PROCOL HARUM [AKA: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE]

"Procol Harum" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK rock/progressive rock act Procol Harum. The album was released through Deram Records/Regal Zonophone in September/December 1967. Earlier the same year Procol Harum released their debut single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", which catapulted them to almost immediate stardom, and a further hit single was released in "Homburg" almost simoultaniously with the September 1967 release of the debut album. The original US, Deram Records version of the album featured "A Whiter Shade of Pale" as the opening track, while the December 1967 UK, Regal Zonophone version of the album doesn´t feature the iconic song. Neither the US nor the UK versions of the album feature "Homburg".

Procol Harum set themselves apart on the UK rock scene as they featured both a pianist and an organist in their lineup in addition to the regular rock group instrumentation of bass, guitar, and drums. Lead vocalist/pianist Gary Brooker has a strong voice and a pleasant warm delivery, and his often melancholic tone and piano playing are some of the defining features of Procol Harum´s music along with the hammond organ playing of Matthew Fisher. The blues rock lead guitar playing of Robin Trower also paints the music with blue colours.

Although the album is as such well sounding, featuring an organic and authentic sound, the analogue mono mix sounds a bit outdated today. While songs like "Conquistador" and "Cerdes (Outside the Gates of)" certainly are quality material and most of the other tracks on the album are good qualithy material too, it´s pretty obvious that Procol Harum can´t quite reach the excellence of the two preceding single releases, and if you own the original UK version you won´t even have "A Whiter Shade of Pale" as part of the album. Upon conclusion this debut album is however still a good quality release overall, and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.