Procol Harlum

Esoteric Antenna label is pleased to announce the release of a new CD EP by the legendary PROCOL HARUM – Missing Persons. Completed during lockdown conditions imposed by the outbreak of the COVID 19 virus, the EP title track is a poignant and emotive song in the finest musical tradition of PROCOL HARUM. War is Not Healthy is also a fine observation of war and its impact on humanity. With the lyrical subject matter of both songs being particularly apt for the times we live in, this new music from PROCOL HARUM is timely.

British rock legends Procol Harum are captured here at their finest in concert at London's Union Chapel. The band performed tracks from their latest album, The Well's on Fire, alongside many of their classics including Pandora's Box, Homburg, Conquistador, A Salty Dog, Quite Rightly So and the rarely heard full length version of A Whiter Shade of Pale. It was the last night of a tour that had taken them from London through Europe, Japan and North America then back again to London, and the band celebrated with a truly magical performance.

The Prodigal Stranger is the tenth studio album by Procol Harum, released in 1991. The album is dedicated to the memory of Barrie James (B. J.) Wilson, who had been the drummer on all of the group's previous albums. Recorded after a 14-year break, even singer Gary Brooker was uncertain whether or not the sessions would work out for the band: "We never knew if it would work out, but we did know one thing and that was that the basis of us making the new Procol Harum record would be if we could get together a good set of songs…it was very like making a first album."

Despite the departure of organist Matthew Fisher, Procol Harum survived, and this album is ample proof. Fisher was one of the prime architects of the Harum sound, and his work on such classics as "Shine on Brightly" and, of course, "Whiter Shade of Pale" underline that. Procol continued as a four-piece, and it was indeed a good thing that they decided not to replace Fisher. The sound of the band on this album is a bit sparser, but definitely not without dimension and dynamics. "Simple Sister," one of the finest Gary Brooker/Keith Reid compositions, is truly glorious, with Robin Trower's frightening lead guitar work juxtaposed nicely against a wonderful string arrangement. Several other tracks are first rate, including "Power Failure" and "Playmate of the Mouth." Along with Little Feat, Procol Harum was a great survivor among rock bands that lost a key member. The proof is in these grooves.

Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded edition of the classic 1969 album A Salty Dog by Procol Harum. Released in June 1969, the record followed on from the huge international success of the band's debut single A Whiter Shade of Pale and the follow up single Homburg and the superb albums Procol Harum and Shine On Brightly. One of the finest releases of the era A Salty Dog saw the exquisite song writing of Gary Brooker and Keith Reid honed to perfection on highlights such as the album's title track, The Devil Came From Kansas, Wreck of the Hesperus, The Milk of Human Kindness and more. Recorded at Abbey Road studios, the album captured the excellence of the musicians in the group, namely Gary Brooker (voice, piano), Robin Trower (lead guitar), David Knights (bass guitar), B.J. Wilson (drums) and Matthew Fisher (Hammond organ)…

This album, the group's third, was where they showed just how far their talents extended across the musical landscape, from blues to R&B to classical rock. In contrast to their hastily recorded debut, or its successor, done to stretch their performance and composition range, A Salty Dog was recorded in a reasonable amount of time, giving the band a chance to fully develop their ideas…

This Dutch best-of is and isn't a "definitive" collection of the highs of Procol Harum's illustrious career. It is in that over the 18 tracks it captures almost every major cut by the band, with the exception of the sadly overlooked "Whisky Train," Robin Trower's showcas…