Before Jim Morrison joined The Doors, he wrote poetry and was a film student at UCLA. He continued these interests in what little time he had outside the band. In 1969 and on his birthday in 1970, he recited his poetry at a professional recording studio in hopes of one day releasing a poetry album. Morrison died in 1971 before he could complete this vision. However, seven years after his death, the surviving Doors convened to score Morrison's verse. While the results sparked controversy among those close to The Doors, An American Prayer was greeted excitedly by hardcore fans. An excellent live version of "Roadhouse Blues" is the one official song here, while bits and pieces of old Doors songs pop up in different contexts, along with dialog from Morrison's forays into film. The poetry itself is visceral, unafraid of courting controversy with sexual and religious imagery. As a reader, Morrison has a flare for the dramatic and an appealingly deep voice. Highlights are the title track and the extended version of "The Ghost Song," added as a bonus cut to the 1995 remaster.