Disco de Procol Harum: “Well's on Fire”

Mention Procol Harum to most people and if you don't get a blank stare, you hear "Oh, yeah, they did that Whiter Shade of Pale song, right?"

Mention they have a great new album and you may hear "You're kidding, those dinosaurs are still around?"

Part of Procol Harum's problem has always been that they have been identified with a song that is admittedly one of the finest songs ever to come out of the sixties. Most people just don't even know that they did anything afterward! Let's hope their excellent new album Well's On Fire changes all that.

I've listened to it now at least several dozen times and have read all the reviews posted here. Let me make a few observations. First of all, it is unfair to stack the current lineup against the fabled Procol Harum lineups of blessed memory. Those days are gone; some of the players don't want to come back, and one can't. Second, the heart and soul (Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid)of Procol Harum remain and Matthew Fisher is back. We should be thankful for that. Lastly, I'm happy to hear that the music is really all new. If I wanted to hear one of their old songs, I would put on an old album. Weisselklenzenacht does not sound like Repent Walpurgis as some suggest and I am grateful. Repent Walpurgis is one of a kind and should forever remain so.

Now to the music. Despite Matthew Fisher's return, the new PH lineup sounds more that of the days of Exotic Birds and Fruit and Grand Hotel rather than that of the first three albums on which Fisher played before he left the band. Some songs are instantly recognizable as having the classic Procol Harum sound: An Old English Dream, The VIP Room, Fellow Travelers, and The Emperor's New Clothes. I enjoy all those, but am specially pleased with rocking numbers like Shadow Boxed, The Question, and the very topical and timely Wall Street Blues. Every Dog Will Have His Day is also excellent, but we could have been spared the howling.

The Blink Of An Eye, the band's 9/11 remembrance falls short, but is not as trite as some suggest. The phrase about "living on Easy Street" and having the "rug pulled from under our feet" may sound hokey, but to me it merely poetically suggests a rude awakening from self-absorbed complacency.

Well's On Fire represents a sweet return to the limelight for Procol Harum after years in the shadows. I recommend it to one and all.

First of all, Procol Harum's first release in 10 years was a surprise to me until last week when I noticed the listing on All Music Guide that did not sound like another greatest hits package. I bought it yesterday and listened to it 3 times in a row. This is truly a wonderful CD, and it has all the elements(except for Robin Trower) that you want from them. Three original members are present, Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid and they are in tip top form. The rest of the band is perfect too. I am extremely biased towards Trower, but Geoff Whitehorn evokes a Trower-like sound at times, but he is very distinctive in his own right. Most of the songs are Brooker/Reid with a few gems from Matthew Fisher. His last track will give you chills as it recalls "Repent Walpurgis", but this track is even better. My own personal taste in music has moved away from rock over the years to electronica, but upon hearing "The Well's On Fire", I have pulled out all of my old Procol CDs and am relistening to them. I must say their music holds up extremely well and puts them in my top 4 or 5 groups of all time.

I hope Procol Harum gets the support they deserve and start releasing more music, like every year. They are the best!

Ok, some of Keith Reid's lyrics are clumsy and obvious, and a few of the production touches backfire (I agree with the previous reviewer: lose the electric piano.) But, boy, that piano/organ sound covers a multitude of sins. Brooker's voice sounds great, the songs are mostly very good-to-great, bridging Shine on Brightly majesty with very convincing Exotic Birds-style barrelhouse rockers. As good as I hoped for, considerably better than I expected.

Procol Harum, in any of its various permutations, has never made a bad album. This CD ranks up there among their best, although nothing will ever beat their first album or Salty Dog or Grand Hotel.

Gary Brooker and Keith Reid are one of those stellar songwriting teams (need I refer to Lennon and McCartney?) that mesh so well that anything they do is worth hearing. This is a new offering and I'm grateful to be able to hear it.

Yeah, Procol Harum at their worst indulged in some bombastic moments, but none of those are present here. We're fortunate to have Matthew Fisher's organ intertwined with Brooker's piano and vocals. The drums, bass and guitar are by new members who I've not heard of before, but they are equal in quality to the original members.

"The Emperor's New Clothes" is as good a critique of the present political tragedy as we're likely to hear. It's a sorry comment on current formatted radio formats that we'll likely never hear it over the airways. All the more reason to order this CD for your own enjoyment.

Thank God. Procol Harum LIves.

I have seen and have been listening to Procol from the very begining(1967). Have I just started listening to them (Procol) I would say they have a fresh original sound and are truly wonderful composers and musicians ,and would recommend the album to my friends. Since I have been listening to Procol from the begining I rate this album as good as some of there earlier compositions and better than some of the later ones. This new album sounds like Procol ,IN 20003 Great Job Guys See you in NY and Pa.