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Track Listings
| 1. Shadow Boxed |
| 2. The Blink Of An Eye |
| 3. Old English Dream |
| 4. The Vip Room |
| 5. A Robe Of Silk |
| 6. Fellow Travellors |
| 7. The Question |
| 8. This World Is Rich (For Stephen Maboe) |
| 9. The Wall Street Blues |
| 10. The Emperors New Clothes |
| 11. The Signature |
| 12. Every Dog Must Have His Day |
| 13. So Far Behind |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
On The Well's on Fire, smoky-throated vocalist Gary Brooker and longstanding auxiliary lyricist Keith Reid suggest that the world has become a far greedier and more dangerously divisive place since the last Procol Harum studio album (1991's The Prodigal Stranger). Here are 13 new songs addressing such global woes as Third World debt, road congestion, September 11th ("The Blink of an Eye") and false political prophets. (The maudlin, piano-led "Emperor's New Clothes" isn't quite as incisive as Roy Harper's "The Monster" but the target is just as obvious.)
It's hard to shed a tear for Procol's fictional fool who puts all his eggs in the stock market basket--the title alone, "Wall Street Blues", tells you all you need to know about the oeuvre and the outcome. But the brooding, Peter Gabriel style "This World Is Rich"--inspired by an article in The Guardian about the poor from African slums marching peacefully on the world summit for sustainable development in Johannesburg--is enough to make well-heeled Western listeners squirm humbly in their luxuriously upholstered armchairs. Furthermore, graceful compositions like the ruminative, churchy "Fellow Travellers" and organist Matthew Fisher's exquisite instrumental finale "The Signature" (yes, it really does revisit the Bachian pastures of "A Whiter Shade of Pale") compensate for every foreseeable "dad-rock" jam doodle.
Although The Well's on Fire could hardly hope to measure up to A Salty Dog or Exotic Birds and Fruit, it's a quality comeback, a long overdue reward for Procol Harum fans who've patiently kept the faith. --Kevin Maidment
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
With "The Well's On Fire", Procol Harum - best known for the 1967 smash hit "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" - makes a surprising comeback with a basket of brand new songs written by Gary Brooker, fellow founding member Matthew Fisher and genious poet Kieth Reid. Written and performed with great respect, in the original Procol Harum spirit - added a twist of year 2003 - these tunes are not very easy digested; but put this album in your CD-tray, and I guarantee it will stay in there the next three months !!
Procol Harum, by some judged dead and gone, seems to ignore the fact, that many years may have passed since their initial succes - sounding only that more determined, fresh and original.
Newcomers be aware: If you decide to buy "The Well's On Fire", you have to buy at least eleven other Procol Harum albums ! The Brooker / Fisher / Reid universe is odd but addictive; Symphonic, touching, absurd, soul-rocking and heavy.
Procol Harum, by some judged dead and gone, seems to ignore the fact, that many years may have passed since their initial succes - sounding only that more determined, fresh and original.
Newcomers be aware: If you decide to buy "The Well's On Fire", you have to buy at least eleven other Procol Harum albums ! The Brooker / Fisher / Reid universe is odd but addictive; Symphonic, touching, absurd, soul-rocking and heavy.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Organ Boy
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This album is a great return to form for an underrated and classic band. The songs sparkle with a fresh, live in the studio feel that would be the envy of any new bands debut, let alone one which started in 1967 with the eponymous "A Whiter Shade of Pale". It's all here, the classical references, doomy church organs, kick ass r'nb', scholarly thought provoking lyrics, and all with that smoky voice, which like fine wine just gets better and better with age. And "This World is Rich" should have even the most cynical in tears.
