Procol Harum – PROCOL HARUM*****

A Whiter Shade Of Pale/Conquistador/She Wandered Through The Garden Fence/Something Following Me/Mabel/Cerdes(Outside The Gates Of)/A Christmas Camel/Salad Days(Are Here Again)/Good Captain Clack/ Repent Walpurgis

One of the defining singles of 1967 was the Bach inspired A Whiter Shade Of Pale which topped the UK chart for six weeks and reached No. 5 in the USA. Mysteriously, the excellent accompanying album failed to chart in the UK. (US:47)

"These days, most people know Procol Harum only because of their first hit single A Whiter Shade of Pale - rather unjustly. Following on the success of the single, the group came up with an excellent first LP of songs that are an interesting mixture of psychedelic pop and heavy blues, with classical elements thrown in for good measure."

"Procol Harum is one of the best progressive rock albums ever, one of the most impressive debut albums ever, and one of the greatest albums of the year that shaped rock unlike any other - 1967. It's a keyboard heavy treat resting on the amazing organ of Matthew Fisher and the scintillating piano of Gary Brooker. But it's also the first vessel for the smooth and muscular fretwork of the outstanding guitarist Robin Trower. The album is just loaded with fantastically good songs like the world famous Whiter Shade Of Pale, and the amazing Conquistador."

"This is the first album by British art-rock/prog giants Procol Harum, the first fully developed group that played highly sophisticated music based on riffs and motifs borrowed from classical music with rock instrumentation and psychedelic lyrics. The album is an absolute masterpiece, one of the greatest pieces of rock music ever recorded and a landmark achievement of British popular music at its zenith."

“Good, melodic progressive rock. Gary Brooker is a fine vocalist to boot. These guys had a very interesting sound based upon the presence of two keyboardists. Unfortunately, like a lot of progressive rock bands from this era, Procol Harum tended to over indulge in mystical themes and lyrics in their songs. Still, they made very listenable stuff, and their debut is a good case in point."

"Procol Harum's debut represents the best example of a successful fusion of the blues rock idiom of popular music with classical themes."