Legacy: The Absolute Best

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Legacy: The Absolute Best
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedAugust 12, 2003 (2003-08-12)
Recorded1966–1971
GenreRock
Length155:49
Label
Compiler
  • The Doors
  • David McLees
The Doors chronology
The Very Best of The Doors
(2001)
Legacy: The Absolute Best
(2003)
The Very Best of The Doors
(2007)

Legacy: The Absolute Best is a two-disc compilation album by American rock band the Doors. Released in 2003, it includes the uncensored versions of both "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" and "The End". Also included is a previously unreleased studio version of Morrison's epic poetry piece "Celebration of the Lizard," a rehearsal outtake from the band's Waiting for the Sun sessions.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

Legacy: The Absolute Best has received perfect ratings in scales from both The New Rolling Stone Album Guide,[2] and AllMusic.[1] The latter's critic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, notes in his review:

This [album] winds up giving a thorough overview of the band's peak, whether it's on the familiar hits or on strong album cuts ... There are a couple of omissions ... but there's little question that Legacy is the best Doors compilation yet [as of 2003] assembled.[1]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by the Doors (John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison), except where noted. Details are taken from the 2003 U.S. Elektra/Rhino CD with discographical annotation by Gary Peterson,[4] except running times, which are taken from the AllMusic review.[1] Other releases may show different information.

Disc one[edit]

  1. "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" – 2:29
  2. "Back Door Man" (Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett) – 3:34
  3. "Light My Fire" – 7:08
  4. "Twentieth Century Fox" – 2:33
  5. "The Crystal Ship" – 2:34
  6. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:19
  7. "Soul Kitchen" – 3:35
  8. "The End" – 11:46
  9. "Love Me Two Times" – 3:16
  10. "People Are Strange" – 2:12
  11. "When the Music's Over" – 11:02
  12. "My Eyes Have Seen You" – 2:29
  13. "Moonlight Drive" – 3:04
  14. "Strange Days" – 3:09
  15. "Hello, I Love You" – 2:16
  16. "The Unknown Soldier" – 3:25
  17. "Spanish Caravan" – 3:01
  18. "Five to One" – 4:27
  19. "Not to Touch the Earth" – 3:54

Original releases

Disc two[edit]

  1. "Touch Me" (Krieger) – 3:12
  2. "Wild Child" (Morrison) – 2:38
  3. "Tell All the People" (Krieger) – 3:21
  4. "Wishful Sinful" (Krieger) – 2:58
  5. "Roadhouse Blues" (Morrison, the Doors) – 4:04
  6. "Waiting for the Sun" (Morrison) – 4:00
  7. "You Make Me Real" (Morrison) – 2:53
  8. "Peace Frog" (Krieger, Morrison) – 2:58
  9. "Love Her Madly" – 3:18
  10. "L.A. Woman" – 7:51
  11. "Riders on the Storm" – 7:10
  12. "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" – 4:15
  13. "The Changeling" – 4:21
  14. "Gloria" (Van Morrison) – 6:18
  15. "Celebration of the Lizard" (Morrison) – 17:01

Original releases

Personnel[edit]

Per liner notes:[4]

The Doors

Technical

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Doors: Legacy: The Absolute Best – Review". Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (January 2008). "The Doors". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 255. ISBN 978-1439109397.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 764. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  4. ^ a b Peterson, Gary (2003). Legacy: The Absolute Best (CD booklet). The Doors. Burbank, California: Elektra Records. pp. 18–21. R2 73889.
  5. ^ "American album certifications – The Doors – Legacy: The Absolute Best". Recording Industry Association of America.