Record Reviews

	PROCOL HARUM ~ GRAND HOTEL REPERTOIRE 4916 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 7th album from 1973. Considered by many as the best album of the band`s second period. Less dense sound, but still fabulous songs and great performances. Remastered with bonus tracks.
	CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ GRAND HOTEL (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2632 (Barcode: 5013929473249) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1972 - 1973 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the sixth 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 two founding members: vocalist / pianist Gary BrookerFind albums by this artist and drummer B. J. WilsonFind albums by this artist with Hammond organist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mick GrabhamFind albums by this artist (making his first appearance in the group) and bassist Alan CartwrightFind albums by this artist and includes also an orchestra, choir and guests. Brooker scored the orchestral and choir parts. The album was produced by the celebrated producer Chris ThomasFind albums by this artist, who worked with the group since their fourth studio album "HomeFind albums with this title". The album presents nine songs all composed by Brooker with lyrics by poet Keith ReidFind albums by this artist and is the first album that features exclusively songs written by the duo. This remastered and expanded edition adds five bonus tracks: the title track recorded without the orchestra and choir and four earlier versions of the tracks on the album, which include the guitarist Dave BallFind albums by this artist, who was replaced by Grabham and who took part in the recording in the final version of the album. A bonus DVD presents a concert captured by Belgian TV. This album was largely influenced by the recording of the heavily orchestrated first live album "Live: In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony OrchestraFind albums with this title" from 1972, which preceded it, and follows the Symphonic Prog idiom these two albums represent in the extended legacy of the group. Of course this album presents a wonderful set of entirely new compositions perfectly crafted by Brooker, which include some of his best work ever, whereas the live album was mostly a rework of earlier material. Brooker´s incredible vocals and the group´s instrumental work are superb in every respect and the production and orchestration manages to emphasize perfectly their unique ambience. They were also incredibly effective when playing live, as evident on the bonus DVD. Overall this is one of the strongest albums in the Procol Harum impressive legacy, which offers a wonderful example of their unique stylistic idiosyncrasy, which knows no parallels. It lost absolute nothing of its power and elegance over time and sounds every bit as wonderful as it did at the time of its release. It is obviously an essential item in any serious Classic Rock / Prog collection.

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 28/02/2019

CD+DVD 2 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend