The Soft Parade [Audio Fidelity Bonus Tracks]

Performer: The Doors
Engineer: Bruce Botnick
Producer: Paul A. Rothchild
Distributor: Select-O-Hits

Notes: The Doors: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robby Krieger (guitar, background vocals); Ray Manzarek (keyboards); John Densmore (drums). Additional personnel: Jesse McReynolds (mandolin); Jimmy Buchanan (fiddle); Champ Webb (English horn); Curtis Amy (saxophone); George Bohannan (trombone); Harvey Brooks, Doug Lubahn (bass); Reinol Andino (conga). Recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California. Personnel: Jim Morrison (vocals); Robbie Krieger (guitar); Jesse McReynolds (mandolin); Jim Buchanan (fiddle); Champ Webb (English horn); Curtis Amy (saxophone); George Bohannon (trombone); Ray Manzarek (keyboards); John Densmore (drums); Reinol Andino (congas). Recording information: Elektra Sound recorders, Los Angeles, CA. Illustrator: Peter Schaumann. Photographer: Joel Brodsky. Dismissed by the benighted as the Doors' "pop album," SOFT PARADE is one of the band's most adventurous recordings, utilizing strings and horns without resorting to schlocky over-production and moving far beyond their blues roots. Morrison was fully into his shaman phase by 1969, and his obsession with that image is reflected in the proselytizing air of "Tell All the People," and of course "Shaman's Blues." The album's biggest hit "Touch Me," while easily the group's most radio-friendly offering, is a pop classic that ranks among the great '60s AM radio tunes. "Wild Child" is a brief return to the blues-rock of yore, but the title track is a sophisticated, extended piece that moves through several different moods and textures, full of the elliptical, poetic lyrics that were Morrison's trademark. The weakest studio album recorded with Jim Morrison in the group, partially because their experiments with brass and strings on about half the tracks weren't entirely successful. More to the point, though, this was their weakest set of material, low lights including filler like "Do It" and "Runnin' Blue," a strange bluegrass-soul blend that was a small hit. On the other hand, about half the record is quite good, especially the huge hit "Touch Me" (their most successful integration of orchestration), the vicious hard rock riffs of "Wild Child," the overlooked "Shaman's Blues," and the lengthy title track, a multi-part suite that was one of the band's best attempts to mix rock with poetry. "Tell All the People" and "Wishful Sinful," both penned by Robbie Krieger, were uncharacteristically wistful tunes that became small hits but were not all that good, and not sung very convincingly by Morrison. [The limited edition remastered gold disc version contains 40th anniversary remixes of "Touch Me" and "The Soft Parade.] ~ Richie Unterberger

Q (11/00, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A mixture of hefty pop singles, bullfrog rockers and nonsense poetry..." Down Beat (p.69) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "THE SOFT PARADE showcases the band at the apex of its creative life."

Like a trippier, more mystical, West Coast equivalent of the Velvet Underground, the Doors went against the 1960s flower-power grain, taking an uncompromising look at the underbelly of the American psyche. Jim Morrison's dark, surreal poetry gave the band's blues-based rock a cerebral edge, and his wild, shamanistic on-stage presence electrified audiences. From their debut single, "Light My Fire," to their later recordings such as "Riders on the Storm," the Doors remained consistently intriguing even when their songs didn't, a feat largely credited to Morrison and his volatile personality. Eventually, Morrison's hard living caught up to him--he died in Paris at only 27 years of age, leaving behind a legacy that would inspire countless younger musicians.

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