The Doors
The Soft Parade


2.0
poor

Review

by Nagrarok USER (219 Reviews)
October 18th, 2010 | 103 replies


Release Date: 1969 | Tracklist

Review Summary: The Doors not sounding like The Doors.

In 1968, The Doors begin recording The Soft Parade. Once again, Paul Rothchild produces, with Bruce Botnick as his engineer. Jim has begun coming into the studio drunk, or high. Robbie writes half the songs on The Soft Parade. For the first time, he and Jim separate their writing credits. Jim still has doubts about his voice. He’s had no musical training, and he can’t read a note. Sinatra has replaced Elvis as his favourite singer. He describes his own voice as a scream, or a sick croon. Morrison takes a hard turn from psychedelics to booze. Soft Parade takes eleven months to record. This is partly due to Rothchild’s insistence on perfection. He makes the band do hundreds of takes. But no one talks about the elephant in the room. Densmore develops headaches, and breaks out in rashes from detention. One day John walks out of the studio, saying he can’t take it anymore. The next morning he shows up, and the band continues recording without a word.

Sometimes the drinking helps Morrison. Sometimes, it doesn’t. The band becomes adept at keeping him alive on stage. His first onstage arrest is in New Haven, Connecticut. Before the concert, Jim is making out with a girl in a shower stall backstage. A cop walks in on them. Not recognizing Jim, he orders them out. Jim tells him to go *** himself. The cop maces him. Minutes before the show, Jim is in agony. His eyes are still bloodshot, and streaming with tears. In the middle of the first song, he stops, and tells the audience what’s just happened to him. Jim keeps calling the cop ‘a little blue man in a little blue suit with a little blue cap’. When the police move in, Jim gives them a chance to say their thing. They choose not to. Jim is arrested. Two cops punch him in the face, and kick him while he falls. This starts the reputation as The Doors as a dirty and dangerous band. It also marks a change between The Doors and their audience. They’re coming now to watch Morrison go crazy. There is a growing sense that the fans are not there to hear the music, but to witness a spectacle. It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between himself and the person who appears on stage. But the train keeps picking up speed, and no one wants off.

In April 1968, the Village Voice chooses Morrison as vocalist of the year. The Doors win best band. Ray Manzarek is best musician. The Soft Parade goes Gold, making for four Gold albums in a row. Touch Me, written by Krieger, gives the band their third Top 10 single.


Their fourth album continued The Doors’ popularity, but was, despite its hit single and great sales, met with far less enthusiasm than their first three. Logical, because The Soft Parade is easily The Doors’ weakest record, something that not many fans will argue with. An important cause of the problem is, similarly to Waiting for the Sun, Rothchild’s influence as producer. Choosing to include brass arrangements to enhance the sound was a major mistake, as it is not at all complementary with the band’s style, effectively turning them into something they are not. The producer’s perfectionism is also felt as a negative influence throughout: The Soft Parade sounds too slick, too clean. It’s taking the edge off that The Doors need. Tell All the People, Easy Ride, Runnin’ Blue and Wishful Sinful all suffer gravely from these choices. Even the title track, the third in a series of epic closers that are normally a highlight on the particular album they appear on, isn’t up to par with its kin.

The Soft Parade is limited to merely three great tracks. Touch Me, while not a Doors song pur sang, is the one occasion where the brass addition actually works, and it works really well indeed. The others are Shaman’s Blues, re-inviting the listener to the dreamy playfulness that made The Doors unique in the first place, their core sound that the majority of the album unfortunately lacks, and Wild Child, a typical Morrison-led tune that doesn't fall into the same traps as the majority of the album either.

The Soft Parade may be the group’s biggest misstep, but it also led them to go back to their roots for their final two albums with Morrison, both of which would be an improvement over Waiting for the Sun and this, despite the singer’s worsening condition. Quite simply, The Doors’ fourth album is not the first you’ll want to pick up.

Doors Classics:

Touch Me
Shaman’s Blues
Wild Child




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user ratings (772)
3.4
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

There ya go sputnik. 4 down, 2 left.

BigHans
October 18th 2010


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

COME ON COME ON COME ON NOW SUCK ME BABE.



Havent head this album aside Touch Me

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

You're not missing much Hans, as should be clear enough from the review.

Romulus
October 18th 2010


9110 Comments


Nag you are in serious need of a promotion

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Tell me about it Ryan.

WatchItExplode
October 18th 2010


10505 Comments


I dig Wild Child and Wishful/Sinful but point taken

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Oh my did I totally forget about Wild Child. It be fixed.

WatchItExplode
October 18th 2010


10505 Comments


Who's music holds up as well as the Doors from generation to generation? I honestly don't know. This discog nicely condenses the backstory as well Nag, good on ya'

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

The Doors have a very interesting history, I'm glad I chose to include parts of the documentary as a backstory in this. Well, it was the inspiration to review their albums in the first place.

WatchItExplode
October 18th 2010


10505 Comments


btw, I think the Oliver Stone picture is that much better if you have a grasp on historical fact first....helps to temper the psychedelia

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I strongly dislike it when films alter the actual history too much, you get a totally different view of The Doors when you watch the Stone film.

WatchItExplode
October 18th 2010


10505 Comments


I won't contest that but love the film...Val Kilmer did an amazing job on that. You know he did his own vocals for most of the performance scenes right?

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Yeah, I do, and he really did a good job. Of course it isn't his fault the film could have been more accurate. Robby Krieger also commended him for his performance, despite that he thought the movie portrayed Morrison completely differently then he actually was.

Jethro42
October 18th 2010


18281 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

petition the lord with prayer

YOU CANNOT PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER

is one of my fav Doors song

Review is a good read super Nag.

edit; Not to mention these disastrous songs here and there...and here again.

Drug may be a friend, but only for a very short time, Jim...nobody told you?

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Actually it was the alcohol that eventually became his death.

Jethro42
October 18th 2010


18281 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

In his case, alcohol = drug

LepreCon
October 18th 2010


5481 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Once again, good review but I disagree almost completely. However I will concede Doors fanaticism on my part!



EDIT: Oh yeah also pos'd, and I do agree that this is their weakest release

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I predicted exactly that comment Conor. Though we are both classic rock nuts, our objectivity level differs a big deal. A pretty big deal, if I may say so.

Nagrarok
October 18th 2010


8656 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

ugh double post

Irving
Emeritus
October 18th 2010


7496 Comments


Nag, great stuff. Out of curiosity, have you ever been considered for promotion before?



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