A fantastic fifth album from Procol Harum – one that really demonstrates the ever-changing energy of the group, and the way they seemed to find a fresh new focus with each of their early albums! The vocals of Gary Brooker are even more wonderful than ever – rejoined here with the talents of organist Keith Reid, who is back in the group – cementing a musical partnership that pushes forward with stronger, more rockish modes throughout – a lean quality that really seems to bring out the best in everyone! The set begins with the fantastic "Simple Sister" – the moves on through other great numbers that include "Luskus Delph", "Power Failure", "Memorial Drive", "Song For A Dreamer", "Broken Barricades", and "Playmate Of The Mouth". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic fifth album from Procol Harum – one that really demonstrates the ever-changing energy of the group, and the way they seemed to find a fresh new focus with each of their early albums! The vocals of Gary Brooker are even more wonderful than ever – rejoined here with the talents of organist Keith Reid, who is back in the group – cementing a musical partnership that pushes forward with stronger, more rockish modes throughout – a lean quality that really seems to bring out the best in everyone! The set begins with the fantastic "Simple Sister" – the moves on through other great numbers that include "Luskus Delph", "Power Failure", "Memorial Drive", "Song For A Dreamer", "Broken Barricades", and "Playmate Of The Mouth". CD

Procol Harum check into the Grand Hotel – and check out with one of their greatest albums ever! The set's got that majestic sound that was the group's strongest point – a strange mix of the very personal vocals of Gary Brooker and the expansive blend of piano, organ, and guitar that the group often sent soaring to the skies – augmented here with some perfect use of strings and chorus – never too heavy, but all fused perfectly with the core energy of the sextet! In fact, it's that sense of compression – of folding everything together so well – that really makes the group so great, and such an important precursor for so many acts that were beginning to blossom in the UK scene, using a similar approach in different ways. Yet it's that Gary Brooker/Keith Reid sense of songwriting that still sets these guys apart from anyone else – as you'll hear on titles that include "Grand Hotel", "Tojours L'Amour", "TV Caesar", "A Souvenir Of London", "Robert's Box", "Fires", "For Liquorice John", and "A Rum Tale". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe our favorite album from Procol Harum – a set that adds in some wonderful use of strings to the group's unique style – almost moving forward on the promise of the earlier single "Whiter Shade Of Pale", moving into much deeper territory overall! There's something about Procol Harum on their early album's that's really indescribable – certainly an influence from blues and roots, but this really striking step forward with their song ideas and overall construction – not into jamming or progressive modes, like some of their contemporaries – although they're certainly never afraid to rock – but almost this balance between personal poetry and brashness, with kind of a slightly creepy current at times – as illustrated beautifully by the image on the cover. Titles include the completely wonderful "A Salty Dog", p0lus "Wreck Of The Hesperus", "Boredom", "The Devil Came To Kansas", "Too Much Between Us", "All This & More", and "The Milk Of Human Kindness". LP, Vinyl record album

The stunning second album from Procol Harum – a record that takes everything that's wonderful about their debut, and pushes it even farther – to a very unique space that's completely the group's own! The songcraft here is magical – with great work from the team of vocalist Gary Brooker and Keith Reid – and the production continues the group's unusual blend of bluesy elements with these dramatic, ambitious arrangements – never pop orchestrations, but just these ways of putting together a tune that make familiar fuzz guitar, piano, and organ explode in really new sort of ways. The whole thing's wonderful – hardly any hits, but all wonderful songs throughout – and titles include "Quite Rightly So", "Shine On Brightly", "Skip Softly", "Magdalene", "Glimpses Of Nirvana", "Grand Finale", and "In The Autumn Of My Madness". LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum always had a very heady sound in their music – a mode that was much more complex than their contemporaries, full of these richer currents of sound that matched the deeper ideas in their music! Yet here, they really take things even farther over the top – working with an orchestra in Canada, and turning out these fantastic live versions of some of their grooviest tunes – plus a few surprises as well! Unlike other "with orchestra" presentations, which can sometimes sound a bit schlocky – or have the orchestra carrying the weakening talents of aging musicians – this set captured the group in their prime, and has the amazing voice of Gary Brooker right out front – with rock solid backing from the core group, with Dave Ball on guitar and Chris Copping on plenty of organ – as the orchestrations just underscore their genius in a very effective way. Titles include "A Salty Dog", "Conquistador", "All This & More", "In Held Twas I", and 'Whaling Stories". CD

