A SALTY DOG

Before the release of "A salty dog", Procol Harum already had accomplished enough to earn their place in the history books. With a worldwide hit single and a ground breaking 17-minute rock suite in their baggage, bandleader Gary Brooker and his fellow musicians manage to redefine themselves with this 1969 classic.

The sound here mixes a wide variety of influences; from the bluesy feel in "The milk of human kindness" and "Juicy John Pink", to the orchestrated grandiose on "Wreck of the Hesperus". Maracas, flutes and xylophones lark on "Boredom", with the playground touch predating The Cures "Close to me" by nearly two decades.

Despite the nautical theme, the tone of the album is in many ways similar to The Bands self-titled masterpiece released the same year; the melancholy and Gary Brookers voice isn't that far away from the Americana in songs as "The unfaithful servant". Procol Harum does not however reach to the same heights as the rich and lush song writing their Canadian counterparts delivers. Album finisher "Pilgrim's progess" is merely a? paler version of "A whiter shade of pale". And the heavenly sensations of the title track (which by no doubt is one of the best songs of the 60's) make the rest of the offering look bleak.

To me, this is the peak of Procol Harums career. "A salty dog" sometimes sails on calm sea, but when the tides arrive, it is well worth the listen.

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