Procol Harum Albums Ranked 1967-1977

[@sspbrazil]

B.J. Wilson’s drum style was so animated, he was coined as playing like an octopus in a bathtub.

[@if6was929]

I saw Procol Harum at the Fillmore East in August 1970, Country Joe McDonald was also on the bill, both were great. The New York area had some rabid Procol Harum fans, WNEW FM in NYC used to frequently play the hypnotizing, Salty Dog, it was always a treat to hear.

[@recondo1947]

I worked at Bill Graham's Filmore East from April 1969 to November of that same year. Procol Harum was hands down my favorite band of all the acts that came through there. I was very impressed by the fact that they were the only band that arrived a day early before the weekend shows to rehearse. No one else did that. Saw them about 4 times in that era with one gig later in (of all places) Provincetown, Mass. in the spring of 1970. The last time I ever saw them. They have always been unacknowledged when the topic of 70's bands comes up. Was saddened by the passing of Gary in '22. A recent arrival to your channel and I really like what you're doing. Thanks, and I'll be checking you a lot in the future.

[@tomrobinson5776]

Thank you 😉

[@if6was929]

Lucky you! I saw Procol Harum at the Fillmore East in August 1970, Country Joe McDonald was also on the bill, both were great. The New York area had some rabid Procol Harum fans, WNEW FM in NYC used to frequently play Salty Dog, it was always a treat to hear.

[@GMTPoet]

Saw them in 72, opening for Ten Years After. Trower had left, but Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher playing dueling keyboards like they were in some piano bar. Favorite album is Shine On Brightly.

[@johntyndall1373]

Yes, Tom, those first three albums are essential. A Salty Dog is so great; I never tire of it.

[@dreammachine2013]

Great list, except I would put "Shine on Brightly on top. My favourite Songs are the 3 Singles Pale, Homburg and A Salty Dog plus their epic master piece In held t'was in I😊 Roughly 20 years ago I had Process Herum twice in our club and they were stunning! You're right about Brooker being one of the most soulful singers ever. Most of us couldn't believe our eyes when during "a Salty Dog" The cries of the seagulls emanated from the Stratocaster of guitarist Geoff and not from a sampler👏😂

[@TheAnarchitek]

I heard A Whiter Shade of Pale in May, 1967, near Stuttgart, West Germany. It was a tense Spring, and brought the right tone to the times. It evoked the same theme Eve of Destruction mined, with classical overtones, and significant tension, from the organ, wailing to be unleashed limns the melody. Fifty-seven years later, a couple weeks ago, it is still commandingly evocative. Best of Procol Harum: 01 S H I N E O N B R I G H T L Y 02 A S A L T Y D O G 03 E X O T I C B I R D S A N D F R U I T 04 B R O K E N B A R R I C A D E S 05 P R O C O L H A R U M ( I ) 06 G R A N D H O T E L 07 H O M E 08 L I V E I N C O N C E R T W I T H T H E E D M O N T O N S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A 09 T H E W E L L ' S O N F I R E 10 N I N T H 11 T H E P R O D I G A L S T R A N G E R 12 S O M E T H I N G M A G I C 13 N O V U M

[@DavidCKendall]

'Runnin' around in my underpants, tryin' to find some kind of romance' ..yeah! The love I have lavished on 'Lime St.Blues' over the years cannot be o'erstated. Unlike anything else, kind of a Georgie Fame groove. Just love it turned up loud. You have embarrassed me into realizing that I have to give the first three albums more close up listening sessions. .. Happy to see your high praise for Exotic Birds & Fruit, which paired with Grand Hotel, are my two favorites. Just recently read that Butterfly Boys is about their dissatisfaction with their Chrysalis record contract dealings. Thanks for your output!

[@roygoad2870]

I saw Procol Harum once at a free concert at Parliament Hill Fields, the north of London in 1969, there were maybe 300 people it was very unexpected and wonderful to witness 😊

[@tomrobinson5776]

That is awesome. 😉

[@JoyDivision88]

They were always my band from the first hearing of AWSOP in 1967. First time I saw them I was lucky enough to see them when Robin Trower was still with them. Got all their albums on original vinyl including the UK version of Shine on Brightly, the cover of which I prefer to the US version. Saw them with Dave Ball too. The crowd shouted they wanted the Trower track Whisky Train and Dave Ball shouted F*ck Off as he could not play it. BJ Wilson, the finest drummer I have seen.Great memories.

[@SH-ud8wd]

Thank you! In the sixties their style was called Baroque Rock by Nick Cohn.

