AN AMERICAN PRAYER

"An American Prayer" is the ninth and final studio album of The Doors and was released in 1978. It was released seven years after their front man Jim Morrison died and five years after the remaining members of the band broke up. Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore reunited and recorded backing tracks over the Jim Morrison's poetry, originally recorded in 1969 and 1970. Other music pieces and spoken words recorded by The Doors with Jim Morrison were also used in the audio collage, such as dialogue from a Morrison's film and snippets from several jam sessions.

This is a very strange album, which is still considered very unusual even in our days, because is more a Jim Morrison's album than an album of The Doors. So, due to that, I think it's necessary to write a few lines about Jim Morrison, in order to understand better his very strong and complex personality and why he is often regarded as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneer front man in the rock history. This always was and still is a very fascinating thing to me.

As all we know, Jim Morrison was an American singer, songwriter and poet, best known as the lead vocalist of The Doors. Due to his poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, wild personality, performances, and the dramatic circumstances that surrounded his life and early death, Jim Morrison is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic and influential front men in the rock history. Since his death, his fame has endured as one of the most popular culture's rebellious and oft-displayed icons, representing the generation gap and youth counterculture. The disturbing, image and rich poeticism of Jim Morrison's lyrics, perfectly supported by The Doors' music, have assured him a continuing icon status, while his fondness for theatrical shock tactics and nihilistic angst have influenced countless imitators.

Jim Morrison began writing in earnest during his adolescence. He was strongly inspired by the writings of philosophers and poets. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, whose views of aesthetic and morality would appear in his poetry and songs. He read the works of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose literary style would latter, influenced the form of Jim Morrison's poems. He was also influenced by the authors Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Charles Baudelaire, Moliere, Franz Kafka, Honoré de Balzac and Jean Cocteau, along with most of the French existentialist philosophers.

Jim Morrison recorded his own poetry in a professional sound studio on two separated occasions. The first was in March 1969 in Los Angeles and the second was on December 1970. The later recording session was attended by Jim Morrison's personal friends and included a variety of sketch pieces. Some of the segments from the 1969 session were issued on the bootleg album "The Lost Paris Tapes" and were later used as part on this album, "An American Prayer".

"An American Prayer" is definitely an acquired taste and for many it's a taste that is very difficult to swallow. Whatever one's feelings about the album, it does remain an interesting and unique look into the mind and poetry of Jim Morrison. The album was a commercial success at the time of its release. It may have only reached number 54 on the American album charts but it did sell a million copies and receive a platinum sales award. The poetry is typical of Jim Morrison. He had a way with words and was able to create images that mesmerized. These words and images were not always clear or understandable but they always had a weird and very depth sense. The music tends to fit the words well. While the band revisited some psychedelic sounds from their past, they were able to fit the music to the individual poems. Rock, classical, and even some smooth-jazz tones provide a nice background to the album and add a positive effect to Jim Morrison's spoken words. I really like they have included a live "Roadhouse Blues" as well. It really prepares us for the rest. Despite it does not fit in with the rest of the material, it's so good that it makes you wish for more of the same.

Jim Morrison died in Paris in 3 of July of 1971, at the age of 27, and was buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise cemetery, alongside his literary heroes such as Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine. Paris was an ideal world for Morrison, a world that was as equally ideal as his notion of the poetry. It was, perhaps, the right place to be a poet. However, it was also a place that would make him feel isolated, depressed, and ultimately, suicidal, which was reflected in his poems. As Morrison found out, he unfortunately couldn't escape the inevitable consequence of his idealism.

Conclusion: "An American Prayer" is a very difficult album to rate, because it's probably a unique album in the history of rock music. It can be rated with 2, 3 or 4 stars. It can be rated with 2 stars because it's a very intimate album and probably only appreciated by great fans, especially Jim Morrison's fans. It can be rated with 4 stars because it has a great quality, especially its beautiful and touchy lyrics. It can be rated with 3 stars if you consider, like me, that "An American Prayer" is more than an album to collectors and fans only, because it can be considered a very good album, but not an essential album. So, "An American Prayer" is a very special album for everybody who wants to know better the personality of Jim Morrison and how he became so important, even today. RIP in peace, Jim. We'll never forget you.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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