The Doors — The Doors: How to Identify a First Pressing

• Other: The US catalog number EKS-74007 (this number appears in a footnote citation on Wikipedia and represents the stereo edition's numbering format; the EKS prefix generally corresponds to Elektra's stereo series).
• Other: The mono vinyl edition was withdrawn from production not long after its original release and was not reissued for a long time afterward, until Rhino Records reissued it as a limited 180-gram audiophile mono vinyl edition in 2009.

• Other: In 1981, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released a half-speed-mastered vinyl edition, cut by Stan Ricker using an Ortofon cutting system — a high-end audiophile reissue clearly distinct from the original.

• The original mono edition was withdrawn early on, and the vast majority of copies in circulation since then are the stereo edition; if a copy is labelled mono and is not the 2009 Rhino limited reissue, it is quite likely an early mono original that was withdrawn shortly after its 1967 release, though this needs to be further verified against label details.

discogs.com returned a 403 this time and could not be accessed; the English Wikipedia entry was used instead. The user's specific point of interest — the early 'gold label' Elektra design — could not be found described verbatim in any accessible source this time, and is honestly marked as unverified rather than fabricated.

• Read the runout (the smooth area between the last groove and the label) with the disc tilted under a lamp: matrix numbers, stamper codes and mastering initials are the strongest evidence.
• Label details change between pressing plants and years: rim text, logo style, address, "Manufactured by" wording.
• Cover printing shows the plant and era: printer credit, catalog number position, barcode presence.
• Match all three. A first-press disc in a later cover, or the reverse, is common.

Shoot the label straight on in even light, then the runout with the disc tilted so the etched text catches the light (a phone torch from the side works). Add the front and back cover, the spine, and any inner sleeve or insert. The app reads the label and cover; the runout photo is what confirms the pressing.