New Procol Harum Album Out on April 21st

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tuco, Feb 1, 2017.

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  1. MartinGr

    MartinGr Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany/Berlin
    I was surprised, how great he still is as a singer! As fas I remember, no difference to the last album 14 years ago.
    I liked the new album a lot at first listen, and I'm sure it will even grow.
     
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  2. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Good news! Thanks, Martin.

    I was one of those who slagged off "The Well's on Fire"
    when it first appeared, but it's got a great vibe to it, very
    reminiscent of the first LP. A bit of hyperbole there, but
    you get the drift.
     
  3. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Going out to buy it today, hopefully. :)
     
  4. MidnightRocks

    MidnightRocks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    Went to Tower Records the other day and forgot it was out! Came out with 2 Steely Dan CDs and the middle period Fleetwood Mac albums collection.
     
  5. Marvin

    Marvin Senior Member

    Actually I thought "The Well's on Fire" was their best since "Grand Hotel." In any case, looking forward to this one (Amazon is taking their time shipping it to me).
     
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  6. chewy

    chewy Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast USA
    Wow, it was really good- one of the better new albums by a classic rock band ive heard in quite some time probably.
     
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  7. RickA

    RickA Love you forever Luke, we will be together again

    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    +1 :righton:

    Rick A.
     
  8. Carserguev

    Carserguev Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    :goodie: :drool:

    Can't wait for my copy to arrive! Argh, I ordered it from WOWHD (lowest price I could find), so it will take two bloody weeks to arrive... Oh well...
     
  9. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Did like that album, like this one better. (Also liked EB&F better than Grand Hotel). And yes, Brooker's voice is top notch.
     
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  10. Marvin

    Marvin Senior Member

    Can't wait!. I heard 3 of the songs in concert last month. I'm debating whether or not to listen on Spotify or wait until my CD arrives.
     
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  11. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Listening as I type this ... :) (Also drinking delicious coffee, now you know my week-end lifestyle in a nutshell. ;))

    Too early to tell where this record sits in my personal PH ranking; a friend thought it was a bit Procol's Ninth, perhaps the most insightful view I've read online. Given the lovely cover-art nod to A Whiter Shade Of Pale, I was hoping for a bit of Bach-y piano/organ interplay ... but that's not where Gary is anymore, and I respect that honesty on his part. Pete Brown's lyrics are appropriate ... maybe not as surreal as I'd hoped, but then I still live in 1967 a lot of the time ... :) Musicianship level is high, as you'd expect with this band; restraint where needed, occasional "rocking out" where required. Basic tracks were cut live in the studio by the full band, in the traditional fashion.

    Sonics: CD mastering is fairly typical for what comes out of Metropolis (in my limited experience); a bit hard-sounding, but not a disaster. Mix is fairly dry in the main, hence my Procol's Ninth mention.

    Were any LP's pressed for RSD ...?
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2017
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  12. There is a vinyl version coming out but not RSD.
     
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  13. Fred68

    Fred68 Loves Music

    Location:
    USA
    I have a somewhat dissenting opinion. The first half of the album I though was weak, and I doubted that I'd be returning to it any time soon. Things pick up considerably in the second half, but overall I would not rank this as one of Gary's best. ymmv.
     
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  14. Paul W

    Paul W Senior Member

    Yup. It's out now.
     
  15. Atmospheric

    Atmospheric Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eugene
    I've given it a listen and I really like it. I think it's the strongest overall record since "Exotic Birds and Fruit." Although I rate Pete Brown's lyrics a bit weak most of the time. I wonder why Gary and Keith Reid don't collaborate again? Anyway, I think it's very well recorded and much more natural sounding than "This Well's On Fire." Geoff Whitehorn sounds like he's moved on from that wretched Zoom multi effects unit he was using. He's probably using a Fractal Audio unit or something similar. Guitar sounds are very natural and organic sounding. I think Matt Peg has taken his playing up a notch as well.

    My one complaint would be the excessive dynamic range compression. Album is a DR=8, which is right on the edge of listenable for me. Sure enough, I find the drums pushed too far up in the mix on a lot of songs for my tastes. I hate mixes in which the rhythm section (bass and drums) directly competes with the vocals. There's just no need for that. Very hamfisted and artless. Just open things up and drop the rhythm section 3db.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
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  16. seacliffe301

    seacliffe301 Forum Resident

    I don't either, although I consider "Pandora's Box" from "Procol's Ninth" to be good as anything else they ever did.
    Their last hurrah if you will.

    As for this new project, it will hard to listen to Procol Harum without BJ Wilson's signature style.
     
  17. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

    I've received more than one recommendation for Procol's Ninth as well as Exotic Birds and Fruit.
     
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  18. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    I just listened on Spotify. Pleasant enough, Gary's voice sounds good, good guitar player and they kick up a good racket on "Businessman" and the one after it, but I'm feeling the lack of Keith Reid pretty acutely. The lyrics all seem so trite that it takes away from the songs to me.
     
  19. Bob J

    Bob J Forum Resident

    I think that "Ninth" is kind of mediocre compared to what came before then but it's not a bad record. "Exotic Birds and Fruit", to me, is more consistently solid and has better songs. The real tragedy in this later Procol time frame is "Something Magic". It has a nice side one (especially "Strangers in Space" and "The Mark of the Claw") but then is all but ruined by the dreadful "The Worm and The Tree" on side two. Even Gary Brooker has second guessed his decision to do it all in spoken word instead of singing on it.

    I have the "Novum" CD but haven't listened yet.
     
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  20. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    I really enjoyed the new album, and in particular in the live setting. They performed 8 of the 11 songs last night at Manchester Bridgewater Hall, and sounded great. Gary Brooker's voice must be one of the very few barely tarnished with time. Absolutely stunning. And yes, they did A Whiter Shade Of Pale at the end. With the 'rare' third verse.
     
  21. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    EB&F is certainly a better record, but it's the last one in the trademark PH style.The key to Ninth is that Leiber and Stoller produced it so it's very different-- Far more of an R&B album with strings/horns and less of an ornate English sound. Some terrific songs though, and it's an amazing album sonically.

    As Bob notes, Something Magic is a dud. I don't even like the (far better) first side much.
     
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  22. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    My Japan CD arrived today...awesome :cheers::cheers:
     
  23. Onrd

    Onrd I am not a number

    This is one of the worst mixes I've heard. Brooker actually sounds shrill on the opening cut (too much digital reverb?). The amount of brickwalling is astounding and the prominence of the guitar and percussion is dumbfounding. It's really too bad, the songs aren't bad and Brooker still has a good voice.
    Maybe the vinyl is better but I somehow doubt it.
    It's funny I listened to the new Ray Davies CD today and it was recorded and mixed extremely well. One out of two ain't bad.
     
  24. Ignatius

    Ignatius Forum Resident

    Aged Brooker actually sounds like the grizzled bluesman he was emulating from 1967. Like Peter Green maybe.
     
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  25. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    Technically it was one of their first hurrahs--written before the recording of PH's first LP.
    But yeah--I still remember hearing the 1975 version on L.A. FM radio for the first time and getting chills. Still does it for me, too.
     
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