Procol Harum Album: “30th Anniversary Anthology”

Procol's first four albums, some singles, B-sides, and outtakes, all of which have something to commend them. The sound is much better than previous releases of this material, and the material is often terrific.

At their core, Procol was really a British R&B outfit with an imaginative Hammond organist in Matthew Fisher, and one of the most distinctive guitarists around in Robin Trower (before he submerged his style into that of Jimi Hendrix). And Gary Brooker was always a terrific singer. The first record was mostly Ray Charles influenced, although the lyrics strove for mid-sixties Dylan. The second record is as psychedelic as they come, and the third (Salty Dog) was Beatlesque in its scope and variety. Procol fans shouldn't miss this collection.

Only two complaints:

1) I have to put the third CD on if I want to hear "Salty Dog" with the rest of the album.

2) Broken Barricades wasn't on it. But thank the gods in the heavens it's available again separately.

This was the band that moved me the most in my misspent youth, and their most important work is here. What a band! Play "The Band" next to them, and you get some nice reverberations, but these guys are more moving to me. They were just an irreproducible mix of talent.

This is truely a great collection of die-hard Procol fans. What I want to know is what ever happened to all the cuts from the "Broken Barrickades" album, like "Simple Sister" and " Power Failure", etc. I can't find them anyplace. If anybody out there has any info, please e-mail me... signed True Procol Fan Vaugj@aol.com

The first 4 Procol Harum albums have been released in various CD formats now, most containing bonus tracks (different takes, outtakes). This collection brings you the first 4 albums on the first 2 CD's and the third CD is filled with tracks that didn't fit on the first 2 plus a stack of bonus tracks.

Sound quality is great and the bonus tracks are really interesting.

We want "Broken Barricades". We want "Broken Barricades"!