HOME

"Home" from 1970 was Procol Harum's fourth studio album initiates the seventies for the band and it starts with an album with a very colorful cover which seems to have taken inspiration from comics and some form of board game. The title "Home" perhaps is though to symbolize that the band goes back to its roots. I don't know.

Gary Brooker continued to sing and play piano, Keith Redi wrote the lyrics, Robin Trower played guitar, Barrie James Wilson the drums and Chris Copping took over on both bass and organ.

Let me guess the rationalization of the bass and organ is one explanation why the music of Procol Harum became less interesting. The organs aren't as dominating as before. Now they have parked in the background insted of the front. "Home" is a little less interesting than "A Salty Dog" which contained some great tracks. On this album I just find two songs that seems to be far striving. I allways want to hear the inspiration and the intentions.

Not so surprising the best song are the most lengthy. "Whaling stories" (8/10) is a fantastic and very heavy rock song, that actually is quite symphonic. Its length provides it to be both calm and poetic and heavy and very dramatic. That is a song I would recommend. I'd also recommend "About to die"(8/10) which has a progressive approach unlike the rest of the songs. I would also mention "Piggy Pig Pig" which is a hard and interesting rock song(7/10) and "Nothing that I don't know" with an emotional vocal and nice organ(7/10).

The rest is less intriguing. "Dead man's dream"and "Still there'll be more" could be enjoyed but "Whiskey Train"(too much blues), "Barnyard story"(too bland) and "Your own choice"(where I hear some false notes) could you with advantage ignore.

Beside from a love cover picture and a couple of great tracks this record is a disappointment, and I wish for more peculiar releases. I missed the organs and the higher intentions which made "Shine on brightly" so great.