DOORS - STRANGE DAYS - ORIGINAL ELEKTRA MONO

$

88

THE DOORS - STRANGE DAYS


ORIGINAL U.S. MONO PRESSING


ELEKTRA EKL-4014 ('67)

This auction is for The Doors -Strange Days - Elektra EKL 4014 (MONO). Some elektra mono releases even as early as '67 are known to simply be a fold down of the stereo mix . Even Elektra release EKL-4013, the catalogue number assigned to Love's 1967 masterpiece "Forever Changes", is a fold-down. The next catalogue number, EKL-4014, or the Doors' "Strange Days", is also assumed by many to be a fold-down. One listen will disavow any doubter of this notion - there are specific differences in the mix that prove this unequivocally. The Doors Strange Days mono is definitely a dedicated mono mix!


Album opener "Strange Days" has much louder bass guitar and organ, and John Densmore's toms are also much higher in the mix. "You're Lost, Little Girl" puts extra emphasis on Robby Krieger's strident guitar leads, that here sound more like a cat lazily pursuing its quarry; slick and smooth with an underlying menace, exactly what the song's subject matter calls for. Third song and massive hit "Love Me Two Times" differs little from its stereo counterpart, although the harpsichord benefits from a boost in mono. Song four, "Unhappy Girl", which also served as the flip-side to LP single "People Are Strange", is a very different beast. Krieger's lead guitar sounds as if it's double-tracked here rather than just echo-processed or possibly phased, and audible handclaps confirm that Elektra was looking for a double-A side hit with this release, obviously an attempt to make it more radio-friendly. "Horse Latitudes", the weakest "track" on the album (and anathema to anyone who thinks Jim Morrison's description of himself as a "poet" is dubious at best), has the sound effects mixed louder and ramps up what little tension Morrison's struggling to create here with his pretentious read. This segues into "Moonlight Drive" that also has louder guitar runs and piano.


Side Two starts with "People Are Strange", again not deviating much from the stereo version we're subjected to every time the Doors catalogue is re-packaged or re-released. The next track, the highly underrated "My Eyes Have Seen You", has to be the highlight of this mono LP. Ray Manzarek's piano sounds like it's in the room with the listener, driving the song forward in a manner the stereo version can only suggest. On song nine, "I Can't See Your Face In My Mind", Krieger's guitar combines with Manzarek's organ and some kind of percussion as answers to Morrison's repetitions of the title lyric, and you can clearly hear these elements in this mix; they're far muddier in stereo. The eleven-minute closer, "When The Music's Over", a cousin of the first album's "The End", sounds much more violent and urgent in mono - the dynamic between soft and loud is amplified, making for a much more interesting listen.


CONDITION: DISC: VG+. The disc has full gloss to the playing surface, but does have light scuffs, no deep scratches. Disc plays with some surface noise, but does not distract from enjoyment of music. The labels are clean and have no spindle marks, so this looks like a record that was played very little if at all. Instead, it was probably left out of its sleeve or poorly handled a couple times and then put away for 45 years. LABELS: M-. COVER: VG+. Shows some general wear (see photos). The cover is stereo as was a standard practice by Elektra and other record companies in the 60s. When they would run out of mono covers, they would simply place mono discs in stereo covers or visa versa. Sometimes they would place a "mono" sticker on a stereo cover, but this cover does not have the sticker.


Bid with confidence as I have graded and sold records for 25 years. I am also very careful when packaging records so they will not be damaged during transit.


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