Customer Reviews

Long Goodbye: Symphonic Music of Procol Harum

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Procol Harum has been one of my favorite bands since I was twelve years old, so I eagerly and sometimes stupidly buy any recording with the band's name on it. Of all the musicians who have come and gone in the various formations of the band, Gary Brooker has been its Rock of Gibraltar and in many ways this is a Brooker record rather than a Procol Harum project.
Matching a symphony orchestra with what is essentially a rock band is always an iffy proposition, but it is Brooker's classical sensibility and training that make it work. Procol Harum's music has always had a rich spiritual dimension and that dimension is enhanced in the hands of the right musicians.
That's not always apparent here. Guest vocalist Tom Jones' Simple Sister is downright laughable as are Grand Hotel and Butterfly Boys.
However, the CD does contain some excellent tracks including the timeless Conquistador, the solemn Matthew Fisher composition Repent Walpurgis (the original is a personal favorite), the classic A Salty Dog, and a surprisingly inspired rendition of the title song.
Procol purists may not enjoy this CD, but the halcyon days of the 60s and 70s can't be resurrected. At least The Long Goodbye offers fans a nostalgic whiff of yesterday's glory. Listen with an open mind and you, too, will find much to enjoy here.

May I humbly suggest to the other esteemed reviewers of this CD that they would be better off ignoring the Procol Harum moniker and treat this record as what it really is ; a Gary Brooker solo album with guest artists. This would deter Procol fans who insist on 1970s era sounds from a band who havn't been a real band for 25 years. Any record without the great B.J. Wilson on drums is not a Procol Harum record,period. Now, having said that, I still get a lot of enjoyment from most of the stuff on here. Jerry Hadley's over the top operatic reading of "Grand Hotel" is hilarious and if Gary Brooker hasn't got his tongue firmly in cheek here, then boy, one of us is sure wrong. The same holds true for Tom Jones' version of Simple Sister which wouldn't scare a 3 year old, but does make a 47 year old smile, although personally I would have had him sing "The Dead Man's Dream", but I digress. I think Trower and Fisher just shred that orchestra on the remake of "Walpurgis" and I can hear them just fine, thank you, and I'm an old guy with some serious Lo-Fi stereo equipment.Any chance to hear Gary Brooker sing his magnificent music should not be passed up by the true Harum believer.This is a wonderful Gary Brooker record docked 1 star for including more than one song from the weak "reunion" album Prodigal Stranger. Hey fellow Procolites,the group always had a sense of humor and we should too.

This is an album you either love or hate, as evidenced by the others reviews on amazon. I think it's the best album I've bought this year. Procol purists may object to the London Symphony being included, but I think Procol is one of those rare groups that is on a higher level, and that a top flight orchestra makes their music even better. They are more than just a rock band, or just another 60's group. As with their album with the Edmonton Symphony in 1971, they are capable of rising even higher than their usual high level of sophistication. And sorry, Canadians, but the London Symphony is better than the Edmonton Symphony. And it shows. This is one of the best albums of the last decade, and the symphonic arrangements do not detract from the original versions unless you think a band is made up of nothing but guitars and drums.

This album is very weak! The production and the arrangements are not nice at all. Check out "Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra" instead. That's a nice one. Please, don't waste your money on this one.

Procul harum never gets old. this album is great. it is unique as it has many featured artist doing their songs.. i.e. tom jones performs simple sister. I guess for the purest it would not be liked. For the rest of us fans, it is a fun album, get performances and the symphonic(london)is a nice add on,. so enjoy.,

Not as bad as some of the reviewers described it, but not as good as the 1971 live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, this album suffer from ups and downs. Weak perfomances of "Whiter shade of pale", "Homburg" and "Pandora's box" (shame on James Gallway)- the originals of the three are in the highest level of rock music and it was a big mistake to try to change them. "Grand Hotel" (that is sung by James Hedley) is good, and so are "Conquistador", "Simple sister" (with Tom Jones) "Don't look back" and "Butterfly boys". The rest are so-so. I agree with Mattias, that the 1971 live album is much better, but "Simple sister" is not that bad.

PU! Does this one stink! The London Symphony does nothing but drown out Procol Harum! This can only be called a sham at best! Robin Trower and Matthew Fisher only appear on one song...Repent Walpurgis, but you'd never know it by the fact that you can barely hear them! I've heard Muzak renditions of these songs that were better, and they never passed themselves off as the real things! Just do yourself a favor and save your money on this one!