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The original album cover art design is a large photo of Jim Morrison and the rest of The Doors (Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore) combined in a relatively smaller image plus the familiar
calligraphy that many have rendered as one of rock music's most famous logos. It is positioned at right on the image above. Jim appears to be gazing at the distance while the rest of the band have
their eyes on the camera. My processing involved the use of the Cutout and Craquelure filters.
It might be difficult for the younger generation to understand why such imagery had focused so much on Jim Morrison. I couldn't find a better explanation than an article from the September
19, 2009 interview of Bob Heimall, who designed the cover of The Doors 13 album, released in 1970. The article goes:
"Consider, then, what it might have been like to produce an album cover for a band like The Doors – a band that fascinated their legions fans in a variety of thought-provoking (and often
outrageous) ways. Incorporating the moods and sensations produced by Jim Morrison’s lyrics and poetry (and sexually-charged on-stage antics) with the band’s superb musicality and
then taking into account the expectations of a world-wide fan base, this particular Art Director’s output would ultimately be measured on many levels.
You need to understand that, by this time, The Doors had in effect become "the Jim Morrison Band", with Jim getting all the publicity and notoriety - he was truly one of the
new "Rock Idols". However, the rest of the band members wanted as much credit as Jim - and they really should have, because of their respective and combined talents -
but the Doors' fans, the press and paparazzi remained focused in on Jim.
When they saw what I created for the cover, though, they were all blown away! Right then, all were in agreement that it should be used as their first "Best Of" album
cover. The Doors absolutely loved the cover, and I was told later by Jac Holtzman - the owner of Elektra Records - that Jim later came into his office and told
Jac to "take care of me" as I was very talented!" Full article
No. 33, Rate Your Music, The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time; No. 42, Rolling Stone, The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time;
No. 46, The Virgin all-Time Album Top 1000; No. 194, Billboard, The 300 Best-Selling Albums of All Time.
Photo by Joel Brodsky, calligraphy by Art Chantry. Album produced by Paul A. Rothchild. Elektra 1967.
In 1967 at his New York studio, Joel Brodsky created what have now become the most recognisable portraits of Jim Morrison - capturing the self styled Lizard King
at the peak of his physical and artistic powers. The Doors were poised to release two magnificent albums that year, their self-titled debut, The Doors, and,
to many ears, their finest album, Strange Days. ‘Iconic’ is an overused word in the context of celebrity portraiture, but is bang on the money when used
to describe Joel’s famous portrait. Joel Brodsky’s photographs appeared on the covers of The Doors first two albums, and subsequently on The Soft
Parade and many Greatest Hits compilations. More
(A) Break On Through (To the Other Side) - Soul Kitchen - The Crystal Ship - Twentieth Century Fox - Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) - Light My Fire
(B) Back Door Man - I Looked at You - End of the Night - Take It as It Comes - The End
