Expanded Procol Harum reissues (2015)

For those into vinyl this UK 1976 Cube "Rock Roots" issue is a way to get original versions of some of their rarest tracks with very fine audio.

 

Yes, the speed does impact on the pitch so if the speed is too fast then the pitch is too high.
What I do with my old fashioned CoolEditPro is to reduce the speed to match the correct speed and when doing that the pitch is automatically lowered to it's natural level.
Just like if you have an old LP running too fast - then the pitch is also too high.
If you the reduce the speed of the LP then the pitch will also follow automatically.

 

No s**t. It's getting pointless now.

 

But if these sound better than any previous releases? We can always hope!

 

I loved the Roots lp when it came out. Mainly for the unreleased tracks. Now those tracks have been released a jillion times but at the time they were new to us all.

 

...and there are reasons for that. Think about it.

 

The original master tapes for the original album have been lost. The only LP that was mastered from the original tapes is the Italian red cover one.

 

I'll leap WHEN the 1st LP is released in stereo proper.

When.

Hell.

Freezes.

Over.

 

"When Hell Freezes Over" is when the 1st LP will be released in proper stereo.

 

If an album is mastered poorly they should be willing to discuss the merits or lack thereof. Though they did allow a detailed discussion of the Salvo Shine on Brightly but that is the sole exception. On this site we are more free to post a dissenting view.

Why do you suggest that a debate free zone is the most appropriate course?

 

The 98 Westside release says the first album was mastered from a "first generation production copy" of the mono master, whatever that means.

 

I think most would call that a second generation copy of the master.

 

Sound clips pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

This is a little off topic, but I have a question about the personnel for the first album. First of all, when was the first album released? The Westside liner notes say Jan 68, and wikipedia says Sept 67. It was recorded July of 67. We know Bill Eyden played drums on the single Whiter Shade of Pale and Lime Street Blues - who played guitar on this single? Ray Royer?

Then the Homburg single/Good Captain Clack. On Homburg Bobby Harrison is on drums, Royer on guitar - are they also on the Bside? This wasn't released until Oct 67 but obviously was recorded shortly after WSOP/LSB - maybe even at the same session?

The album - Westside liner notes say that by the time of the Oct release of Homburg, Harrison and Royer were gone - but if they left as late as August/September, then they would be the drummer and guitarist for the first album which was recorded in July, right? And why after Homburg was recorded with Harrison and Royer and released in October did PH rerecord it with Thomas and Trower?

I'm confused!!

 

Eyden played drums on the single version of AWSOP. Bobby Harrison played on the B side (LSB). Ray Royer played on both sides.

There's an alternate stereo version of AWSOP with Harrison that was released on an outtakes/rarities album (Pandora's Box).

Harrison and Royer left in mid-July. They were on the Homburg single with, as I understand it, BJ Wilson (not Thomas) overdubbing fills. There are a couple of different versions of the B side (In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence). Harrison may have played on one of them.

Harrison and Royer may have played on the base track (prior to overdubs) for a couple songs on their 1st album (Mabel and Good Captain Clack).

 

Yes of course brain fart - BJ Thomas was a whole different kettle of fish than BJ Wilson!! But why rerecord Homburg with Trower on guitar (the stereo version), if indeed the Westside notes are correct he is on that version?
I had a theory once that Harrison and Royer were on the ST album that was mixed into mono and the multis discarded, but after they left and the album was delayed PH rerecorded most of the songs with Trower and Wilson and those are the multis that have survived to be mixed into stereo - but I guess that isn't correct if Trower and Wilson were indeed on the album. It certainly sounds like Trower on most of the songs.

Why did they rerecord AWSOP with Harrison? Did they try to better the original track and decided that the earlier Eyden one was superior and so released that as the single?

 

I don't know that Trower is on Homburg (not much guitar on it anyway). I think BJ Wilson overdubbed drum fills.

According to Henry Scott-Irvine, author of a recent bio of the group (and active on the Procol Harum Facebook page), most of the Royer/Harrison versions of songs for their first album were of very poor quality and remain unreleased.

Bobby Harrison claimed that he was told that he was to be the drummer for the official version of AWSOP and attended the recording session with Bill Eyden (on his first day as a member) to learn the song. (Tony Visconti, in his book, said that Denny Cordell played the Eyden version of AWSOP for him on their first meeting and told him it was a demo.) But subsequent re-recordings of the song with Harrison were not as good as the "demo" so they ended up releasing the Eyden version as the single.

 

I think it is as simple as Harrison and Eyden were studio guns for hire. They brought in ex paramount bj Wilson to create a real band. Same with trower

 

Eyden was a studio musician but Harrison and Royer were supposed to be part of a real band. But it was decided they were not up to the task (especially Royer) once they started recording the first album.

 

Ray Royer and Bobby Harrison played on the released version of Homburg. Trower and BJ Wilson played on some of the alternate takes.

 

Supposedly Denny Cordell was near boredom with procol and was focused on other acts when the first album was recorded. One of the reasons it was mono was his lack of general enthusiasm.

A lot of people thought that the band was a one hit novelty at the time. It did not help that there was a long delay between the first single and the lp. Plus in the UK the single was left off the album which was typical at the time. I read somewhere that they sold something like seven million copies of AWSOP

 

From what I've read, sales of the single were in excess of ten million copies as of 1978. I think they may have sold another couple of dozen since then (apparently 16 million copies).

 

I personally have my doubts about how the lawsuit with Matthew was resolved. I doubt that US courts would have ruled the same way but I am not a lawyer.

 

Lots of people would agree with you.

There's a music producer, who posts here occasionally, who thought that the judgment was beyond ridiculous.

Lots of people agreed with him.

However, if you post that opinion on the Facebook page, you'll incur the wrath of Carol Fisher, Matthew's wife!

 

I don't know - the Marvin Gaye/Robin Thicke judgement was ridiculous as well, right here in the USA.