10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Albums
8. The Soft Parade - The Doors
The Doors were one of those few bands who had their signature sound from the very beginning. Starting with their debut record, the entire focus was on Jim Morrison's ethereal aura and the mix of blues, jazz and psychedelia from Ray Manzarak and Robbie Krieger. The band could have released a few more albums of demented fury, but the Soft Parade shows them getting even more jazzy.
With a handful of albums under their belt, Ray Manzarak's suggestion was to build up their sound even more, bringing in different string and horn sections into their sound. Though the album did yield a hit with "Touch Me," the band's attention to detail is absolutely spellbinding on songs like "Tell All the People," which sounds like a Vegas sideshow done right.
At the same time, Jim Morrison's voice actually blends into this more sophisticated style surprisingly well, almost as if he's channeling the aura of one of his heroes, Frank Sinatra. While much of the album focuses on the more lavish instrumentation, songs like "Wild Child" and "Shaman's Blues" still show the band getting in tune with the bluesy grooves they had been known for. Some of the hard rockers may have been disappointed by this release, but don't let that stop you from doing a deep dive into this record.