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The Doors: The Soft Parade

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: The Doors
Title: The Soft Parade
Released: 1969.07.01
Label: Elektra Entertainment
Time: 33:39
Producer(s): Paul A. Rothchild
Appears with: Manzarek_Ray
Category: Pop/Rock
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2002.07.08
Price in €: 7,99
Web address: www.thedoors.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Tell All the People (R.Krieger) - 3:21
[2] Touch Me (R.Krieger) - 3:12
[3] Shaman's Blues (J.Morrison) - 4:48
[4] Do It (R.Krieger/J.Morrison) - 3:09
[5] Easy Ride (J.Morrison) - 2:43
[6] Wild Child (J.Morrison) - 2:36
[7] Runnin' Blue (R.Krieger) - 2:27
[8] Wishful Sinful (R.Krieger) - 2:58
[9] The Soft Parade (J,Morrison) - 8:36

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JIM MORRISON - Arranger, Vocals
RAY MANZAREK - Organ, Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals
ROBBIE KRIEGER - Guitar, Arranger, Background Vocals
JOHN DENSMORE - Arranger, Drums

CURTIS AMY - Saxophone
JESSE MCREYNOLDS - Mandolin
REINOL ANDINO - Conga
HARVEY BROOKS - Bass
DOUG LUBAHN - Bass
PAUL HARRIS - Orchestral Arrangements
JIM BUCHANAN - Fiddle, Violin
CHAMP WEBB - English Horn
GEORGE BOHANNON - Trombone

JAC HOLZMAN - Production Coordination
BRUCE BOTNICK - Engineer, Mastering
PAUL ROTHCHILD - Mastering
WILLIAM S. HARVEY - Art Direction, Design
PETER SCHAUMANN - Artwork, Illustrations
JOEL BRODSKY - Photography  

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1969 LP Elektra EKS-75005
1990 CS Elektra TC5-75005
1990 CD Elektra 75005-2
2000 CD DCC 1143
2000 CD Wea International 62550
2001 CD Wea International 6154



The weakest studio album recorded with 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, lowlights 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 Robby Krieger, were uncharacteristically wistful tunes that became small hits, but were not all that good, and not sung very convincingly by Morrison.

Richie Unterberger - All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2002 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



After considerably broadening their sound on Waiting for the Sun, the Doors decided to continue pushing the envelope with their next release. Incorporating brass, strings, and even a full orchestra, The Soft Parade is easily the most challenging album in the Doors' catalog--if not the most accomplished. Though the hit "Touch Me" and other tracks ("Shaman's Blues," "Wild Child") hearken back to the band's edgier self, the title track is a multipart rock suite that evokes some of the psychedelic era's worst excesses. Robby Krieger's "Wishful Sinful" serves up some uncharacteristic melancholy, but elsewhere there's a sense that some of the "experiments" here just might be filler.

Jerry McCulley - Amazon.com



Although often regarded as their least convincing album (barring the two LPs cut after singer Jim Morrison's death), The Soft Parade contains some of the band's most eccentric and uncharacteristic music. This fourth album by The Doors broadened the sound of the band by adding a horn section, congas, fiddle, and mandolin on some of the tracks. The Doors played with a variety of styles, ranging from the countrified hoe-down of "Runnin' Blue" to the cheesy easy-listening mid-section of the title song. There are also some classic tunes here: "Shaman's Blues" returns to the psychedelic blues-rock of earlier LPs, and the final track 'The Soft Parade' is another epic album-closer. The rest of the songs--among them Robby Krieger compositions such as "Wishful Sinful"--reveal the band in a more reflective and relaxed mode. Not a great Doors album then, but worth investigating--maybe after sampling LA Woman, or their debut The Doors.

Burhan Tufail - Amazon.co.uk



A front page ad in Billboard says it: "Initial orders promise it will attain the instant solid gold status of their first three albums." It looks like it will, but not because anyone listened to the record. Alternate suggested titles for The Soft Parade would be The Worst of the Doors, Kick Out the Doors, or best, The Soft Touch. The Soft Parade is worse than infuriating, it's sad. It's sad because one of the most potentially moving forces in rock has allowed itself to degenerate. A trite word, but true. The Soft Parade represents a clear and present decline in musicianship. This is quite apart from stage showmanship, or even "drama." The Doors are obviously more potent than ever. But the Doors are a rock group, and at heart a rock group must produce vital, listenable, interesting music, or the rest is just so many limp wicks waving in the Miami breeze. And this gorgeous-looking album is not vital, not very listenable and is certainly not interesting. It sounds for all the world like the stuff they had the good sense to leave off their first albums. The weaknesses cannot be palmed off as experimentation, because, despite the addition of strings and horns, it's just the same. The same but worse. Ok, there are two un-Doors-like songs, both written by Robbie Krieger. "Touch Me" and "Follow Me Down" are horn-string showpieces for the resonant baritone of Jim Morrison that aren't the worst of the Doors. They're the worst of Jerry Vale or the worst of Andy Williams. While the Doors' reductio-ad-absurdum poetry could usually be disguised by invigorating (if not very convincing) emotion, these damn songs stick that idiocy right up front and surround it with the most cliche-ridden sounds this side of the 101 Strings. The remainder of the songs sound like the Doors alright, but they're pale shadows of their earlier works. The Doors' power is also their weakness. They have had from the beginning, and still have, one of the cleanest, most solid and, above all, most recognizable sounds in rock. Part of this is the Morrison power, but the other Doors are equally responsible. There is rarely any doubt that you're listening to the Doors. It's a great sound, a successful sound, but it forces a highly directional form of musical invention on the Doors and it is this that they have not been able to maintain. Instead they've just gone from excess to excess. "Running Blue" is a superb example. It's hard to imagine Doors' poetry getting more excessive than it's been, but listen to this:

