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<div id="body_text"><div class="body_text" align="justify" style="padding-right: 0.5ex"><img src="/images/features/retrospectives/doors_2.gif" width="30" height="30" border="0" align="left" alt="O">n March 27th, the Warner Bros. specialty label Rhino Entertainment, bastion of archival reissues galore, released enhanced 40th-anniversary versions of The Doors' six studio albums, previously only available as part of last fall's <i>Perception</i> box set. All of the CDs have been remixed by original engineer Bruce Botnick, which will present somewhat of a quandary for hardcore fans: The albums haven't just been remastered—they've been tinkered with, to varying degrees. Original lyrics have been restored; vocal, guitar, and keyboard parts have been added; gratuitous studio chatter has been included at the beginning and end of songs. The Doors have experienced many resurgences of popularity over the years, particularly in the '80s and again in the early '90s (thanks, in part, to Oliver Stone's <i>The Doors</i>), and these aren't the versions multiple generations have grown up listening to. <br><br> The bonus material is a mixed bag: the debut includes early recordings of "Moonlight Drive" and "Indian Summer," but the latter sounds almost identical to the version officially released several years later; you have to wade through over 45 drunken minutes of "Roadhouse Blues" at the end of <i>Morrison Hotel</i> to get to the cool jazz version of "Queen Of The Highway"; and previously released b-sides like "Who Scared You," "Whiskey, Mystics And Men," and "Orange County Suite" are a treat for fans who haven't picked up every single compilation or box set the band's label has released over the years. One bit of info gleaned from the expanded versions is that the late Paul Rothchild was a really obnoxious producer. Granted, he had to deal with Morrison, whose unending search for pleasure in a fucked-up world led to his death at 27. As long as drugs, sex, rock n' roll, and war continue to drive the human race, though, there will always be a place for The Doors—regardless of how they're repackaged.<br><br> Click on the album covers on the left for more.<br><br> © slant magazine, 2007.</div></div>
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