n celebration of Rhino’s 45th anniversary this year, the label is launching Rhino Reds, a new series of limited-edition reissues pressed on custom “Rhino Red” vinyl.
The Rhino Reds series debuts with a reissue of GOLDEN ALBUM, a 1968 compilation by The Doors that was released exclusively in Japan. This reissue was mastered by Bruce Botnick with lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman Mastering. Limited to 5,000 copies worldwide, the “Rhino Red” version of Golden Album will be available on July 28 for $34.98 exclusively at TheDoors.com and Rhino Records’ webstores. This album will not be available in stores.
The album is a compilation of 12 songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ first three studio albums: The Doors, Strange Days, and Waiting for the Sun. Many of The Doors’ biggest hits include the #1 smashes “Light My Fire” and “Hello, I Love You.” Five songs from the compilation appear on the bonus 7″, including the Top 40 hits “People Are Strange” and “Unknown Soldier.”
Golden Album comes in a deluxe gatefold jacket with a tipped-in multi-page insert including lyrics to all 12 songs plus a picture sleeve for the bonus 7″. There’s also a vintage Elektra Records listing promoting The Doors albums available at that time.
The Rhino Reds series pays tribute to Rhino’s rich legacy of artists and is a hallmark of the last 45 years. Each vinyl will be pressed at Third Man’s state-of-the-art pressing plant in Detroit to ensure the highest audio fidelity. Likewise, Rhino’s close attention to detail will bring the replica packaging to life, with gatefold jackets and tipped-in inserts for a vintage feel.
THE DOORS GOLDEN ALBUM TRACK LIST
Side One
1. “Hello, I Love You”
2. “Strange Days”
3. “The Unknown Soldier”
4. “Love Me Two Times”
5. “Back Door Man”
6. “The End”
Side Two
1. “Light My Fire”
2. “People Are Strange”
3. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
4. “Love Street”
5. “The Crystal Ship”
6. “When The Music’s Over”
GOLDEN ALBUM
7” (33 1/3 rpm) Track Listing
Side One
1. “Hello, I Love You”
2. “Strange Days”
3. “The Unknown Soldier”
Side Two
1. “Light My Fire”
2. “People Are Strange”
The Doors’ “Golden Album”: A Curious Compilation from the Shadows of the Catalog
By Jerry GPT
When you think about “greatest hits” collections, there’s usually a standard formula—track the biggest radio singles, arrange them chronologically or thematically, and stamp the band’s logo on it. The Doors, like many other legendary acts of the 1960s, have had their fair share of best-of releases over the years. But The Golden Album, a rare compilation originally released in Japan, occupies a strange and slightly mysterious space in their discography. It’s not exactly canonical, and it’s not widely known outside of collector circles, but it’s worth a look if you care about how The Doors were packaged and perceived internationally during their peak.
First, some context. The Golden Album was released in Japan in 1971, just a few months after Jim Morrison’s death in Paris. The timing alone makes it a fascinating snapshot of how The Doors were being marketed to a global audience in the immediate aftermath of Morrison’s passing. It wasn’t uncommon at the time for Japanese labels to issue exclusive compilations under the “golden” branding—usually indicating either a commercial greatest-hits package or a deluxe pressing aimed at serious music buyers.
The cover art is stark and simple—gold background, sharp black-and-white portrait of the band. No psychedelic haze, no L.A. mysticism, just four young men frozen in time. It’s elegant in that understated way Japanese pressings often are, but it also feels eerily final, like a visual tombstone for a band that never fully resolved its own trajectory.
Musically, The Golden Album is a solid, if not slightly conventional overview of The Doors’ output from 1967 to 1971. You get “Light My Fire,” “Break On Through,” and “People Are Strange,” as expected. But what makes the tracklist more interesting is its balance—pulling not just from the breakout debut and Strange Days, but also from later, darker albums like Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman. Songs like “Roadhouse Blues” and “Love Her Madly” are present, giving the compilation a slightly grittier, barroom feel than some of the more flower-powered American best-ofs from the era.
It’s also a quieter record in tone. The sequencing avoids long, meandering epics like “The End” or “When the Music’s Over.” This isn’t The Doors at their most theatrical—it’s them at their most direct. That might’ve been intentional, especially for an international market where spoken-word excursions and extended organ solos didn’t translate quite as well as a tight three-minute blues-rock tune.
From an audiophile standpoint—and this is worth noting for the collectors out there—Japanese pressings from this era are often prized for their quiet vinyl surfaces and meticulous mastering. The Golden Album is no exception. The sound is clean and well balanced, with good midrange presence and tighter-than-expected bass. No remixes, no frills, just a straight analog transfer of the original Elektra tapes. If you see a clean copy in the bins at a fair price, it’s a safe pickup.
Where things get more nuanced is in what this album represents. It’s a reminder that The Doors were very much a global band by the early ’70s. Even as the American counterculture was fracturing, their music still traveled well. There was something universal about Morrison’s drawl, Manzarek’s organ, Krieger’s guitar textures, and Densmore’s understated rhythms that made their way across cultural and language barriers. The Golden Album doesn’t reinvent the band’s image, but it offers a distilled, almost reverent take—one that feels very much like a retrospective framed for the Japanese collector, not the L.A. fan who saw them live in ’67.
For longtime fans, this compilation isn’t essential in the way the 1985 Best of The Doors CD or the 2000 Legacy box set might be. There’s no unreleased material here, no alternate takes, no rarities. But that’s not really the point. The Golden Album isn’t trying to rewrite the narrative—it’s trying to preserve it. This is The Doors in amber, curated with care, presented with dignity, and pressed to last.
It also stands as a subtle reminder of how music traveled before the internet, before globalized distribution pipelines and streaming platforms. Albums like this one were local adaptations of a global phenomenon. They reflected how different markets saw the band—not just as American icons, but as voices that translated well across cultures.
Where is the limited to 5,000 edition number located on the rerelease package?
We are not sure but 5,000 copies isn’t much for a multi-platinum selling band.
Perhaps try to find a copy locally and inspect in person?