The Doors: Joel Brodsky Henry Diltz Bobby Klein Ken Regan

“The Doors’ impact on 1967 was enormous-and singular. Bands such as The Beatles, like many artists from the Bay area scene, were touting a fusion of music, drugs and idealism that they hoped would reform and redeem a troubled age-and begin as those intentions may have been, they were still troubling to many observers. By contrast, The Doors were fashioning music that looked at prospects of hedonism and violence, of revolt and chaos, and embraced those prospects unflinchingly.” Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone Magazine, 1991 The Doors

“I never did any singing before. I never even conceived it. I thought I was going to be a writer or a sociologist, maybe write plays. I never went to concerts-one or two at most. I saw a few things on TV, but I’d never been a part of it all.” Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek created The Doors in 1965, taking their name from Aldous Huxley's psychedelic treatise The Doors of Perception. In 1967 their first album, The Doors, captured the rawness and energy of their stage shows, with "Light My Fire" reaching No.1 in the US. However, the band quickly began to attract the attention of police: concern about 'corruption of the youth' made promoters nervous, and many venues refused to stage the band. Shortly after the release of their sixth album, LA Woman, Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in his Paris flat.

Although The Doors' active career ended in 1973, their popularity has persisted, selling over 75 million albums worldwide. In 1991 Oliver Stone added to this popularity by directing The Doors, a highly successful biopic of Jim Morrison’s colourful life.

“If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it's to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.” Jim Morrison

Joel Brodsky

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Joel Brodsky graduated from Syracuse University in 1961 where he took his first and only course in photography.

After graduation he worked at a local camera store acquiring the cameras he used when he went into business. Following a brief stint in the Army he worked as an assistant for one of New York’s top fashion photographers where he learned about commercial photography.

Brodsky was instrumental in shaping the enduring look and iconography of the psychedelic era. In1966, he was assigned to shoot photos for The Doors’ debut LP. While his group photography was alone superb, yielding the image that adorns the album jacket, his solo shots of front man Jim Morrison proved even more significant. Brodsky captured a shirtless, drunken Morrison in all his youthful potency, and the session - the so-called "Young Lion" photos - would later form the basis of the enduring cult following and mass merchandising that mushroomed around the singer in the wake of his 1971 death.

Five of Brodsky's photographs of the Doors appeared as album covers, and he received a Grammy nomination for the group's 1967 debut, "The Doors." He shot the back cover of the first album, the award winning cover of Strange Days, and the jackets of The Soft Parade and the Greatest Hits LP. In addition, he shot the famous inner sleeve of Strange Days. His cover shot for "Strange Days" (1967) showed carnival acrobats, a strongman and a midget in a conceptual street scene.

Altogether he shot well over 400 covers in that eight year period, and was also the advertising agency for six different labels. Later he worked for many commercial clients including: Revlon, Avon, Dupont, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale.

The Doors, New York City

“How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a lie – people claim they want to be free – everybody insists that freedom is what they want the most, the most sacred and precious thing a man can possess. But that's bullshit! People are terrified to be set free – they hold on to their chains. They fight anyone who tries to break those chains. It's their security…How can they expect me or anyone else to set them free if they don't really want to be free?” Jim Morrison

The Doors, New York City 1967 I Print: Archival Digital Print Price: 16x20 - £996 +VAT (£1170.30 Inc VAT) 20x24 - £1328 +VAT (1560.40 Inc VAT) 30x40 – £3317+VAT (3897.48 Inc VAT)