Customer Reviews

A Salty Dog

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With many others, I believe that this album is one of the great and musically lasting achievements of the late 1960's explosion of rock forays into other genres and, in this instance, is almost sui generis. The melodies are, in and of themselves, gorgeous, with nary a track having the same rhythm or even instrumentation as the one before or after it. I write less to persuade, however, but rather simply to praise the remastering job. I have a German remastered CD and a recent Japanese K2HD coding remaster, which both have excellent sound, but this remastering outdoes this them. Outside of expensive remasters by Steve Hoffman (first for DCC and now for Audio Fidelity) and a few instances by Mobile Fidelity, I have never heard a redbook (i.e. plain vanilla) CD sound both so warm and yet so sonically detailed. The tracks with the full orchestra and band together are a bit less impressive from a sonic perspective but that is due only to the limitations of the available tracks and "pinging" in the recording studio at the time, and I doubt that they can be further improved with any method. The care that Salvo took, in both the remastering as well as the packaging, is especially surprising and praiseworthy in this day of reduced iPod sound. My highest recommendation.

After many horrible attempts to improve the original mix through remastering somebody finally got it right.

A Salty Dog was the last Procol Harum album to feature the original 5-piece line-up. Compared to the previous two, which were very much dominated by Gary Booker's songs and vocals ( not a negative thing at all ), more space is given to guitarist Robin Trower and organist Matthew Fisher.

Robin Trower debuts as leadsinger on his own "Crucifiction Lane" and he wrote "Juicy John Pink" - both songs show the roots of Procol Harum as a tight r&b band. Trower also co-wrote the acoustic "Too Much Between Us" with Brooker - beautifully sung by Brooker, by the way.

Matthew Fisher produced the album, and arranged the orchestra for three of the songs - most note-worthy the title track, which is one of the greatest songs ever written and recorded.

Compared to Brooker's Fisher's voice may appear somewhat thin, but he sings his two songs "Wreck of the Hesperus" and "Pilgrim's Progress" beautifully, and both songs fit in nicely on the album. "Pilgrim's Progress" bears big resemblance to the classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale".

The charming "Boredom" with its Carribean rhythms is a Brooker/Fisher collaboration, adding to the great variety in styles which characterize the album.

Apart from the unique "A Salty Dog", the album features another Brooker classic "All This and More" - classic Procol Harum sound. Inspiration from the Band's recently released "Music From Big Pink", shines through on "The Milk of Human Kindness". The Band was a big inspiration for Procol Harum. "The Devil Came From Kansas" is one of the few tracks I often consider skipping over - too heavy and noisy; seems somewhat out of place on the album.

Much better is the B-side "Long Gone Geek"; another heavy thing, which sounds inspired by The Small Faces or Humble Pie.

Among the bonus-track there are 4 rare live-tracks from a 1969 April tour in the States. Great to hear the original band live - again their r&b roots shine through.

With this album you could say that the band scored a natural hat trick; having their debut and "Shine on Brightly" in mind.

One of the coolest album covers around is what originally prompted me to buy this album forty years ago and the quality of what's inside has kept me buying every "improvement" since then. Only this time there really is an improvement, both in presentation and in the all-important sound quality.
Salvo Records has embarked on the ambitious project of remastering and re-releasing every Procol Harum album from the first through at least Something Magic. In the process of doing so, it is also providing the buyer with quality packaging and an informative booklet with each reissue. A Salty Dog is the third in what has so far proven to be a remarkable series.
What I like most on A Salty Dog has changed over the years as my musical tastes have shifted and matured. My favorites are all now crammed on to what was side 2 of the LP: the epic Wreck of the Hesperus, the gritty All This and More, the raw Crucifiction Lane, and the dream-like Pilgrim's Progress. As much as I like Gary Brooker's voice, it was both Matthew Fisher and Robin Trower who gave the Procol Harum sound a fresh new feel on this album.
On the bonus tracks, Long Gone Geek sounds as good as it ever has despite that it is not one of my favorites. My favorite is Goin' Down Slow, the performance of which PROVES that Procol Harum is the equal of any of its contemporaries in the blues arena. I also enjoy the live versions of Juicy John Pink and Crucifiction Lane, which highlight the rising guitar prowess of Robin Trower.
Whether you are one of the old fans or new to the band, it seems that the Salvo reissues are going to set the standard. So I would recommend getting A Salty Dog and the rest of them while they are available at a great price. The CD is handsomely packaged in a tri-fold digipak and comes with an informative booklet that contains tidbits about the band, commentary on the songs, pertinent album info, and lots of pictures. Don't miss it!

I have nothing to add about the packaging, booklet or top-notch remastering that the other reviewers have so accurately covered. I just want to amplify what the others have only hinted about the bonus tracks Live In The USA, April 1969...PLEASE RELEASE THE ENTIRE CONCERT ASAP, THEY SOUND AWESOME! Man, Procol Harum didn't just cut it live, they BURN BRIGHTLY (and could also skip softly) MY FELLOW MOONBEAMS!!! You WILL be impressed......

