No More Fear of Flying

Gary Brooker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Line
• ASIN: B000002RI7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,599 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Savannah

2. Pilot

3. (No More) Fear Of Flying

4. Get Up and Dance

5. Give Me Something To Remember You By

6. Say It Ain't So Joe

7. Old Manhattan Melodies

8. Angelina

9. Let Me In

10. Switchboard Susan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Procol fans don't despair, January 8, 2001

By 

David Kinney (San Francisco, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No More Fear of Flying (Audio CD)

Procol Harum fans (and I assume you are such or why the heck are you looking for Gary Brooker records ?! )Like a lot of you back in the early seventies I too judged a solo album by an ex-member of the Procol family by the same high standards we applied to that beloved entity.Thus: Robin Trower's guitar histrionics ala Hendrix were admirable, and Matthew Fisher's pop oriented albums were nice, but nothing solo-wise was gonna fill the bill , because Procol Harum were the sum of their parts. Well that's the way I felt, too, until I picked this LP up in 1978. Staying faithful to a band you loved is one thing, it's easy to forgive a member for a misguided attempt at self expression,but when a member of said band puts out an album as sastisfying as this one is..well,as we say in Oklahoma, "them grits got gravy!". Harum fans rejoice! Gary is singing with that magnificent voice, he's got the piano working like it should, and ol' Keith Reid's along for a couple of songs. It ain't exactly Harum , but then it ain't exactly not. George Martin produced this so it's a tad too polite, if you know what I mean,and a little B.J. Wilson seasoning would have added some much needed chaos.Those caveats aside ;I give it a very high rating because Procol Harum fans won't be disappointed ,and if by some strange incident of computer mishap the Gary Brooker neophyte wandered through the garden fence by accident you just got lucky because one of the finest white soul voices out there is available for yer listening pleasure.Dave's Fave; the completely un -Procol like "Angelina ".It's so cool, Herb Alpert cut an instrumental version on it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad At All, Commander!, September 14, 2004

By 

Bill Board (God's Wrath, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Fear of Flying (Audio CD)

Maybe this is rambling, but it's unavoidable: this album came out about the same time as ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor's first album. Both albums, showcasing the talents of two irreplaceable members of two of the finest Rock and Roll Bands of all time. So which one is better: You're reading about it. Instead of one great song and the rest, long meaningless jams like with which MT padded his album, Brooker's "Flying" is, for the most part, all uptempo, cheerful songs, and the musicians he has backing him are incredible, too - especially guitarist Tim Renwick, and read my review of The Sutherland Bros & Quiver's "Reach For The Sky" for HIS appraisal. My favorite songs on the album are the title track (which had lyrics supplied by Procol Harum's lyricist Keith Reid), and, as all of Keith Reid's lyrics, they're open to interpretation. I, myself, read in it a recounting of how Procol Harum, realizing the deluge of disco and punk (that, ultimately, would KILL Rock and Roll when they interbred, creating the terrifying progeny "new wave"), decided they would call it a day, and "they would live to rise again." Which, thank The Lord, they DID in 1991, and onward. There's "Say It Ain't So" which was almost released as a single, until "Jesus Christ Superstar's" Murray Head released his version. My favorite tracks are the very best breakup song I've ever heard, "Give Me Something To Remember You By" and the balls-out rocker "Switchboard Susan." You might remember THAT from Nick Lowe's version which was released - yup, summer, 1979. It's almost blasphemous to say this, given Nick Lowe's stature as one of the last, TRUE Rock and Rollers, BUT: Gary Brooker's version is simply...better. Great guitar, almost Little Richard theatrics on the piano, and Brooker's lecherous (!) vocal. It's a great track. Gary Brooker would go on to release three more solo albums, the third being the most "Procolic," but for pure enjoyment - and, yes, "Flying" is one of those all-too-rare cd's that I can play and not have to lunge to skip every other song - Gary Brooker's "No More Fear Of Flying" was a very FINE end to the Seventies, an album (now cd) that left hope for the future. And you cannot honestly say THAT about "The Long Run" or "The Wall," now can ya?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gary Brooker Flies High, August 24, 2005

By 

Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: No More Fear of Flying (Audio CD)

In 1979, two years after Procol Harum disbanded (until their reunion in 1991), singer/songwriter/pianist Gary Brooker released his first solo album, "No More Fear Of Flying." In short, if you love Procol Harum, then you'll love Gary solo, too. "No More Fear Of Flying" is an excellent album of top-notch, Harum-flavored piano pop/rock, spearheaded by Brooker's powerful voice and masterful playing on the keys. Great songs include the title track, the lovely "Say It Ain't So Joe" (written by Murray Head) and "Angelina," the catchy "Give Me Something To Remember You By" and "Get Up And Dance." There's also two bonus tracks to enjoy: the rare Brooker B-side "S.S. Blues" and the previously-unreleased fun of "Fat Cats." Gary Brooker's "No More Fear Of Flying" is a great disc.