The amazing first album from Procol Harum – a group with a sound that's still unlike anyone else we can think of – even though they were a key part of the London scene of the 60s! The group are steeped in all of the blues, soul, and jazz elements that influenced so many other British acts of the period – but they have this way of presenting the music that brings a whole new sort of drama to the music – this flair that never overwhelms, and instead embellishes the music in this really special way – so that the tunes have this brilliance that's kept them fresh for many decades to follow! Lead singer Gary Brooker is a key part of the record's magic – a very distinctive singer – and a young Robin Trower contributes plenty on guitar, as does Matthew Fisher on Hammond. But there's also some arrangements that really set the whole thing in an unusual direction – and which make the record way more than just another bluesy rock set from the time. Hard to argue with the baroque brilliance of "She Wandered Through The Garden Fence", "A Christmas Camel", "Salad Days", "Repent Walpurgis", and "Conquistador" – not to mention the hit, "Whiter Shade Of Pale". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual moment for Procol Harum – still riding strong here onto their ninth album as a group – but also bringing in the legendary production team of Leiber & Stoller to help sharpen their sound! Yet apart from a few well-placed covers, all the genius of Gary Brooker and the group is firmly intact – organ work is maybe trimmed down a little, but his own vocals and piano are tremendous – as is the overall sense of song structure throughout! Titles include "Fool's Gold", "The Unquiet Zone", "Pandora's Box", "Eight Days A Week", "Without A Doubt", "The Piper's Tune", "I Keep Forgetting", and "Typewriter Torment". LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum were one of those groups who continued to sound amazing, even way past their initial hits – as you'll discover here on this wonderful gem from 1974! The album's got everything we love in the group very firmly in place – that strange mix of blues roots and drama, fused with loads of great organ and piano lines, and topped with the always-unique vocals of Gary Brooker – a singer who can make even the simplest lyric sound wonderful, but always without ever overstating his case! The balance is hard to describe in words, but it's perfectly Procol-like throughout – on well-penned, well-produced tracks that include "Beyond The Pale", "Nothing But The Truth", "The Idol", "Thin End Of The Wedge", "New Lamps For Old", "Butterfly Boys", and "As Strong As Sampson". LP, Vinyl record album

Procol Harum are definitely on home turf here – really honing, really focusing their energy – with a sound that seems to create this almost perfect interplay between the guitars of Robin Trower and vocals of Gary Brooker – two key elements of the group's sound that are even better here than on previous elements, especially when augmented by all the cool, unusual elements they always give us with their music. Brooker's got this bluesy quality, but the lyrics by Keith Reid often have this uniquely poetic vibe – one that's never overdone or pretentious, maybe because of the vocal quality – and which finds its own special space here on tunes that include "The Dead Man's Dream", "Whisky Train", "Barnyard Story", "Whaling Stories", "Your Own Choice", and "Still There'll Be More". CD features the bonus track "Whisky Train (US radio edit)". CD

