sticker on the shrinkwrap calls out the RSD Black Friday release detail and copy limitation. The overall aesthetic is restrained and purposefully vintage-referencing, leaning on the original Elektra house style rather than any flashy redesign. The die-cut front sleeve element is subtle but tactile, and it rewards handling. Inside, the record ships in an anti-static poly sleeve, which is the correct choice for a limited pressing that collectors are likely to play and store carefully. The runout etchings are hand-etched on both sides, with the exception of the stamped TML-M identifier, a useful pressing plant fingerprint for anyone trying to document the manufacturing chain. John Densmore's handwritten track list is the defining physical artifact here; it gives this variant its personality and separates it cleanly from its sibling. His handwriting appears on the sleeve as a direct connection to the band, and for a release built around the idea of curator-level curation, that personal touch lands with appropriate weight.

The track selection across the two sides reflects a deliberate and meaningful split: Side One is labeled Monaural and presents four studio cuts, Break On Through (To The Other Side), Soul Kitchen, Moonlight Drive, and When The Music's Over, drawn from the band's original Elektra catalog in mono. Side Two is labeled Stereo and pivots entirely to live recordings. Love Street opens the side, followed by Unknown Soldier sourced from the 1968 Live At The Hollywood Bowl recordings, then Roadhouse Blues from the 1970 Live in New York first show, and closing with Five To One from the 1970 Live in Boston second show. That mono-to-stereo, studio-to-live architecture is not accidental; it frames the Doors' recorded legacy as two distinct listening experiences on a single record. The Hollywood Bowl material has appeared elsewhere, and fans of the live catalog will want to cross-reference An American Prayer and other archival releases for context on how these performances have been presented over the years. The selection of Love Street as the bridge track between the two sides is an interesting curatorial choice; collectors who want to dig into that song's single history can reference the Hello, I Love You / Love Street listing for additional context. On Discogs, this specific pressing shows 887 collectors reporting ownership against 176 active want-list entries, numbers that reflect solid desirability without suggesting extreme scarcity. With 7,500 copies pressed, this is genuinely limited but not impossible to locate. The embossed numbering on the back means condition of that surface matters when buying; check that the embossing is clean and undamaged. For comparison on other limited white or colored vinyl Doors pressings from the same era, The Music Is Your Only Friend makes a useful reference point.

At 7,500 copies, this is a genuinely limited release rather than a token gesture, and the Densmore handwritten track list variant adds a layer of provenance that makes it preferable to a standard reissue. The mono-side-stereo-side structure gives it a conceptual coherence that many RSD releases lack. If you are building a comprehensive Doors vinyl collection and do not already have this one, it belongs in the catalog. Condition of the embossed numbering and shrinkwrap sticker will affect pricing on the secondary market, so buy accordingly.