THE SOFT PARADE

Throughout the history of rock and pop music more often than not any given band that made it to the big time ends up becoming defined by a certain sound which in the process becomes very difficult to break free of but every once in a while a band tries something new which causes a true schism in the fanbase. In the case of the psychedelic 60s, THE DOORS decided to enter a new chapter with the band's fourth album THE SOFT PARADE which came out in 1969. While British bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks were finding great success in breaking out of their established musical paradigms, the US scene was not quite so open minded quite yet to the possibilities and THE DOORS' unthinkable use of symphonic orchestration that included brass and string arrangements was about as shocking to the unsuspecting fans as was the day when Bob Dylan decided to go electric.

THE DOORS had sailed through the years 1967 and 1968 as one of the top selling bands in the entire USA with strong followings internationally as well but much of the band's sound had been characterized by the early poetic contributions of Jim Morrison which he developed before joining the band and from the earliest studio sessions that ended up creating the first two albums. With "Waiting For The Sun," the band was forced to conjure up new material but pretty much stuck to the status quo in trying to emulate its predecessors. With international stardom and exhaustive touring schedules, the band was struggling to keep up with the demand of Elektra for new album releases. Jim Morrison was infamous as becoming ever more out of control with drunken episodes resulting in THE DOORS being banned from entire cities (the famous Miami incident from 1969 would haunt them for the rest of their days) and the creative process had all but dried up.

For THE SOFT PARADE the four members Jim Morrison , Ray Manzerek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore turned to producer Paul Rothschild for some help in crafting the band's fourth album. With Morrison's diminishing returns as he became more and more under the spell of the evil drink, guitarist Robby Krieger picked up the slack in the songwriting department but it was Rothchild who steered the band into experimenting with the fuller sounds delivered by brass and string arrangements which would become more of a sound signature trait of bands like Chicago in the 70s. While the band's sound was still centered in the same psychedelic pop rock that the previous albums had been, these extra touches rubbed many the wrong way and the album was panned by both critics and fans alike however the album still sold well as it catapulted into the top 10 album charts and produced the #3 hit "Touch Me."

While the brass and string arrangements were uncharacteristic of THE DOORS, the tracks on THE SOFT PARADE were clearly of the same ilk as what became before. In fact "Touch Me" is one of the best songs THE DOORS ever did. It contained the expected catchy hooks, Morrison led bravado, keyboard psychedelia and touch of cosmic wonder that THE DOORS exuded so cleverly. While the strings, brass and orchestral elements are clearly a major part of the tapestry of sound, they are integrated so well that it sounds like the logical next move for THE DOORS in many respects. Other tracks like "Shaman's Blues," "Do It" and "Wild Child" eschew the brass and strings altogether and sound like classic DOORS so there was clearly an effort made so that these new layers of sophistication didn't usurp the sounds that made THE DOORS a household name. The bluesy based rock dominance is retained throughout the album's run.

On top of the arrangements added, THE DOORS experimented in adopting some of The Beatles' tricks and trinkets into their own world. "Easy Ride" is a clear attempt to create a rather Ringo Starr led Beatles sound. "Runnin' Blue" follows the "Touch Me" model and uses the brass to create a call and response effect with the bluesy rock. "Wishful Sinful" simply adds a more symphonic touch to the classic DOORS sound. One of the best tracks on THE SOFT PARADE comes from the closing title track which at a nearly 9 minute run sort of fulfills the goal of placing a long psychedelic meandering consciousness sort of track that was supposed to happen with the inclusion of "Celebration Of The Lizard" on "Waiting For The Sun" which never happened. This track goes through several styles including the poetic prose at the beginning and then morphing into what sounds like proto-disco funk of the 70s and continues into psychedelic pop, wild blues rock and a bass line that sounds like it could've inspired Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." It ends with a catchy melody which leaves the most incredible feeling of satisfaction.

I'm sorry. I just don't understand why THE SOFT PARADE is so panned. Yeah, i do understand that in the 60s when this was released that there was a clear separation of genre styles that has dissolved in the 50 years after the album's release but judging this from 21st century standards especially on a remastered version of the album, i am quite impressed with the ingenuity of this album. The tracks exude all the juicy DOORS yumminess which made them psychedelic pop band numero uno but adds some interesting counterpoints to the established stylistic approaches. I actually love this album a lot and although no DOORS album would ever rise above the sheer perfection of the first two, this one is by no means inferior to the remaining Morrison era albums. I'm hardly alone in these critique. Many newer rock critics have reassessed THE SOFT PARADE and come to the same conclusions. Experienced with a more open mind than those who panned it in 1969 will reveal an excellent album chock full of surprises. It is most likely that Rothchild saved this album from totally sucking. THE DOORS, as a band, were in such disarray at this time that le ft to their own devices probably would've sabotaged their career. Perhaps not the best DOORS album but a damned good one nonetheless and the end of the line for these experimental touches.