An American Prayer --Jim Morrison & The Doors (1978)

 

An American Prayer is an interesting album. 

Released in 1978, An American Prayer sees the three surviving Doors recording backing music to a number of Jim Morrison poems which he had meant to release as a solo album with Lalo Schifrin composed music behind his voice (I don't think said music was ever composed) , interspersed with tapes of  some Jim Morrison interviews, a few live songs, and a couple of old Doors tracks, or parts of tracks. 

The music is really very good, sort of loungey disco, crisply recorded; and Jim Morrison's poetry, which of course is fairly mundane,  is elevated by both the musical background and  Morrison's compelling, soothing,  speaking voice. 

It's a bit of a weird album, but  it feels mostly all of a piece.  Ultimately it comes off as a little too celebratory of  the Jim Morrison's myth, which I find kind of rank and cheesy at this stage in my life.

 Personally I'd wish for a little more of that groovy backing music provided by Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek (and assorted sidemen on bass, additional synth and percussion. )

But it's an enjoyable album  to put on in the background.

3/5

My good friend in college Brandon had this tape and I remember hearing it a lot during that time.  So there's a good bit of nostalgia going for it for me as it makes me think of him and my other good friend Salem, who listened to it a lot too-- and my youth. 

I have the 1995 European CD which has some bonus tracks that were not available on the original album. It sounds fantastic!

Not ready for Amnesiac by Radiohead, which I've only recently acquired, so skipping that for now.


Coming Up:

A.M. Wilco

A.T.O.M. - Carbon Silicon

ABBA - ABBA 

ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits

Abbey Road - The Beatles

Achtung, Baby! U2

Actually - Pet Shop Boys

Adult/Child- The Beach Boys

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits

After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

Afterglow - Crowded House

Aftermath (UK Version) - The Rolling Stones

Against The Odds: 1974-1982 Blondie (three disc version)

Aimee Mann Live at St. Ann's Warehouse

Aiming For Your Head - Betchadupa

The Album -- ABBA

The Album That Never Was - The Kinks

All Four One - The Motels

All Over the Place - The Bangles

All Summer Long -- The Beach Boys

All the Great Hits -- Diana Ross

All Things Must Pass -- George Harrison

All This Useless Beauty -- Elvis Costello & the Attractions

All-Time Greatest Hits - Neil Diamond

Alluvium -- Eddie Rayner

Almost Blue -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Almost Summer - Celebration

Alpha Mike Foxtrot -- Wilco*

The Alphabetchadupa - Betchadupa

Altitude - ALT

American Idiot Green Day*

American Prayer -- The Doors

Amnesiac Radiohead*

And I Feel Fine...The Best of the IRS years (1982-1987) - R.E.M.

Animals - Pink Floyd

Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo

Another Life - Another Life

Another Music in Another Kitchen: The Buzzcocks

Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

Anthology: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Anthology: Smokey Robinson & The Beatles

Anthology 1: The Beatles

Anthology 2: The Beatles

Anthology 3 The Beatles

Anthology: North South, East West - Tim Finn

Apple Venus: Volume One -- XTC

Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants

The ArchAndroid: Janelle Monae

Are the Village Green Preservation Society -- The Kinks

Are Well-Respected Men - The Kinks

Armed Forces -Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Around the World in a Day - Prince

Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

At My Piano - Brian Wilson

Autoamerican - Blondie

Automatic for the People - R.E.M.

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