Customer Reviews

Procol Harum Plus

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recording a full album after the wonderously intoxicating hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," must have seemed an extremely difficult task, but it is one that Procol Harum pull off with an enormous amount of musical and lyrical success. Songs such as "Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of)", with its guitar drenched British R&B sound and mythologically inspired lyrics, as well as the jangly "She Wandered Through the Garden Fence" are obvious Procol masterpieces. The album's instrumental closer, "Repent Walpurgis," is one of the most powerful passages in rock history. The only song that really misses on the album is the slightly humorous "Mabel," but the song clocks in at under two minutes and does little to ruin the beauty of the remaining tracks. Westside's reissue includes "A Whiter Shade of Pale" as well as the bluesy and appropriately titled "Lime Street Blues" and the majestic and mournful "Homburg." The remaining tracks are all alternate versions of Procol classics and are probably only of interest to the die-hard fans such as myself. Overall, this album is an essential part of the Procol Harum canon, and is a nice starting point for those new to the band's unique style and sound.

One way to measure the quality of an album is it's singability. By no means am I a singer, but when I'm alone in the car with this album playing, I can't help but singalong with Gary Brooker at the top of my lungs on every track. (Those high notes during the chorus of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" are a definite challenge, however!)
The instrumental "Repent Walpurgis" even has me singing the notes.
For Procoholics everywhere, the bonus tracks are an interesting sidelight. For everyone else, this is the perfect introduction to a band I'm glad to say is my very favorite. (I'm 46, by the way, and have listened to a lot of music.)
I'd recommend the new listener buy the group's albums in chronological order and experience a marvelous musical and lyrical evolution...not to mention a real treat. The lyrics are like any good poetry, not necessarily representative of anything but magically evocative. The music will stay with you forever.

The Doors, Hmmmm? Well, Procol Harum really doesn't have anything in common with The Doors except the prominence of Matthew Fisher's organ. Lyrically and musically The Doors veered from bluesy to pretentious claptrap. I always felt The Doors were over rated but on to the album.

Procol Harum (the name is an alliteration of a latin term)appeared out of nowhere in 1967 with A Whiter Shade of Pale. The original UK album didn't have the hit single on it (it was added for the US and other countries). Lyrically obtuse at times but musically adept, Procol Harum offered a rarity in music--a wedding of R&B grit to post-psychedlic/classically inspired music. Singer Gary Brooker (he became the singer by default--the original lead singer quit) has a delivery that recalls the best R&B singers from the 60's. I hear traces of Ray Charles and Percy Sledge in his delivery. Although Keith Reid's lyrics can occasionally be a bit obtuse, most of his words lack the pretense of many other lyricists of the time. Brooker's delivery of Reid's lyrics are heartfelt even if it's not clear what he's singing about.

Matthew Fisher's organ was a prominent feature on the three albums (he was gone by album four entitled Home). The melody for the hit single Pale (included here as a bonus track and on the terrific recent reissue from BGO Records)borrows the melody and chords from a piece by Bach and manages to spin it into rock gold.

Robin Trower appears on a number of tracks but since Procol Harum wasn't really a band until after the single and his guitar isn't quite as omnipresent as on later releases. Aside from Fisher, the most striking instrument (despite being buried in the mono mix) is Bill Eyden's drumming. His fluid, precise jazzy style was clearly an influence on Bill Brufford and other progressive rock drummers.

Just about every song on Procol Harum is a gem. Sadly there isn't a true stereo mix of this fine album so much of the detail is lost in the mono mix (there is a 1997 remix of Pale on Classic Tracks and Rarities that sounds beautiful). The mono sound is very good considering the age of the tapes. The bonus tracks are nice but many are not essential (the best of them are on the Classic Tracks and Rarities CD issued in 2002).

BGO's release of this album is a twofer with both the debut and weaker second album included (along with singles and b-sides). I'd recommend picking that up only because it's a better deal price wise.

