Expanded Procol Harum reissues (2015)

procolharum.com has posted assurances that Shine on Brightly will be speed corrected. No similar assurance was made for the first album.

It would appear that fewer Procol fans object to the Salvo mix speeds for the first album.

 

Repertoire Procol Harum 1st Album Plus still my go to version and I have the Salvo too.

 

After having reduced the speed of the album tracks with 2.81% 'Shine On Brightly' (the album) sounds much more natural to me and fits better (soundwise) in between the first album and 'A Salty Dog.'
Before I found the sound thin and a bit sharp - and of course it was thin and sharp as it was playing in the wrong pitch.
Gary Booker's voice now suddenly sounds natural and no longer like Mickey Mouse with a rocket up his butt.
I also felt the whole album sounded a bit strained but playing at the right pitch the album now sounds both relaxed and more pleasant.
As I had never heard the original release of 'Shine On Brightly' I thought it was supposed to sound the way it does on the Salvo remasters and as such I would never have been able to figure out myself that it needed speed correcting.
I was therefore happy to stumble across this thread and grateful for the information you provided about how much to reduce the speed to make the album sound natural.
'Shine On Brightly' is one of their best albums and for me it is like hearing it again anew, now that the speed has been corrected.
Thanks for your help.
I really appreciate it.

P.S.
The speed of the mono and stereo version of 'Humborg' on the Salvo remaster of the first album seems to differ from each other; it seems as if the stereo version is running slower than the mono version.
Is there something wrong there or is it just me?

 

Jim Foy: I'm glad that you like your "new" copy of "Shine On Brightly". I also slowed my Salvo copy down by the same 2.81% and was pleased with the results.

The stereo version of Homburg on the Salvo remaster was mixed after the mono one had been released as a single. The stereo version was released on one or more Flyback compilation albums (I can get more info from my inside people, if you'd like).

 

There are a couple of stereo Homburgs floating around. I think they were from different sessions than the original single. I think that that Westside and Salvo released most of them in the last 10 years or so. BBC Classic tracks put out a nice "live in the studio" version of Homburg also if I recall; which was on a DJ only release in the early 90's. BBC classic tracks actually did five procol songs on tha CD, but one was just a studio recording (Salty Dog maybe?). I remember the DJ (Richard Skinner maybe?) mentioning that Procol played a huge concert and the same week played "Your Own Choice" for the BBC for 40 pounds.

The Homburg in stereo that first appears on the FLY Salty Dog compilation was my personal favorite. Funny release that particular LP. They used the name Salty Dog but it was really a pseudo best hits. I no longer have that LP but it may also have had a stereo version of Conquistador which was later released on the Pandora's box CD.

I went back and looked at reviews of the first two Procol Albums on the UK Amazon website, as those were UK releases. About 3 of 13 reviewers noticed the speed issues that I discussed for the first album (self titled), not counting myself. Looks like there is universal agreement on speed issues with Shine on Brightly. I tried slowing down the first album but the result was mediocre compared with just playing a different release. If Gary himself were to listen to the product before it is released (and compare them to the versions that have been out on LP) that would be the best outcome as I think he would know if his voice sounds "right" or not on the two forthcoming releases.

I am glad to see so many people talking about Procol. By the way, my ipad autocorrect changed Procol to Proctologist at one point. Just sayin'

 

Funny that I've never noticed the Gary sounded like Mickey Mouse

 

i hope these releases are the definitive versions.

people always go on about the number of times bands like pink floyd or led zeppelin remaster and rerelease their music, but procol harum is just as bad. the plus... and the salvo releases all have different bonus tracks and pros/cons. it makes it hard to keep track of which is better.

 

Good news. The Salvo CDs sound great to me and even the speed issue on Shine On Brightly doesn't bug me too much but I will probably get the new remaster. I'll most likely be content with the other Salvos.

 

The speed on at least some of the tracks on the Salvo version of the first album is definitely fast, just as on Shine on Brightly. Not really an issue since Procol Harum...Plus sounds at least as good, and the stereo bonus tracks on the Salvo CD are also on Pandora's Box (I'm pretty sure)

 

Bah...wish there were the two stereo RW's on the PB boot on there. Certainly room for it.

Yeah, I know, picky-picky. It's damn near one of their absolute best cuts, though. Somebody familiar with the Harum and that first album, they're going to want all the Walpurgis ever put on tape from '67.

 

I finally visited Procolharum dot com. Man what a ugly amateurish site. It looks like a child designed it in 1989.

I assume it's a fan site for them ? Hard to tour it and an embarrassment I think. My humble site is even better. I just expected more.

 

I bought the A&M 45 of Homburg when it came out and Clack was the B-side. Still have it.

 

Actually it looks like an adult designed it in 1997 Hey, it's a labour of love. Lots of info and imo text beats fancy animation and a corporate mentality any day!

 

I love Procol Harum but I'm done. Have three Mofi's along with Westside and Salvo's. Blood from a stone.

 

I agree about info but it really needs help.

 

In my view the ProcolHarum.com site is reluctant to every criticize anything, ever. One thing I like about this site is that we are willing to debate things. And generally we take each other's criticisms fairly well. I know that from time to time I can be full of beans....or make that beanstalks.

Repent! Homburg! (Quoting an audience member on the famous WPLJ 71 live broadcast)

Gary's reply was great. "some of those out there? Listen man, there's 50 million other people listening. But who's it for?"

 

I tried to surf the site but I cannot find any of the interesting information people here quote from that site.
Maybe it's just me.

 

Speed-wise the first Salvo album sounds okay to me.
From the comments here it seems to me that only some of the tracks are off-speed.
Can anybody tell me which ones?
And do they run too fast just like on 'Shine On Brightly'?
Anyway, 1967 was actually a year when people played around with the speed when recording an album - The Beatles comes to mind.... - so if some of the tracks are off speed I would have thought it was the times.....

 

No, we're not!

 

An argument is not simply a contradiction. (Source: John Cleese ?)

 

Yes it is.

 

No, no, no. Hold your head like this, then go "waaah."

 

I tried comparing a few tracks on the Salvo and Westside versions of the first album yesterday. I see that the songs on the Salvo version are about 4 seconds shorter so I assume they're all sped up but not noticeably. When listening to them in rapid succession, I think the first vocal note of Conquistador sounds a tad sharper on the Salvo (also slightly louder, so I wonder if that makes a difference).

I couldn't detect any differences on most of the tracks I tried, though I don't claim to have a great sense of pitch.

But I had no problem noticing the Shine on Brightly speed issue.

 

They have a search box if you're looking for something in particular:

http://www.procolharum.com/99/BtPSearch.htm

I never have any problems finding anything on that site.

 

I wish I knew how to build a site but there are PLENTY of free or very low cost templates out now. They really need to up their game.

Here are some great examples. My own blog is listed last and is a custom Wordpress Blog. Great artists need great content and design...

http://wilcoworld.net

http://www.beck.com

http://www.casadecalexico.com

http://manhattman.com