Strange Days & LA Woman

Elektra catalog number 9 60274-4-F identifies this 1983 US cassette release as part of the label's "Two On One" budget series, pairing Strange Days (1967) and LA Woman (1971) on a single double-length tape. Pressed and distributed by Elektra/Asylum Records for the United States and WEA International for the rest of the world, it carries a 1983 copyright. This is a domestic US release, not an import variant, and the catalog suffix "-4-F" is specific to the cassette format within this series.

The cassette shell itself is a standard-length housing for a double-program tape, and the J-card artwork is where most of the visual interest lies. The front panel is divided into two distinct photographic zones stacked vertically. The upper half features the original Strange Days album artwork, showing a street scene with circus-like figures, consistent with the surreal, urban carnival imagery Joel Brodsky conceived for that 1967 release. The lower half of the card also reproduces the original L.A. Woman album cover, with the four band members photographed in a warm, sepia-to-color palette, the word "DOORS" printed prominently above and "L.A.WOMAN" below in bold block letters. At the top of the card, "THE DOORS" appears in plain black text on a white background, with "Strange Days" and "L.A. Woman" listed beneath it. The catalog number 60274-4-F is printed in the upper right corner. A small red and white "Two On One" badge appears in the lower right of the card, and beneath the artwork the text reads "Specially Priced Two Hit Albums On One Cassette." The overall print quality is modest, typical of early 1980s budget-line cassette packaging; the J-card stock is thin, colors are serviceable but not vivid, and there are no additional inserts, lyric sheets, or liner notes included. Collectors who have handled original single-album cassette issues of either record will immediately notice the stripped-down nature of this release.

The content here is straightforward: Program 1 delivers the full Strange Days album sequence, running from the title track through "When The Music's Over," and Program 2 covers the full LA Woman sequence from "The Changeling" to "Riders On The Storm." Both programs draw from standard studio masters with no bonus material, alternate mixes, or live tracks. The track sequencing matches the respective original albums with no omissions, though the Discogs entry confirms "People Are Strange" appears on Program 1 (listed as A7), which places it between "Moonlight Drive" and "My Eyes Have Seen You," consistent with the original Strange Days LP sequence. There are no unique recordings here that would distinguish this tape from what a collector already owns on vinyl or a standard single-album cassette issue. What makes this specific release interesting is its format and period context. Elektra's Two On One series was a push to move catalog product at a competitive price point during the early years of the cassette market's mainstream dominance, and this pairing of the band's psychedelic 1967 record with their 1971 blues-drenched final studio album makes for an eclectic but commercially logical combination. On Discogs, this title shows 78 collectors marking it as owned and 19 on the want list, numbers that reflect a release that is moderately scarce but not aggressively hunted. It has been out of print for decades, and finding a clean, unwarped copy with an intact, uncreased J-card is increasingly difficult. Because cassette tape degrades over time, playback quality on surviving copies varies considerably. Collectors interested in comparing this release against other period pressings of these albums should also look at the LA Woman variants cataloged here for additional context on how the masters were handled across formats during this era.

This is a utilitarian release with no exclusive content and no remarkable production values. It was a budget item when new and it remains one in the collector market. That said, finding a copy in genuinely good condition with an uncreased J-card is not as easy as it once was, and for a collector building a comprehensive Doors cassette catalog it is a necessary entry. It is not a priority acquisition, but it is not throwaway either, and the out-of-print status means you should pick it up when a clean copy crosses your path at a fair price.