Record Reviews

PLASTIC PENNY ~ EVERYTHING I AM: THE COMPLETE PLASTIC PENNY GRAPEFRUIT 053 (Barcode: 5013929185302) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1967 - 1969 Released: 2019 This Box Set includes the all the recorded legacy by the late 1960s British group Plastic PennyFind albums by this artist, which existed for a brief period of time producing some fabulous Psychedelic Rock and proto-Prog. The group consisted of vocalist Brian KeithFind albums by this artist, organist Paul RaymondFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mick GrabhamFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Mick GrahamFind albums by this artist), bassist Nigel OlssonFind albums by this artist and drummer Tony MurrayFind albums by this artist. After the band fell apart in 1969, the band members moved on to play in many different groups, most notably Grabham who later joined Procol HarumFind albums by this artist. This remastered material offers 3 CDs full of great music. The first CD presents the mono version of the band´s debut album "Two Sides Of A PennyFind albums with this title" and six bonus tracks taken from singles. The second CD presents the stereo version of the debut album and fourteen bonus tracks all taken from BBC radio sessions. The third CD offers the band´s second album "CurrencyFind albums with this title" and seven bonus tracks, six of which are singles and one is an outtake from the album. The music is a fascinating journey into the British music scene in the late 1960s, and follows the transformation of the group from a Pop outfit into a tight unit playing Psychedelic Rock and early Prog Rock, which sounds absolutely sensational fifty years later. The group members wrote most of the material by themselves, with a few exceptions, and it lost nothing of its charm over the years, sounding infinitely better that anything passing for music these days. The later material is especially interesting in view of the fact that Plastic Penny are almost completely forgotten today, but their second album is a shining beacon of early Prog Rock, which is never mentioned anywhere. It is absolutely great to have this material available and back in circulation, as it is both of excellent quality and great historical value. It is of course warmly recommended to all early British Prog lovers, especially those who never ever heard about Plastic Penny in their lives – you are in for quite a shock!

Updated: 14/08/2019Posted: 14/08/2019

CD 3 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ EXOTIC BIRDS AND FRUIT MUSEA 2107 (Barcode: 3426300021076) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1974 Released: 2006 8th album by great British group Procol HarumFind albums by this artist and their return to strict group format after two orchestral albums. Led by singer / pianist Gary BrookerFind albums by this artist, with guitarist Mick GrabhamFind albums by this artist, organist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist, bassist Alan CartwrightFind albums by this artist and drummer B. J. WilsonFind albums by this artist, the group was still at the top of their musical power and this is probably their strongest album of their late period. Brooker´s gift for composing momentous melodies, combined with excellent lyrics written by Keith ReidFind albums by this artist, who was a de facto member of the group, made them a unique phenomenon, which can be appreciated even better from the perspective of the decades that passed since their inception. The moody, sometimes gothic atmosphere of medieval spookiness and bluesy undertones beautifully are simply stunning. This is a classic example of music, which loses nothing of its qualities over time and an essential piece of the Golden Decade puzzle. A must in any serious Prog collection!

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted:

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ EXOTIC BIRDS AND FRUIT (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2633 (Barcode: 5013929473348) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the seventh 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 and bassist Alan CartwrightFind albums by this artist. Guitarist B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist guests on selected tracks. 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. This remastered and expanded edition adds two bonus tracks (B-side of a single and an alternate mix), a bonus CD with a BBC "In Concert" recording and another bonus CD with a radio studio performance recorded in the US. Following the recording of two heavily orchestrated albums (the first live album "Live: In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony OrchestraFind albums with this title" from 1972 and the sixth studio album "Grand HotelFind albums with this title" from 1973) this album marks a "return to basics" Rock attitude with the dominating double keyboards sound and the moody, lyrical tunes perfectly crafted by Brooker. The overall sound and musical approach is closest to the early work of the group since a few years. Brooker´s incredible vocals and the group´s instrumental work are superb in every respect and the production manages to emphasize perfectly their unique ambience. They were also incredibly effective when playing live, as evident on the two bonus CDs. 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: 29/01/2019

CD 3 Digipak Oversampling 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

PROCOL HARUM ~ PROCOL`S NINTH (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2652 (Barcode: 5013929475243) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1975 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the eighth 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. It was the group´s ninth album overall, including the live album "Live: In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony OrchestraFind albums with this title", released three years earlier, hence the album´s title. 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 and bassist Alan CartwrightFind albums by this artist. The album was produced by the celebrated team of American producers / songwriters Jerry LeiberFind albums by this artist and Mike StollerFind albums by this artist, known for their pioneering work in Rock And Roll, who also contributed one of their songs on the album. Brooker wrote eight songs which feature lyrics by Keith ReidFind albums by this artist and the album also includes the group´s interpretation of a BeatlesFind albums by this artist song, which marks the first album on which the band included material not written by the band´s members. This remastered and expanded edition adds eight bonus tracks (early versions of the songs on the original album) five of which are previously unreleased. Two bonus CDs are also included, the first featuring a live show recorded in the US and the second featuring a live show recorded in UK, with all the material on both the CDs being previously unreleased except for four tracks. The American production influenced the overall sound and ambience of the group´s music, with this album being the most Pop / Rock oriented release of their original streak of the first nine studio albums released between 1967 and 1977. The music is more straightforward and features fewer instrumental passages. But all things considered Brooker´s incredible vocals and the group´s instrumental work are superb in every respect and the production manages not to distort their unique ambience. The group was also incredibly effective when playing live, as evident on the two bonus CDs. Overall this is another strong album 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: 14/02/2019

CD 3 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ SOMETHING MAGIC (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2740 (Barcode: 5013929474086) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2020 This is a reissue of the ninth studio album by the seminal British Classic Rock / Progressive 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 and the group´s tenth album overall. 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 keyboardist Pete SolleyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mick GrabhamFind albums by this artist and bassist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded in Miami at the highly respected Criteria Studios, was co-produced by the group and the team of brothers Ron AlbertFind albums by this artist and Howie AlbertFind albums by this artist, who were the sound engineers. Brooker wrote five songs, one a lengthy three-part suite over nineteen minutes long, which feature lyrics by Keith ReidFind albums by this artist and Grabham added one song also with lyrics by Raid. Three of the songs include wonderful orchestrations, including the a.m. suite. This remastered and expanded edition adds three bonus tracks (a B-side of a single and two live demo tracks, eventually not included on the original album). A bonus CD features a BBC Radio Concert from March 1977. On this album the American co-production had a more limited, if any, influence on the overall sound and ambience of the group´s music, which returned to their classic Prog oriented direction. This album closes the cycle of their original streak of the first nine studio albums released between 1967 and 1977. Brooker´s incredible vocals and the group´s instrumental work are superb in every respect and the group was also incredibly effective when playing live, as evident on the bonus CD. The initial reception to the album was very cold and the album did not chart on either side of the pond, which of course had nothing to do with the quality of the music, but with the changing musical atmosphere and the Punk revolt against anything reasonably musical. Overall this is another strong album 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: 20/03/2021

CD 2 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend