Pop & Miscellaneous

Procol Harum - A Salty Dog (1969)

2010-03-19T23:44:59Z

Procol Harum - A Salty Dog (1969)


1. A Salty Dog (4:41) 
2. The Milk of Human Kindness (3:47) 
3. Too Much Between Us (3:45) 
4. The Devil Came from Kansas (4:38) 
5. Boredom (4:34) 
6. Juicy John Pink [Mono Version] (2:08) 
7. Wreck of the Hesperus (3:49) 
8. All This and More (3:52) 
9. Crucifiction Lane (5:03) 
10. Pilgrims Progress (4:32)

Total Time: 40:18

Line-up / Musicians
- Gary Brooker / lead vocals, piano, celeste, 3 string guitar, bells, harmonica, recorders, woods
- Matthew Fisher / organ, backing vocals, marimba, acoustic & electric rhythm guitars, piano, recorders
- Dave Knights / bass
- Keith Reid / words
- Robin Trower / acoustic & lead guitars, backing vocals, sleigh tambourine
- Barrie James Wilson / drums, tabla, congas

This album, the group's third, was where they showed just how far their talents extended across the musical landscape, from blues to R&B to classical rock. In contrast to their hastily recorded debut, or its successor, done to stretch their performance and composition range, A Salty Dog was recorded in a reasonable amount of time, giving the band a chance to fully develop their ideas. The title track is one of the finest songs ever to come from Procol Harum and one of the best pieces of progressive rock ever heard, and a very succinct example at that at under five minutes running time -- the lyric and the music combine to form a perfect mood piece, and the performance is bold and subtle at once, in the playing and the singing, respectively. The range of sounds on the rest includes "Juicy John Pink," a superb piece of pre-World War II-style country blues, while "Crucifiction Lane" is a killer Otis Redding-style soul piece, and "Pilgrim's Progress" is a virtuoso keyboard workout. [A Salty Dog was reissued by Repertoire Records in 1997 with enhanced sound and the lost B-side "Long Gone Geek," a Robin Trower guitar workout par excellence.] ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

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Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967/1997)

2010-05-26T09:26:19Z

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967/1997)


01. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Brooker - Reid) - 4:03
02. Conquistador (Brooker - Reid) - 2:37
03. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence (Brooker - Reid) - 3:23
04. Something Following Me (Brooker - Reid) - 3:36
05. Mabel (Brooker - Reid) - 1:51
06. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) (Brooker - Reid) - 4:58
07. A Christmas Camel (Brooker - Reid) - 4:47
08. Kaleidoscope (Brooker - Reid) - 2:53
09. Salad Days (Are Here Again) (Brooker - Reid) - 3:37
10. Good Captain Clack (Brooker - Reid) - 1:29
11. Repent Walpurgis (Fisher) - 5:00
Bonuses:
12. Lime Street Blues (Single, 1967) (Brooker - Reid) - 2:57
13. Homburg (Single, 1967) (Brooker - Reid) - 3:53
14. Monsieur Armand (Rare track from compilation album "Rock Roots", 1967) (Brooker - Reid) - 2:22
15. Seem To Have The Blues All The Time (Rare track from compilation album "Rock Roots", 1967) (Brooker - Reid) - 2:44

Personnel:
- Matthew Fisher – organ
- Dave Knights – bass guitar
- B.J. Wilson – drums
- Robin Trower – guitar
- Gary Brooker – piano and vocals
- Keith Reid – lyrics
+
- Ray Royer (in place of Trower) – guitar on 1
- Bill Eyden (in place of Wilson) – drums on 1

