Gloria / Love Me Two Times

The Elektra E 9774 T is the UK twelve-inch pressing of Gloria / Love Me Two Times, released in November 1983. This is a limited edition single, and certain copies were distributed with a sticker on the front cover advertising a free Jim Morrison poster included with the release. The catalog number suffix T confirms the twelve-inch format, distinguishing it clearly from any seven-inch variant. It is a UK-only pressing, manufactured and distributed for the British market.

The sleeve photography makes an immediate impression. The front cover is rendered almost entirely in deep blacks and dark grays, with the band photographed in a brooding, high-contrast style that suits the era's aesthetic without feeling dated. Jim Morrison is positioned prominently, shirtless and leaning slightly forward, his posture commanding the frame. The other three members, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, are grouped behind and to the side of Morrison, partially shrouded in shadow. The band name DOORS appears in large stylized lettering on the left side of the cover, rendered with the iconic interlocking letterform design that became synonymous with the band's visual identity. The title GLORIA · LOVE ME TWO TIMES runs along the top of the sleeve in clean, restrained white type. The overall layout is sparse and confident; nothing competes with the image itself. The back cover carries track and label information in a similarly minimal presentation. The vinyl itself, as expected from a twelve-inch single of this period, is designed to deliver an expanded audio presence compared to a seven-inch pressing, which was the primary commercial rationale for issuing singles in this format during the early 1980s UK market. Some copies came with the aforementioned sticker applied to the front, noting the limited edition status and the free poster offer; surviving copies with that sticker intact are more desirable to collectors who care about completeness. The poster itself, when present, adds a meaningful dimension to the package, though not all copies in circulation today retain it.

Both tracks here are live recordings, which is the central reason this single carries weight beyond its format. Gloria on the A-side is The Doors' well-known cover, originally written by Van Morrison and made famous by Them. The Doors performed it regularly as a set opener during their live shows, and the version captured here reflects that raw, extended stage energy that studio recordings never fully replicate. The B-side, Love Me Two Times, is drawn from the band's studio catalog but presented here in a live context, giving collectors a performance document rather than a simple reissue of a familiar track. The sourcing of these specific live recordings is relevant because it connects this release to the broader archival output Elektra was beginning to organize around The Doors' catalog in the early 1980s, a period when interest in the band was being rekindled commercially.

On Discogs, this pressing shows 339 collectors reporting ownership and 89 tracking it as a want, figures that suggest a release with solid collector presence but not extreme scarcity in the open market. That said, copies with the original Jim Morrison poster and the front sticker intact are a different matter and will naturally command more attention. If you are sourcing live Doors material from this era more broadly, the The Doors Box Set is worth cross-referencing, as is The Doors Live at the Konserthuset, Stockholm, September 20th, 1968 - Radio Broadcast for additional live content. For context on how Elektra packaged the band's catalog during this commercial resurgence period, The Best Of The Doors offers useful comparison. Collectors interested in unusual or region-specific Doors pressings may also find Lounge Wizzard worth a look for contrast.

The E 9774 T is a focused, purposeful release. It does not attempt to reinvent anything, but it delivers two live performances in a format that rewards the collector who wants a period-accurate UK pressing of this material. Copies with the original sticker and poster intact are the priority find; stripped copies are still worthwhile but represent an incomplete picture of what this limited edition was designed to be. If your collection skews toward UK twelve-inch singles from the early 1980s Doors catalog revival, this one belongs in it.