Earliest The Doors Live Recording To Be Officially Released

The recently discovered earliest live recordings of legendary rock band The Doors will be released as a collector’s edition box set London Fog 1966. Limited to 18,000 numbered copies, the limited edition release will be issued by Rhino/Bright Midnight Archives on December 9.

Back in 1966 Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek were the house band at the Sunset Strip dive bar London Fog. The newly discovered tapes were made during a performance held in May 1966 months before the release of their self-titled debut album and subsequent rise in fame. That night they played “Strange Days” which served as the title track to their 1967 second LP and “You Make Me Real” which came out on Morrison Hotel in 1970. They also covered Muddy Waters’ “Rock Me” and “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man,” Big Joe Williams’ “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” Wilson Pickett’s “Don’t Fight It” and Little Richard’s “Lucille.”

The seven songs will be presented on CD as well as a 10-inch vinyl record made to resemble a test pressing. The audio on the release was recently mastered by The Doors engineer Bruce Botnick. Here’s more on what comes in the box set:

A poster, the set list handwritten by John Densmore, a program for the Royce Hall UCLA student film screening, plus a London Fog coaster. There are also liner notes included from Sunset Strip legend Ronnie Haran-Mellen, who was the talent booker at the Whisky a Go Go. Haran-Mellen saw The Doors live for the first time at the London Fog and then booked them as the permanent house band at the Whisky, leading to the band’s signing to Elektra and meteoric rise to superstardom. Also contributing liner notes is Nettie Peña, one of the lucky few to be in attendance at the London Fog for this fabled show.

Peña recorded the show on a quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape recorder her father, who was a teacher at Los Angeles Unified School District, allowed her to borrow from the school. Her photos from the night are also included in the box set release.

London Fog 1966 Tracklist

1. Rock Me
2. Baby, Please Don’t Go
3. You Make Me Real
4. Don’t Fight It
5. I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man
6. Strange Days
7. Lucille