THE COVER OF "STRANGE DAYS": CURIOSITIES AND ATMOSPHERE

When The Doors' second album was released on 25 September 1967, the originality of the front and back covers of the vinyl was striking. The front cover features an unusual scene depicting six street performers in an alleyway, while the back cover features two other figures from the same group posing alone.

The album's title and the band's name are pushed to the side. They are visible, but certainly not in the foreground as one would expect. The tones are dark, brightened only by a few colorful details.

This was the result of the band members' wishes, as they gave the photographer two main instructions. Firstly, they did not want to be included, unlike on the debut release ("The Doors", released in January 1967). The second was to create a "Fellini-esque" atmosphere on the vinyl sleeve.

These guidelines were fully followed, except for a poster attached to the side wall of the alley in which the four musicians can be recognized. The photographer and author of this famous photo is Joel Brodsky, who hired street performers to take part in the photoshoot in a New York alley (Manhattan).

Brodsky had previously designed the cover of The Doors' first record and would go on to design the covers of many other important LPs of the time. These include Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" in 1968, "The Stooges" by the group of the same name in 1969, and "The Soft Parade" by The Doors themselves, also in 1969.

The photo chosen for "Strange Days" also features two characters who were not part of the cast of professional performers. They are the juggler and the trumpet player, who appear on the front cover of the record. The former is actually a photographer’s collaborator, while the latter is a taxi driver who was invited to join the photograph for a small fee.

This improvisation has since gone down in music history, confirming that unplanned elements can add crucial details.

In this way, "Strange Days" combines great music with a striking and original visual identity, and these two elements come together to create the overall feeling conveyed by this masterpiece.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”