Comments:

The two opening tracks "Tell All the People" and "Touch Me"are both great songs, though I would have preferred gentler arrangements. But the Doors were obviously seeking new grounds at this point of their career. "Shaman's Blues" is back to the classical Doors sound. A very good track!

"Do it" is also close to being classical Doors, though not really a very interesting track.. The same could be said about "Easy Ride", which comes out pretty lightweight. "Wild Child" is a bluesy track, not unlike the style of their final album "L.A. Woman" - though not one of their best blues songs.

Fortunately the last three tracks are the Doors at their best. "The Running Blues" is varied song very different musical parts; and a charming vocal performance by Robbie Krieger in the country-break. "Wishful Sinful" is a great pop-song and the second single to be taken from the album.

The long title track is a suite of different musical parts, of which most are really great. Fortunately this great finale was allowed to be just the Doors - no outside orchestration. "Welcome to the Soft Parade"

New review January 2024

The Doors' fourth album "The Soft Parade" from 1969 is often considered the weakest of the six studio albums with Jim Morrison. I've just re-listened to this album a couple times and can agree that it can't quite compare to the other five, which, on the other hand, are also exceptionally strong. Therefore, "The Soft Parade" is not necessarily a weak album, and I certainly don't think it is, either.

Producer Paul Rothchild wanted an album that differed significantly from the previous three, i.a. by incorporating brass and string arrangements. For several reasons; i.a., personal problems with Morrison, meant that guitarist Robbie Krieger had been given primary responsibility for the songwriting. Thus, it was actually Krieger who wrote all four singles taken from the album. They did well in the top 100 charts around the world; especially "Touch Me" which went all the way to the top in several places.

Overall, the album is quite a bit better than I remembered. Vocally, Morrison is in fine form, and musically, Krieger is a pretty good songwriter, but he obviously doesn't have Morrison's lyrical edge. The three singles "Touch Me", "Wishful Sinful" and "Touch Me" are melodically catchy and are vocally nicely delivered by Morrison. "Running Blue" which is a kind of tribute to Otis Redding, is very different; here Krieger takes the lead vocal in the chorus. It's a fun track with a country-like chorus.

Morrison's tracks are more classic Doors, the long title track is an absolute highlight. It consists of several different pieces, which end up being released in the melodic ”Welcome to the soft parade” ending - (“This is the best part of the trip”) The bonus-track non-album “Who Scared You” is a very welcome addition to the album, that fits very well in.