THE SOFT PARADE

An album split starkly between songs composed by Morrison and those by Krieger - reflecting internal tensions within the band - The Soft Parade's sound is horribly compromised by the inclusion of horn and string sections. Whilst that might have been a good opportunity to broaden and diversify and experiment with the band's sound, the chance is wasted; instead, the horns and strings are utilised a cheesy, derivative manner which seems calculated to make the Doors less threatening and give them more commercial appeal. This is a poor decision, given that it's precisely the threatening, brooding tone of the band which is central to their sound!

That said, the songwriting on offer doesn't help either; the band are going through the motions by this point and the album offers little that was not delivered to a far higher standard on their first three albums. A serious disappointment all round.