Procol Harum

British rock group Procol Harum began life as a psychedelic band and evolved into one of the leading acts in art rock and prog rock, all without changing much about their essential approach. Lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker gave the group their trademark sound with his downbeat vocals and lush melodies, while primary lyricist Keith Reid added words that often pondered the unpredictability of fate in songs like "A Whiter Shade of Pale," "A Salty Dog," and "Conquistador." Their music was executed with keen skill and passion, and the band was also one of the first to experiment with large-scale orchestration, as well as performing on-stage with a full symphony ensemble.

Procol's Ninth is the eighth studio album (ninth including Live) by Procol Harum, and was released in September 1975. Produced by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Procol's Ninth featured a slightly different direction from the previous album, with a much more stark sound than Chris Thomas's more elaborate productions. According to an interview with guitarist Mick Grabham, conducted by Roland Clare for the 2009 reissue, Leiber and Stoller focused less on the production sound and more on "the structure of the songs".

New expanded 3CD edition of the classic 1975 album by Procol Harum, with eight bonus tracks (five previously unreleased) of session out-takes, along with two previously unreleased concert recordings made at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey & Leicester University in October & November 1975. Includes a lavishly illustrated booklet with essay by Procol Harum authority Roland Clare featuring exclusive interview quotes from Gary Brooker and Mick Grabham.
Released in August 1975 the album was the product of a series of recording sessions at The Who’s Ramport Studios in Battersea, produced by the legendary American song writing and producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Procol’s Ninth was another fine collection of material written by Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid, with such memorable tracks as Pandora’s Box…

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of an expanded 3CD edition of the acclaimed Procol Harum album “Exotic Birds And Fruit”. Released in April 1974, the album was the product of a series of recording sessions beset by power cuts, the result of industrial strife during the winter of 1973. his new expanded three CD edition of “Exotic Birds And Fruit” includes the original album (with two bonus tracks), along with two additional discs featuring the band’s entire performance for BBC Radio One’s In Concert show from March 1974.

With its pop adaptations of Bach and its album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Procol Harum was an early advocate of a marriage between rock and classical music. So, this album of Procol Harum music recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and (on the title track) the Sinfonia of London, with former Procol Harum vocalist/pianist Gary Brooker singing on seven of the 12 tracks and producing, and with former Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower and organist Matthew Fisher appearing on a version of "Repent Walpurgis," would seem like a more comfortable combination than similar recent collections devoted to the Rolling Stones and Yes…

The best collection yet devoted to Procol Harum's classic early period ties together the many facets of their sound and their early history, including numerous outtakes and all of the music on four albums from 1967 through 1970. The clarity of the sound makes the first album - which was roundly criticized, especially in England, for having been cut in mono in late 1967 - seem a lot more muscular and progressive here than it did in its original release form. The producers have tampered with the song order on A Salty Dog, moving that record's title track in amongst disc three's single sides for time considerations while still leaving "Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" off of the first CD (the original commercial flaw with the debut album in England was the absence of either of those songs, and the seven-month-plus delay in getting it out)…

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a remastered and expanded edition of the classic album Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra by Procol Harum.
Recorded on 18th November 1971 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Canada, the album captured a truly magical performance by Gary Brooker (vocals, piano), B.J. Wilson (drums), Chris Copping (organ and harpsichord), Alan Cartwright (bass) and Dave Ball (guitar), the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Da Camera Singers. Classic Procol Harum material such as ‘Conquistador’, ‘Whaling Stories’, ‘A Salty Dog’ and the epic ‘In Held ‘Twas in I’ were beautifully arranged by Gary Brooker and the resulting album was one of Procol’s most successful and spawned a hit single in ‘Conquistador’…

Shine On Brightly is the second studio album by English rock band Procol Harum, released in 1968 by record labels Regal Zonophone and A&M. It is considered an early example of progressive rock…