An American Prayer

An American Prayer, catalog number 5E-502, pressed in the US by PRC Recording Company of Richmond, Indiana, and released on Elektra on November 17, 1978. This is the original domestic LP issue, identifiable by its green butterfly Elektra label. The release brings together recordings of Jim Morrison reading his poetry, taped privately in 1969 and 1970, with musical accompaniment added posthumously by Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. It is distinct from the various reissues and regional pressings documented elsewhere on this site, including the later pressing variants cataloged separately.

The cover art on this original US pressing is immediately recognizable. A close-up black-and-white photograph of Jim Morrison dominates the front, showing him from roughly the shoulders up. His hair is long, his beard full, and his expression is calm and inward-looking. He appears to be positioned against or near a rocky surface. The image has a slightly grainy, intimate quality consistent with late-1960s photography. Above the photo, in relatively modest type, runs the title AN AMERICAN PRAYER. Below that, in slightly larger text, is JIM MORRISON, and below that, in still larger display type, MUSIC BY THE DOORS. The type hierarchy is deliberate: it foregrounds Morrison as poet, with the Doors positioned as accompanists rather than co-leads. The overall palette is muted gray and off-white, giving the cover a contemplative, literary feel rather than the psychedelic or high-contrast look of earlier Doors packaging. The back cover and inner sleeve carry additional text and credits, though the front image is what defines this release visually. The green butterfly label is the key physical identifier on the vinyl itself; collectors who have handled multiple pressings of this title know to check for it when sorting through used bins. The PRC plant in Richmond, Indiana, handled a significant volume of Elektra product during this period, and the stamper quality on copies from this facility tends to be consistent. Surface noise varies by individual copy, as is expected with any pressing now approaching fifty years old.

The content here is genuinely unlike anything else in the official Doors discography. Morrison recorded these poetry sessions at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles in 1969 and again on his birthday in December 1970, roughly six months before his death in Paris. The surviving bandmates spent considerable time after his death determining how to present the material responsibly, and this 1978 release was the result. Side One opens with Awake and moves through Ghost Song, Dawn's Highway/New Born Awakening, and To Come Of Age, among others. Side Two includes Roadhouse Blues in a version built around the spoken-word recordings, as well as Lament, The Hitchhiker, and the closing suite An American Prayer/The End/Albinoni Adagio. The Discogs community data for this specific pressing, catalog 5E-502, shows 764 collectors marking it as owned and 332 with it on their want list, figures that reflect a release that is common enough to find but still in steady demand. It is not a scarce record in absolute terms, but clean copies with the original inner sleeve intact and minimal pressing defects are increasingly harder to locate at reasonable prices. Collectors interested in comparing this US original to other regional variants can reference the additional pressing entries and further variant listings on this site. Those tracking the broader Elektra catalog of this era may also find the Elektra Entertainment Group entry useful for context on label variants. For collectors focused purely on the later reissue pressings, the differences in label design and matrix etchings are worth careful attention before purchasing.

This original US pressing of An American Prayer on Elektra 5E-502 is an official release and a legitimate part of any serious Doors collection. It is not rare by strict definitions, but it remains the preferred format for collectors who want the original domestic presentation of this unique project. Seek out copies with the green butterfly label confirmed on both sides, and inspect the vinyl carefully, as four-plus decades of circulation have produced a wide range of conditions in the used market.