Procol Harum [Import, Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

Procol Harum | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 9, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered, Extra tracks
• Label: SALVO
• ASIN: B001V6PSSG
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,459 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #45 in Music > World Music > Europe > British Isles > Britain
  • #96 in Music > Classic Rock > Psychedelic Rock

Editorial Reviews

2009 digitally remastered and expended deluxe edition of the British band's 1967 debut album including 11 bonus tracks. Procol Harum's eponymous long-playing debut is here augmented by the inclusion of the timeless 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', the follow-up smash 'Homburg' and a variety of rare and previously unreleased cuts selected by Gary Brooker. If any song can be said to encapsulate an era - to immediately conjure up the sights, sounds and smells of a particular time - then 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' is surely that song. For a whole generation 'AWSOP' remains the emblematic anthem of that Summer of Love. And even now, 40 years on, the song remains a haunting tale of mystery and imagination. 21 tracks. Salvo.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expanded Reissue of a Millennial Classic, August 17, 2009

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Procol Harum (Audio CD)

Like many others, I own this album in seemingly countless formats. So why buy it again? The answer is that the quality of the remastering is so good here that it would be a sin not to. This Salvo reissue of Procol Harum's debut album is a desert-island essential and is a recording that will likely be around long after much other modern music is lost in the mists of time.
Why is this album so important? Its because Procol Harum's debut represents the best example of successful fusion of the blues rock idiom of popular music with classical themes. Listen not just to their massive hit A Whiter Shade of Pale but also such pieces as Repent Walpurgis and you will hear how the the music of the band is imbued with the classics.
I have always liked this entire album and never has a reissue of it sounded better than it does here. Many people don't know that AWSoP was not on the original UK release of the album but added for US release. Here you hear the original as it was released plus other recordings of the band roughly contemporary to the original album. Among the extras, I most enjoy AWSoP naturally, but also both versions of Homburg, the previously unreleased Understandably Blue, Alpha, and Conquistador.
If you ever liked Procol Harum on any level, you should acquire your own copy of this album. Not only do you get more than 72 minutes of excellent music, but the reissue is housed in an impressive gatefold digipak and is accompanied by a meaty booklet that contains pertinent album information, pictures, and lots of interesting information about the early formations of the band. This is one CD that is worth every penny paid, get it while it is still available in this format.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent remasters, July 7, 2009

By 

William M. Feagin "A thousand miles can lead ... (Salem, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Procol Harum (Audio CD)

This is the first of 4 (so far) Procol Harum remasters offered by Salvo, and a most welcome product it is, too. This is the original mono release of Procol's '67 debut with 11 bonus tracks added, including the non-LP singles "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Procol's signature song), "Homburg" and "Lime Street Blues" and several outtakes, five of which are in stereo. All are essential to understanding the genesis of Procol Harum; a really lovely bonus is the Italian single "Il Tuo Diamante" ("Shine on Brightly" in Italian) and the rare pink-washed album cover, also Italian. A must-have for any Procol fan, and for any serious music collector.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Has Never Sounded Better!, June 16, 2009

By 

Morten Vindberg (Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Procol Harum (Audio CD)

Procol Harum has deservedly been hailed a classic many times, and it is no surprise that there is demand for the optimal sound on these timeless recordings. Salvo has rteally done an excellent job and in my ears, these numbers never sounded better. The singles "A White Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" with b-sides are, of course, along with other interesting bonus tracks, several of which has never previously been published.

An early instrumental version of the hit, "Pandora's Box" is a bit of a finding. The same applies to "Understandably Blue" - a ballad by Gary Brooker which has never previously published. "Alpha" is a fine blues out-take and certainly a worthy addition.

Fine informative liner-notes.