Procol Harum - The Well's On Fire (2003)

Year: 4 March 2003 (CD 2003)
Label: Eagle Records (US), ER 20006-2
Style: Progressive Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Time: 59:08
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 399 Mb

The Well's On Fire is a very laid-back record. The band isn't obviously trying to break any new ground here, but the music is good, and gets better with each listen. At this point Procol Harum has long since established its own sound and style, and is definitely sticking to its guns. Gary Brooker sounds as good as ever. It's his voice that really makes this album shine, but that's the case with any Brooker/Procol release for this writer.
Besides Gary's pipes, Matthew Fisher's organ is another great feature. He definitely has a sound that is irreplaceable, and very original. Just try to imagine the basic sound of Whiter Shade Of Pale and you'll know what I mean. Fisher, however, plays very gently, and doesn't abuse his presence on the album. In other words, he appears where he's needed.
Procol Harum's music these days can be considered an adult contemporary, as it has a very peaceful flow. I tend to call it night music. You know, when the lights are dim, you're drinking wine, and listen to something gentle, yet very rhythm-oriented. That's where this album fits in. I wonder how this material will work live. It certainly has a potential to develop into interesting set. On the other hand, Procol Harum has so many great songs to choose from that it will be difficult to knock down the classics in favor of the new songs.
The question is, was this the album everyone was waiting for the last ten years? It's hard to answer that, and you can look at it from both angles. On the positive side, it is a very good music played by a band with definite feel, and great amount of professionalism. And on the negative angle, it doesn't really bring anything new to the band's already established norms. I prefer to stick with the first view, as I thoroughly enjoy this album.
(procolharum.com/phalbum12-vault-rev.htm)

01. An Old English Dream (04:41)
02. Shadow Boxed (03:34)
03. A Robe Of Silk (02:43)
04. The Blink Of An Eye (04:42)
05. The Vip Room (04:55)
06. The Question (05:01)
07. This World Is Rich (05:20)
08. Fellow Travellors (04:47)
09. Wall Street Blues (04:26)
10. The Emperor's New Clothes (04:17)
11. So Far Behind (03:51)
12. Every Dog Will Have His Day (05:20)
13. Weisselklenzenacht (05:24)

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Nazareth - Close Enough For Rock'n'Roll [7 bonus tracks] (1976)

Year: March 1976 (CD 2002)
Label: Eagle Records (Germany), EAMCD138
Style: Hard Rock
Country: Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Time: 64:27
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 520 Mb

WHILE I’VE never been one of Nazareth’s most fervent fans, I’ve always admired them for knowing and keeping within their obvious limitations. The band are but adequate musicians and Dan McCafferty is just an above-average vocalist — but together, they fuse quite tightly and create, if not inspiring, then some very reasonable rock music.
The theme of ‘Close Enough For Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is, oddly enough, one of disillusionment and boredom — yet this is hard to credit, once you bear witness to the highly raucous sounds.
`Telegram’ is the album’s major track. In four parts, ‘On Your Way’,`So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star’, ‘Sound Check’ and `Here We Are Again’, it tells the graphic, if at times musically cumbersome, tale of an American tour. It begins with a 747 flight and deals with immigration hassles, the limousine trip from airport to hotel (during which the car’s radio, tuned to an FM station, plays a snatch of ‘This Flight Tonight’), a Press reception and — finally — a concert itself, which ultimately degenerates into a boozy clapalong and fades. To Nazareth, the story that `Telegram’ describes is one of routine, of extreme familiarity — and yet the band attack the multi-faceted tale with a good deal of venom, perhaps venting their frustrations in this hard musical manner.
Except for a short Manny Charlton guitar instrumental, `Vicki’, and the commercial cut `Carry Out Feelings’, the rest of the album follows the same pattern — driving, below-the-belt rock music, hardly innovative, but at the same time not having enough apparent cliches for it to matter.
A good album, and one that should consolidate Naz’s position as a first division band.
(geirmykl.wordpress.com/2021/12/16/article-about-nazareth-from-sounds-april-3-1976/)

01. Telegram (Parts 1-4) (07:54)
02. Vicki (02:24)
03. Homesick Again (04:31)
04. Vancouver Shakedown (04:03)
05. Born Under The Wrong Side (03:57)
06. Loretta (03:19)
07. Carry Out Feelings (03:19)
08. Lift The Lid (03:53)
09. You're The Violin (04:47)
10. My White Bicycle [single] (05:21)
11. You're The Violin [edited A-side] (03:35)
12. Loretta [alternate single version] (02:36)
13. Carry Out Feelings [US single edit] (03:18)
14. Lift The Lid [alternate single version] (03:29)
15. My White Bicycle [orginal single version] (03:28)
16. Telegram [edited version] (04:28)

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