Procol Harum's debut album is amazingly engaging, considering that it was rushed out to capitalize on the hit title track. The material was all already written (before the hit, in fact), but the group recorded the LP in just two days, simply to get a long-player out, and came up with one of the more pleasingly straightforward releases in their history. The range of sounds here is the widest ever heard on one of the group's albums -- "A Christmas Camel" isn't that far from the old Paramounts, the group tackling a sound inspired by Bob Dylan (and derived specifically from his "Ballad of a Thin Man"), while "Salad Days" and "Kaleidoscope" are hard-driven psychedelic rockers, stripped down to the basics, with no pretensions. "Conquistador" was the "lost" single off the album, finally released years later in its live orchestrated version, but much more intense in this original version, which has never gotten the respect it deserves. In between those are pub songs, novelty tunes, and one Matthew Fisher instrumental excursion, "Repent Walpurgis," that became the finale for the group's shows for years to come. Originally released under the title "Procol Harum," the British version of the LP didn't contain the hit. In 1997, Repertoire Records reissued this album -- retitled A Whiter Shade of Pale -- in remastered state of the art sound, with four bonus tracks, including a pair of harder blues-based numbers by the band from 1967. ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

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Procol Harum - Grand Hotel (1973)

2010-05-26T09:28:50Z

Procol Harum - Grand Hotel (1973)


1. Grand Hotel - 6:09
2. Toujours L'Amour - 3:29
3. A Rum Tale - 3:18
4. TV Caesar - 5:50
5. A Souvenir Of London - 3:19
6. Bringing Home The Bacon - 4:18
7. For Liquorice John - 4:23
8. Fires (Which Burnt Brightly) - 5:07
9. Robert's Box - 4:42

Personnel:
- Gary Brooker - piano and vocals
- Alan Cartwright - basses
- Chris Copping - organ
- B.J. Wilson - drums, percussion, mandoline
- Mick Grabham - electric guitar
- Keith Reid - lyrics

Procol Harum's first album for Chrysalis, Grand Hotel, found the band returning to the grandeur of earlier works such as Shine on Brightly and Salty Dog. Robin Trower's replacement Mick Grabham is capable, even powerful, but not nearly as distinctive as his predecessor; consequently, the material tends to rely more on ornate arrangements than guitar riffs, making this somewhat more dignified than either of their previous studio albums, Home and Broken Barricades. Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid step up with strong material, notably the title track, "Toujours L'Amour," and "Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)." While the keyboard and orchestra-based arrangements harken back to earlier triumphs, the lyrics deal less with whaling stories than with social commentary; "A Souvenir of London" is about social diseases, with "T.V. Caesar" about the pervasive influence of television. ---James A. Gardner, AllMusic Review

Od wielkiego sukcesu piosenki „Whiter Shade of Pale” minęło prawie 6 lat. Formuła, którą wtedy wymyślili – czyli jak połączyć muzykę klasyczną z rockiem i rhythm’n’bluesem okazała się bardzo nośna, rozwojowa , do tego znalazła wielu naśladowców.

Kolejne płyty Procol Harum pokazały, że zespół nie spoczął na laurach i cały czas miał sporo do powiedzenia – na drugiej płycie przedstawił jedna z pierwszych rockowych suit wszechczasów (pierwszą albo drugą, a może trzecią) - „In Held Twas in I”, tak zwaną Kantatę. Potem była nieco nierówna „Salty Dog” – z wieloma pięknymi fragmentami – tytułowy, „Pilgrim Progress”, „Wreck of Hesprus” i spora dawka słabizny, bardzo piękna, acz bardzo ponura „Home” i dziwna „Broken Barricades” – dziwna , bo zdominowana przez gitarzystę Robina Trowera – był to ostry gitarowy rock, a typowego brzmienia dla Procol Harum było jak na lekarstwo. Bardziej wypadałoby to uznać za pierwszą solową płytę Trowera, niż kolejną zespołu. Aha, w międzyczasie odszedł człowiek, uważany za głównego twórcę klasycznego brzmienia zespołu – organista Matthew Fisher. Trower też nie czuł się już dobrze w zespole. Chciał grać coś zupełnie innego i tez nie długo potem pożegnał kolegów.

