The Soft Parade by The Doors

The Soft Parade, the Doors' fourth album, came out on Elektra in 1969, and it's the sound of a band out of breath. A punishing tour had left them little time to write, so producer Paul A. Rothchild pushed for a clean break from the first three records: a fuller sound, with brass and strings arranged by Paul Harris. Jim Morrison, wrapped up in personal troubles and his poetry, stepped back from the songwriting, and Robby Krieger stepped forward.

"Touch Me", "Wishful Sinful" and "Tell All the People" had all come out as singles ahead of it, and "Touch Me" gave them another top 10 hit. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200, but it lost the UK and European listeners Waiting for the Sun had won, and critics and the underground faithful heard a band drifting toward pop. Time has softened the verdict a little, yet it's still widely rated the weakest album they made with Morrison.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.