The amazing first album from Procol Harum – a group with a sound that's still unlike anyone else we can think of – even though they were a key part of the London scene of the 60s! The group are steeped in all of the blues, soul, and jazz elements that influenced so many other British acts of the period – but they have this way of presenting the music that brings a whole new sort of drama to the music – this flair that never overwhelms, and instead embellishes the music in this really special way – so that the tunes have this brilliance that's kept them fresh for many decades to follow! Lead singer Gary Brooker is a key part of the record's magic – a very distinctive singer – and a young Robin Trower contributes plenty on guitar, as does Matthew Fisher on Hammond. But there's also some arrangements that really set the whole thing in an unusual direction – and which make the record way more than just another bluesy rock set from the time. Hard to argue with the baroque brilliance of "She Wandered Through The Garden Fence", "A Christmas Camel", "Salad Days", "Repent Walpurgis", and "Conquistador". This wonderful 2CD set features 27 additional bonus tracks – including singles "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", "Alpha", "Salad Days", "Understandably Blue", "Homburg", "Lime Street Blues", and "Good Captain Clack" – plus bonus alternate mixes, and two different BBC sessions from 1967! Also includes a bonus poster! CD

Maybe our favorite album from Procol Harum – a set that adds in some wonderful use of strings to the group's unique style – almost moving forward on the promise of the earlier single "Whiter Shade Of Pale", moving into much deeper territory overall! There's something about Procol Harum on their early album's that's really indescribable – certainly an influence from blues and roots, but this really striking step forward with their song ideas and overall construction – not into jamming or progressive modes, like some of their contemporaries – although they're certainly never afraid to rock – but almost this balance between personal poetry and brashness, with kind of a slightly creepy current at times – as illustrated beautifully by the image on the cover. Titles include the completely wonderful "A Salty Dog", p0lus "Wreck Of The Hesperus", "Boredom", "The Devil Came To Kansas", "Too Much Between Us", "All This & More", and "The Milk Of Human Kindness". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mighty nice solo work from Matthew Fisher – a record that really has him finding his voice as a solo act, on his own after leaving Procol Harum – still using keyboards as strongly as he did in that group, but also coming across as a strong singer too! Fisher has a surprisingly soulful depth to his vocals – and with the use of piano under his lyrics more than any other instrument, there's a nicely pointed punch to the record – maybe that richness that you'd get from an Elton John record, although Fisher's approach is completely different overall. Fisher also handles all the guitar work too, and serves up some great larger arrangements – on titles that include "Not Her Fault", "Song Without Words", "Taking The Easy Way Out", "It's Not Too Late", "Cold Harbour Lane", and "Do You Still Think About Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Live performances by Patti Smith, Stray Cats, Iggy Pop, Elton John, Kansas, Dave Mason, Foghat, and Procol Harum fronting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra! CD

Music from Ricky Nelson, The Human Beinz, Ketty Lester, Booker T & The MG's, The Legends, Carlo Mastrangelo, Procol Harum, The Rockin' Berries, The Valentines, The Tornados, Cleveland Crochet, and more - 25 songs in all. CD

2nd solo album from the former Procol Harum guitarist. LP, Vinyl record album

Features soul classics by Marvin Gaye, The Temptaions, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and Aretha Franklin, and The Exciters, plus a few rock hits by The Rascals, Three Dog Night, and Procol Harum. LP, Vinyl record album

Writer Jon Savage has given us some great dips into key years of the 60s – thanks to a wonderful series on Ace Records, which offered up a special mix of styles on every disc – but this time around, he focuses on a few years at the start of the 70s – and serves up an all-rock collection with a really heavy sound! Savage is never one to point out the ordinary – and the set does a really great job of exposing all these special shifts in the music at the time – sounds that never would have emerged just a few years before, and which have gone from having more open ties to their influences, to special territory that really shows both UK and American scenes making some great inventions of their own. As before, the notes are superb – and titles include "Broad Daylight" by Free, "Peace Loving Man" by Blossom Toes, "The War Machine" by Leviathan, "Magic Potion" by The Open Mind, "Rock & Roll Queen" by Mott The Hoople, "Devil Came From Kansas" by Procol Harum, "King Kong" by The Kinks, "Bad Night At The Whiskey" by The Byrds, "Comin Home" by Delaney & Bonnie, "Flying" by Faces, "Funk #48" by James Gang, "1969" by The Stooges, "Lie To Me" by Kaleidoscope, "Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Marsha Hunt, "Plynth" by Jeff Beck Group, "American Ruse" by MC5, "Sweet Jane" by Velvet Underground, "Rock & Roll" by Detroit, "Travelin In The Dark" by Mountain, "Yesterday's Numbers" by Flamin Groovies, and "Natural Magic" by Jack Nitzsche. CD