A koledzy postanowili zafundować sobie trasę koncertową z udziałem orkiestry symfonicznej, no może nie jednej, a kilku, w zależności, gdzie koncertowali, to zapraszali tą , która była najbliżej. Pomysł już wtedy nie nowy i niezbyt oryginalny, ale w tym wypadku sprawdził się w stu procentach. I to pod każdym względem. Zostało to udokumentowane jednym z najlepszych albumów koncertowych wszechczasów – „Live with The Edmonton Symphonic Orchestra” (znane też pod skrócona nazwą Live with ESO”), poza tym płyta odniosła wielki sukces komercyjny, osiągając miejsce piąte na liście Billboardu. Tak więc zespół był ewidentnie „na fali”. Powoli zaczął stabilizować się skład – nowym gitarzystą został Mick Grabham.

Nagrywanie materiału na nowy album zaczęto w kwietniu 1972, a płyta „Grand Hotel” ukazała się w marcu 1973 roku. Słuchając jej nie ma się wrażenia, że trwało to zbyt długo. Album dopracowany został w każdym szczególe, zaangażowano również orkiestrę i chór. Na pewno dużo czasu wymagało, aby zabrzmiało to tak jak powinno.

Secesyjna szata graficzna - te fraki, cylindry, eleganckie, białe muchy, białe koszule, a jakże. Na okładce uwieczniono zespół przed ekskluzywnym hotelem, położonym nad jeziorem Lemańskim. Do tego liternictwo też z epoki. I muzyka również – w najbardziej znanym utworze z tej płyty – tytułowym „Grand Hotel” - pobrzmiewają cytaty z romansu cygańskiego. Nastrój dekadencji i kabaretów – fin de siecle . Wielu recenzentów podkreślało, że to bardzo europejska płyta (w pojęciu Europy kontynentalnej, która dla wielu Brytyjczyków jest zupełnie inną częścią świata niż Zjednoczone Królestwo). Pewnie za te opinie najbardziej odpowiedzialny był utwór „Fires (Which Burn Brightly)” z gościnnym udziałem Christianne Legrand, wokalistki „Swingle Singers”, siostry Michella Legranda. I chyba jest to najlepszy utwór na tej płycie, a partia wokalna wspomnianej Christianne to najbardziej porywający fragment tej płyty. Mógłby stanowić motyw przewodni do jakiegoś filmu Claude’a Lelouche’a – tak też pisano.

Najbardziej spójny, najbardziej dopracowany (żeby nie powiedzieć „dopieszczony”). Jak na żadnej poprzedniej – na nim najbardziej dominuje to „klasyczne” brzmienie. Chyba najlepszy. ---Wojciech Kapała, artrock.pl

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Procol Harum - Procol Harum (1967)

2009-10-13T20:24:56Z

Procol Harum - Procol Harum (1967)


1. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
2. Conquistador
3. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence
4. Something Following Me
5. Mabel
6. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of)
7. A Christmas Camel
8. Kaleidoscope
9. Salad Days (Are Here Again)
10. Good Captain
11. Repent Walpurgis

Gary Brooker – vocals, piano
Matthew Fisher –Hammond organ
Robin Trower – guitar
David Knights –bass guitar
B.J. Wilson – drums
+
Ray Royer – guitar (1)
Bill Eyden – drums (1)

Procol Harum's self-titled, debut album bombed in England, appearing six months after "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" with neither hit song on it. The LP was successful in America, where albums sold more easily, but especially since it did include "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and was reissued with a sticker emphasizing the presence of the original "Conquistador," a re-recording which became a hit in 1972. The music is an engaging meld of psychedelic rock, blues, and classical influences, filled with phantasmagorical lyrics, bold (but not flashy) organ by Matthew Fisher, and Robin Trower's most tasteful and restrained guitar. "Conquistador," "Kaleidoscope," "A Christmas Camel," and the Bach-influenced "Repent Walpurgis" are superb tracks, and "Good Captain Clack" is great, almost Kinks-like fun. Not everything here works, but it holds up better than most psychedelic or progressive rock. ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

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Procol Harum – Greatest Hits 1967-2003 (2011)

2011-05-17T15:03:54Z

Procol Harum – Greatest Hits 1967-2003 (2011)

