Procol Harum Album: “BBC Live in Concert”

I agree with other reviewers who complain about poor mixing and shoddy engineering on this CD. Both stink! But those responsible know it and apologies of a sort are included in the liner notes, so I won't continue belaboring the issue.

Despite all its faults, BBC Live In Concert captures the essence and the excitement of a live Procol Harum performance. I've seen them many times and each time the band, both as a group and individually, has never failed to give its all. And this CD is no exception.

I like every song here, but special mention should be made of luscious renderings of the rarely-performed New Lamps For Old, Beyond the Pale (despite that some of the piano part seems to be missing), a hard driving Simple Sister, a delicate Grand Hotel, and a rousing Nothing But the Truth.

I'll knock a star off for the recording, but this CD should still be in the collections of true Procol Harum fans. The band is still playing, but live gigs are rare so this suffices as an interim fix while awaiting the next tour.

I must echo previous reviewers: The engineering on this live record is quite subpar. Instrumental balances are terrible. But enough of the negative.

I saw the band live during this period and remember the experience as being awesome; Brooker played and sang his heart out, Wilson took drumming to a whole new level, and the rest of the band were tight and expressive. Here, however, the performances seem a tad off kilter. Not terrible, mind you, but perhaps the poor recording has something to do with this impression.

In my opinion, this album is only for completists and collectors. For a true taste of this band's accomplishments on a live recording, get In Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, where Procol Harum make it seem as if rock was meant to be played with a full orchestra and chorus.

I don't find the audio here to be lacking; once you turn it up, I hear pretty clear, fluid and organic performances of some of my favorite PH songs.

In particular, "As Stong as Samson" here rocks, and captures the grandeur and epic nature of this sweeping classic. The closer, "Nothing But The Truth" is also a highlight, and is more vigorous and anthemic than even the studio version.

This is well worth picking up, before it enters CD oblivion.

This live recording features many of PH better songs.Their performance is good, but the sound mix is awful at times. Unfortunately that takes the edge of many numbers.