Record Reviews

PROCOL HARUM ~ HOME (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2505 (Barcode: 5013929460546) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the fourth studio album by the seminal British Classic Rock group Procol HarumFind albums by this artist, one of the last active representatives of the great music wave that started over five decades ago. This album´s lineup includes three founding members: vocalist / pianist Gary BrookerFind albums by this artist, guitarist Robin TrowerFind albums by this artist and drummer B. J. WilsonFind albums by this artist with Hammond organist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist, who also played the bass. All four of them were members of the group The ParamountsFind albums by this artist before Procol Harum was formed, and this reunion is celebrated by the album´s title, which was a homecoming of sorts. This was the first album by the group that was produced by the celebrated producer Chris ThomasFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine songs, seven composed by Brooker and two by Trower, with lyrics by poet Keith ReidFind albums by this artist. This remastered and expanded edition adds a CD with eleven bonus tracks; demos, alternate takes and alternate mixes and two tracks from a BBC session, those being the only two tracks that are previously unreleased. The musical direction of this album is somewhat different from the three previous albums, being decidedly more Rock oriented, although the double keyboards dominating sound is still in place. The songs are shorter and more concise, featuring more guitar riffs and up-tempo songs, with shorter instrumental passages, flirting with early Hard Rock. But some of the bombastic Gothic and Psychedelic soundscapes are still present, making it clear that this is still Procol Harum after all. In retrospect this album is a bridge between the epic first three albums by the group and the rest of their 1970s recordings, which moved beyond the initial concept, which started with the formative "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". The album still sounds great after all those years, and is a refreshing experience for people who have not listened to it for a while. It seems that everything that Rock had to say was more or less already articulated by 1970. To the many fans of the group this is of course a must have item in their collections. An evergreen by all means!

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 29/01/2019

CD 2 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend