THE SOFT PARADE, first released in 1969, climbed to #6 and featured the #3 hit "Touch Me," "Shaman's Blues," "Wild Child," and more. Boasts in-depth liner notes by Rolling Stone writer David Fricke. Six bonus tracks include a previously unissued version of "Touch Me," the previously unheard "Push, Push," and two unreleased takes of "Whiskey, Mystics And Men." Album Description
3 1/2
Regarded by some as their worst, TSP is indeed plagued with over-orchestrations and Morrison at his most indulgent, leading to it's share of embarrassing moments. But it still absolutely cannot be dismissed. Some of the gruffer shallowly composed songs may fall flat, but when the group attunes the big-band influences properly they still manage to land a handful of tracks that had that illusive immortal factor so much of their best work inhabited.
September 9, 2008 |  | Not the best Doors album, but still good |  |
This is the Doors' fourth album released in July 1969. Only a few seconds into the first song you know this is going to be a different kind of album. Ray Manzarek said in a book that the strings and brass were his idea. The big hit single off the album was "Touch Me" initially put out six months earlier and penned by Robbie Kreiger. In fact, Kreiger wrote five of the nine original tracks. There were three other singles: "Wishful Sinful", "Tell All The People" and "Runnin' Blue". The title track runs just under ten minutes. The bonus tracks include alternate versions of "Touch Me" and "Whiskey, Mystics, and Men",the latter appearing on the Doors Box Set. There's also a song called "Push Push". The other track "Who Scared You" also appeared on the Doors Box Set.
This was arguably the band's weakest album not so much because of the strings and brass but more because of inferior songwriting. But the album as a whole along with the bonus tracks is still enjoyable. I'll recommend only die-hard fans to get this album. For the casual fan, it won't be a bad addition but you're not missing too much if you skip it.
TT 54:51
September 2, 2008 | | out here, we is flambéed, ironic | |
I was introduced to this record by Lester Bangs, who brushed it off as drek camouflaged by "horns, strings, and anything else they could bring in." But this is probably as good as the Doors ever are, frankly. Take it or leave it: this is a real Doors album, and so it is no ordinary rock'n'roll record; in fact, sometimes it sounds like Frank Zappa parodying this period of the Doors. I have never presumed to know what the Doors' intentions were in the fields of irony or earnestness (note the "stronger than dirt" ending of "Touch Me" for obvious self-parody), and ambiguity is really afoot here. But compared to most rock made in 1969, this is a not only a solid record, with tight performances, but one with a compelling variety of textures and signatures, from the straight raunch of "Wild Child" to the odd-timed, poignant "Shaman's Blues" (one of their ten-best songs), to "Wishful Sinful," a forgotten single, all bestringed and as weirdly compelling as anything R.E.M. has tried to do with similar charts (oops, is that good thing? Irony! I say thee, Irony!, then), to the 9-minute "Soft Parade," which shows the Doors at full tilt in collage-mode. Tight as Booker-T and the MG's, with lusty and liturgical lyrics, like Updike through a kaleidoscope, it is introduced with one of Morrison's oddest rants: "when I was back in seminary school. . .". Not "seminary," but "seminary school." That inspired f-head! Here he is sublimely alone in the Western night . . . Stronger than dirt.
September 1, 2008So I put this on purely because I thought it would be a good laugh, you know? One of those "unintentionally hilarious" deals, like Batman and Robin or those movies they parody on Mystery Science Theater 3000. But then I discovered something I was totally not expecting. I actually like this album! That was not expected. I was expecting to, at best, get a couple laughs out of it. But I honestly liked most of it. Here's the deal, for those who didn't know. Jimbo always had a bit of crooner in him, but on several of these tracks he goes all-out with it. Not only that, but here the Doors enlisted a bunch of guys playing horns and strings to back them up. So this is a lounge album, right? Wrong! The string and horn arrangements are weird and creative and stuff! A great example is "Tell All the People." By all means, it should be bad. Huge, over-the-top horn fanfare, strings, and crooned vocals. But it's good! The strings and horns are used in a good, atmospheric, odd, dark way. I'll admit that sometimes Jimbo's crooning makes me laugh, but not too often. The album's hit, "Touch Me," may sound like a corny Vegas anthem at first brush. But it's not! The string arrangements are very good, the horns add punch, and Jim's vocals are first rate! Plus I love the sax solo. And the chorus. It's a great song! The horns and strings also add a lot to the wistful, menacing, and outright cool "Wishful Sinful," which mixes a rock guitar with an oboe solo. The only song with horns I don't like (and in fact, I hate it) is "Runnin' Blue," one of the Doors' worst songs ever. Interested in what bluegrass and soul would sound like if somebody mixed them? Awful, that's what they'd sound like. It's a tribute to the incredibly talented Otis Redding, who would probably be disgraced by such a song. Robbie Krieger sings the verses, but he can't really sing, and the only good part is the free jazz horn break. Only about half of this album has strings on it. The string-free half is a bit hit-or-miss. While I'm no fan of the weird bluegrass track "Easy Ride," I fully endorse the menacing, underappreciated "Shaman's Blues," the funky "Do It," and the crawling blues "Wild Child." And then there's the title track. God, that is some weird stuff. But it's good weird! It starts off a capella, with Jim going on about how you cannot petition the Lord with prayer. Then it moves into even stranger territory. There's a harpsichord part, a trippy tremolo keyboard part, a bouncy happy music-box part, a funky breakdown section with Jimbo talking about an acid trip, and an overdubbed Jim Morrison part. And I don't have even the faintest idea of what it's about. But it's cool! And, you know what? This album isn't that bad! Yeah, it's got strings and horns and all, but listen to it with an open mind. You might find you really like it! Bonus tracks? A couple alternate versions of "Touch Me," and a couple genuine outtakes ("Whiskey, Mystics, and Men," "Push Push," "Who Scared You").
August 15, 2008By this time the Doors were running out of material...atleast strong material that was on the first two albums....even the 3rd album "Waiting for the Sun"...had some strong cuts but this album was in some ways weak. Jim clearly did not have much left in his notebooks of poems and this reflects on the album. You just don't "feel" the music like on "Strange Days" but it is a good album none the less. I just wish they waited 2 years between albums and that way they could work on the material better. I just miss Jim's haunting lyrics and imagery in them. You get a tatas of it on the last cut but in between not much else atleast not too much else.
Still the Doors were an incredible experience.
Peace
August 14, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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