Released on September 25, 2007, The Very Best of the Doors is a comprehensive compilation album created to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. It serves as a definitive anthology of the original Jim Morrison-fronted era (1967–1971), notable for using the 40th Anniversary Mixes produced by Bruce Botnick and the surviving band members. Release Details and Versions
The album was published by Rhino Records and Elektra, with different tracklists depending on the region and format:
Double CD Version (US/UK/International): The most extensive version, containing 34 tracks totaling over 2.5 hours of music.
Single CD Version (UK/Europe): A condensed 20-track edition featuring the most essential hits.
Deluxe Limited Edition: Often included a bonus DVD featuring live performances from 1968 and short films. Key 40th Anniversary Features
New Stereo Mixes: Unlike previous compilations, these masters were drawn from the Perception box set remixes. They aimed to clear "fuzz and distortion" from early albums and balance Ray Manzarek’s sometimes overpowering organ.
Uncensored Tracks: This release (along with the 2007 standalone reissues) is one of the few places to find the fully uncensored studio versions of "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" and "The End".
Enhanced Materials: The physical release included booklets with rare photos, full lyrics, and commentary from original engineer Bruce Botnick. Representative Tracklist (Double CD) 1. Break On Through (To the Other Side) 1. Twentieth Century Fox 2. Strange Days 2. Love Her Madly 5. Light My Fire 3. Riders on the Storm 9. The End 11. L.A. Woman 15. When the Music's Over 19. Roadhouse Blues Critical Reception The Very Best of the Doors | Rhino
It began, as all bad ideas do, with a crackle. Not the ominous static of a séance, but the dusty hiss of a CD-R plucked from a cardboard box at a Pasadena flea market. No label, just a sharpie-scrawl: The Very Best of The Doors 2007. The price: fifty cents.
Leo, a collector of more enthusiasm than expertise, paid with a dime and four nickels. He was twenty-two, a film student who believed every forgotten object held a secret. This disc, unmarked and unassuming, felt like a key. the very best of the doors 2007 album rar
Back in his cramped apartment, the air thick with old books and instant ramen, he slid the disc into his laptop. The drive whirred, then groaned. The file structure was wrong. No MP3s, no standard audio. Just a single, seven-gigabyte RAR archive named: soul_cage.rar
Password protected.
The seller was long gone. Leo tried everything: JimMorrison, LizardKing, RidersOnTheStorm, 1969. Nothing. Desperate, he opened a forum for lost media, posting a cry for help under a thumbnail of the scratched disc. Minutes later, a private message arrived from a user named SoftParade67. No avatar. No history.
“Try: When the music is your special friend.”
Leo typed it in, fingers trembling. The archive bloomed open.
Inside: not songs. Audio files, but labeled as dates. 1968-09-07_01.wav, 1969-03-01_14.wav, 1970-08-29_09.wav. Over two hundred files. He clicked the first.
A live recording, but wrong. The crowd wasn’t cheering—they were moaning. A low, rhythmic chant under a distant piano. Then Jim Morrison’s voice, but not singing. Speaking. Close to the mic, words slurred and intimate: “The snake eats its tail again tonight, Leo.”
He froze. The recording knew his name.
He skipped to another. 1970-11-15_04.wav. A hotel room. The clink of glasses, a woman’s distant laugh. Then Jim, clear as a bell: “They think the poetry is in the words. But it’s in the space between. The space where you forget to breathe. You’re forgetting to breathe right now, aren’t you?” Released on September 25, 2007 , The Very
Leo wasn’t. But now he was holding his breath.
File after file: private conversations, poetry no one had ever heard, fragments of songs that never existed—a blues riff that turned into a lullaby, a version of “Riders on the Storm” where the rain was replaced by a man sobbing. And woven through every track, a whisper. Always addressing Leo by name. Always knowing things—the scar on his left hand, the dream he had last night about drowning in green light.
The final file was dated 2007-01-01—the year the “album” was supposedly compiled. Twelve seconds long. A man’s voice, but not Jim. Younger. Desperate.
“It’s not a best-of. It’s a cage. He’s been in here since ’71. He figured out how to record into the silence. Please. Don’t listen to the rest. Just delete—
The file ended.
Leo sat in the dark. The laptop screen dimmed to sleep. Outside, Los Angeles hummed its endless freeway hymn. And from the speakers, very softly, a piano began to play “Riders on the Storm.” But the rain was inside the room now. And the driver was already gone.
He never deleted the files. He burned three copies and mailed them to used record stores across the country. He added a new sharpie label to the original: THE VERY BEST OF THE DOORS 2007 ALBUM RAR—and left it on a bus seat.
Somewhere, right now, someone is finding fifty cents in their pocket.
And they’re about to forget to breathe. Conclusion: Is the Hunt Worth It
For the casual fan listening on earbuds, probably not. But for the person typing "the very best of the doors 2007 album rar" at 2:00 AM—you know who you are. You are chasing the dragon of Jim Morrison’s vocal fry without compression artifacts. You want to see the 600x600 pixel booklet scan where Robby Krieger’s guitar string is blurred by motion. You want the version of "Light My Fire" that breathes.
The 2007 edition of The Very Best of the Doors remains the peak of the CD era for this band. It is a snapshot of a brief window where digital technology respected analog warmth.
If you find a legitimate RAR of this album—check the checksums, verify the spectrals, and listen on a good DAC. You have found a piece of rock history that the algorithm forgot.
Long live the Lizard King. Long live lossless audio.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and historical purposes regarding out-of-print media. Always support the artists and purchase official releases where available.
There is no official, widely recognized 2007 album by The Doors called exactly "The Very Best of The Doors." The two most relevant official releases from that year are:
Assuming you’re reviewing the 2007 2-CD European deluxe edition of The Very Best of The Doors (catalog: Rhino 8122-79980-6), here is a critical review:
"The Very Best of The Doors" (2007) is a compilation album that collects many of The Doors' most iconic tracks, presenting a streamlined listening experience of the band's most enduring songs. It's aimed at both casual listeners who want a concise overview and longtime fans seeking a compact hits package.
CD1 (1967–1969):
CD2 (1970–1971 + American Prayer):