Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Procol who?, April 26, 2007
The year of 1967 was an incredible year for music. You had Disraeli Gears, Sgt. Peppers, The Doors, and many other amazing albums. Oh and you also get "A Whiter Shade of Pale" released by Procol Harum. Procol Harum is one of those forgotten bands of the 60's, lost in the big names of the Beatles, Stones, and The Who. But they should not be forgotten and what better way to commemorate them by picking up "A Whiter Shade of Pale" which happens to be one of the finest albums, dare i say, ever made.
It starts off with the classic song "A Whiter Shade of Pale" which sounds like church with all the organs played beautifully by Matthew Fisher. And those lyrics, simply majestic, Keith Reid ( who wrote all of Procol's material ) is one of the finest lyricist of all time. His words are pure poetry.
After the majestic "A Whiter Shade of Pale" we dive into the rest of the album which is also incredibly good and not just filler as some people tend to think. "Conquistador" is probably the second best track behind the opener. I also love the bass on that song. "She Wandered Through the Garden Fence" is alot of fun to listen to with lyrics that are really catchy. "Something Following Me" is more serious in tone but the lyrics once again are incredible as is the arrangement. "Mabel" is definetly a nod to Bob Dylan, "Cerdes ( Outside the Gates ) is probably the darkest song on the album but still magnificent. "A Christmas Camel" has a tone very similiar to Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man". If there were any throwaways on this album it would be the next three "Kaleidoscope", "Salad Days", and "Good Captain Clack" but none of these songs are terrible and still manage to be listenable. The album closes on the instrumental "Repent Walpurgis" which is eerie but magnificent.
But that's not all. You also get 4 bonus songs which include two okay ones ( Limestreet Blues and Monseigneur Armand ) and two fantastic ones ( Homburg and Seem To Have The Blues All The Time.) The latter of the two includes my favorite lyric of the album "Well I owed a lot of money/I was weak and easily led/I tried to rob a bank/ The cashier shot me dead".
You may have not heard of this album, this group, or even the title song but if you like classic rock or just good music in general. Give this band a try. They might suprise you.
|
|
|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great rock albums!, February 28, 2007
Ketih Reid, Procol Harum's lyricist, labels this album the best the group produced, and who am I to disagree? Listening to the album tonight, almost four decades since I was enthralled by the album as a teenager, I am amazed at its durable quality. I listen to only a few rock albums of my youth, but none more than this one. The combination of stunningly vivid and eloquent lyrics, fabulous keyboard and lead guitar playing, and wonderful variations on great themes from classical music make this album one of my favorites of all time. Thirty-nine years on, this album thrills me very time I listen to it.
|
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much more than just "A Whiter Shade of Pale", July 28, 1998
By A Customer
PH's debut album was supposedly rather hastily cut, but you would never know it by listening (mono recording notwithstanding); aside from the Title track (which wasn't even actually on the original Deram label PH debut LP), there are moments on this album that hold up so well today that they really make you wonder why this group never achieved the kind of stature their talent obviously merited. Give a listen to (Outside the Gates of) Cerdes (arguably the finest cut on the disc) and you'll hear it all: top-of-the-line vocals and piano work by Brooker; the haunting Hammond organ of Matthew Fisher; the emerging brilliance of Robin Tower on guitar; the trademark mythological-lyrical poetry of wordsmith Keith Reid. This cut alone is worth the price of the disc and tells much of the PH story in a remarkably succinct manner. Then there is "A Christmas Camel"; the original (and much more interesting) version of "Conquistador" and, among others, the wonderful! concluding instrumental, "Repent Walpurgis" (I heard PH perform this live in Columbus, Ohio back in '70; the episode still lingers as one of the strangest and most chilling musical moments I have ever known). If you are at all interested in PH's music, this disc is the place to start and one should plan to tarry here for quite a while. Put it in your basket.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Procol Harum
~ Procol Harum
~ Procol Harum
~ King Crimson
by Procol Harum 
