This album cover for The Doors second album, 1967’s “Strange Days” was a photo that Joel Brodsky took in a small residential street in New York City after Jim Morrison refused to be photographed for the cover. Inspired by 1954’s circus film “La Strada” the photographer decided to shoot a circus like photograph for the cover image.
Here’s the full gatefold photo…
He gathered a group of non-acrobats and non-circus performers on a narrow residential mews just off East 36th Street in Manhattan’s Murray Hill. It is in a private alley on 36th Street and Sniffen Court. Here is a photo of the alley…
Here is the google street view link. It is the alley behind the door…
The only mention of The Doors on the album cover is the poster on each side of the cover photo. So Morrison’s photo actually did appear on the cover after all…
It is the same photo used on the back of The Doors self-titled debut album…