The surprisingly rich lost legacy of Freedom – a group who were initially born out of a breakup with Procol Harum, but then went through some huge growth on their own over the space of a few short years! As you'll hear in this set of complete albums from the group (plus bonus tracks too!), the band began as more of a Hammond-based combo, then shifted towards a wickedly-sharp harder rocking group with lots more guitar in the lead – equally tight in both incarnations, and with a quality level that should have made them much bigger than they were! The group recorded for a few different labels, and some of their records never crossed the Atlantic back in the day – yet taken as a whole, the work here is excellent throughout – with plenty of inventive touches that really have them marking their own territory as the years move on. The package begins with their excellent soundtrack for the film Nerosubianco, which includes lots of rare bonus tracks too – followed by the BYG/Actuel classic Freedom At Last, and three more great albums Freedom, Through The Years, and Freedom Is More Than A Word – as well as more bonus tracks too. The box features 59 tracks in all, detailed notes, and all albums in mini LP-styled sleeves too! CD

A masterpiece of psychedelic pop from the early years of Island Records – and a set that really captures that key shift from R&B-influenced sounds to much headier territory on the UK scene! Spooky Tooth came to this debut with a fair bit of previous activity in other groups – and there's a core energy here that still holds onto the soul-influenced grooves of the mod scene – which makes for some romping cuts that are almost freakbeat tunes, but which are twisted nicely with some fuzzier production and longer-haired expressions! The vocals have a nice undercurrent of soul – unabashedly powerful, but years before such a style would sound cliche – and the drums, bass, and guitar leap into the fray with equally wonderful energy. The approach is a bit like Procol Harum at the start, but more individual – and titles include "Too Much Of Nothing", "Society's Child", "Bubbles", "Forget It I Got It", "It Hurts You So", "Sunshine Help Me", and "Love Really Changed Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Prog rock was shifting a bit as 1974 came into view, but the leading lights of the scene were still going strong – sometimes with new modes and slight shifts in production techniques that showed that the music was evolving very strongly, and not just content to mire in the modes of an initial wave of activity! If anything, most of the cats on this set are even sharper musicians and more daring songwriters than a few years before – which means that sometimes, there's an even more focused approach to the music – a bold message that can come across strongly, without a full side album jam – and with production elements that don't oversaturate as much, which almost seems to indicate that the prog scene of the moment were having some thoughts about musical shifts to come! As with the other titles in this series, the box features a superb set list – really well-chosen cuts that go past the obvious – accompanied by a very hefty set of notes on each act and the tunes within. 4CD set features 51 tracks in all – work from Caravan, Hawkwind, Gong, PFM, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Peter Hammill, Neutrons, Nektar, Hatfield & The North, Traffic, Gravy Train, Darryl Way's Wolf, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Stackridge, Greenslade, Strawbs, Kevin Ayers, Jack Bruce, and others! CD

70s issue of this masterpiece of psychedelic pop – a set that really captures that key shift from R&B-influenced sounds to much headier territory on the UK scene! Spooky Tooth came to this debut with a fair bit of previous activity in other groups – and there's a core energy here that still holds onto the soul-influenced grooves of the mod scene – which makes for some romping cuts that are almost freakbeat tunes, but which are twisted nicely with some fuzzier production and longer-haired expressions! The vocals have a nice undercurrent of soul – unabashedly powerful, but years before such a style would sound cliche – and the drums, bass, and guitar leap into the fray with equally wonderful energy. The approach is a bit like Procol Harum at the start, but more individual – and titles include "Too Much Of Nothing", "Society's Child", "Bubbles", "Forget It I Got It", "It Hurts You So", "Sunshine Help Me", and "Love Really Changed Me". LP, Vinyl record album