Buy this one, it's good.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Wow, and I was impressed with "Prodigal Stranger" a few years back! I'll admit , as I waited for my copy of this new disc I worried a little about how good it might be. But my thoughts were groundless. This is a wonderful album...for Procol fans and fans of GOOD music everywhere. Great tunes, great production and a stirring instrumental extravaganza for a finale. I know I am a little biased as I still count 'A Whiter Shade of Pale" as my all-time favorite song...but trust me: put this CD in your player,slip on the earphones,sit back and enjoy. I know the boys are currently on tour in the U.K. (go see 'em!) and I can only hope they will extend their U.S. tour so that I can enjoy them in concert again.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Organ Boy
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Procol Harum return with a great album after far to long an absence from the studio with an album stuffed with good songs; it's all here: the ballsy rockers, thoughtful ruminations on the state of the world, whimsical pop songs ("So Far Behind" "A Robe of Silk"),slapstick comedy ("Every Dog will have his day") all shot through with that classical blend of baroque blues - and that voice just gets better and better. Excellent live in the studio production by Big Country producer Rafe McKenna, enshrined in thoroughly appropriate and contemporary cover art. This album and their recent scalding hot UK live shows show this band still do it better than anyone else in the progressive field. Great to have this classic band back with such a good album; there is unlikely to be a better release for the grown-ups this year. And as to "This World Is Rich".....I defy anyone to listen to this track without crying their eyes out, a song up there with "A Salty Dog" at the very pinnacle of the Procol canon.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I heard a'A Whiter Shade of Pale' and rushed out to buy a chainstore kaftan? Well there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then and Procol have undergone many line-up changes.The Procol 'sound' though has survived intact, through all the changes and re-emerges here, in the best state of health it's enjoyed for nigh thirty years. 'The Well's on Fire' is a great album by any standards and is definitely Procol's best since the sublime 'Exotic Birds and Fruit'. Can't add much to content of previous reviews except to say that I can't believe that not a single reviewer mentioned 'The Blink of an Eye'. This is an absolutely class pop song in the old tradition and would merit inclusion on any 'Best of' compilation. It would certainly find a spot on the re-issue of my self-compiled Procol anthology 'Is it on Tommy?'. If any members of Procol read this and would like a copy, please contact me at purpleacidqueen1@tiscali.co.uk and I'll send you one. I'm sure you will deem it a fitting tribute. Whilst sidetracking I would like to remind Keith Reid that he still owes me the drink, he went off to buy, whilst we were watching Rachel Sweet on the 1978 Stiff Tour!
I agree with most of what the other reviewers say including the praise they lavish on 'The World is Rich'. Shame human mortality means that we can't look foward to another forty years of Procol, but here's to more of this, in the not too distant future.
I agree with most of what the other reviewers say including the praise they lavish on 'The World is Rich'. Shame human mortality means that we can't look foward to another forty years of Procol, but here's to more of this, in the not too distant future.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By David Sleger
Format:Audio CD
This is a surprisingly decent album considering the schlock that comprised PRODIGAL STRANGER, SOMETHING MAGIC and NO MORE FEAR OF FLYING (the only Brooker solo effort I'm familiar with). It seems that this record with its equal parts classic Harum ('An Old English Dream') and simplistic pop ('The Blink of an Eye') would've fit nearly perfectly between the final classic period LP PROCOL'S NINTH (1975) and its dreadful followup SOMETHING MAGIC (1977). This album begins promising with 'Old English Dream' one of several tracks that I'd categorize as classic sounding pieces. It is followed by the sterile 'Shadow Boxed' not a bad track but overproduced and soulless. 'A Robe of Silk' continues where the opening track left off - an engaging piano and organ driven melody. 'Blink of an Eye' is a disappointment. It's unfortunate that perhaps the most profound event of our lifetime(s) could ellicit such a hollow cliche-riddled lyrical response from one of rock's heretofore most erudite writers, Keith Reid. And so it goes... 'V.I.P. Room" yeah, 'Question' nay. 'This World is Rich' is nice but underdeveloped. Incidentally Gary Brooker's voice is superb on this album. It has aged sensationally - far better than most 60 year old rock singers. THE WELL'S ON FIRE concludes in strong fashion as five of the remaining six tracks are quite good ranging from the melodic anthem of 'Fellow Travellers' to the Trower-esque rockers 'Wall Street Blues' and 'So Far Behind' to the bittersweet 'Emperor's New Clothes' which might be the finest track here. 'Every Dog Will Have His Day' is a throwaway track whose omission would make this a stronger record. Matthew Fisher's instrumental 'Weisselkenzenacht' is a pleasant piece that closes this album fittingly.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poor by Procol standards
As a big fan of Procol for 40 years, I am devastated that I can't find one track I like on this album. Read more
Published on 14 May 2010 by valedied
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sounds like the early Procol Harum
Whilst this is not a brilliant album, I still think that to be able to produce something this good 36 years after the release of their first, "Procol Harum" in 1967, is quite an... Read more
Published on 18 Dec 2006 by alextorres
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