This is the 1967 self-titled debut for Procol Harum (also released as "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"), and it's one of their all-time greatest works. Along with The Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satin," Procol Harum helped introduce classical rock to the world with their smash hit, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." Their hybrid of organ/piano rock mixed with touches of classical elements, along with the commanding voice of singer/pianist Gary Brooker, is a winning combination that still sets this marvelous band apart from all the rest. Their 1967 debut is a brilliant album, featuring not only the all-time classic "Whiter Shade..." but also other marvelous songs like "Conquistador" (later a hit in a live version), "She Wandered Through The Garden Fence," the outrageous fun of "Mabel," the rocking "Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of)", "A Christmas Camel," "Kaleidoscope," and organist Matthew Fisher's signature instrumental, "Repent Walpurgis." All of the band members are outstanding musicians, not only Brooker & Fisher but also guitarist Robin Trower, drummer B.J. Wilson and bassist David Knights, while Keith Reid's lyrics are true poetry. Still going strong 36 years later, Procol Harum are a rock institution, and still one of the world's finest bands. They couldn't have had a better album to launch into the musical world with: "Procol Harum" is a definite rock classic.

Outside of their masterpiece "A Salty Dog", I've probably listened to this first Procol Harum album more times over the last 30+ years than any other record. This one of course, is known for it's classic hit "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". That ultra-rare kind of rock song that was so good that even my Cole Porter lovin' parents liked it. I remember the thing that appealed to me the most when I first heard this band, was their dual-keyboards. It was a big change from all the guitar-driven bands that started to emerge in the late 60's. Despite their big hit, the band remained relatively anonymous to the American public. And that's the way my small circle of friends who owned this record liked it. We knew we had something very different and special in our possession. Instead of the eardrum shattering complaint inducing vocals that came with just about all of those other inferior rock records during this period, you got the smooth blue-eyed soul vocals of Gary Brooker. Mix that with a fertile ground of great songwriting and some brilliant and imanginative production, and it's no wonder my mom let me play this at a little higher decible than normal around the house. Aside from "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", the band did have another hit with "Conquistador". This is much tamer than the bouncy live version of this song they did a few years later. But it's still a great song that was deserving of it's hit status. They also had a top 10 hit with the beautiful "Homburg". A song that was not on my original vinyl record, but appears on here as a bonus track. A song I liked even more than these 2 hits was "She Wandered Through The Garden Fence", a catchy tune that fits the classical rock mold. It's the sound of that Hammond organ that makes this song downright contagious. Another favorite of mine is "Kaleidoscope", an all around feel good psychedelic song that again has that rolling Hammond organ that I loved so much. Same goes for "Salad Days", another song that should have been a big hit. It never ever gets old. The last song on the original lp "Repent Walpurgis", is a fabulous instumental, also cut from the classical mold. But here we're introduced for the first time to a young Robin Trower doing some searing guitar work. A warmup for things to come. What I like the most about this beautifully restored classic is the 10 bonus tracks it gives us. And what a wonderful set of freebies. Besides "Homburg", it also gives us "Lime Street Blues", which was the b-side of "Whiter Shade Of Pale". I loved this foray into rockabilly. It was far different than anything they did at the time. It's pretty entertaining hearing Brooker sing rock and roll. They offer us another, more spontanious version of "Salad Days". This one is fantastic. I liked it even better than the original. It also gives us the two best cuts off their next album "Shine On Brightly". "Quite Rightly So", which was to become Procol Harum's third single. This version is 30 seconds longer than the original. And they do a raw version of one of Procol Harum's most mysterious sounding songs, the title cut "Shine On Brightly". This one has always been one of my most cherished Procol tunes. I have all of Procol's other bonus track albums, and I can say with this one you definitly get more bang for the buck than any of their other re-issues. I can't think of a band out there who delivered this good of a first album. This, along with "A Salty Dog", would have to be considered one of their greatest achievements. It should be required listening for the fan with taste and daring. Highly recommended!

Buy it you won't regret it. The music sounds great. What a CD

Although "A Whiter Shade of Pale" routinely makes the top ten on classic rock stations' "best of all time" countdowns, it was inexplicably left off Procol Harum's debut album, with the predictable result that the album sold poorly in 1968. The liner notes blame this on the absence of the hit and a six-month delay in release of the album, but I think the biggest problem was simply that it was ahead of its time. Nearly 40 years later, there still isn't much that sounds like this album.

