Procol Harum Album: “Prodigal Stranger”

I had high hopes for this "reunion" album, what with core members Brooker/Trower/Reid/Fischer on board. What made PH one of the best and most unique bands of the late 60s and early 70s was Brooker's voice and elegant piano, soulful organ work by Chris Copping or Matthew Fischer, Reid's quirky and often enigmatic or humorous lyrics, a unique talent for blending rock with classical music, and restrained but tasteful guitar work from Trower and his successors in interest after he left the band to go solo. Other than Brooker's voice, all of those components are missing here. The songs suffer from a similarity in sound/tempo/theme such that you are basically listening to one long song throughout the 12 cuts. I don't know why Trower or Fischer even came on board, as they are denied soloing and their contributions are buried in a wall of sound type of production that is rife with synthesizers and what sounds like drum machines and which is better suited for disco or techno outings. The songs are mostly "power pop" ballads that should have been relegated to the Steve Perry chapter of Journey. Stick with Broken Barricades, Grand Hotel or the band's other classic outings, and avoid this sad chapter in their career. I blame the producer, not the band, as he shares song credits on many of the tunes on this enterprise.

I was a huge fan of Procol Harum from the late 60's through the early 70's. They disbanded in 77 after a horible album called "Something Magic" I was unaware that they had reuntied in 91 with Robin Trower and Mathew Fisher. Then I found this in a used CD bin in Detroit. There's some great pop stuff here as well as some not so great stuff. The album would have been much stronger running at about 40 minutes without the likes of "Hand That Rocks The Cradle", "One More Time" and "Learn to Fly". Thouroughly forgettable songs that just don't fit in with the better material here. The strongest cuts here are "All Our Dreams Are Sold" which features Trower at his best showcasing his original style. (Not that ersatz Hendrix stuff he got so wealthy doing on his own) "Perpetual Motion" and " The Pursuit Of Happiness" both of which are very true to the original sound of the band. Though somewhat of a mixed bag, I'm still glad I own it. I'm giving 4 stars because it's a little better than 3.

Procol's 1991 reunion effort is a triumph. Robin Trower cuts loose on Learn To Fly. Perpetual Motion and The Pursuit of Happiness capture the essence of Home. It is also impossible to get You Can't Turn Back The Page out of your head. When they toured the US and did a number of TV spots to promote the CD, it seemed that Matthew and Gary were back on the same page - a pleasure to witness. For my money, their most consistent effort.

Procol did not go downhill after A Whiter Shade Of Pale. They've always had a great message and fantastic music. This, by 4 original members is very wise, mature, and intelligent. I especially like the family values expressed on for example "Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The", but please be advised, you need to be sensitive and intelligent to really appreciate this 'thinking' music. A must for anyone trying to make sense of who we were in the 1960's, and who we will have become in the year 2000.

Procol Harum has always distinguished itself as a highly original band, both musically and lyrically. Their earlier works challenged the listener and offered alternatives to the predictable music scene. Prodigal Stranger, while giving us the core band together again, is an enormous disappointment (I'm being kind giving it 2 stars). Brooker and Reid, always able to arrest us in the past with the force of their creativity, have sold out on this one, reaching for nothing and settling for the lowest common denominator of commerciality. These people should never have let this one out - on their worst day they can top this mediocrity. If you need something current and different by the band, you'll have to check out the excellent solo work by Gary Brooker called "In This House". It's a true pleasure. Pass on Prodigal Stranger.