The Soft Parade

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

The Doors: Album Guide - The Soft Parade (1969)

The most misunderstood, most ambitious, and – given enough time, a candlelit room and a bottle of something suitably potent – defiantly different Doors collection, for those fans that found Waiting For The Sun a challenge, The Soft Parade was like journeying to the other end of the universe. Frustrated by the insular demands of pop stardom, no longer interested in “feeding the machine”, and under heavy manners generally following Morrison’s arrest for indecent exposure onstage in Miami in March 1969 (the infamous drunken willy-waving incident laughed about now but considered so serious back then it threatened a possible prison sentence for the beleaguered singer), the band’s response was to attempt the impossible and come up with a Doors album that didn’t sound like a Doors album – certainly not the one people were hoping for anyway. Added to the four-man line-up were saxophones, trombones, horns, congas, real basses, fiddles, mandolins and, on four tracks, a full orchestra sawing away in the studio. The results were mixed, admittedly, on tracks like ‘Do It’ and ‘Runnin’ Blue’ (the latter a failed experiment in bluegrass; the former a presumably ‘ironic’ take on the traditional pop song). When it worked, however, as on the huge hit ‘Touch Me’ and the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin rocker ‘Wild Child’, or the spacey (no other word for it, Jim) ‘Shaman’s Blues’ and “multi-part suite” that was the gloriously over the top title track, it showed the band at its improvisational, absolute best. There would never be another Doors album quite so strange or so brave.

Tracklist: Tell All The People / Touch Me / Shaman's Blues / Do It / Easy Ride / Wild Child / Runnin' Blue / Wishful Sinful / The Soft Parade

Mick Wall 2008

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

1969 Promo Poster for LP

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Nice backstage pass for TSP tour autographed by all 4 Doors.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Producer Paul A Rothchild encouraged The Doors to employ lavish production and really try to make use of the studio. I'm not sure if all The Doors were keen on this idea but Ray Manzarek politely said 'we had a lot of fun in the studio' concerning the sessions! It sounds that way in places, actually. And, a couple of tracks are just dandy! Lets take opener 'Tell All The People'. Brass instruments and a full sounding production are mixed in with an admittedly decent melody. It sounds even less like The Doors than parts of 'Waiting For The Sun'. Still, it is a good song. Its a pop song really. And! 'Touch Me' is just stupendous! One of my favourite Doors songs. Its a simple song again, a pop song but here we do have Doors sounds and styles amongst the string section and poppy melodies. The rhythm of the keyboards inbetween the verses is a thing to behold! 'Shamans Blues' is slightly more Doors of old, though judged by those past standards - hardly classic Doors. I'd actually rather the first two 'un-doors' sounding tracks than a weak song in their old style. 'Do It' and 'Easy Ride' wrap up the first half - neither are essential if judged by previous Doors standards.

The second half continues the mix of the first but adds another element as well. The melodies take on a quirky mode. 'Wild Child' is delightful in its rising and playful keyboard lines, 'Runnin Blue' sounds like a country hoe-down. It sounds something of a mess but even considering it sounds NOTHING like The Doors famous sound, does possess a certain dumb charm I suppose. 'Wishful Sinful' overdoes the string section just a little for me. A perfectly fine string section that soars in places - but not integrated into the actual song too well. It obliterates it. Jim can hardly be heard. One fine moment on the album does remain however. And, it will make you smile. And, thats a promise! It's eight and a half minutes long and borrows a samba rhythm from Jazz master Stan Getz. The opening Jim in preacher mode 'PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER!' makes you smile for a start. When the jazz samba kicks in, well. The whole thing becomes an impossible triumph and its only a quarter of the way through! The song proceeds through a bluesy section and gets rockier as it goes along. Jim is going all out by the end. Its a great song. 'Touch Me' is actually the only other moment of a similar quality.