[@dmk7700]

I saw/heard them in 1974 at the Auditorium (acoustically perfect) Theater in Chicago. When the band performed "Power Failure" from "Broken Barricades" the audience applauded at the same point in the song as on the album splice

[@tomrobinson5776]

That’s awesome 😉

[@stevecowder4774]

Love these guys. I always figured them to be one of the original prog acts out of ‘67 and yeah, they were very uniquely talented. But Even though ‘ A Whiter Shade ‘ is a legendary tune, I would agree that band definitely should have been recognized for so many others, ‘ Simple Sister ‘ being one of them. And I’m huge fan of the epic ‘Twas ‘ from Shine on. It really did get the ball rolling on those lengthy virtuosos. I can certainly see where Genesis was influenced by that song. I do own all of their ‘60s work, but I don’t have Exotic Birds and Fruit. You managed to sell me on that one. Sounds like a real winner that I need to track down. Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve heard Salty Dog. I’ll have to throw that on today. 👍

[@jasonshort1437]

Love this band. BJ Wilson was so great. Home is so strange, it has that whimsical album art and the music is so heavy with lyrics that wouldn't be out of place in a black metal album.

[@tomrobinson5776]

Totally. 😉

[@AlterMann57]

Thank you for making this video highlighting one of my all time favourite bands. I was so glad you included Exotic Birds and Fruit and Broken Barricades so high on your list. Those two albums are a treasure, and I remember when BB was first released the music critics trashed it, which shows you stupid they are. The fact that the bogus R&R HOF still hasn't included them is bizarre. I'm on the look out for that CD package you displayed at the end, I know I'll have to overpay to purchase a copy, but I must find one for my collection. I do have the UK version of their greatest hits, and most of my vinyl of Procol Harum is from the U.K., and I have the U.S. version of Shine On Brightly because of the album cover art. Your assessment of them being pre-progressive was spot on. I was afraid they'd lose their Blues sound when Robin Trower left, but thankfully Mick Grabham stepped in and brought his own blues style to their overall sound.

[@user-ki1yc4vx2s]

I enjoy your passionate enthusiasm

[@kso808]

I must admit I’m one of those who only know “Whiter Shade Of Pale,” when it comes to Procol Harum. Also, the live version of “Conquistador.”

[@tomrobinson5776]

Pick up those first 3 albums. 😉

[@wtcwtc9861]

Magnifecent ranking. I've always had a soft spot for Grand Hotel and Exotic Birds And Fruit. They were both sorta quirky and out of step with what everyone else was doing in 73/74. That's the appeal of P.H. for me. Love bands that do their own thing regardless of what's popular or trending.

[@tomrobinson5776]

I hear ya 😉

[@leighgoldstein3119]

you've really done a great great job with this....But the most important issue is understanding how amazing they were as a band....So unique and talented....Unbearably sad that we lost Gary Brooker and Keith Reid recently...They were so important to my life....I did enjoy their reunion record Prodigal Stranger....it had some excellent songs...The later band years were actually made up of the same people for far longer than the original band, and they were very true to the legacy of the original band...Geoff Whitehorn is an amazing guitarist, Josh Phillips a great organist....Matt Pegg on bass...2 great drummers during different times were superb....Mark Brzezicki and Geoff Dunn....They toured until Gary's death in 2022 and have some iconic shows that were recorded......fortunately for Procol lovers.. there are many fantastic videos and audio recordings of the band on You Tube,,,,I love them so much....They never received their true recognition. But we know the truth..... The Home Album....is a dark amazing masterpiece.... "Once I stood upon Olympus, then the heavens opened wide....,,All in all my thoughts are fewer,,, maybe death will be my cure...." RIP Gary Brooker and Keith Reid....

[@tomrobinson5776]

@@leighgoldstein3119 I’ve always felt they deserved way more praise than just A Whiter Shade Of Pale. They sound like no one else. Incredibly unique. Timeless albums.

[@leighgoldstein3119]

@@tomrobinson5776 I've been a Procol fanatic my whole life. Their body of work is so fantastic it really is quite amazing, and many many people agree.

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

i loved your bowie ranking. nassau 76 and diamond dogs were well worth relistening to. i'm willing to bid on ebay for your "low" alarm clock...back to this ranking. thanks.

[@neurophile]

My ratings : 1) Grand Hotel (4 stars, almost 5) 2) 4 stars : - Exotic birds and fruits - (self-titled album) 4) 3 stars : - Shine on brightly - Broken barricades - Ninth - Something magic 8) 2 stars : - Salty dog - Home

[@silvertube52]

The American cover of Shine on Brightly is an infrared photo taken in the desert. Your Own Choice from Home, like most of the songs on the album, is about death. It's a suicide song.

