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14 October, 2025Print

The Doors Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance

The Doors Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance

Analogue Productions Captures The Legendary Performance with Unprecedented Fidelity, Produced and Mastered by The Doors’ Longtime Engineer Bruce Botnick

The 180-gram 3-LP Set Includes Sound Check Recordings, Extensive Liner Notes & More, Limited and Numbered to 2,000 Copies

Out November 21

Pre-Order From Acoustic Sounds Here & The Doors Official Online Store Here

 

On July 21, 1969, The Doors took the stage at the intimate Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Boulevard for what would become one of the most captivating—and criminally underrated—performances of their career. Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance captures Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore in peak form: loose, loud, and locked in.

Now available as a 180-gram 3-LP Set on Analogue Productions, this definitive edition, limited to just 2,000 copies, is pressed at Quality Record Pressings and features a 2016 mix by longtime Doors engineer Bruce Botnick, who revisited the original 8-track analog masters for a stunning new high-resolution transfer, using the same lacquer cut by Chris Bellman who did the Record Store Day release in 2016. The result is a crystal-clear, high-fidelity experience that transports listeners straight into the charged atmosphere of that summer night in 1969.

"The new mix is a revelation," says Botnick in the liner notes, which also feature Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Danny Sugerman (who would go on to become the band’s second manager), music critic and former editor of the Los Angeles Times Robert Hilburn’s review of the show, which originally ran on July 28, 1969, and extensive production notes by Botnick. "It's almost like hearing the show for the first time. Using tools we didn’t have in 2001, we were able to remove most of the hum and buzz that permeated the original tapes,” says Botnick. “The resulting clarity gives this concert new life—and as a bonus, side six features material from the soundcheck that preceded the show, offering fans something they’ve never heard before." 

The setlist spans the full range of The Doors’ alchemy—part blues ritual, part psychedelic seance. From a swaggering “Back Door Man” to a hypnotic, fever-dream reading of “The End,” the performance unfolds like a trance. Morrison teeters between mystic shaman and wry provocateur; Krieger’s guitar slices through the haze; Manzarek’s keys swirl like a haunted carnival; and Densmore’s pulse keeps it all tethered to earth.

Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance isn’t just a live album—it’s a portal. A snapshot of a band at the height of its creative powers, caught between chaos and transcendence. Pressed on the highest-quality vinyl and restored with unprecedented clarity, this release invites listeners to step back in time and experience The Doors at their most potent.

The Doors’ Live At The Aquarius Theatre - The First Performance

Tracklist

Side 1 

1. Tuning

2. Jim's Introduction

3. Back Door Man

4. Break On Through

5. What Do We Do Next?

6. Soul Kitchen

Side 2

1. You Make Me Real

2. Tuning

3. I Will Never Be Untrue

4. The Crowd Humbly Requests

5. When The Music's Over

Side 3

1. Universal Mind

2. The Crowd Requests Their Favorites And Tuning

3. Mystery Train / Crossroads

4. Build Me A Woman

Side 4

1. Tuning

2. Who Do You Love (False Start)

3. Who Do You Love

4. Light My Fire

Side 5

1. The Crowd Requests More

2. The Celebration Of The Lizard

Side 6

1. Soundcheck 

 

Produced and Mastered by Bruce Botnick

Recorded July 21, 1969 at The Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood, California

About The Doors

With an intoxicating, genre-blending sound, provocative and uncompromising songs, and the mesmerizing power of singer Jim Morrison’s poetry and presence, The Doors had a transformative impact not only on popular music but on popular culture. Sixty years after their formation, The Doors’ music and legacy are more influential than ever. Helmed by Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboard), Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums), The Doors exploded onto the scene through timeless classics such as “Light My Fire,” “Break on Through (To the Other Side),” and “Riders on the Storm,”ultimately releasing six studio albums. Icons of rebellion and creative freedom, The Doors have sold over 100 million albums. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

 

About Acoustic Sounds

For over forty years, Acoustic Sounds has championed the art of vinyl, reissuing historic recordings with the utmost care and precision. The company was founded by Chad Kassem, whose unlikely journey from a small apartment-based vinyl resale operation to the helm of the world’s largest vertically integrated vinyl production facility has transformed the high-end audio industry. His Salina, Kansas-based company houses Acoustic Sounds in its entirety, a reissue label (Analogue Productions), state-of-the-art pressing plant (Quality Record Pressings), a mastering facility (The Mastering Lab at Acoustic Sounds), a recording studio and concert venue (Blue Heaven Studios), print shop (Consolidated Printing) and original recordings label (APO Records). Kassem’s relentless dedication to sound quality and preservation of historical recordings has made Acoustic Sounds a trusted source for high-fidelity music. Today, the company presses over a million records each year, bringing legendary labels and artists—from Verve, Impulse, Atlantic and Contemporary Records, to John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan and The Doors—as they’ve never been heard before to fans worldwide. Chad Kassem’s commitment to excellence has redefined the boundaries of high-quality vinyl production and built an empire grounded in authenticity and quality.

 

For more information, please contact Matt Hanks, Annie Mickum or Greg Jakubik at

Shore Fire Media, 718-522-7171