Track Listing

1. Conquistador
2. Whaling Stories
3. Salty Dog, A
4. All This And More
5. In Held 'Twas In I/Glimpses Of Nirvana/'Twas Teatime At TheCircus/In The Autumn Of My Madness/Look
6. Luskus Delph
7. Simple Sister
8. Shine On Brightly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1492 in Music
• Released on: 2009-08-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Live, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Customer Reviews

Masterclass
Now here is a treasure worth having !
Procol Harum with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra,
recorded live in concert in November 1971.
Released here in a remastered and expanded edition.

I saw them only once, at the Albert Hall supporting
Jethro Tull in October 1970 but their music had been
around in my life for some 3 or so years before that.
I remember my Father singing 'Homburg'
around the house circa 1967.
I suppose you could say that they have been a
significant part of the soundtrack to my life.

It is truly magical to hear this recording again.

The band's epic, widescreen music, enchanced by Gary Brooker's
plaintive voice and haunting piano, feels entirely at home
in the company of a full orchestra and chorus.

The sound is deep and rich and incredibly vivid given
its advanced age. The balance between band and orchestra
is beautifully managed. Chris Thomas's production is masterful.

So to the music :

'Conquistador', a marvelous song, never
sounded more magnificent than here.
The strings and brass in the opening bars are truly thrilling.
Keith Reid's lyrics were always such an important part of
Procol Harum's vision. Not just songs but great stories too.

You can almost smell the sea in 'Whaling Stories'.
Chris Copping's hammond organ, growling away in the background,
the whooping horns, the choral intrusions and Dave Ball's
towering central guitar solo create a maelstrom of sound.

Drummer B.J.Wilson deserves a special mention all his own.
It is hard to imagine a more musical percussionist.
His thundering presence in 'A Salty Dog' (surely one
of the greatest songs of the past half-century) propels
the performance forward to greater and greater heights.
The emotion generated by the full ensemble is truly electric.
The pizzicato strings and piano at the close is magical.
Brooker's voice is an elemental presence.

'All This and More' is rock solid.

The five-part suite which comprises 'In Held 'Twas In I',
from its narrative opening (a quaint take on spiritual
enlightenment), to the awe inspiring tumult of the "Grand Final"
conclusion is, in sum, both a lament for the lost world of
late-sixties, Sgt.Pepper-psychedelia and a nod to the band's
unique status as masters of a medium not best known for its
eloquence or literary finesse.

New inclusion 'Luscus Delph', a less well-known song in the
band's canon joins its rightful place with the best of all
they have achieved in this cracking performance.

The two rehearsal pieces 'Simple Sister' and 'Shine On Brightly',
despite their rough edges are a more than worthy inclusion.

Not just a re-release - a musically historic event.
Make room for it in your heart and life !

Essential.

A classic - still wonderful today
This is just about as perfect an alliance as has been recorded between a rock band and an orchestra. Procol Harum first performed thus in Stratford, Ontario in the late 60s and here in 1971 A&M sent a mobile studio and Chris Thomas to Edmonton, Alberta to record this epic album. Of course you might say that Procol Harum music lends itself to orchestration - but then Conquistador was actually a "late addition", as Gary Brooker thought they needed a fast number!

I must also commend their recent (May 2009) DVD & CD release of an orchestral event in Denmark - at Ledreborg Castle - which again shows the band at the peak of their powers. That's 45 years (as Paramounts and Procol Harum) and still going strong.

All of these 2009 re-masterings have been excellent, and this (along with the truly magnificent Grand Hotel) are the pick of the crop

Highly recommended.

Band and Orchestra - great success
I'm not really a huge fan of Procol Harum, but this album is magnificant. Many prog rock bands tried recording with orchestras, but on the whole ended up using the orchestra as replacements for keyboards. This is different, with the orchestra driving the songs and a choir providing dramatic, if somewhat shambolic, backing vocals. Highly recommended to see just how well prog rock and orchestras can sound together!