They found and used the flat master to re-master and results are excellent. Stay away from all other re-issues on this album unless your intent is to compress to a MP3 mid bit level file...

"A Salty Dog" original release date May 1969.
This is music for headphones and a certain state of mind. And if you think that is pretentious, just listen to the album, then decide.
Personal favourite tracks.
A Salty Dog.
The Wreck of the Hesperus.
Pilgrim's Progress.
Boredom.
If on liking this album, I would recommend their eponymous first album and, "Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra", which in my opinion includes the best live track ever, "Conquistador".

40 years later, I still would place this album in my top ten of all time. Such a rich and varied album. Every song so distinct, yet it fits and flows gorgeously, and rocks, too: dirty, bluesy and funny.

Since so many have gone on and on about the fantastic opening title track, let's consider the second and the third. The Milk of Human Kindness begins with each instrument introduced solo -- piano, organ, guitar, until the star of the song, BJ Wilson's genius stop-&-start drumming, takes over and rides over and under Trower's psych-tone & textured guitar and lets Brooker's pounded-note piano surface occasionally to great effect. Great, great number.

Then Too Much Between Us switches the feeling so tenderly, with a vocal that's hard to believe is the same Gary B as the two songs before it. And that's the same guitarist? It is absolute gossamer. What is the instrument chiming like bells -- piano, vibes? Who cares? A third great number in a row.

And each to follow changes tone, style, thought so challengingly, rewardingly, originally and intelligently: the Caribbean bounce of Boredom, the gritty Juicy John Pink, the majestic Wreck of the Hesperus, the astonishing Trower vocal on Crucifiction Lane, the lovely closing of the circle on Pilgrim's Progress, Matthew Fisher's last hurrah in PH, as vocalist and organist, before handing the outro to Brooker's piano, Wilson's drumming, the flight of the vocals, the chiming of the bell and your own handclaps.

Since the following albums never really came close to this kind of sustained majesty again, much of the credit must go to organist Matthew Fisher who produced it, and then departed, as well as Brooker, whose unique vocals have always the marquee sound of Procol Harum, but who never sounded better than this, and Keith Reid's lyrics, bringing, as always, his completely unique approach to rock thought, but never as universal as on this album.

With Fisher's departure, the beginning of the long, slow, but slight, end commences. There were still years of grandeur to follow, but this was their peak. This album's ten tracks come together as a beautifully concise dose of greatness. You can and should find out for yourself. If you're at all interested in the possibilities of rock fulfilled, you'd be foolish not to.

The added tracks and terrific sound make this a worthwhile purchase for those who already know and love the work (especially the lyric-less version of Milk of Human Kindness), but the original album has never sounded less than revelatory to me these past decades. Now it just sounds better than ever.

This is a great album, made better by the bonus tracks. The production (and orchestration) by Matthew Fisher is flawless. The title track is a haunting and atmospheric song of the sea. The keyboards (both Brooker's piano & Fisher's Hammond) are sublime, Keith Reid's lyrics are simultaneously witty, scholary and raunchy. Robin Trower shows why he was regarded by many as a natural heir to Jimi, and Gary Brooker's vocals make you wonder how the hell he was overlooked while the likes of Rod Stewart were held in such critical awe for so long. The album cover (a brilliant spoof of the old Player's Navy Cut cigarette pack) is one of the most iconic of the sixties. But thats not what this review is about. No, this review is about Barrie Wilson's drumming. The late Barrie (BJ) Wilson was in my opinion the best of the five best drummers of the rock era - you don't want to know the other four (oh okay then, its John Bonham, John Densmore, Topper Headon and Dave Mattacks). Good drummers keep the beat almsost unobtrusively - they drive the rhythm, and that's it, but when BJ plays you find yourself listening to the drums like they were a lead instrument, with no detriment to the rest of the track. His drumming quite literally punctuates Procol's melodic and lyrical masterpieces. Listen for example to "The Milk Of Human Kindness" (and the bonus "raw" track) - I defy you not to anticipate every across the beat hit he makes. Apparently he used to sit side on to the drum-kit, leading one reviewer of a Procol gig to comment that BJ looked like an "octopus in the bath" while drumming - what a great image!
Hail to the drummer; Barrie Wilson - powerhouse behind the kit.

Procol Harum's body of work stands out as one of the most creative of late 60's and early 70's. Any one of their albums is worth a listen, but I retain a soft spot for 'A Salty Dog'. The title song is (in my opinion) unique in their catalog, sounding like it could have been pulled from a 19th century musical, a wonderful track--- and from there you travel from one interesting song to another. Other favorites include 'Too much Sea Between Us, 'The Devil Came From Kansas, 'The Wreck of the Hesparus'. I rate the album as a 4 because not all tracks are classics---but it's hard to see going wrong with any of Procol Harum's work. They were always inventive. A worthwhile addition to anyone interested in British bands of the sixties/seventies.