The Prog Rock Album Club

Unknown Soldier · 06-09-2014, 11:42 AM

The first thing that always strikes me about early Procul Harum, is just how laid back their early prog style recordings were. Their debut album had to be one of the most laid back albums that came under the prog label. The album is a mesh of psychedelic rock with classical influences, underpinned by the bands bluesy roots. There are various versions of this album (different track selections) but I've gone with the original UK release which starts with the excellent "Conquistador" and other great tracks on the album in the Procul Harum style include the engaging "Something Following Me" the dominant piano on "Christmas Camel" the flowing "Kaleidoscope" and Michael Fisher's organ on "Repent Walpurgis". Also some versions of the album have the band's most famous track as well "A Whiter Shade of Pale".

Like a lot of early prog recordings, a light and somewhat jokey track was usually included and here it's the short "Mabel" and to a degree as well "Good Captain Clack" similar in nature to Pink Floyds "Corporal Clegg". The vocals of Gary Brooker is one of the album's strongpoints as is the tasteful guitar of Robin Trower. Gary Brooker sounds very similar to Steve Winwood, but whereas I don't really like Steve Winwood's vocals, I really like those of Gary Brooker.

4.0/5

Anteater · 06-13-2014, 11:37 PM

Moss, you are up next for albums. Give us some good choices.

Moss · 06-14-2014, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

Moss, you are up next for albums. Give us some good choices.

Ah damn, was travelling for work and didn't get to review the others. Maybe ill still squeeze in a procol. Give me a moment on the new ones.

Moss · 06-15-2014, 05:48 PM

Ok, a couple I have been meaning to check out that I think qualify as Prog although the second one may be more fusion?

The soft machine

Inner mounting flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra

Moss · 06-16-2014, 04:25 PM

And just to confuse people further, a few thoughts on Procol Harum:

This is one of those albums I would not have really thought of as being in the prog category although I can see why it could fit there. It does mix classical, blues and other elements all together. If I was asked I would describe it as bluesy psychedelia maybe?

To start with, I am a huge fan of Robin Trower’s solo work so have always been a bit disappointed that his guitar sound is not more up front in the mix and more prominent. Certainly his tone is a bit different than what you would here in his solo work later on but still a nice sound. But having said that, this album still has some very tasty guitar work throughout. A song like “Cerdes” really makes the album for me and I think it’s one of the stronger tracks. Good bluesy rock and Trower shows some of that sweet vibrato work and that amazing phrasing style you would hear later on. You could hear a band like the Allman brothers covering Cerdes quite easily. In fact I would love to hear what Greg Allman could do with that one.

As has already been said, Gary Brooker sounds quite a bit like Steve Winwood but different enough to be distinct. He has a great voice.

A few thoughts on other songs:

Conquistador - Not a big fan of this studio version after hearing the more rocking live versions they did. I think it works well at a faster tempo. Great song and not a surprise it was one of the bigger hits.

Whiter shade of pale: Great song, hugely influential i think. Never been one of my favorites.

Good Captain Clack - Kind of like a Monty Python song or something. A little bit of a throwaway maybe?

Mabel - Another throwaway sounding song.

Repent Walpurgis - whiter shade of pale like but with sweet guitar

Overall:
Strong melodies, good variety, good songs, and Robin Trower.
4.0/5

Anteater · 06-20-2014, 10:04 AM

The dodgy recording quality of those early albums aside, its hard to go wrong with anything Soft Machine did between '68 and 1979. Being the more experimental of the two Wilde Flowers offshoot bands (the other being Caravan), it goes without saying that The Soft Machine was going to be an interesting beginning one way or another, particularly in light to the jazz-fusion they would become infamous for in the early 70's and beyond.

Even with these considerations in mind though, these guys early "psychedelic" period is a fun place to check in. Wyatt gets to strut his stuff around, his feathery voice constantly in step with Mike Ratledge's stupendous fuzzboxed organ work: his brief forays into dissonance on groovy cuts like 'Hope For Happiness' and 'Joy For A Toy' are, in a word, inspiring to the ear. Or at least I've always thought so. Hell, I owe these guys for introducing me to the more experimental side of rock and jazz in general (though I'm surprised this managed to chart as well as it did: just goes to show you how different the times were).

Great album in any case though, and I'm glad I spent some more time with it. My choice for the first single honestly would have been 'Why Are We Sleeping' over 'Joy For A Toy' though. The woozy chorus line is typical of the period, but that counterpoint rhythm coupled with those Alan Rickman-esque spoken word interludes should have at least provided some novelty oomph for whatever passed for Top Of The Pops in 1968. Oh well...

While I wouldn't use The Soft Machine as a basis of comparison against Third, Fourth or even the Allan Holdsworth-led Bundles, I highly recommend it to progfans everywhere.

85/100

Moss · 06-21-2014, 12:38 AM

Ok, I won't lie. I have a bias towards guitar and hearing Allan Holdsworth had anything to do with Soft Machine piqued my interest. But outside of that I have certainly heard people talk about them over the years so this was a good chance to check it out. Although I did get them confused with Soft Boys for awhile which is silly but there you go. I did the customary Wiki search to find out a little bit and the "canterbury scene" was mentioned which I did not know much about.

