Recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California.
Personnel: Robby Krieger (vocals, guitar); Jim Morrison (vocals); Jesse McReynolds (mandolin); Champ Webb (English horn); Curtis Amy (saxophone); George Bohannon (trombone); Ray Manzarek (keyboards); John Densmore (drums); Reinol Andino (congas).
Audio Mixer: Bruce Botnick.
Liner Note Authors: Bruce Botnick; David Fricke.
Recording information: Elektra Sound recorders, Los Angeles, CA.
Illustrator: Peter Schaumann.
Photographers: Joel Brodsky; Ken Regan; Mike Barich; Edgar Bernstein; Frank Lisciandro; Gnter Zint.
Arrangers: Robby Krieger; John Densmore; Ray Manzarek; Jim Morrison .
Dismissed by the benighted as the Doors' "pop album," SOFT PARADE is one of the band's most adventurous recordings, utilizing strings and horns without resorting to schlocky over-production and moving far beyond their blues roots. Morrison was fully into his shaman phase by 1969, and his obsession with that image is reflected in the proselytizing air of "Tell All the People," and of course "Shaman's Blues." The album's biggest hit "Touch Me," while easily the group's most radio-friendly offering, is a pop classic that ranks among the great '60s AM radio tunes. "Wild Child" is a brief return to the blues-rock of yore, but the title track is a sophisticated, extended piece that moves through several different moods and textures, full of the elliptical, poetic lyrics that were Morrison's trademark.
Professional Reviews
Q (11/00, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A mixture of hefty pop singles, bullfrog rockers and nonsense poetry..."
Down Beat (p.69) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "THE SOFT PARADE showcases the band at the apex of its creative life."
