Guitar Speak

Guitar Speak, released in 1988 on IRS Records (catalog number IRS-42240), is a US-pressed LP compilation featuring twelve instrumental guitar tracks from twelve different players. This is the vinyl edition specifically; the CD counterpart carried catalog number IRSD-42240 and the cassette IRSC-44240. The LP was distributed domestically in the US and sits alongside a small cluster of IRS instrumental releases from that era. Robby Krieger of The Doors contributes the closing track on Side Two, which is the primary reason this record lands in serious Doors collections.

The cover art is clean and direct: a sunburst Les Paul-style electric guitar photographed against a near-black background, the body's amber-to-brown gradient filling the center of the frame. The headstock angled toward the upper right, the fretboard running diagonally, the hardware catching just enough light to give the image some depth. The title GUITAR SPEAK is set in simple white block lettering across the top left, with the IRS Records logo tucked discreetly into the lower right corner. There is no clutter, no band photos, no additional imagery. The design philosophy is minimal and confident, letting the instrument speak for the content. The back cover lists all twelve contributors with their respective track titles, laid out cleanly with no fuss. The sleeve itself is a standard single-pocket cover with no gatefold, and the stock feels typical of US pressings from the late 1980s, neither exceptional nor flimsy. The inner sleeve houses the record and includes a flat paper insert that provides a brief artist biography or description for each contributor, which is a practical addition collectors will appreciate when trying to place some of the lesser-known names on the lineup. The runout grooves are hand-etched rather than machine-stamped, a detail worth checking when verifying pressing authenticity. The vinyl weight is standard for the period.

What makes this specific pressing worth tracking down for Doors collectors is straightforward: Robby Krieger's contribution, Strut-A-Various, is unique to this LP and does not appear to have shown up on any Krieger solo release or Doors retrospective compilation. It is an instrumental showcase that gives him room to work without the framework of a full band arrangement, and it closes out Side Two in capable fashion. The rest of the lineup is genuinely strong for a compilation of this type. Alvin Lee, Eric Johnson, Leslie West, Ronnie Montrose, Steve Howe, Phil Manzanera, and Hank Marvin are not filler names. Randy California of Spirit contributes The Prisoner, and Steve Hunter, known for his work with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, turns in Urban Strut. Each track was recorded specifically for this release rather than pulled from existing catalog, which gives the record more coherence than a typical licensed compilation.

On Discogs, this US LP pressing shows 250 collectors reporting ownership against 23 want-list additions, which places it firmly in the common-to-moderate availability range. It is not a scarce record and you should not pay scarce-record prices for it. Copies turn up regularly in used bins and on the secondary market. That said, for a Doors collection focused on Krieger's solo and guest work, this belongs on the shelf. If you are also tracking down Krieger appearances across compilation formats, the CD version of Guitar Speak is cataloged separately here on DoorsInfo and is worth cross-referencing. Krieger's catalog presence across non-Doors releases is thinner than many collectors expect, so an original instrumental performance on a legitimate IRS Records release carries real catalog value even when the pressing itself is not rare. For broader context on how Krieger fits into the Doors' instrumental legacy, the Weird Scenes Inside The Goldmine compilation and the Doors Complete Studio Recordings box set are the essential reference points. Collectors building out a Krieger-specific section of their Doors holdings might also cross-reference Robby Krieger No Habla for related material.

Guitar Speak IRS-42240 is a common US pressing that belongs in a Doors collection specifically for Robby Krieger's exclusive instrumental contribution, Strut-A-Various, which does not appear to exist on any other release. The record itself is easy to find and should be acquired affordably. Pay for the content, not the scarcity, because there is none here. It is an honest, well-curated instrumental LP that holds up reasonably well for its era, and the included insert adds modest reference value.