The Soft Parade 6½/10 ( 1969 )
Tell All The People / Touch Me / Shaman's Blues / Do It / Easy Ride / Wild Child / Runnin Blue / Wishful Sinful / The Soft Parade

Adrian Denning

[darkstar3]

View from the Bottom - Jim Morrison and the Doors

Produced by Bonnie Brooks. Harvey Brooks played Electric Bass on the Doors recording "Soft Parade," which featured "Touch Me." In this edition of his "View from the Bottom," video blog, Harvey shares his memories of the sessions and Jim Morrison.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

The Soft Parade was released 42 years ago today on July 18th 1969.


Here is the 1969 Billboard magazine ad for TSP.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

THE SOFT PARADE
Released January 1969

The Soft Parade features several heavily orchestrated, intricately arranged songs. Were you compelled to go into this direction because of the Beatles?

Yeah, totally. In those days you had to try to keep up with the Beatles! But, to be honest, I didn’t really like orchestrating the songs. It definitely wasn’t my idea — it was Paul Rothchild’

Does it sound better to you now?

Actually, it does sound better with time. But I never thought it sounded bad—I just thought it didn’t sound like us. The Doors were lost. It was Jim and the orchestra.

This was the first album where you had individual songwriting credits.

Right. Jim originally wanted everything to say “written by the Doors” to keep things mysterious. But everybody just took it for granted that he wrote everything. I think he realized that wasn’t fair and wanted to give others credit.

Did he actually write the music on those songs where he alone is credited?

No. He would hear the song in his head. But he didn’t play anything, so he would sing a vocal melody, and we would have to figure out what to do. But a lot of times he just had a poem on paper and I would come up with something. Other times I would come up with a melody, and he’d put words to it.

What about the Soft Parade sessions sticks out in your mind?

The endless mixing sessions. That was a very long, drawn-out album. We spent more money on it than we did on any other album. And Jim was hard to find. All the mixing bored the hell out of him. But I think his drinking problem wasn’t as bad as it was on Waiting for the Sun, because he had started making a film, which kept him busy.
There was one funny thing that happened. This crazy guy appeared and apparently he thought that “The Celebration of the Lizard” was written about him. He was yelling, “How did you know that I’m the Lizard King, goddamn it! That’s me. You wrote a song about me!” And he smacked Ray right in the eye because he thought Ray was Jim. Ray had his glasses on and they just crumpled. It was a mess.

Before the poem appeared had you ever heard Jim refer to himself as the Lizard King?

He was always obsessed with lizards—he loved that kind of stuff because he’d seen it on acid a lot. But I don’t know when he came up with “I am the Lizard King.” I think he wished he had never said that. It was just another thing he had to live up to.

During the Soft Parade tour, your Miami concert erupted in pandemonium and was canceled. Later Jim was charged with indecent exposure. What do you remember of the concert?

Well, first of all, Jim did not pull it out. But it was bedlam, just total craziness. The place was oversold, thousands of people swarmed the stage, and it collapsed. I remember Jim just rolling around in the midst of all those people and I was wondering if we would ever get out of there. It was very much like in the movie — they did a real good job on that one.

But you had no sense that the incident was going to turn into such a big thing?

No, hell no! Okay, the concert was fucked up, and we didn’t finish, but nobody was angry, nobody asked for their money back. And the cops were friendly — they sat around drinking beers with us after the show. Nothing happened until a week later, when somebody decided to make a stink about it. Some politician decided to make their career at our expense. Then it fucked everything up. We couldn’t play anywhere for a year. The Hall Managers’ Association basically banned us.

Did Jim feel very persecuted?

I’m sure he did. But he wasn’t surprised. He knew he was pushing authority as far as it could go. We really did have the sense that we had pushed the system to the edge and finally they were pushing back.

Robby Krieger Guitar World June 2011


Read more: newdoorstalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=rki&thread=2098&page=1#ixzz1ZtZWzkS7

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Billboard magazine August 23rd 1969

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Uncut July 2021

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Melody Maker September 1969

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

2-10-1969
The Hoya, Georgetown University Washington DC


14-11-1969
The Observer, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH


2-11-1969
Fresno Bee



22-8-1969
Santa Clarita Signal

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Melody Maker July 1969


24-9-1969
Burlington Hawk-Eye IA


17-8-1969
Ardmore Daily Ardmoreite OK