The Doors Strange Days Monarch Ultimate 1st 1967 Promo Demonstration Stamped VG

	C$		475
	$		344

Released in September of 1967, The Doors' 'Strange Days' has come to exemplify the crazy, hazy, revolutionary history of not just this incredible band...but the 1960s as well.  In my humble opinion it easily ranks right up there with The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper' and Pink Floyd's 'Piper at The Gates of Dawn' as one of the most significant and influential musical creations from 1967.  In fact, the late great Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek and Doors producer Paul Rothchild felt that 'Strange Days' was The Doors at their peak. Considering their amazing output of quality material over 4 years...that says a lot. 
On offer is a genuine earliest 1st Stereo (1967 Los Angeles, CA. ) Monarch pressed promotional stickered copy of 'Strange Days'.  Very few white label promo copies of The Doors 1st and 2nd albums were produced. Quite often the covers were just promo stickered and/or (as in this case), the labels were stamped indicating "Demonstration Only". I rarely offer Lps that grade below VG. But because of the historical significance of this album within the history of rock music and within The Doors' personal history I've made an exception.

Cover: VG.....when viewed straight on the front cover still presents very well...and the back cover grades even higher.  What dims the grade is some edge, corner, and spine wear ...but even here I've seen far worse.  The top right corner has a thick and glossy  translucent "The Doors/Strange Days" sticker. In addition, at the bottom right corner, there is a fluorescent orange-red "day-glo" "Promotion Copy/Not For Sale" sticker. 
Original Elektra Records Inner-Sleeve: VG(+).....thick and textured paper....seam split at the bottom (which can be easily repaired) This was the inner which this record came in. The 'Strange Days' photo/lyric inner-sleeve  may not have been printed yet when this promo issue was distributed. A higher quality inner-sleeve will be included to house the precious record. 
Record: VG- to VG+ ....when viewed under strong lights, the thick and heavy record still has a beautiful shine.  Several lines and marks can be seen....but none that are too deep or dangerous looking. Both labels look fantastic and both have, "DEMONSTRATION ONLY" stamped to the left.  Despite the grading, all the songs play through without any serious issues. This is the very first Stereo mix of this album and I can assure you the audio is very impressive. You will hear a few light to moderate ticks here and there but certainly not enough to even consider to stop listening. Of course, all -1/-1 first Monarch pressings will have that 1 ~ 1.5 second drop out or "flutter" at the very start of the first track on Side 2 ("People Are Strange") ....all subsequent pressings corrected this issue.  

Matrix Numbers     Side 1:             EKS  74014 A         (mon-1)     MR (circled)      (triangle) 11050                 RH                                 Side 2:             EKS   74014B         (mon-1)     MR (circled)      (triangle) 11050-X             RH
Please note:  The initials "RH" appears in the deadwax and has been etched very small at the end of the matrix numbers.  They were placed there by disc mastering engineer, Ray Hagerty. 
NB. I've been collecting The Doors on vinyl for 45 years. My experience and research has led me to conclude that without exception, ALL vintage promo 1st pressings of The Doors albums released between 1967 and 1971 were never distributed in sealed state. EVER.  By definition, promotional/demonstration copies are pressed and made available weeks before the official release date and sent unsealed (not even in shrink wrap) to DJs, media critics, industry insiders and the like.  There is more I can say on this important topic....please inquire if interested. 

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