Customer Reviews

No More Fear of Flying

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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!

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?

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.

Ever since I heard "A Salty Dog" on a "Progressive" FM station back in the early '70's, I've been a fan of Procol Harem. After many years of following them, I discovered his "solo" album (yes, it was an LP), but was reluctant to buy it because I hadn't heard anything from it on the radio. Their loss for not playing it. I'm glad, now, because Gary added a couple of songs that weren't on the original. Although they weren't great, they're still better than the rubbish on the radio now.

Procol Harum fans need not have worried when the band broke up and the metaphor of the title track suggested that Gary Brooker was comfortable as a solo artist. Their Brooker checked in with his first solo album in 1979 and it was a strong album although it did mark a slight change in direction; Brooker worked with famed Beatles producer George Martin rather than produce it himself and wrote the songs with King Crimson/ELP lyricist Peter Sinfield (although there are a couple of Brooker/Reid compositions)rather than with Keith Reid for a change of pace.

The song "Pilot" continues the use of flying metaphors and focuses on a failing relationship.

The resulting album casts Brooker's soulful vocals and piano playing in a slightly different context that makes it an improvement over Procol's last anemic release. The album also allowed Brooker to indulge himself and cover other songwriter's including singer/songwriter Murray Head ("Say It Ain't So") and one of Brooker's favorite songwriters Mickey Jupp ("Switchboard Susan"). Eschewing the typical approach of working with a variety of studio players, Brooker and Martin brough together a band including Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks, former Quiver guitarist Tim Renwick and bassist Bruce Lynch (who played on Murray Head's "Say it Ain't So" and with Cat Stevens). It's a pity the album wasn't more successful as Brooker had planned to tour to promote it if it sold well (although one could argue that touring would have made it more successful and his tour would have done well because of his Procol Harum roots) which provides for a more consistent listening experience.

The 1997 remaster was done by Brooker himself and features a couple of bonus tracks including Fat Cats' and the B-side 'S.S. (Self-Sufficient) Blues'. The informative liner notes by Chris Welch has a few minor grammatical errors that should have been caught in the proof reading stage but are quite good otherwise although it would have been nice to hear from Martin and the others involved in the recording of the album.

Recommended.

While No More Fear of Flying is not the best album Gary Brooker has recorded either solo or with his band Procol Harum, in the context of the musically stinky times in which it was released it is a veritable musical nosegay. Hark back to 1979 and where was a music lover starved for fresh sounds from Procol Harum to go? To Gary Brooker, of course, as it was Brooker who was the father of the sound that made Procol Harum the legend it has become.
This is Brooker's first solo album following the dissolution of his famed band which admittedly seemed to be running out of steam. I first bought this on LP when it was issued and really hoped at the time that the old magic would be there. In some ways it was, but it also found Brooker expanding his horizons and doing what he could to break free of how the public expected him to sound. And to a certain extent he succeeded.
My favorite cut by far is the catchy title cut which is full of unrealized commercial potential. I also like Pilot and Give Me Something To Remember You By which carry Brooker's signature sound on their notes; the delightful Savannah; and the very uncharacteristic Angelina. Those I don't really care for are Say It Ain't So Joe, Let Me In, the awful Get Up and Dance, and the lame Switchboard Susan.
The CD comes with a booklet containing a couple of pictures, album info, and an overview of the career of Gary Brooker both as a bandleader and as a soloist. If you are a fan of Procol Harum, and you probably are else you wouldn't be considering this album, No More Fear of Flying is an essential collateral recording.

For years I neglected buying this CD because I felt that Procol Harum had long since peaked and that their last two albums of the 70s were dissapointing (Procol's Ninth), and p*ss poor (Something Magic). But this CD is very different. It is simply a great late 70's album. It was nice to hear Gary chill out and even sing some love songs. Track 6, "Something To Remember You By" is an incredibly beautiful composition.

If I put this cd in a pile with all my Procul Harum cd's and then rated them, I think this one would come in third!