CD1
01. Beyond The Pale
02. An Old English Dream
03. Wizard Man
04. As Strong As Samson
05. Drunk Again
06. Eight Days A Week
07. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
08. The Question
09. The Truth Won't Fade Away
10. The Blink Of An Eye
11. I Keep Forgetting
12. Pandora's Box				play
13. Every Dog Will Have His Day
14. Weisselklenzenacht
15. Fools Gold
16. Fellow Travellors
17. Fresh Fruit
18. Holding On
19. Memorial Drive

CD2
01. Learn To Fly
02. New Lamps for the Old
03. Monsieur R Monde
04. One More Time
05. Nothing But The Truth
06. Perpetual Motion
07. Roberts Box
08. Shadow Boxed
09. Something Magic
10. The Vip Room
11. This World Is Rich
12. Wall Street Blues
13. A Dream In Ev'ry Home
14. Without A Doubt
15. A Robe Of Silk
16. All Our Dreams Are Sold
17. The Final Thrust
18. A Whiter Shade Of Pale		play
19. Wish Me Well

CD3
01. Man With A Mission
02. Poor Mohammed
03. The Idol
04. (You Can't) Turn Back The Page
05. Toujours L'Amour
06. A Christmas Camel
07. The Mark Of The Claw
08. The Unquiet Zone
09. Typewriter Torment
10. Rambling On
11. Whaling Stories
12. Bringing Home The Bacon
13. Luskus Delph
14. Butterfly Boys
15. Conquistador			play
16. Pilgrim's Progress
17. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
18. Quite Rightly So

This soulful progressive rock band was originally formed in Essex, England following the demise of the R&B pop unit, the Paramounts. Coming together in spring 1967, Gary Brooker (29 May 1945, Hackney, London, England; piano/vocals), Matthew Fisher (b. 7 March 1946, Addiscombe, Croydon, Surrey, England; organ), Bobby Harrison (b. 22 June 1939, East Ham, London, England; drums), Ray Royer (b. 8 October 1945, the Pinewoods, Essex, England; guitar) and Dave Knights (b. David John Knights, 28 June 1945, Islington, London, England; bass) teamed up with lyricist Keith Reid (b. 19 October 1946, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England), and made their debut with the ethereal ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, one of the biggest successes of 1967. The single has now achieved classic status with continuing sales that now run to many millions. The long haunting Bach-influenced introduction takes the listener through a sequence of completely surreal lyrics, which epitomized the ‘Summer Of Love’. ‘We skipped the light fandango, turned cart-wheels across the floor, I was feeling kind of seasick, the crowd called out for more’.

By the time of their hastily thrown together debut album (only recorded in mono), the band was falling apart. Harrison and Royer departed to form Freedom and were immediately replaced with Brooker’s former colleagues B.J. Wilson (b. Barrie James Wilson, 18 March 1947, Edmonton, London, England, d. 8 October 1990, Eugene, Oregon, USA) and Robin Trower (b. 9 March 1945, Catford, London, England), respectively. Nevertheless, the band enjoyed further success when ‘Homburg’ followed ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ into the UK Top 10. The particularly strong third album A Salty Dog, with its classic John Player cigarette pack cover and lyrics that illustrated Reid’s love for imaginary tales of seafaring, was released in 1969 to critical acclaim. The title track and ‘The Devil Came From Kansas’ were two of their finest songs.

Fisher and Knights departed in 1969, and the circle was completed when Chris Copping (b. 29 August 1945, Middleton, Lancashire, England; organ/bass) became the last remaining former member of the Paramounts to join. He made his recording debut on the following year’s Home. On Broken Barricades (1971), in particular, Trower’s Jimi Hendrix -influenced guitar patterns began to give the band a heavier image that was not compatible with Reid’s introspective fantasy sagas. This was resolved by Trower’s departure, to join Frankie Miller in Jude, and following the recruitment of Dave Ball (b. David Ball, 30 March 1950, Handsworth, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) and the addition of Alan Cartwright (b. 10 October 1945, England; bass), the band pursued a more symphonic direction. The success of 1972’s Live: In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was unexpected. It marked a surge in popularity, not seen since the band’s early days. The album contained strong versions of ‘Conquistador’ and ‘A Salty Dog’, and was a Top 5, million-selling album in the USA.

