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