Been Down So Long: The Doors’ “L.A. Woman” Celebration Underway, Super Deluxe Edition Cancelled

It’s finally time to open the doors on the much-anticipated 40^th anniversary celebration of The Doors’ L.A. Woman.  We first reported on the L.A. Woman festivities back in April 2011, the actual month of the anniversary.  The band looked forward to the fall release of a deluxe edition of its acclaimed sixth and final album with Jim Morrison.  Then in September, we passed on an update from Jeff Jampol, the steward of The Doors’ legacy, announcing “The Year of the Doors” campaign and promising the L.A. Woman project for 2012.  At that point, it was envisioned as a 5-CD Super Deluxe Edition.  Soon, plans were reconfigured to offer a reasonably-priced 2-CD edition (the original album on Disc 1, and outtakes and alternates on Disc 2) and a 3-CD compendium of session material.  A Record Store Day-exclusive singles collection previewed the alternate material.  Well, the New Year has come, and in just two weeks, the first of the album’s related reissues arrives along with a documentary on its making.  Another vinyl release will follow, and the celebration will conclude with the 3-CD box set.

On January 24, Elektra and Rhino will release the 40th Anniversary Edition of L.A. Woman.  Its centerpiece can be found on Disc 2, a recently-discovered track entitled “She Smells So Nice,” which finds Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek jamming on an original melody before seguing into “Rock Me” and Morrison’s “Mr. Mojo Risin’” chant.   The second disc also presents eight previously-unissued alternate takes of the album’s songs such as “Love Her Madly” and “Riders on the Storm.”  It’s promised that “the studio chatter between the songs is a revelation, transporting listeners to The Doors Workshop: the West Hollywood rehearsal space where they recorded the album with [Bruce] Botnick. One segment in particular captures a fascinating moment of inspiration when Morrison suggests they add the now-iconic thunderstorm sound effects to the beginning of ‘Riders on the Storm’.”

The same date will bring Eagle Rock Entertainment’s release of Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Story of L.A. Woman, featuring new interviews with the three surviving members of The Doors, as well as Bruce Botnick, Elektra founder Jac Holzman and others.  The documentary will be available on both DVD and Blu-Ray, and the discs will contain bonus material.

What’s next in the L.A. Woman brigade of releases?  Hit the jump, and you’ll find more information including full track listings for each of the planned titles!

On March 16, the contents of the 40^th Anniversary second disc will be released as a stand-alone 2-LP set.  The Workshop Sessions will be pressed on audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl at RTI, with the lacquers cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering.  The set contains all of the alternate takes and session chatter present on the CD version.

Finally, the balance of the material originally scheduled for the discarded Super Deluxe Edition is promised by Jampol to arrive as a 3-CD box.  Though details are tentative, the Doors’ manager offered readers of the band’s official message board a work-in-progress track listing, containing a whopping 88 tracks of session material including dialogue, early takes, false starts and other studio miscellany.  We emphasize that Jampol’s track listing, reprinted below, is still tentative.  We’ll update accordingly once finalized details are made available.

The L.A. Woman celebration is just one aspect of the Year of the Doors campaign, currently underway.  Other projects include a new series of SACDs (in both high resolution stereo and surround) and vinyl releases from the Analogue Productions label.  As always, stay tuned for more details on the ongoing Doors reissue program.  You’ll find pre-order links and track listings below.  And please do sound off: are you happy with The Doors’ decision to release the elements of a Super-Deluxe Edition piecemeal?  Or would you have preferred the option to purchase one mega-box?  We’d love to know!

The Doors, L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino, 2012)

CD 1

1. The Changeling
2. Love Her Madly
3. Been Down So Long
4. Cars Hiss By My Window
5. L.A. Woman
6. L’America
7. Hyacinth House
8. Crawling King Snake
9. The WASP
10. Riders On The Storm

CD 2

1. The Changeling (Alternate Version)
2. Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)
3. Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)
4. L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)
5. The WASP
6. Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)
7. Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)
8. She Smells So Nice
9. Rock Me

The Doors, L.A. Woman: The Workshop Sessions (Elektra/Rhino, 2012)

Side 1

1. The Changeling (Alternate Version)
2. Love Her Madly (Alternate Version)
3. Cars Hiss By My Window (Alternate Version)
4. L.A. Woman (Alternate Version)

Side 2

1. The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) (Alternate Version)
2. Been Down So Long (Alternate Version)
3. Riders On The Storm (Alternate Version)

Side 3

1. She Smells So Nice / Rock Me

The Doors, L.A. Woman Outtakes Box (title and contents both tentative, planned for 2012, all information from The Doors Message Board)

1 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

2 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 2) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

3 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 3) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

4 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 4) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

5 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 5) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

6 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 6) [no take] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

7 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

8 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

9 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 8) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

10 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 9) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

11 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

12 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

13 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

14 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

15 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 11) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

16 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

17 THE CHANGELING (TAKE 12) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

18 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

19 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

20 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

21 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

22 TUNING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

23 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

24 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

25 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

26 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

27 LOVE HER MADLY (TAKE 8) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

28 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

29 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

30 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

31 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

32 THE DICK BILLS SHOW THEME THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

33 RAWHIDE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

34 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 6) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

35 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

36 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 9) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

37 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

38 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

39 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 11) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

40 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 12) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

41 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

42 RIDERS ON THE STORM (TAKE 16) [long false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

43 L.A. WOMAN (run through) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

44 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

45 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

46 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

47 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

48 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

49 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 3) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

50 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

51 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

52 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 4) [flase start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

53 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

54 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

55 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

56 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 8) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

57 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

58 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

59 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

60 L.A. WOMAN (TAKE 11) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

61 CRAWLING KING SNAKE (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

62 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

63 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

64 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

65 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

66 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 4) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

67 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

68 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 6) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

69 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

70 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 7) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

71 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

72 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 8) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

73 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 9) [false start] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

74 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 10) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

75 BEEN DOWN SO LONG (TAKE 11) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

76 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

77 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 1) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

78 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 2) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

79 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

80 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 3) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

81 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 4) [incomplate] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

82 JAMMING THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

83 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 5) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

84 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

85 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 6) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

86 STUDIO DIALOGUE THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

87 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 7) [incomplete] THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

88 THE WASP (TEXAS RADIO AND THE BIG BEAT) (TAKE 8) THE DOORS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED