Any Procol Harum lovers?

Yes, Procol Harum is my favourite band - I think I've still got all 10 LPs from their first lifetime. As you can see Exotic Birds and Fruit is my most cherished of all, but very closely contested for top spot by Grand Hotel, with a number of others following close behind. I can't believe it was a struggle to get them included here as a prog rock band. Their extraordinary musical invention combining classical instrumentation and melody with electric rock exuberance is what prog rock is all about. Is it because the Brooker/Reid partnership and associated talents also produced genuine songs in the traditional sense, to rival Lennon/McCartney, and sung with a soulful resonance beyond the compass of most rock front-men? I'm also surprised at reports of disappointing concerts. Their gig at the New Theatre in Oxford in '77 was the best I ever had the pleasure of attending, including a drum solo from Power Failure developed and extended into 10 minutes of unbelievable percussive virtuosity by the incomparable Barrie Wilson, who never played an uninteresting rhythm, yet always exactly the right one to complement the other instruments and enhance the overall sound. Refer to Strong as Samson, my favourite from EB&F for a supreme example.

Edited by stowbury - August 20 2008 at 14:39

Procol Harum was probably the first prog band I got into because my dad is a huge fan. My fav PH album is probably A Salty Dog.

I have posted this before and I love this L.P. all that fantastic music.

jammun wrote: Moogtron III wrote:    Jammun: Why is it your opinion that the first three albums are a bit inconsistent? Just wondering, because my feeling is that they were quite well balanced, as far as I can see. I agree with you about Fisher and Trower.     I mean inconsistent in the sense that there seem to be some filler tracks here and there:  Mabel on the first LP, Skip Softly on the second, Juicy John Pink on the third.  I don't mean it as a knock on those first three LP's.  They are among my all-time favorites.

Paulieg wrote: Yes I like Prool Harum.  I am even more of a Robin Trower fan.  I love his first five albums, ecspecially "Bridge of Sighs.  What a guitar player.

I like them a lot actually.  I was introduced through the obvious "Whiter Shade..." which I thought was magnificent (heard it in Scorsese's short in New York Stories).  Got the album, then went on to explore Broken Barricades and Grand Hotel both of which were excellent.  Then I finally got A Salty Dog which has quickly become my favorite album of theirs.  I guess my favorite elements of their sound are Gary Brooker's vocals and Matthew Fischer's organ work which has so much depth.  Keith Reid's lyrics are also very interesting and appealing to me.

The Procolers are pretty much basically my heroes. I'm CONVINCED they invented true progressive music (although the genre kicked off in '66 with the Who).

I have been authorized by my wife to add to this thread. She doesn't like
prog but she LOVES Procol Harum. She was a teenager during the 1960s and
got to see them live four times from 1968 to 1972. The last time they
opened for Ten Years After, which she thought was sad as it indicated they
weren't a top band any more (they were the headliners the other tims. She
has some black and white photos from one of their concerts.

She says Robin Trower was AWESOME live. But I suspect that means she had
the hots for him, so I try not to think about it too much.

Edited by roaryg

I had been a PH fan for many years, had bought all their records and waited years to see them perform live.  Finally got the opportunity in 1977. 

Although their recordings really captured their true talent as a band, their live show was below average.  They played a lot of their more well-known tunes but for some reason their performance teetered on boring and I really can't figure out as to why.

To this day, however, I still enjoy listening to my three favorites by them "A Salty Dog", "Broken Barricades" and "Exotic Birds and Fruit".

Well, I have all their studio albuns plus the live with Edmonton Orchestra. I can assure they're progressive (one of the first prog bands along The Moody Blues and The Nice). They were different because the band has two keyboard players and it was the first band to have a lyricist just to make the lyrics (and Keith Reid did the lyrics of all their own compositions).

The three ones blend psychedelic, classical and blues. Their masterpiece is in Shine On Brightly, that is the suite In Held twas in I, probably the first progressive rock suite with lots of instruments, five great parts, sound effects, etc.  Their third, A Salty Dog, is more symphonic, with orchestral parts and beautiful arrangements

Then, with Fisher's departure, the spot goes to guitar. Home and Broken Barricades have more hard rock influences, though progressive and even symphonic. Simple Sister, Broken Barricades, Whaling Stories are great songs of these albums.

Then there's the great concert with orchestra, where everything is perfect.

After Trower's departure, the spot goes to Brooker, and his pompous arrangemets. Grand Hotel, Exotic Birds and Fruits, Procol's Ninth and Something Magic are all this way. The last one has a great suite, of 18 minutes. For me it's very interesting with great arrangements, moog passages and so on. All of them are great albums with good songs.

Then their nineties comeback is the least interesting, because there lacks a good bass and good drums. Although there are Brooker, Fisher and Trower, in this album we can see how a good bassist and a good drummer are important. Despite of the beautiful arrangements trying to do something like they did in the mid seventies, the drums and the bass can't help making the sound turn poppish. And the well is on fire is a decent album, with Brooker and Fisher, and good musicians in guitar, bass and drums, in the level of seventies album. There are great songs, mainly the instrumental that closes the album. 

Well, I like them all and Shine on Brightly and A Salty Dog are frequently in my sound system. They're very underrated and should be taken away of this full of prejudice definition proto-prog and put in the major categories (as they should do with the Moody Blues and the Nice).