13 is the first compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on November 30, 1970. The title refers to the thirteen tracks included, which feature a variety of songs from their five studio albums released up to that point. The cover shrink wrap featured a clear sticker that read: "A Collection of Thirteen Classic Doors Songs". It is the band's only compilation album released while lead singer Jim Morrison was alive.
| 13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | November 30, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1966–1969 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 43:59 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
| The Doors chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album reached No. 25 on the Billboard 200. It has been superseded by later Doors compilations, such as the highly successful The Best of the Doors (1985), and has not been reissued on CD.
Background
edit13 was a project instigated by Elektra Records, who wanted product from the band for the Christmas season, to which the band reluctantly agreed. Morrison even agreed to shave off his beard for the album cover's photo shoot, but the label opted for a younger photo of the singer, which they had also done for the group's live album Absolutely Live, released in July of that year. Author Danny Sugerman commented in his memoir of the band, No One Here Gets Out Alive, "Elektra obviously wanted the 'pretty' Jim Morrison."[1] Morrison's image is also much larger than those of guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore, and Sugerman said that, "Although Ray, Robby, and John had become accustomed to the attention directed towards their lead singer, it upset Jim." The album's back cover features the band posing with a small bust of Ludwig van Beethoven[2][3] (some have mistakenly claimed it is of occultist Aleister Crowley).[4]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[6] |
| MusicHound | 3.5/5[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
In a contemporary review in 1971, music critic Dave Marsh wrote that although the album does indeed contain "thirteen classic songs," it fails to deliver on any purpose other than compiling the most radio-friendly hits in one place. Marsh added that "no magnum opuses" were included in the collection. "No 'The End', no 'When the Music's Over', no 'Soft Parade' ... [it] would have been decidedly uncommercial to have them included here ... Of course 'Five to One' isn't here; funny thing, outside of 'Unknown Soldier' none of the Doors' more controversial subject matter is included."[9]
Bruce Eder, in his retrospective review for Allmusic, likewise observed that 13 focuses strictly on the pop rock side of The Doors, and argued that the approach of marketing this side of the Doors separately from their more serious, adventurous, and coarse side was part of what made the band a success with such a range of listeners. Noting that 13 had continuously sold well for nearly two decades, whereas Doors compilations and live albums which freely mixed the band's two sides were much less popular, he saw 13 and the Doors' self-titled debut album as the two main gateways to their work, serving to draw interested listeners in and ultimately lead them to explore the Doors' deeper album cuts.[5]
Track listing
editDetails are taken from the 1970 U.S. Elektra album, which lists different songwriter credits than other Doors albums; other releases may show different information.[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album (year) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Light My Fire" | Robby Krieger, Jim Morrison | The Doors (1967) | 6:50 |
| 2. | "People Are Strange" | Morrison, Krieger | Strange Days (1967) | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Back Door Man" | Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf | The Doors | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Moonlight Drive" | Morrison | Strange Days | 3:00 |
| 5. | "The Crystal Ship" | Morrison | The Doors | 2:30 |
| 6. | "Roadhouse Blues" | Morrison, Doors | Morrison Hotel (1970) | 4:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Touch Me" | Krieger | The Soft Parade (1969) | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Love Me Two Times" | Krieger | Strange Days | 3:23 |
| 3. | "You're Lost Little Girl" | Krieger | Strange Days | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Hello, I Love You" | Morrison | Waiting for the Sun (1968) | 2:22 |
| 5. | "Land Ho" | Morrison, Krieger | Morrison Hotel | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Wild Child" | Morrison | The Soft Parade | 2:36 |
| 7. | "The Unknown Soldier" | Morrison, Doors | Waiting for the Sun | 3:10 |
Personnel
editFrom the 1970 Elektra release:[10]
Musicians
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – piano, organ
- Robby Krieger – guitar, bass guitar
- John Densmore – drums
Production
- Paul A. Rothchild – producer
- Jac Holzman – production supervisor
- Bruce Botnick – engineer
Charts
edit| Chart | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 1971 | 25[11] |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[12] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Hopkins & Sugerman 1980, p. 318.
- ^ "The Doors (Getty Museum)". The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ "Jim Morrison & The Doors, in garage with automobile, hand held cloth backdrop. John Densmore looking at Beethoven bust. Hollywood, California by Edmund Teske on artnet Auctions". Artnet.com. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ Brett, Rachel (November 17, 2017). "Occultist Aleister Crowley's Influence on Popular Music". Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "13 — The Doors". AllMusic. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. p. 358. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ "The Doors: Album Guide". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (March 1971). "The Doors: 'Thirteen'". Creem. Retrieved June 22, 2018 – via Rock's Backpages.
- ^ a b 13 (Album notes). The Doors. New York City: Elektra Records. 1970. Back cover. EKS 74079.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Doors Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Doors – 13". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – 13". Recording Industry Association of America.