The Doors – Waiting For The Sun

Success and a search for new material

Released in July 1968, Waiting For The Sun became the Doors’ only number-one album on the American Billboard album chart. Considerable studio work lay behind that success. Much of their early song material had already been used; new ideas had to emerge and older ones were revisited. Sessions began in late 1967 or early 1968 and continued into the spring. After work at Sunset Sound, most recording took place at TTG Studios in Hollywood, produced by Paul A. Rothchild and engineered by Bruce Botnick.

The eleven pieces reveal a band pursuing several directions at once. Hello, I Love You shares the programme with The Unknown Soldier, while Spanish Caravan sits alongside Five To One. Listeners who know the hit single have a chance to discover that wider range in the context of a complete album.

Following Robby Krieger’s guitar

Spanish Caravan points towards Robby Krieger’s interest in flamenco and musical material from Isaac Albéniz’s Asturias. The guitar opens a different perspective on the group. Its contrast with the surrounding songs encourages attention to the ways Krieger changes his approach throughout the record.

Yes, The River Knows offers another point of focus. Ray Manzarek later compared the piano-and-guitar partnership with Bill Evans and Jim Hall. That is his personal assessment and a welcome invitation to listen to the relationship between the instruments. Where do they pick up each other’s ideas, and where do they leave space? Such questions can make familiar music feel newly approachable without prescribing a particular response.

What remained of the planned suite

Celebration Of The Lizard was originally intended to fill an entire side. Only Not To Touch The Earth remained on the finished album, although the complete text appeared inside the gatefold. The record therefore preserves a trace of a larger plan that was not fully realized. That history belongs beside the short, readily approachable songs.

The bass players also deserve attention. Kerry Magness is documented on The Unknown Soldier and Leroy Vinnegar on Spanish Caravan. Doug Lubahn contributes too, though the sources do not conclusively assign all of his work to individual tracks. Alongside Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore are musicians whose names are easy to overlook. The accompanying list records their documented contributions.

Waiting For The Sun on two 45 RPM records

Analogue Productions’ stereo edition AAPP 74024-45 spreads the album across two LPs. Doug Sax and Sangwook Nam handled mastering at The Mastering Lab; Quality Record Pressings manufactured the records. The label describes original analog master tapes and a tube tape machine and cutting system. Botnick’s retrospective also mentions Dolby noise reduction in the original recording of this album.

Different pressings with different record weights are documented under this catalogue number. A fixed gram figure would therefore be too broad without checking the copy. The established features are two records, 45 RPM playback and a gatefold sleeve. They offer a reason to make time for these eleven pieces and rediscover the relationships between songs, instruments and studio ideas.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden.

Also on SACD: Waiting For The Sun

More by The Doors: L.A. Woman · “The Doors”

Artist page: All titles by The Doors

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Jim MorrisonvocalsParticipation: Album personnel
• Ray ManzarekkeyboardsParticipation: Album personnel
• Robby KriegerguitarParticipation: Album personnel
• John DensmoredrumsParticipation: Album personnel
• Doug Lubahnelectric bassParticipation: C1 documented; other tracks unconfirmed
• Kerry Magnesselectric bassParticipation: B3
• Leroy Vinnegardouble bassParticipation: C1

Kerry Magness: The Unknown Soldier (B3). Leroy Vinnegar: Spanish Caravan (C1); Doug Lubahn is also documented there, but his other contributions are not fully assigned by track. Album credits do not imply every instrument on every track.