American Prayer

The Doors, Jim Morrison | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (May 23, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HJE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,047 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Awake

2. Ghost Song

3. Dawn's Highway

4. Newborn Awakening

5. To Come of Age

6. Black Polished Chrome

7. Latino Chrome

8. Angels and Sailors

9. Stoned Immaculate

10. The Movie

11. Curses, Invocations

12. Roadhouse Blues

13. The World on Fire

14. Lament

15. The Hitchhiker

16. An American Prayer

17. Hour for Magic

18. A Feast of Friends

19. Babylon Fading [*]

20. Bird of Prey [*]

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Doors recorded six studio albums with Jim Morrison as their singer from 1967 to 1971, hitting the charts with a series of pop songs that were at least as good as Tommy James and the Shondells. On their albums, they indulged in Morrison's pretentious obsessions that included extended pieces about Oedipal complexes and the end of the world. Those obsessions have been exaggerated by The Doors myth that continues to this day. This is a collection of Morrison's poetry, embellished by the surviving Doors several years after the fact. That the live rendition of "Roadhouse Blues" is the only noteworthy selection should tell you what you need to know about the poetry. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The panultimate Doors experience., July 30, 2001

By 

Brent A. Anthonisen "Johnny Sideburns" (Alpharetta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Prayer (Audio CD)

I'll admit, I don't really listen to my other Doors CD's that much anymore...but "An American Prayer" is an exception. Jim Morrison will be recognized as one of the most important (and certainly the most imitated) frontmen in the history of rock/pop music, and deservedly so...but as most knowledgeable music afficianados (Rob O'Connor need not apply) will tell you, Morrison was a great deal more. As compelling (and disturbing) as his lyrics were, it was with the medium of poetry that Morrison truly felt his place to be; his desire was to use popular music as a means of presenting his writing to a greater audience. Having three of the most talented and versatile musicians of the 1960's in his band certainly didn't hurt, and this as much as Morrison's own talents as a lyricist and indominitable charisma as a frontman helped to achieve this end. The reading that he gives on this CD (recorded on Morrison's birthday in 1970, I believe) is first rate. And though it must be allowed that Morrison probably never intended for musical accompanyment to be added to his words (this was done by the surviving Doors members years after his death), it was likely Schiller probably felt the same way at the time he wrote his "Ode to Joy"...and Beethoven's use of Schiller's piece in his 9th Symphony finale certainly can't be seen as a dilution of that work by any stretch of the imagination. Nor is the subsequent Doors instrumentation (as well as the addition of previously released music) to be seen as a lessening of the experience of "An American Prayer". This is an extremely well-conceived production; the music compliments Morrison's reading perfectly. Morrison himself reads in a soothing, engaging, and intimate manner (similar to Charles Bukowski's "Run With The Hunted" expanded CD session), and, if indeed he was "Stoned Immaculate" at the time of the recording, the clarity of his voice lays more to inspiration rather than inebriation. This CD finds all participants in finest form, and the result is an extremely natural progression of sound. This recording may be considered "spoken word" due to its vocal delivery (and as such is unsurpassed by Bukowski, Henry Rollins, William Burroughs, or anyone else to whom I've compared it), but as with the work released by the Doors as a band, the music here is not to be underestimated. This recording was well ahead of its time, and in my opinion represents the Doors as Morrison had intended them to become through an evolution he was unfortunately unable to see through; I believe he would have approved of this work, and I can't recommend it enough, either to fans of poetry, music, and of life itself.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for word-lovers, May 31, 2005

By 

G (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Prayer (Audio CD)

Jim Morrison to many was just seen as a crazy frontman for one of the most popular bands of the Classic Rock era. To many, however, he was even more than that - he was the container of a vast amount of literary knowledge, who had the ability to completely meld peoples' minds with his words. His poetry contained depressing, frightening, haunting, and perfectly-crafted descriptions, containing some of the most professional work I've ever read, from poets and other songwriters alike.

It is sometimes incoherent, sure, but the words are just so beautiful in how they work together to create an image that doesn't necessarily come to life through the meanings of words, but by the emotions that those words portray. It takes a real gift to make lyrics like this, but Jim Morrison is able to do it without having much more than a blues vocal and a well-constructed face.

One of my favorite selections from this LP is the inclusion of Morrison's experience as a child, when he witnessed a bloody car crash containing the deaths of many Native Americans in Connecticut. This is a true story (which I am sure cannot be said about all of the poems he recites on this LP) which really gripped me to continue through the rest of the LP.

Listening to it now, I can easily say this is one of my favorite Doors albums, even if you really can't call it a real Doors record. Since this contains mostly poem reciting and with mostly background music (but some of his old songs are redone, including a live performance or two - most memorably, a fantastic version of Roadhouse Blues) I guess you can't call it much of a "musical record" but the concept of this album itself is VERY strong. It really is a unique listen.

Another thing I'd like to point out is the audio quality of the disc (this is speaking about the Vinyl, but I'm sure the CDs are okay too if that's your thing). I found that, especially for a Doors record, the sound quality of this LP is FANTASTIC. It's really audiophile quality. Jim Morrison's voice is beautifully reproduced and is staged very well, and the instrumental mastering is at a crispness and refine level that few other recordings touch upon. And it's even better to know that this LP is mass-produced, so that many non-audiophiles are also experiencing this fantastic sound quality. It is rare to see high-quality recordings in high stock like this LP. Even if you dispise Jim Morrison or The Doors (people do, but I don't see how one could justify it!) at least make this record a part of your collection due to the rareness of the quality of the recording.

Again, this album isn't for everybody. But if you've ever realized and thought to yourself how unique and beautiful Jim Morrison's work really is, it would be doing yourself a huge favor to pick this album up. If you get it on vinyl, it's an even bigger gain!

Enjoy the music.

-Andrew

40 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tommy who?, April 2, 2004

By 

Erik (Portland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Prayer (Audio CD)

Crimson and clover? Why don't you compare Wayne Newton to Primus? Anyways, this review isn't a bash; it's my feelings about the album. First of all "American Prayer" isn't an album that you just pick one or two songs off of to listen to, it's a story, similar to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," "The Wall," or Neilson's "The Point." And similar to those in that it is best enjoyed relaxing on your couch, following the inebriant of your choice. It also is great for long road trips at night, but I prefer to have my eyes closed when listening to it. Jim's poetry is raw and vibrant and conjures up images of the movies The Doors and Natural Born Killers. The background music adds to the poetry like the sense of smell does to taste. As a second generation door's fan, my view of this album may be slightly nostalgic, but listening to it, for me, is like a vivid dream that captures something reminiscent of Manson's views of the 60's. It's filled with intenseness of peaking on window pane (LSD, for the sheltered) and the spacey philosophical ranting that accompany its come-down. This album is art and contains all the passion and skewed visions of the artist. I would compare this album to something like sushi; at first it may sound repulsive to some, but if given a chance you may start to crave it. If this doesn't sound like your spicy tuna roll, then maybe you can go back to mind-numbing, sticky-sweet pop music and other mass media produced nausients, and leave interpretation of art to someone else. Okay, it is kind of a bash.