Procol Harums twelvth and sadly last album after Gary Brooker passed away in February. The 1991 "Prodigal Stranger" https://monolover.blogspot.com/2021/06/procol-harumthe-prodigal-stranger-pl.html , which was a come-back fourteen years after "Something Magic", became a very positive surprise to me. Much of the old magic was there, his voice still warm and personal and there were quite a few catchy moments. So how does Procol Harum sound even twentysix more years down the road, fifty years after "Whiter Shade Of Pale", then with Gary Brooker as only surviving member after even Keith Reed had left and been replaced by old-timer lyricist Pete Brown (who in the sixties wrote for Graham Bond and Cream among others)? At least to my taste - very good! Brooker's warm voice is still there as well as the eclecticism, feeling and will to go beyond. I get a mix of ballads and rock'n'roll in about the same style as the band cultivated in the first half of the seventies, all melodic with some gripping moments. The lyrics are also more propound than earlier, handeling stuff like capitalism, war and dictatorship, which also make them concerned. So there's something here both for the music lover and those who believe songs should come with a message. In my world it doesn't reach up to some of their earlier masterpieces like "Home", "Shine On Brightly", or "Exotic Birds..." (how could it?), but certainly good enough to be spun and enjoyed over and over. Favorite tracks below. To my knowledge this EU 2xLP is so far the only vinyl release. Also on CD in US, Russia and Japan. First EU had label as shown here on thick unflexible vinyl in a single cover with pic/lyric/credit inners and a download card. (PRÖX*)
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