[@tomrobinson5776]

Interesting, makes sense considering the rest of the album’s dark themes. Always thought Shine On Brightly had an underwater vibe. Thanks for the clarification.

[@jackruth2733]

Long overdue indeed. I am with you on the ranking although I would switch Home and Salty Dog around. Over the years I found that I reach for Home and Exotic Birds the most. Their very last Album is pretty good. I would rank it between Grand Hotel and Broken Barricades on your list. PS thanks for the tip on the boxed set. Keep it up.😅

[@keithkarlinsky6632]

Great ranking, Tom! The top 3 or 4 are so interchangeable, but I might slide Home up a couple of slots, and give Shine on the one spot. But it's hard to argue your ranking. Love that you gave Exotic Birds and Fruit a very deserving top 5 spot. This is coming from a die-hard fan myself.

[@user-ki1yc4vx2s]

Thanks, Tom, for your informative video

[@vinylrichie007]

Years ago I included Gary Brooker in my best singers video. I have only owned 3 Procol Harum albums. I think their debut and Broken Barricades are great. I didn’t like their 2nd, Shine On Brightly, and purged it. I remember side two being over indulgent in my opinion.

[@tomrobinson5776]

Gary Brooker never gets enough praise. The guy was just phenomenal.

[@wyliesmith4244]

Thanks for reviewing one of the truly underrated bands. Personally, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' is one of my least favorite songs - the one Procol song that has been overplayed. You did not mention Westside's CD reissue (1998) of the first Procol album. It has 'Lime Street Blues' and a bunch of other bonus tracks, and I'd say that any real Procol fan would enjoy it. You also did not mention that when Chris Copping joined the band that it represented a reunion of the Paramounts - though Copping did drop out of the Paramounts to go to college. The Paramounts were an r & b band in the early sixties, and the Stones called them the best r &b band in Britain. Before this Procol quartet recorded "Home," they did some demo sessions which featured them playing some material from the Paramounts' days. These Chris Thomas produced sessions were not meant for release, but the band dubbed this formation Liquorice John Death. Some of this material was issued with Paramounts release on the Abbey Road Decade series. It's not 'Procol' music, but it is actually quite good if you have a taste for older rock 'n' roll or r & b

[@tomrobinson5776]

Interesting, sounds cool.

[@michaelpdawson]

Hard to rank Procol's output since once you get beyond those last two albums where they started running out of steam a bit, everything they did was pretty uniformly great. I'd want to put Broken Barricades higher, but otherwise I can hardly quibble.

[@vinylrichie007]

I will check out Salty Dog.

[@tomrobinson5776]

It’s a must. 😉

[@DanSPsych67]

So On Spot Tom!! I Went To Collage In Munich And Saw These Guys There 73!!! At A Small Venue,.... My Buddies Where Giving Hell, Because I Missed Ink Floyd Earlier On The Week.. Where They Did Dark Side Live For The first Time!!!! Having Exams And I Was Bummed ... Then I Saw Our Boys!!! I Felt Much Better!!!!!!

[@simonagree4070]

Calm down, dude. It will be OK.

[@dreammachine2013]

I never bought into the notion that prog rock started with King Crimson. Here on the continent Profil Harum, The Moody Blues and The Nice are considered the first progressive acts with a little help from the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Anyway the lines between psychedelic and progressive Rock seems occasionally blurred (Beatles, Pink Floyd) 😏

[@tomrobinson5776]

Indeed 😉

[@painless465]

Of the ones I heard; 7.Grand Hotel 6.Exotic Birds and Fruit 5.Shine on Brightly 4. Procol Harum 3. Broken Barricades 2.Home 1.A Salty Dog The closest band to Procol Harum for me in style is Moody Blues, but I strongly prefer PH

[@simonagree4070]

I'm in over me head here, so you won't be hearing much from me. I never got into Procol Harum, but it sounds like I should have. Just knew "Whiter Shade Of Pale" from the AM hit, and "Conquistador" from the FM, and " Homburg" from the Jon Langford cover (check it out). Bought a thrift shop copy of Shine On Brightly, but hated the cover so didn't give it a chance. Recently saw a Midnight Special appearance they did, on KZbin, and liked it. I guess that a lot of my indifference was based on their keyboard focus; you can name a lot of bands from the period, and the more keyboard-oriented they are, the less interested I will be. They certainly had a great singer, but Robin Trower had a better one for my money.

[@Gildedpalace]

Is Ninth considered reunion?

[@tomrobinson5776]

The first of 3 reunion albums would be Prodigal Stranger from 1991, followed by The Well’s On Fire from 2003, and the finale being Novum from 2017.