Search - Procol Harum :: Live With the Edmonton Symphony [MFSL Audiophile Original Master Recording]

Harum's Symphonic Rock

Alan Caylow | USA | 05/24/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Procol Harum's signature symphonic rock lends itself *perfectly* to orchestral occompanyment, so it was only fitting that the band would play a concert with a full symphony orchestra & choir. This they did in Canada on November 18, 1971, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Da Camera Singers. The resulting live album, "Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra," shows not only what a powerhouse Harum are live in concert, but how beautifully rich & textured their music is as a whole, a point that the brilliant orchestrations on this album help to drive home. (This is also the band's only official live album to date, other than a collection of BBC recordings that came out recently.) The famous, barnburning live version of "Conquistador" (a Top 20 hit) is included here, along with other wonderfully rendered Harum classics like "Whaling Stories," "A Salty Dog," "All This And More," and Harum's magnum opus, the 19-minute suite, "In Held Twas In I." Gary Brooker & company play their hearts out, the orchestra & choir perfectly compliment them, and the sound quality is excellent. The only negative is that this is obviously not the complete concert. And no "Whiter Shade Of Pale," either? A BIG ommission, that one. Surely the band have tapes of the complete concert lying around somewhere, so an expanded re-issue of this landmark Procol Harum concert would be *most* appreciated, methinks. But no matter---"Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra" is still a classic live album from one of Britain's finest bands."

Procol Harum Lives

G. D. Kinsman | Pleasanton, CA USA | 08/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although the re-release of this CD is not available on Amazon as I write this, it is available elsewhere. This is one of many albums that I was waiting for to finally be available on CD. I remembered it as being a memorable album, but it has truly aged better than wine. Only now do I fully appreciate the second side, and the latest release has a bonus song, which is hard to believe that they left it out the first time around. This is rock classic, mixed with orchestra and choir, so good that you don't mind that it doesn't include A Whiter Shade of Pale. Find it and buy it... (hint: Amazon!)"

When Rock Musicians Were Musicians

Martinus Geleynse | British Columbia | 03/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow--it's rare that one finds a group with such musical talent. While I'm too young to recall firsthand the days when nearly all rock musicians were classically trained, I certainly appreciate the legacy they've left. Unlike much of todays modern rock, Procol Harum's music draws on the details of sound--the careful placings of just the right intervals, with just the right inversions. Rather than simply slapping a C-G-C-D slab of guitar onto the recording, every bit of the album has been carefully planned, orchestrated, and arranged.
This album is a work of art."