The Riot Show

1988 Italian LP WPOCM 0888 B 002-1 captures the Hollywood Bowl July 5, 1968 set and Jonathan Winters TV recordings.

The Riot Show on World Productions of Compact Music, catalog WPOCM 0888 B 002-1, is the original 1988 LP pressing of this Italian-released, Austrian-pressed collector title. It was issued simultaneously with the CD configuration (WPOCM 0888 D 002-2), and both catalog numbers appear together on the back cover, confirming their concurrent release. The LP captures the Hollywood Bowl concert of July 5, 1968, across the bulk of its program, with two tracks sourced from the Jonathan Winters TV Show appearance of December 27, 1967, appended to close Side Two. This is the vinyl format of the three physical releases World Productions issued for this title, making it the least common of the group.

The front cover photograph is the first thing that stops you. It is a high-contrast black-and-white image centered on what is clearly Jim Morrison's grave monument at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. A sculpted bust of Morrison occupies the upper half of the frame, partially obscured by potted plants, cut flowers, and trailing stems that crowd in from every angle. The stone base of the monument is dense with fan-written inscriptions; handwritten messages cover nearly every surface visible in the lower portion of the photograph, the lettering irregular and layered. The overall impression is claustrophobic in the best way, the image doing real work before a single note plays. The title treatment runs vertically along the right edge: small red text reading "THE" sits above a white-bordered red rectangle containing "RIOT SHOW" in black, and below that the word "DOORS" is set in large, stylized red outlined block letters stacked down the sleeve. The typography is restrained against the visual chaos of the photograph, and the contrast is effective.

The back cover switches register entirely. A black-and-white photograph of a rough stone wall serves as the background, with a cluster of directional road signs mounted on a single post at center. The standout sign, printed in red and white, reads "HALF-DOOR RESTAURANT," and the surrounding signs carry the full track listing and source attributions printed directly onto them, with Hollywood Bowl tracks grouped on signs pointing right and the Jonathan Winters material indicated on a sign to the left labeled "USA 1967." It is a whimsical layout that works better in person than it sounds on paper. In the upper right corner of the back cover, both catalog numbers are listed clearly: LP 0888B002-1 and CD 0888D002-2. The World Productions of Compact Music globe logo, rendered in red and black, sits in the lower left corner. Along the very bottom, a note reads: "Unfortunately the sound quality of this live recording is not comparable to the high-quality standard of the 80's but we have done the best for listening." Photo credits identify "il presidente" for the front image and Andrea Schulze for the back. The disc label itself is light grey with a faint world map graphic printed behind the text. "WORLD PRODUCTIONS OF COMPACT MUSIC" arcs around the outer ring, with "Collectors Items" below that, then "THE DOORS" in bold spaced capitals, followed by the title and the recording location. The catalog number WPOCM 0888 B 002-1 appears to the left of the spindle hole, and "MADE IN ITALY" and "33 giri STEREO" to the right. A red circular stamp, consistent with an Italian copyright or customs mark, is visible near the spindle hole on Side One. Track timings are listed in full on the label, including composer credits: Alabama Song attributed to Weill/Brecht, Backdoor Man to Dixon/Burnett, and the remaining Doors compositions credited accordingly.

The program draws from two distinct sources. Tracks A1 through B3 document the Hollywood Bowl show of July 5, 1968, a performance also represented on the official Live At The Hollywood Bowl release, but The Riot Show captures considerably more of the set. Alabama Song, Backdoor Man, Five To One, and Unknown Soldier are all present here, none of which made the official cut. Collectors who have spent time with both releases know how significant that difference is. The Side Two opener into Horse Latitudes and the full 15-minute reading of The End round out the Bowl material before the program shifts to the Jonathan Winters TV Show recordings for B4 (Moonlight Drive) and B5 (Light My Fire). In 1988, that television source was not widely circulated in a clean transfer, which gave this release genuine appeal independent of its unofficial standing. For context on how the Hollywood Bowl recordings have been treated across other collector releases, Underwraps Vol 3 is worth cross-referencing, as is Weird Scenes Inside The Hollywood Bowl for another Italian-market collector pressing from roughly the same era. The label's own disclaimer about audio quality is honest; this is not a hi-fi document, but the transfers were considered among the more listenable available at the time. On Discogs, 52 collectors currently have this LP logged with 24 on the want list, modest but consistent numbers. Two CD pressings followed, the first in 1988 with blue label printing and a second in 1995 with black printing, meaning this LP is the scarcer physical format across the release family. Those building out their Hollywood Bowl documentation alongside titles like Apocalypse Now will find this fills a specific gap.

This is a legitimate collector target for anyone focused on The Doors live on vinyl. The Hollywood Bowl content exceeds what the official release documents, the Jonathan Winters TV recordings add a second distinct source, and the LP is the rarest of the three formats World Productions issued for this title. Clean copies do not turn up frequently. If the 1968 Hollywood Bowl show is a priority in your collection and you do not already have this one, it belongs there.