The Soft Parade
What most agreed on was that the album contained one great song, "Touch Me," which was written by Robbie Krieger (he wrote about half of the album, and in a change, the individual writer was credited rather than collectively). "Touch Me" is a great rock song, that incorporates a pounding guitar and keyboard combo, then adds a trumpet, and finally a killer saxophone solo. Jim Morrison's vocals are perfect. It's the kind of song that should be listened to upon awakening, because it will get your ready for anything the day may throw at you. For a kicker, it ends with the Ajax commercial line, "Stronger than dirt!"
The other notable track is the closing title track, which is one Morrison's long magnum opuses. It has much religious imagery, beginning with a spoken word section in which Morrison says he was told in seminary school that you could "petition the lord with prayer." He repeats this several times, and then screams, "You can not petition the lord with prayer!" The next section talks about seeking sanctuary, and then breaks into one of his free-association poems:
"Catacombs
Nursery bones
Winter women
Growing stones
Carrying babies
To the river
Streets and shoes
Avenues
Leather riders
Selling news
The monk bought lunch"
Just what any of these means Morrison took to the grave.
The rest of the album is listless. "Runnin' Blue," also written by Krieger, is an embarrassing stab at bluegrass, with a vocalist (not Morrison, perhaps it is Krieger) doing a Bob Dylan imitation.
The Doors were now on a downward trajectory, as their first three albums would be their strongest, with the last three their weakest (although the last, L.A. Woman, would contain some moments of greatness and two of their best songs). The Soft Parade, of their six records, probably counts as their worst.
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