Procol Harum Album: “Classic Tracks and Rarities: An Anthology”

What Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville were to the unbridled optimism of nineteenth century American literature, Procol Harum was to the delirious idealism of flower power hippie-dom that bloomed ever so briefly in the late `60s and early `70s. They were the fly in the ointment, the ash in the soup, the reminder that even the sunniest day is followed by night.

It seems particularly appropriate that they traveled under a curse throughout their career. The song that gave them a career in the first place, A Whiter Shade Of Pale, also destroyed their career, causing the public to marginalize everything that came later and dismiss them as a "one-hit wonder." This was the public's loss; Procol Harum was one of the most sophisticated, intelligent, original groups to emerge from a decade overflowing with musical talent.

I had the pleasure of seeing them perform and their intensity was hair-raising. Not only did they burn the house down, they played with the discipline of a string quartet. Procol Harum's frequently plaintive sound, the combination of Gary Brooker on piano and Matthew Fisher on organ, topped off by Brooker's vocals, was instantly recognizable. But more important still was the band's secret weapon, lyricist Keith Reid. Reid's lyrics, at times so vivid they seemed carved out of his own flesh, were invariably smart, compelling, and piercing.

This superb and reasonably priced 2-CD anthology travels far and wide through Procol Harum's first four albums, including A Salty Dog, widely considered their high water mark. There are also many bonus features to delight the connoisseur including previously unreleased singles and alternate takes. Too many highlights to mention but a few gems do jump to mind: Wish Me Well, Juicy John Pink, A Salty Dog, Pilgrims Progress, Your Own Choice, Homburg, and A Christmas Camel. The world of rock is replete with hacks and poseurs; these guys were artists of the first order. Repent Walpurgis.

This is such a good album! It was not until recently that i had even heard of Procol Harum, but I was greatly surprised at the uniqueness and quality of all of the recordings on this album. This is a great introduction for anyone who has never heard of them before, and i highly reccommend it.

Unlike Shoebox, I am a long time Procol fan, and welcome Shoebox's neophyte observations. In contrast, I suggest this collection is for those Procol fans looking for unique tracks that they haven't heard before. Several songs on this CD are never-before heard (at least by me) alternate takes, including "Conquistador" and "Quite Rightly So." "Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)" has an interesting sound effect in its original recording included on CD 1. The 2 CDs end with the stereo version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale," a unique, but similar recording of the standard single.

Also included are all your favorite Procol Harum songs. Your collection will have an absolute void if you don't get this unique offering.

procol harum will always been remembered for that one hit

that sum up everything for any love bird's yes you know that song "whiter shade of pale" that organ based song that has swamped procol harum ever since..it's such a classic yet procol harum went and made some of the finest and hillarous tunes my 19 year old ears have had the pleasure to hear and nowdays in the charts it's mostly pretentious c*** so it's why i've gone back to the good old years when rock and roll meant something than other of makin' a quick buck it had a message a beat and a sound that can't be heard today

procol harum made that sound and they made it damn good NO excellent

either going from that hit single i won't mention it again

lime street blues[fantastic lyrics great solo]

hombug[beautiful piano]

seem to have the blues[mostly all the time]

etc...

so let me put the record start procol harum weren't just a one hit wonder for the love birds to get their clinches on the disco floor

they made classic songs alright