PROCOL HARUM [AKA: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE]

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Repertoire REP 4666-WY The only prog thing in this album is the sound of Matthew Fisher hammond organ, and only in "Whiter...." and "Repent Walpurgis". No research, no classic influences apart from the title track, and I don't remember a choir or a second voice in any song, it's just the typical mid-sixties rhythm'n'blues english band. My version is original mono: bad mixing, instruments are often unintelligible, makes it hard to analyse the music.

The main flaw is Robin Trower: terrible guitarist, never add to arrangements, has awful guitar sounds and his solos are very far from good, never plays acoustic or clean electric guitar.

B.J. Wilson is not a good drummer, sometimes stumbles, loses rhythm, sounds weak.

Hard to judge David Knights, bass is non existent, drown in the mix, only in "Street Lime Blues" it stands out.

We've got two gems, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" and "Homburg", three decent songs, "Conquistador", "She Wandered..." and "Lime Street Blues", the other are fillers, the worst is Mabel, in mono is really nonsense.

imho 691/1000

1 A Whiter Shade Of Pale - 4:06

2 Conquistador - 2:38

3 She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:24

4 Something Following Me - 3:37

5 Mabel - 1:53

6 Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 5:03

7 A Christmas Camel - 4:49

8 Kaleidoscope - 2:53

9 Salad Days (Are Here Again) - 3:38

10 Good Captain Clack - 1:30

11 Repent Walpurgis - 5:02

Bonus Tracks

12 Lime Street Blues - 2:59

13 Homburg - 3:55

14 Monsieur Armand - 2:23

15 Seem To Have The Blues All The Time - 2:46

1 - 100

2 - 78

3 - 71

4 - 62

5 - 55

6 - 60

7 - 61

8 - 66

9 - 63

10 - 64

11 - 65

12 - 74

13 - 95

14 - 62

15 - 61