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The Soft Parade

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Untitled

The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by the The Doors, released in 1969.

The album met with some controversy among fans and critics due to its inclusion of brass and string instrument arrangements, as opposed to the more stripped-down sound of their earlier recordings. Fans also complained that The Soft Parade followed the lyrical formulas of previous albums, and thus was not very innovative. In reviewing the 40th anniversary remix (for the August 2007 issue of Downbeat Magazine) correspondent Dan Ouellette thought otherwise, declaring it to be "the apex" of the band's creativity.

It is also different from the Doors' other albums because a number of the song lyrics were written by the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, partly because Jim Morrison was also working on putting together a pair of self-published poetry books.

After this album, the Doors returned to simpler styles on Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman, with just the four band members playing.

For the first time, the songs were credited to individual members (only Morrison or Krieger on the album sleeve itself are credited) as Morrison was unhappy with the line about people being told to get their guns in Krieger's "Tell All the People", although the title track had Morrison's line of "Better bring your gun".

Track listing

  1. "Tell All the People" (Robby Krieger) – 3:23
  2. "Touch Me" (Robby Krieger) – 3:12
  3. "Shaman's Blues" (Jim Morrison) – 4:49
  4. "Do It" (Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger) – 3:08
  5. "Easy Ride" (Jim Morrison) – 2:41
  6. "Wild Child" (Jim Morrison) – 2:38
  7. "Runnin' Blue" (Robby Krieger) – 2:33
  8. "Wishful Sinful" (Robby Krieger) – 3:02
  9. "The Soft Parade" (Jim Morrison) – 8:37

2006 re-issue bonus tracks

  2. "Who Scared You" – 3:58
  3. "Whiskey, Mystics and Men" (version 1) – 2:28
  4. "Whiskey, Mystics and Men" (version 2) – 3:04
  5. "Push Push" – 6:05
    • previously unknown Doors jam
  6. "Touch Me" (dialogue) – 0:28
  7. "Touch Me" (take 3) – 3:40

Singles

Whereas the first three Doors albums had two singles pulled from each of them, "The Soft Parade" had a grand total of four:

  • "Touch Me / Wild Child" (#3, December 1968)
  • "Wishful, Sinful / Who Scared You?" (#44, March 1969)
  • "Tell All the People / Easy Ride" (#57, June 1969)
  • "Runnin' Blue / Do It" (#64, September 1969)

The only two songs on the LP that weren't released as either the A or B-side of a single were the title cut and "Shaman's Blues". Only one single would be pulled from the next album.

Personnel

  • Jim Morrison – vocals
  • Ray Manzarek – keyboards, bass
  • Robby Krieger – guitar, vocals (track 7)
  • John Densmore – drums
  • Curtis Amy – saxophone (track 2)
  • Reinol Andino – conga
  • George Bohanan – trombone
  • Harvey Brooks – bass (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8)
  • Jimmy Buchanan – fiddle (track 7)
  • Doug Lubahn – bass
  • Jesse McReynolds – mandolin
  • Champ Webb – english horn
  • Paul Harris – orchestral arrangements (tracks 1, 2 ,6 8)

See also

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