But anyways. I really like this album after even one listen. I could just picture these guys playing at the famous UFO club. And what a perfect band to back up Syd Barret on some of his solo stuff.
So as far as this album.
I liked many things about it. The free jazz sound of So Boot if at all. We did it again is just hypnotic and ends up being like a mantra. Love the bass playing through wah-wah on Joy of a toy. Hope for Happiness would not be out of place on a Deep Purple album. Why are we sleeping could sit comfortably on a Nick Cave album. I love that it is a continuous suite of music. Very trippy, very of (and ahead of) it's time but in a good way. Sad to hear Kevin Ayers died last year. Definitely want to hear more of these guys. So that is my stream of conciousness on this one. At the end of the day, I want this on vinyl and will listen to it again.

80/100

Unknown Soldier · 06-21-2014, 04:10 PM

I was trying to think if I ever heard anything by the band before and I think the answer might have been no and when I heard that the album was an instrumental I was less than thrilled. The Soft Machine album I know very well so went with this one. Firstly the album was far more intense and bombastic than I was thinking it would be and this went down a treat with the jazz-fusion style on the album as well. In fact its this jazz-fusion style blended with a Jimi Hendrix style of hard rock that is the key to the album for me. Musically parts of the album reminded me of the type of intensity that King Crimson would later put down on Red and its this intensity with precision that really impressed me with MO and on the first listen I liked the album, but on the second listen I really liked it and found it very impressive. Finally I never knew that Jan Hammer (Miami Vice) was involved with this band and as a footnote this sounds just like the kind of band that should've appeared on Woodstock (even though) that well known concert was a few years before this release.

4.5/5

Anteater · 06-23-2014, 07:21 PM

Awesome reviews guys. Lets see who is next on the list...

Quote:

1. Unknown Soldier
2. Moss
3. Rostasi
4. Carpe Mortem
5. Xurtio
6. Anteater

Your turn Rostasi! Give us some options.

Moss · 06-23-2014, 10:03 PM

Whoa, I can safely say I have not heard those. Looking forward to them. And thanks for making it so easy!

06-15-2014, 05:48 PM	#894 (permalink)
Moss Scuttle Buttin' Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boulder Colorado Posts: 972	Ok, a couple I have been meaning to check out that I think qualify as Prog although the second one may be more fusion? The soft machine Inner mounting flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra

06-16-2014, 04:25 PM	#895 (permalink)
Moss Scuttle Buttin' Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boulder Colorado Posts: 972	And just to confuse people further, a few thoughts on Procol Harum: This is one of those albums I would not have really thought of as being in the prog category although I can see why it could fit there. It does mix classical, blues and other elements all together. If I was asked I would describe it as bluesy psychedelia maybe? To start with, I am a huge fan of Robin Trower’s solo work so have always been a bit disappointed that his guitar sound is not more up front in the mix and more prominent. Certainly his tone is a bit different than what you would here in his solo work later on but still a nice sound. But having said that, this album still has some very tasty guitar work throughout. A song like “Cerdes” really makes the album for me and I think it’s one of the stronger tracks. Good bluesy rock and Trower shows some of that sweet vibrato work and that amazing phrasing style you would hear later on. You could hear a band like the Allman brothers covering Cerdes quite easily. In fact I would love to hear what Greg Allman could do with that one. As has already been said, Gary Brooker sounds quite a bit like Steve Winwood but different enough to be distinct. He has a great voice. A few thoughts on other songs: Conquistador - Not a big fan of this studio version after hearing the more rocking live versions they did. I think it works well at a faster tempo. Great song and not a surprise it was one of the bigger hits. Whiter shade of pale: Great song, hugely influential i think. Never been one of my favorites. Good Captain Clack - Kind of like a Monty Python song or something. A little bit of a throwaway maybe? Mabel - Another throwaway sounding song. Repent Walpurgis - whiter shade of pale like but with sweet guitar Overall: Strong melodies, good variety, good songs, and Robin Trower. 4.0/5

06-21-2014, 12:38 AM	#897 (permalink)
Moss Scuttle Buttin' Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boulder Colorado Posts: 972	Ok, I won't lie. I have a bias towards guitar and hearing Allan Holdsworth had anything to do with Soft Machine piqued my interest. But outside of that I have certainly heard people talk about them over the years so this was a good chance to check it out. Although I did get them confused with Soft Boys for awhile which is silly but there you go. I did the customary Wiki search to find out a little bit and the "canterbury scene" was mentioned which I did not know much about. But anyways. I really like this album after even one listen. I could just picture these guys playing at the famous UFO club. And what a perfect band to back up Syd Barret on some of his solo stuff. So as far as this album. I liked many things about it. The free jazz sound of So Boot if at all. We did it again is just hypnotic and ends up being like a mantra. Love the bass playing through wah-wah on Joy of a toy. Hope for Happiness would not be out of place on a Deep Purple album. Why are we sleeping could sit comfortably on a Nick Cave album. I love that it is a continuous suite of music. Very trippy, very of (and ahead of) it's time but in a good way. Sad to hear Kevin Ayers died last year. Definitely want to hear more of these guys. So that is my stream of conciousness on this one. At the end of the day, I want this on vinyl and will listen to it again. 80/100

06-23-2014, 10:03 PM	#900 (permalink)
Moss Scuttle Buttin' Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boulder Colorado Posts: 972	Whoa, I can safely say I have not heard those. Looking forward to them. And thanks for making it so easy!