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

The Doors — Live At The Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance

Numbered edition limited to 2,000 copies

180-gram 3LP set

2016 mix by The Doors engineer Bruce Botnick

Features private sound check recorded at the Aquarius the day after the concert

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings on 180-gram vinyl

Housed in a 3-Pocket M-Pack Tip-On Jacket from Stoughton Printing

This 3LP set features The Doors' first set at the Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California on July 21, 1969. 

At the intimate Aquarius Theatre, The Doors took the stage for what would become one of their most captivating — and underrated — live recordings. Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance captures Morrison and company in rare form: loose, loud, and locked in, delivering a set that was equal parts dark poetry and rock 'n' roll exorcism.

The setlist is a fiery blend of hits, deep cuts, and blues workouts, from a swaggering "Back Door Man" to the frenetic "Break On Through." Jim Morrison teeters between mystic shaman and cheeky frontman, while Robby Krieger's guitar cuts through the psychedelic fog with razor-sharp precision. Ray Manzarek's keyboards are their usual haunted carnival ride, and John Densmore's drumming is the glue holding together the madness.

"The Doors' first show at the Aquarius that you have on vinyl is an entirely new mix. When it came time to make the lacquer masters ... the only option was to remix the show, which turned out to be beneficial in the long run as it gave us an opportunity to do a new High-Resolution archive of the 8-track analogue masters to 192/24. Also, using new tools available to us that we didn't have in 2001, we were able to remove most, it not all, of the hum and buzz which permeated the show. The new mix, which was done on an Avid Icon digital console, is a revelation, as it is so clear that it's almost like hearing the show for the first time. ... the resulting complete show was broken up into the five sides that comprise the show for the lacquer mastering.

"In the interest of giving something new that you may never have heard before, side six is from the soundcheck. It isn't all that long, but it has some good moments for you to enjoy." — Bruce Botnick, Jan. 7, 2016, from the liner notes

The Doors — Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance isn't just a concert recording — it's a time machine.

LP 1 Side A

1. Tuning

2. Jim's Introduction

3. Back Door Man

4. Break On Through

5. What Do We Do Next?

6. Soul Kitchen

LP 1 Side B

1. You Make Me Real

2. Tuning

3. I Will Never Be Untrue

4. The Crowd Humbly Requests

5. When The Music's Over

LP 2 Side A

1. Universal Mind

2. The Crowd Requests Their Favorites And Tuning

3. Mystery Train / Crossroads

4. Build Me A Woman

LP 2 Side B

1. Tuning

2. Who Do You Love (False Start)

3. Who Do You Love

4. Light My Fire

LP 3 Side A

1. The Crowd Requests More

2. The Celebration Of The Lizard

LP 3 Side B

1. Soundcheck

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 10 person(s) rated this product.

DOORS LIVE ALBUM posted on 12/21/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Chandler Incredible, one of the best doors live albums ever recorded. Hope to see Chad put out more Doors live recordings in the future. Highly recommend buying this before it goes out of print.

Anyone who wants to experience THE DOORS as a live band today will find an immediate, timeless answer here. posted on 12/18/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Mike Those with a sufficiently high-resolution system will experience 'Live At The Aquarius Theatre – The First Performance' not as an unearthed archive piece, but as an immediate live event – ??present, vibrant and with a sonic integrity that finally elevates this release to the rank of an audiophile reference. Read more here: https://www.saitenkult.de/2025/12/18/the-doors-live-at-the-aquarius- theatre-the-first-performance/

I love The Way These familiar Songs Are Played posted on 12/16/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: John M. What a band. With this exquisite recording and pressing The Doors show their greatness in these performances.

WOW! Amazing Sound For A Live Recording! posted on 12/04/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Mike Shocked at how good this album sounds! This is one of my best sounding live albums I own! See my full review on Youtube: https://youtu.be/_t3I3AmNGMU

Straight to the Soul posted on 12/01/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Naren Always a Doors fanatic. This is a treat from Acoustic Sounds. Keep doing justice to the best recording from the years we miss a lot today. This release seats you in the front row, just close your eyes. Bring them on 45rpm.

Utterly OUTRAGEOUS posted on 11/28/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Andrew Bernstein Such an amazing LP. Engineered to utter perfection. Excellent clarity, soundstage, and instrumental separation. Big and powerful. Quiet vinyl. Mesmerizing to listen to honestly. As it began actually got chills, as i realized I was in for something really special, and I wasn’t wrong. Massive effort likely went into get this right, big thanks to everyone involved. Really impressive, and appreciated…

Just like you were there posted on 11/23/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Dan Absolute joy to experience this amazing concert LP. Highly recommended. Hard to remain seated while listening. Great sound for a live concert. There is some minor back ground electrical noise/hum during quiet moments as expected at a live event at the time. Not noticeable during the music.

Best recorded Doors anything. posted on 11/05/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: AW I have the RSD version and I payed extra, extra for it based on the reviews. I wish I'd known it was getting another release like this. It literally sounds like you're on stage with the Doors and your ear is pressed up against the mic with Jim singing into it.

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