THE SOFT PARADE

Generally seen as their weakest album, TSP is effectively not their best, but I find no worse than the preceding WFTS and the following Morrison's Hotel. The one thing that is widely reproached to TSP is that it is loaded in strings and brass arrangements, but funnily enough the same critics was never heard for their cross-town rivals love and personally I find that on such a "masterpiece" as Forever Change, those very same arrangements are simply drowning out the music. Back to TSP though, which is graced by a superb inner fold that offsets a rather bland outer gatefold, this album is again very popish and if it was not for the closing title track, would sink below the waterline.

Of course you will find the usual commercial track (Touch me The few tracks that hold a bit of interest are the ones that are not overloaded with those string and brass arrangements such as the great (but a bit tame) Shaman's Blues, the much wilder Wild Child (the group unleashes its angers on this one) and the gut-wrenching The Soft Parade, where Morrison unleashes onto the establishment while the rest of the group is wailing away (after a very prog entrance) gliding, sliding on Jim's protesting lyrics: listen to Densmore's demented drumming, Manzarek's many KB works while Krieger's ever discreet guitar shines. One of the best and proggiest Doors track.

Certainly not essential, this album is best heard in a compilation with the album surrounding it as it is about the same strength as those two. But obviously after the deceiving WFTS (and its missed attempt at more challenging music being denied), The Doors were now obviously a bit lost and even drowned themselves in over-production. Only a few brilliant spots in a rather grey sky, but shinning like stars.