Poor Otis dead and gone
Left me here to sing his song
Pretty little girl with the red dress on
Poor Otis dead and gone.
Can you dig it? Or, better yet, "Do It."
Please please listen to me children
Please please listen to me children
Please please listen to me children
Please please listen to me children
You are the ones who will rule the world.

And if, as Morrison himself says, the words don't count and the mood created is the important facet of the Doors' rock, then they've really bummed out on this one. The mood they've created is loud, dull boredom. There are some good images, some good musical licks, but it just isn't worth shuffling through the rest of this scree to find the few semi-precious stones. What little good there is on the album is mostly in the title cut, "The Soft Parade." But the thing is so mangled, so jammed together and frequently so silly that it's kind of hard to listen all through its 8:40 for the good. With individual credit now being given for the songs, it's plain that Morrison's songs are better than Krieger's. But it's just the lesser of two evils. In any case, with this album, the Doors appear to be in the final stages of musical constipation. Morrison admits that they haven't done any new material in three years, and unless something drastic happens, the next album ought to be an epitaph. I highly recommend The Soft Parade for these people like Dunbar in Catch-22 who like to be bored to tears in order to make the time pass more slowly. Otherwise, don't bother.

ALEC DUBRO - RS 40
© Copyright 2002 RollingStone.com
  

 L y r i c s


TELL ALL THE PEOPLE

Tell all the people that you see
Follow me
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
Set them free
Follow me down
You tell them they don't have to run
We're gonna pick up everyone
Come out and take me by my hand
Gonna bury all our troubles in the sand, oh yeah
Can't you see the wonder at your feet
Your life's complete
Follow me down
Can't you see me growing, get your guns
The time has come
To follow me down
Follow me across the sea
Where milky babies seem to be
Molded, flowing revelry
With the one that set them free
Tell all the people that you see
It's just me
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
Follow me
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
We'll be free
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
It's just me
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
Follow me
Follow me down
Follow me down
You got to follow me down
Follow me down
Tell all the people that you see
We'll be free
Follow me down
Tell all the people you see
Follow me
You got to follow me down


TOUCH ME

Yeah!, Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?
Now, I'm gonna love you, Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?
I'm gonna love you, Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I
I'm gonna love you, Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I


SHAMAN'S BLUES

There will never be, Another one like you
There will never be, Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?, Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember,
We were together, anyway, all right
And if you have a certain evenin', You could lend to me
I'd give it all right back to you, A how it has to be with you
I know your moves and your mind
And your mind X6
Will you stop and think and wonder?
Just what you'll see
Out on the train yard
Nursin' penitentiary
It's gone, I cry out long
Go head, brother
Did you stop it to consider?, How it will feel
Cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws, Hot on your heels
Do you often stop and whisper?
It's Saturday's shore
The whole world's a savior
Who could ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever, ever, Ask for more?
Do you remember?
Will you stop?, Will you stop?, The pain
And there will never be
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together, anyway, all right
How you must of think and wondered
How I must feel
Out on the meadows
While you run the field
I'm alone for you
And I cry
The sweat, look at it, Optical promise
Heh, heh, heh, You'll be dead and in hell
Before I'm born, Sure thing
Brides maid, The only solution
Isn't it amazing?


DO IT

Yuppa tuppa ta ta, Yuppa tuppa chic ta
Do thang, do thang, Do tuppa thang cho
Rikki te tatar, Te teen tar
De dow dow, Ha, ha, ha, ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha
Yeah, Yeah please me, yeah
Easy, babe, Please me
Please, please listen to me children X3
Said please, please listen to me children
You are the ones who will rule the world
Listen to me children X2
Please, please listen to me children X2
You are the ones who will rule the world, ha
You gotta please me, All night
Please, please listen to me children
Said please, please listen to me children
Please, yeah, please me, I'm askin' you
Please, please listen to me children X3
Please, my children
Please, children, Please, children


EASY RIDE

And I know
It will be
An easy ride, all right
And I know
It will be
Easy ride, ok
The mask that you wore
My fingers would explore
Costume of control
Excitement soon unfolds
And I know
It will be
Easy ride, yeah
Joy, for vaguely
Which' your pride
Which' your pride, yeah
Black polished stone
Black polished stone
I see your eyes
Like burnin' glass
Like burnin' glass
Hear you smile, smile, babe
The mask that you wore
My fingers would explore
Costume of control
Excitement soon unfolds, hey
Easy, baby
Call the queen, now
Be my bride
Ragin' darkness
By my side
Seize the summer
In your pride
Take the winter
In your stride
Let's ride, yeah
Easy, easy, easy
Easy, easy, ease, easy
Yeah, yeah, ride
Dum, dum, dum, dum
Dum, dum, dum
Ride


