Customer Reviews

A Whiter Shade of Pale

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

John Lennon's favorite album to get high to features two truly great church-organ-rock-style songs, the title track and "Homburg." They just don't make 'em like this anymore, with such attempts at sophistication. Many of the other tracks are worthwhile too.

"A Whiter Shade Of Pale" (1967) was a remarkable debut, standing tall even in an era that produced many striking - and classic - debuts. For awhile Procol Harum, with their two keyboard lineup and restrained, trenchant guitar work, were seen as a British equivalent to The Band, though the latter group's star has more or less continued to shine on brightly since its breakup while Procol has been somewhat forgotton aside from their classic debut single. Which is unfortunate, for Procol Harum's influence on other bands is undeniable, from Pete Townshend's comment that 'In Held 'Twas I' inspired "Tommy" to the music's obvious impact on later 'prog' rockers such as Genesis. For a real treat, check out Alex Chilton's stunning Memphis-inflected interpretation of 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' from the Box Tops' "The Letter/Neon Rainbow" (reissued by Sundazed).
Procol and The Band shared a close timeline (1967 to 1977, or '78 in The Band's case), and yet like The Band Procol Harum had been around for several years in other incarnations. Gary Brooker was leading The Paramounts by 1962, a popular r & b band (featuring other future PH members) much admired by their peers (including The Rolling Stones, a relationship that led to Gary Brooker's involvement with Bill Wyman's post-Stones project The Rhythm Kings some 35 years later). Procol Harum sublimated their love of r& b and soul music, making it one more ingredient in a fresh and original musicasl sensibility that, (sorry) like The Band's on "Big Pink", seemed to have appeared all but fully formed when their first record was issued. With the great B.J. Wilson not yet fully integrated into the band this debut has never been among my top 3 favorite PH albums, but the originality of the songs, sense of style, and confidence are already quite evident.
Procol Harum's catalog has been reissued on CD since the late '90s. Repertoire's editions are noteable for their elegant digipaks that more or less faithfully reproduce the original artwork and include notes by Chris Welch. However, if you are considering investing in the Procol Harum catalog the Westside label issued superbly mastered editions of the first four albums during 1997 - 99. These generally have more bonus tracks than the Repertoires, as well as interesting notes (Henry Scott-Irvine) and memorabilia. Since this is the Repertoire edition, I'll mention the bonus tracks on the Westside label's CD of "Procol Harum":
'A Whiter Shade Of Pale (single version)'
'Lime Street Blues'
'Homburg' (single version)
'Salad Days (early alternate version)'
'Mabel (early undubbed version)'
'Cerdes (early alternate version)'
'Something Following Me (early alternate version)'
'Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) (original version)'
'Quite Rightly So (early alternate version)'
'Shine On Brightly (early alternate version)'
All tracks, again, are in mono excepting three of the bonus alternates.

This album is a blast back to the ever-changing soundtrack of my youth. Of course, I had this on 8-track, and that, coupled with the poor mono mix of the time, made a somewhat muddy listening experience, but the great music came shining brightly through. This is a great piece of work...

The CD is just as I remember the album from waaaaay back in the late 60's. It's great! Plus, the 4 bonus tracks were a pleasant surprise.

This ia a great album that deserved to be put on CD a lot sooner. The original album artwork is a plus. Any fan of Procol Harum needs to have this in their collection.

this is one of the most perfect cds i have ever heard, as far as debuts go, it is second only to the Velvet Underground and Nico. Where has Procol Harum been my whole life? I never heard about them until rolling stone mag celebrated the 40 year anniversary of the summer of love on amazon by listing the 40 essential albums from 1967. this is one of the best cds i have ever listened to, every note is perfect, why weren't these guys more famous?

Good music but I didn't understand the lyrics. I bought this for the song "A Whiter Shade of Pale", but I found that there were many more songs that caught my ear. The only thing that could have made it better is if it had been stereo. It stillsounded good though.