The ten songs comprising the original LP sound quite a bit more stripped-down than the elaborate style Procol Harum later became known for, and their roots as an R&B band are somewhat more in evidence. Their artsy lyrics were, however, already very much present, as seen in the opening track, "Conquistador." The original version of what eventually became "their other hit," it's a bit more subdued than the live recording, but basically the same musically. Their penchant for morbidity was already there too, in the bluesy "Something Following Me," in which the something is the singer's own tombstone. So was their playful side, reflected in the hilarious "Mabel" and "Good Captain Clack" and the somewhat mischievous "She Wandered Through the Garden Fence," featuring some wonderful organ noodling. "Kaleidoscope" and "Salad Days" show that they could already rock out pretty well, too.

While the original album itself was great, the bonus tracks add a lot. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" needs no introduction. Its B-side, "Lime Street Blues," is something of a throwback to their earlier incarnation as The Paramounts, but it's a fun number. "Homburg" was their second single, and a big hit in Britain but not in America, so its inclusion here is a delightful surprise to their Stateside fans. (I'd never even heard of it before buying this CD - our loss until now!) The others are alternate takes from this album and their next one, "Shine on Brightly." Fans of either of those albums will want to hear these, especially the magnificent first effort at "Quite Rightly So."

Overall, it's not quite as brilliant as the heights these guys later reached, but it's a remarkable start. Any serious PH fan should hear this!

What the Rolling Stones and Traffic did for "black" music, Procol Harum did for classical European music. They represent the best of early progressive rock, and "Procol Harum" is a strong debut. "Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" are classics, but a number of the album tracks are just as good. One of my favorite aspects of the band is the combination of piano and organ - check out "Christmas Camel" and you'll see what I mean.

Procol Harum's 1967 album is easily among the greatest debut-albums ever released. In fact, it could be the greatest.

In a highly original way Procol Harum succeeded in combining raw rhythm'n blues with classical music. With Keith Reid's dark mysterious lyrics and Brooker's soulful voice these 1967 recordings sound as attractive and relevant as ever. Their sound is quite unique, and it's hard to mistake these early Procol Harum recordings from any other band's output.

This version contains all tracks from both the American 11 tracks version and the European 10 tracks release. Actually several tracklistings of the album were released, but the the most important difference was whether they contained "Homburg" or "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Some versions also missed "Good Captain Clack".

Among the othe bonus-tracks you'll find the B-side to "A Whiter Shade of Pale", ""Lime Street Blues", a great R&B track. A single version of "Homburg is also there ( very hard to tell the difference from the album version).

Early versions of songs later to appear on their second album "Shine on Brightly" are also included. All great and highly interesting. The original version "Magdalene" has only survived from an acetate, so the sound obviously is not as good as could hoped for. Otherwise all tracks sound great.

It's very hard to bring out tracks from the original album, as they all in different ways are the highest quality. Obviously their to early hit-singles stand out, but in the same vein you'll find outstanding songs like "Salad Days" and "Repent Walpurgis". The bluesier side of the band is shown on tracks like "Something Following Me" and "Cerdes", but even these two have the classical "PH" feel to them. Among the up-beat tracks "Conquistador" and "Kaleidoscope" are the closest you get straight-forward rock-music. "Mabel" and "Good Captain Clack" are Procol Harum at their most unceremonious.

If ever an album should be allowed 6 stars, this would certainly be among the strongest candidates. An incredibly strong album.

Although largely known as proto-proggers due to the initial singles, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg," Procol Harum were actually art rockers of the highest order. This debut record found the band exploring a number of styles, from the quasi-psychedelia of "She Wandered Through the Garden Fence" and "Kaleidascope" to the British music-hall of "Mabel" and the aforementioned proto-prog of "Repent Walpurgis."

Gary Brooker possessed one of rock's greatest voices and was also one mighty fine pianist, while Matthew Fisher, along with Keith Emerson who was in The Nice at the time, set the standard for all future prog keyboardists with his excellent, classically-influenced Hammond lines. Robin Trower ably followed along with his bandmates' style-hopping, while remaining a bluesman at heart.

The band's ace in the hole was lyricist Keith Reid, whose literate and uniformly excellent lyrics put this band head and shoulders above the other bands of the era, who tended toward hippy-dippy love and sunshine lyrics that were dated the minute they hit the shelf. Reid's lyrics stand the test of time, as evidenced by the outstanding "A Christmas Camel."

The 4-star rating is only in comparison to this band's other fine work. If it was by anybody else I would give it 5 stars, but Procol Harum was about to begin a sequence of themed albums that focused their talents and found even greater rewards.