The Doors – The Doors: 1967-1971

Someone needs to put the individual unnumbered copies up on Discogs. Surprised that hasn’t happened yet.

Hello, seeking just the box if anyone has an extra. Dented or not, I’m interested in purchasing. Thank you!

Dead quiet. Clear and musical. Sleeves and presentation are top notch. 33rpm which is so much more convenient and fun. A must have.

Now, a millimeter larger sleeves would have made the experience even better...

I am looking for an empty box
Without the albums

finally got it....flat records, everything in perfect condition, sound is amazing, i flattend the obi, Vinyl storage solution gatefolds are perfect and fit in the box to protect everything, also the 3mm thick inners are way better, .... sound is amazing, I sold my entire AP doors collection today....

Finally opened mine up and my copies of S/T, Waiting for the Sun, and Morrison Hotel were all pretty badly dished, and The Soft Parade had no-fill at the end of the first song/start of the second song on Side B. Plus, as others have stated, it takes just as long for me to get the LPs back into their jackets as it does for me to spin them. At least the music sounds fantastic, but it’s sad to see how much Optimal’s pressing quality has declined. At least none of my jackets were split, just praying Rhino can provide replacement discs. I’d be careful buying this box set second-hand.

Arrived here in Canada with no apparent issues, except occasional dog eared inner due to tightness of the covers. A quick run-through of the records seemed flat, quiet, and great sounding. Sorry to hear about issues with US shipping and quality, but no regrets here.

Looking forward to the individual releases as theres NO WAY IN HELL i trust Optimal to produce 6 unwarped and non fill free Rhino Hifi records in one boxset. This was why i waited for the ZZ Top records to release alone and one of three of those was a dud and required replacement which with US to UK is a pita. Then there was the Optimal pressed Joni Mitchell boxsets.... excellent Bernie remasters but NON FILL GALORE! No way im gambling with this then, so c'mon Rhino and press em individually and press em properly for crying out loud!

So it was a legitimate nightmare going back and forth with Rhino on shipment. I was one of, if not the first to order the box. I was up at 6 AM MST on November 22nd- waiting and constantly refreshing the Rhino page. I snagged a copy the SECOND it appeared. It was at least an hour before it was announced over social media that the box was officially up for sale. However, I barely received the box yesterday, December 20th. It was infuriating seeing everyone else get theirs on time, and months earlier, I had gotten my ZZ Top box 4 days after ordering.

#2575. Here we go:

When it comes to presentation, I love how the box looks. Although I do not really like this shade of Green, it is serviceable for the release. I do love the gold Doors lettering though. Snakeskin pattern feels like a hard-book cover, I love that feeling.

The jackets are up to par with the Analogue Productions releases. Although, I do not really like how Waiting for the Sun came out. Manufacturing wise, they botched mine. The Soft Parade’s jacket is crooked, and gives a fine, 75 degree slant. It may not sound serious but when every other jacket looks perfect, that one sore thumb starts to present itself. Waiting for the Sun had some scuffs on Side A. Strange Days was warped beyond belief. It was still playable, but any warp of any kind is unacceptable.

The Doors - Although this is a copy tape, this sounds great. I am a big fan of the gorgeous gatefold design, you have never seen the Doors look like they were photographed yesterday. Compared to what I have, I far prefer it over the Analogue Productions 45 and the Mobile Fidelity. It holds a fight against the Monarch pressing, as it is less hot. I still prefer the DCC over this one, which is a no brainer and actually a Kevin Gray cutting as well. He definitely did not do bad at all here, I will be listening to this more often.

Strange Days - easily my favorite Doors album, and my biggest Disappointment. It’s got the same exact problem the Analogue Productions has, and that is the lack of midrange. It’s boring without it. The whole time I kept thinking “wow, the DCC sounds a whole lot beefier than this one.” At least we can see the actual master tape though.

Waiting for the Sun - this caught me by surprise. Wintertime Love was so majestic. It had a certain glamour that the DCC and the Analogue Productions were missing. Spanish Caravan also sounded fantastic, the rich analogue goodness of the acoustic intro is not lost on here. This is my new favorite pressing.

The Soft Parade - another home run, as this hasn’t been rereleased as a 33 1/3 fully in AAA since the 80s. I only had a copy cut by Robert Ludwig in 1970 to compare. This one is a home run, it is on the same level as the Analogue Productions pressing. I would rather have this since it’s a 33 1/3.

Morrison Hotel - THIS is the shining star of the Set. This sounds immaculate. Compared to the German 320, this pressing has slightly more beef to it than the 320 does. I still do think the 320 holds its own weight. The Analogue Productions also sounds great, but compared to the Rhino release, I would rather take a 33 1/3 that sounds equally as good as the 45. Indian Summer was a god sending moment for me, I felt like I was floating in air listening to that track on this pressing.

L.A. Woman - Another slight disappointment. It’s not bad sounding by any means, but compared to the softness and politeness of the DCC (which of course was a Kevin cut), it definitely feels soft. I would rather take the Analogue Productions 45. It’s absolutely raw and powerful. This one, while being powerful, is not raw.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the set. I am not happy about waiting so long, but I am happy I am holding it in my hands. I do recommend the box, but if Rhino gives the option, go ahead and grab the middle albums. If you dont have any of the AP pressings, you would really want to look into the AP LA Woman. Otherwise, I am very satisfied with another great Kevin Gray experience.

My set arrived in perfect condition.
No seam splits.
2 black inners were dog-eared a bit on a corner. Seems the folks packing them struggled with the snug fit as well.
All wax is clean and dead quiet.
Waiting for the Sun has a slight dish warp but plays fine.
Nice to hear that Kevin didn’t try to eliminate the random “thumps” on the song Strange Days. Apparently that has been there forever, and is connected to the Moog set up they used for Jims watery vocal effect.
The few originals I had on vinyl are long gone, and I reassembled most of it on CD over the years.
This was the perfect release for me.
#738
I house them in Vinyl Storage Solutions resealables x 2 (because of the gates)
Box languishes empty with the OBI’s in it.
I’m sorry to hear I’m one of the few lucky ones with an (almost) perfect set.
We all shelled some descent coin out for these, and deserve satisfaction.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely.
But there seems to be a dice roll in effect.