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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. A Whiter Shade of Pale (mono) | |||
| 2. A Christmas Camel (mono) | |||
| 3. Quite Rightly So | |||
| 4. Long Gone Geek | |||
| 5. All This And More | |||
| 6. Whisky Train | |||
| 7. Broken Barricades | |||
| 8. Simple Sister | |||
| 9. A Salty Dog (live) | |||
| 10. Fires (Which Burn Brightly) | |||
See all 18 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Homburg (mono) | |||
| 2. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence (mono) | |||
| 3. Magdalene ( My Regal Zonophone) | |||
| 4. Shine On Brightly | |||
| 5. The Devil Came From Kansas | |||
| 6. Whaling Stories | |||
| 7. Power Failure | |||
| 8. Conquistador (live) | |||
| 9. Grand Hotel | |||
| 10. A Souvenir Of London | |||
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See all 17 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
The industry's debt to them is manifold. Were it not for the unique combination of Gary Brooker's bluesy tones, Matthew Fisher's neoclassical Hammond, Keith Reid's opaquely surreal wordplay and Robin Trower's blistering guitar work, we may never have really had progressive rock. At the forefront of those bands (including the Moody Blues) who longed to combine their r 'n' b heritage with the grandiose strains of classical music, the former Paramounts of Southend struck pay dirt from the very first single.
While their first two albums are all near-perfect examples of stately flower power-driven blues (and yielded yet more hits in the shape of 'Homburg', 'Shine On Brightly' and 'Conquistador'), it wasn't until the third (A Salty Dog) that they really refined their darkly humorous lyrics and diverse musical backgrounds. Genesis seemed to model their early work on the title track alone. A couple of years later while they lost Trower (on his way to becoming the thinking man's Hendrix) they still retained a marvellous sense of grandeur. Their album recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra gave us a nicely revved-up hit reworking of 'Conquistador' and even by 1975 they still had the golden touch as their Ninth gave up their lovely 'Pandora's Box'.
All the while, despite their truly seminal status, Procol never sounded like anyone but themselves. Secrets... has all this and much, much more, all remastered to a miraculous degree, even compared with the last set of remasters. Taking us all the way up to the present day, its only wrong note is the tragic legal wranglings over the authorship of 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' that have seen a wedge driven between Brooker and Fisher and also seen Brooker refuse to see his name associated with it until further notice. But no matter, for anyone who thinks this band lost their relevance by 1968 is urged, nay ordered, to go out and buy this, pronto. Time to trip the light fandango again! --Chris Jones
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
That minor grumble aside, it's definitely the best Procol compilation ever. And perhaps Amazon could get the tracklisting right?
Defiantly English (they came from Southend) and obstinately literary - their songs referenced everything from Spanish history to Greek myth - the band were also one of the rash of prog-rockers to effectively meld with full orchestra. Their 1972 album Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra yields two tracks here, the dramatic Conquistador and live favourite A Salty Dog. Unlike some others to jump on the orchestral bandwagon, Brooker knew how to arrange for orchestra and the classical collaborations are exactly that - genuine musical interaction rather than simply an expensive symphonic accompaniment.
The musicianship is excellent throughout, aided and abetted by a quality remaster. It's the solid songwriting of pianist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid that really shines through, though, from the stately pathos of 1967's Homburg to the jauntily mysterious 1975 hit Pandora's Box.
After years in the wilderness, the resurgence of modern prog via bands like Muse and Wolfmother has meant that the time is ripe for rediscovery of bands like Procol Harum. Dig out that homburg, get out the old overcoat and rock.
first published at www.subba-cultcha.com
A Whiter Shade Of Pale
A Christmas Camel
Quite Rightly So
Long Gone Geek
All This And More
Whisky Train
Broken Barricades
Simple Sister
A Salty Dog (live)
Fires (Which Burn Brightly)
Bringing Home The Bacon
Beyond The Pale
Nothing But The Truth
Something Magic
Holding On
Into The Flood (live)
An Old English Dream
Repent Walpurgis
Disc 2
Homburg
She Wandered Through The Garden Fence
Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)
Shine On Brightly
The Devil Came From Kansas
Whaling Stories
Power Failure
Conquistador (live)
Grand Hotel
A Souvenir Of London
The Idol
As Strong As Samson
Pandora's Box
(You Can't) Turn Back The Page
A Dream In Ev'ry Home
This World Is Rich (For Stephen Maboe)
Weisselklenzenacht (the signature)
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