(May 2022) Episode 409 is PROCOL HAREM. You know them from their first single “A Whiter Shade of Pale” but they were more than a one-hit wonder. The first three albums, with Robin Trower’s fuzzy guitar and Matthew Fisher’s reverberating organ, are a peak late-60s mix of quasi-psychedelia and baroque rock. They are also considered one of the first prog-rock bands. Vocalist and pianist Gary Brooker, with a voice that is the love child of Steve Winwood and Pete Townsend, is the constant from the beginning though a long run of avoidable albums.
Favourite album: Procol Harem
Favourite song: She Wandered Through the Garden Fence
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: relevant for a deeper dive into late 60s British rock, as well as those interested in the roots of prog rock
Opus Project 