Further line-up changes ensued with Ball departing and Mick Grabham (b. 22 January 1948, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England; ex-Cochise) joining in 1972. This line-up became their most stable and they enjoyed a successful and busy four years during which time they released three albums. Grand Hotel (1973) was the most rewarding, although both the following had strong moments. ‘Nothing But The Truth’ and ‘The Idol’ were high points of 1974’s Exotic Birds And Fruit, while ‘Pandora’s Box’ was the jewel on the following year’s Procol’s Ninth, giving the band another surprise hit single. Pete Solley (b. 19 October 1948, England) was then brought in to replace Copping, but by the time Something Magic was released in 1977 the musical climate had dramatically changed and Procol Harum were one of the first casualties of the punk and new wave movement. Having had a successful innings Gary Brooker initiated a farewell tour and Procol Harum quietly disappeared.

In August 1991, Brooker, Trower, Fisher and Reid got back together, with Mark Brzezicki (b. 21 June 1957, Slough, Buckinghamshire, England; ex-Big Country) replacing the recently deceased Wilson. Unlike many re-formed ‘dinosaurs’ the result was a well-received album The Prodigal Stranger, which achieved minimal sales. The revamped Procol Harum continued to perform throughout the decade, and in 2002 Brooker, Reid and Fisher returned to the studio to record a new album. Together with Brzezicki, Geoff Whitehorn (guitar) and Matt Pegg (bass), they released the excellent The Well’s On Fire in 2003. Fisher’s subseqeunt departure left Brooker as the sole remaining original performing member. The two men then became involved in an acrimonious dispute over the songwriting credits for ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, with Fisher claiming co-writing copyright. In December 2006, he was awarded co-authorship and 40% of the copyright, but an appeal by Brooker resulted in him retaining full royalty rights. ---oldies.com

Procol Harum – brytyjska grupa rockowa grająca progresywny rock. Założona została we wczesnych latach sześćdziesiątych przez Garry'ego Brookera i Keitha Reida jako zespół grający rhythm and blues, pod wyraźnym wpływem amerykańskiego zespołu The Band. Grupa nigdy nie wyzbyła się swych korzeni i typowe dla R&B brzmienie towarzyszyło jej zawsze. Początkowo grali w lokalnych klubach repertuar taneczny. Przełomem było wydanie w 1967 pierwszego singla, który zawierał przebój A Whiter Shade of Pale (co na polski nieściśle przetłumaczono jako "Bielszy odcień bieli"). Od tego czasu zespół cieszył się niesłabnącą popularnością przez następne dziesięciolecie. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" był w istocie luźną rockową adaptacją "Arii na strunę G" Bacha. Kolejne przeboje były już w pełni autorstwa grupy, a w zasadzie spółki Brooker–Reid. Do najbardziej znanych należą: "Conquistador", "Shine on Brightly", "A Salty Dog", "Whisky Train", "Whaling Stories", "Simple Sister", "Grand Hotel", "Pandora's Box". Bogate brzmienie grupy oparte było na rozbudowanej sekcji instrumentów klawiszowych (Brooker, Fisher), melodyjnej gitarze, łagodniej grającej sekcji rytmicznej, czystym śpiewie Brookera oraz częstych orkiestrowych aranżacjach. Zespół, rozwinąwszy swe charakterystyczne, progresywne, a zarazem lekkie brzmienie, wypełnił lukę pomiędzy awangardą progresywnego rocka (Yes, King Crimson, ELP) a muzyką środka. Zespół występował kilkakrotnie w Polsce.

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Procol Harum – Warsaw 2001

2013-07-20T16:16:07Z

Procol Harum – Warsaw 2001


1 Bringing Home the Bacon
2 Pandoras Box
3 Christmas Camel
4 New Lamps For Old
5 As Strong As Sampson
6 Repent Walpurgis

encore:

7 Learn To Fly
8 Whiter Shade//Of Pale

Brooker, Brzezicki, Fisher, Pegg, Whitehorn

Congresova Hall, Warsaw, Poland 
12/14/2001

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