WILD CHILD

All right, Wild child full of grace
Savior of the human race, Your cool face
Natural child, terrible child
Not your mother's or your father's child
Your our child, screamin' wild
An ancient lunatic reigns in the trees of the night
Ha, ha, ha, ha
With hunger at her heels, Freedom in her eyes
She dances on her knees, Pirate prince at her side
Stirrin' into a hollow idols eyes
Wild child full of grace, Savior of the human race
Your cool face, Your cool face, Your cool face
Do you remember when we were in Africa?


RUNNIN' BLUE

Poor Otis dead and gone, Left me here to sing his song
Pretty little girl with the red dress on
Poor Otis dead and gone
Yeah, back down, turn around slowly
Try it again, remembering when
It was easy, try it again
Much to easy, rememberin' when
All right, look at my shoes, Not quite the walkin' blues
Don't fight, too much to lose, Can't fight the runnin' blues
Well, I've got the runnin' blues
Runnin' away, back to L.A.
Got to find the dock of the bay
Maybe find it back in L.A.
Runnin' scared, Runnin' blue
Goin' so fast, What'll I do
Well, I've got the runnin' blues
Runnin' away, back to L.A.
Got to find the dock of the bay
Maybe find it back in L.A.
All right, look at my shoes
Not quite the walkin' blues
Don't fight, too much to lose
Can't fight the runnin' blues
All right, look at my shoes
Not quite the walkin' blues
Don't fight, too much to lose
Can't fight the runnin' blues


WISHFUL SINFUL

Wishful crystal
Water covers everything in blue
Coolin' water
Wishful sinful
Our love is beautiful to see
I know where I would like to be
Right back where I came
Wishful, sinful, wicked blue
Water covers you
Wishful, sinful, wicked you
Can't escape the blue
Magic risin'
Sun is shinin' deep beneath the sea
But not enough for you and me and sunshine
Love to hear the wind cry
Wishful sinful
Our love is beautiful to see
I know where I would like to be
Right back where I came
Wishful, sinful, wicked blue
Water covers you
Wishful, sinful, wicked you
Can't escape the blue
Love to hear the wind cry
Love to hear you cry, yeah, yeah


THE SOFT PARADE

When I was back there in seminary school, There was a person there
Who put forth the proposition, That you can petition the Lord with prayer
Petition the lord with prayer, Petition the lord with prayer
You cannot petition the lord with prayer!
Can you give me sanctuary, I must find a place to hide, A place for me to hide
Can you find me soft asylum, I can't make it anymore, The Man is at the door
Peppermint, miniskirts, chocolate candy, Champion sax and a girl named Sandy
There's only four ways to get unraveled, One is to sleep and the other is travel, da da
One is a bandit up in the hills, One is to love your neighbor 'till
His wife gets home
Catacombs, Nursery bones, Winter women, Growing stones
Carrying babies, To the river
Streets and shoes, Avenues, Leather riders
Selling news, The monk bought lunch
Ha ha, he bought a little, Yes, he did, Woo!
This is the best part of the trip, This is the trip, the best part
I really like, What'd he say?, Yeah!, Yeah, right!
Pretty good, huh, Huh!, Yeah, I'm proud to be a part of this number
Successful hills are here to stay, Everything must be this way
Gentle streets where people play, Welcome to the Soft Parade
All our lives we sweat and save, Building for a shallow grave
Must be something else we say, Somehow to defend this place
Everything must be this way, Everything must be this way, yeah
The Soft Parade has now begun, Listen to the engines hum
People out to have some fun, A cobra on my left
Leopard on my right, yeah
The deer woman in a silk dress, Girls with beads around their necks
Kiss the hunter of the green vest, Who has wrestled before
With lions in the night
Out of sight!, The lights are getting brighter
The radio is moaning, Calling to the dogs
There are still a few animals, Left out in the yard
But it's getting harder, To describe sailors, To the underfed
Tropic corridor, Tropic treasure
What got us this far, To this mild equator?
We need someone or something new
Something else to get us through, yeah, c'mon
Callin' on the dogs, Callin' on the dogs
Oh, it's gettin' harder, Callin' on the dogs
Callin' in the dogs, Callin' all the dogs, Callin' on the gods
You gotta meet me, Too late, baby
Slay a few animals, At the crossroads, Too late
All in the yard, But it's gettin' harder, By the crossroads
You gotta meet me, Oh, we're goin', we're goin great
At the edge of town, Tropic corridor, Tropic treasure
Havin' a good time, Got to come along, What got us this far
To this mild equator?, Outskirts of the city, You and I
We need someone new, Somethin' new, Somethin' else to get us through
Better bring your gun, Better bring your gun
Tropic corridor, Tropic treasure, We're gonna ride and have some fun
When all else fails, We can whip the horse's eyes
And make them sleep, And cry
 

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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