PROCOL HARUM [AKA: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE]

Procol Harum was a British band that released their first studio album in 1967 with the same name as the band, Procol Harum. This was before the explosion of prog rock so it's not peculiar they didn't sound like prog. A sad thing is that their mega hit "A whiter shade of pale" wasn't included on the CD. If it had been, I had appreciated this record more. Well, Procol Harum consisted of Gary Brooker on lead vocals and piano, Matthew Fisher on organ, Dave Knights on bass, Keith Rei as a writer, Robin Trower on guitar and Barrie James Wilson on drums.

This is sounds of the sixties and it's absolutely some form of extended rock. The band uses driving organ and piano which create a sacral atmosphere in the music. Beside from that the music isn't progressive. The song writing seems quite ordinary, but that isn't wrong of course. The organ is mighty and one of the reasons to listen to this record. Another is the powerful vocals of Gary Brooker, but as I wrote, the album lacks its mega hit.

The best songs are: "She wandered through the garden fence" with classical feeling and mellotron use (8/10), "Kaleidoscope" which has a winning melody and great piano play(8/10), short "Good Captain Clack"(8/10) with a little Beatles inspiration perhaps and the instrumental, very sacral and powerful "Repent Walpurgis"(8/10). Also the ballad "Something Flollowing me" (7/10), "A Christmas carol"(7/10) and "Cerdes"(7/10) are more than good.

Honestly this record are more than good but not very good, according to me. It lacks the little extra, the interesting ingredients to get four stars, but it's a good debut record and further I will se what the band managed to do next. A strong three!