Cover Art: Procol Harum

Artist: Procol Harum

Title: Procol Harum

Date: 1967

Label: Deram Records DES-18008

Notes: I'm assuming that this is a re-issue since the cover informs the listener that this record has been, "Electronically Re-Processed". A solid set of songs with a few hits as well. Although there have been other versions of "Whiter Shade of Pale" this will remain the definitive recording. And that's just the opening song. The rest of the record is alive with the Harum sound and while Robin Trower (yes, That Robin Trower) doesn't explode as he has been seen to do in his later recordings he doesn't disgrace himself here. It's nice to be able to draw a line back to these sessions after hearing his "Bridge of Sighs" era recordings. Brooker's voice still stands unique, he doesn't quite sound like anyone else but himself. The unpracticed hand of the cover artist gives the cover a 60's folk art appearance. A classic album from the vaults.

Line Up:

Gary Brooker: voice and piano
Matthew Fisher: Hammond organ
Robin Trower: lead guitar
David Knights: bass guitar
B. J. Wilson: percussion

Track Listing

Side 1

Whiter Shade of Pale
She Wandered Through the Garden Fence
Something Following Me
Mabel
Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of)

Side 2

A Christmas Camel
Conquistador
Kaleidoscope
Salad Days (Are Here Again)
Repent Walpurgis

Front Cover

Back Cover

Here's some info provided by John Howells (http://www.punkhart.com):

Not a reissue but the original first edition in the US from 1967. The album was released in the UK only in mono, which was the way it was originally mastered (although some stereo tapes have been recently discovered). It was electronically reprocessed for stereo because that's the way it was done back in the '60s. It was more lucrative to release a stereo release in the US, even though the music wasn't true stereo.

You'll notice that this album is on the Deram label. Procol Harum soon moved to A&M and released material on that label up through their fifth album ("Broken Barricades"), which was incidentally the last album featuring Robin Trower. There was one subsequent live album and then the switched to Chrysalis Records for the remainder of their career in 1977. So, the only time in which this album was available on Deram was in 1967.

The first album was reissued in 1974 or 1975 on the A&M label with one additional song that didn't appear the first time around. In fact, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" did not appear on the original UK version of the album. It was added to the US version to boost sales. The reissue on A&M restored the track order, including the dropped song "Good Captain Clack", and still kept "A Whiter Shade of Pale". There is a recent CD reissue that comes from a previously unknown mono master tape that sounds fantastic. It makes the Deram lp you display sound horrible by comparison. I would recommend picking up the new reissue if you like this album.