PROCOL HARUM - 30th Anniversary Anthology (1997)
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DISC 1 - Procol Harum & Shine On Brightly
"Procol Harum" (1967)
01.Conquistador
02.She Wandered Through The Garden Fence
03.Something Following Me
04.Mabel
05.Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of)
06.A Christmas Camel
07.Kaleidoscope
08.Salad Days (Are Here Again)
09.Good Captain Clack
10.Repent Walpurgis
"Shine On Brightly" (1968)
11.Quite Rightly So
12.Shine On Brightly
13.Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
14.Wish Me Well
15.Rambling On
16.Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)
17.In Held 'Twas In I
DISC 2 - A Salty Dog & Home
"A Salty Dog" (1969)
01.The Milk of Human Kindness
02.Too Much Between Us
03.The Devil Came From Kansas
04.Boredom
05.Juicy John Pink
06.Wreck of The Hesperus
07.All This and More
08.Crucifiction Lane
09.Pilgrim's Progress
"Home" (1970)
10.Whisky Train
11.The Dead Man's Dream
12.Still There'll Be More
13.Nothing That I Didn't Know
14.About to Die
15.Barnyard Story
16.Piggy Pig Pig
17.Whaling Stories
18.Your Own Choice
DISC 3 - Singles A and B Sides - Outtakes - Alternative Takes
01. A Whiter Shade of Pale (A-side)
02. Lime Street Blues (B-side)
03. Homburg (A-side)
04. Good Captain Clack (B-side)
05. Quite Rightly So (A-side)
06. In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence (B-side)
07. A Salty Dog (A-side)
08. Long Gone Geek (B-side)
09. Monsieur Armand (out-take)
10. Seem to have the Blues (Most All the Time) (out-take)
11. A Whiter Shade of Pale (previously-unreleased stereo version)
12. A Whiter Shade of Pale (previously-unreleased backing track)
13. Homburg (alternative 1967 re-recording)
14. Homburg (previously unreleased 1967 stereo version)
15. Conquistador (alternative 1967 stereo take)
16. She Wandered Through the Garden Fence (alternative 1967 stereo take)
17. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) (unreleased original 1967 version)
Line-up/Musicians:
- Gary Brooker / lead vocals, piano
- Chris Copping / bass, organ (2/11 to 19)
- Matthew Fisher / Hammond organ
- Dave Knights / bass
- Keith Reid / words
- Robin Trower / guitars
- Barrie James Wilson / drums
"The best collection yet devoted to Procol Harum's classic early period ties together the many facets of their sound and their early history, including numerous outtakes and all of the music on four albums from 1967 through 1970. The clarity of the sound makes the first album -- which was roundly criticized, especially in England, for having been cut in mono in late 1967 -- seem a lot more muscular and progressive here than it did in its original release form. The producers have tampered with the song order on A Salty Dog, moving that record's title track in amongst disc three's single sides for time considerations while still leaving "Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" off of the first CD (the original commercial flaw with the debut album in England was the absence of either of those songs, and the seven-month-plus delay in getting it out). From the psychedelic/progressive blues stylings of Shine on Brightly to the self-consciously leaner, harder Home, this is the optimum way to hear the band. The collection also documents the change from somewhat light, optimistic psychedelia in 1967/1968 to the darker, edgier psychedelia of 1970 and beyond. The best part for collectors will be disc three, which, in addition to the group's hit singles and surprisingly fascinating B-sides from 1967-1970, also includes outtakes from unfinished early album sessions and alternate takes (with different personnel) of "Whiter Shade of Pale," "Homburg," and others, some in stereo. The notes are reasonably thorough, although they skimp a little in telling the story of the recording of "Whiter Shade of Pale" and the subsequent assembling of the permanent band." ~ All Music Guide
"As box sets go, this one's pretty damn essential. Brit label Westside has assembled the first four Procol records on 2 CDs, plus a third disk containing singles and alternate mixes. The singles are understandable (two of them are 'Whiter Shade of Pale' & 'A Salty Dog', after all) but the remainder of Disc 3 SHOULD have included the 5th album 'Broken Barricades', thus presenting the complete Brooker/Trower era. One star off for this blown opportunity as well as the nondescript packaging (this has to be the least lavish 30th anniversary box set in memory). While everyone familiar with Procol Harum will admit some kind of grudging respect, they weren't the kind of band you did cartwheels over: they kind of seeped into your high esteem by degrees. And yet they performed accessible and intelligent music that somehow touched all the bases - rock, blues, progressive, folk - all at once, and in a more meaningful way than many of their contemporaries and descendents. While Matthew Fisher's organ (funerals a specialty) and the early metallic scree of Trower's guitar are prime components of their sound, the focal point of Procol was and will always be singer/pianist Gary Brooker, whose haunting, haunted vocals always reminded me of wearing a peacoat in a cold December fog. (The weather's bitterly gloomy, but the coat is warm and comforting.) Add the fact that most of these tracks are products of a songwriting partnership (with Keith Reid) that resonate with distorted echoes of Brecht-Weill and English music-hall artists, and pinning Procol Harum down to a single category becomes impossible. The resulting music somehow holds the disparate elements together, creating something new in the process, and it works beautifully. To Westside's credit, the remastering on all four albums is superb and a big improvement on the original vinyl." ~ Amazon.com user review
