Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Procol Harum
Label: A&M Records / Interscope
Release: 1969
Running time: 40:18
Rating: 5/5
The unforgettable prog rock pioneers Procol Harum, who made most of their finest evergreens in their classic lineup of charismatic singer/pianist Gary Brooker, blues rock guitar virtuoso Robin Trower, versatile keyboardist Matthew Fisher, solid bassist Dave Knights, remarkably consistent drummer B.J. Wilson and forever razor-sharp lyricist Keith Reid, head down to the seaside on their third studio outing. There, while listening to old sailors’ ballads, they come up with a way to polish their winning, innovative musical approach even further.
»A Salty Dog« marks a major shift in songwriting and arranging style compared to the first two Procol Harum albums: their sound got a lot less obscure, every song now has a clear head and tail, and the polish of the orchestral arrangements hit a whole new level. As you’d expect from these eternal innovators, the album is wildly varied, with an adventurous fusion of blues, pop, symphonic rock and folk. »A Salty Dog« also saw the first friction between the lifelong bluesman, guitarist Trower, and the rest of the band over where their sound should go next, which you can clearly feel above all on »Crucifiction Lane«. Matthew Fisher, who also produced this album, left right after its release and only came back in 1991 for the album »Prodigal Stranger«, which ended the classic Procol Harum lineup for good.
The album opens in the best possible way with its central title track, one of the most beautiful ballads in the history of classic rock, which was also released as a single. It’s a nostalgic song about an unlucky old sailor who got ‘run over by time’, though with a happy ending. The lyrics are partly an allegory for the decline of traditional trades, especially those that tied people to nature, like seafaring here. Brooker’s heart-wrenching vocal, which melodramatically tells how sailors over a glass of rum slowly ‘die’ in installments while their old ships rust away in the middle of the harbor, until things suddenly take a turn for the better, is steeped in mighty orchestral arrangements and a romantic melos that would make even a heart of steel shudder. The mood, over delicate piano sounds, shifts constantly between the fatalistic and the solemn, until a ray of light suddenly breaks through on the gorgeous chorus and floods the sad fate of the devoted sailor, who despite everything heads out to sea once more. Apparently, when Brooker first sang and played this immortal creation on piano for the sadly late drummer B.J. Wilson (1947-1990), a great ray of light suddenly hit him too. Wilson was so moved in the end that he declared it the most beautiful song he’d ever heard.
»The Milk Of Human Kindness« is a cheerfully moody cross between blues and symphonic rock with a playful, sarcastic lyric of exactly the kind Reid absolutely loved. A slightly tipsy guitar riff sways along with spirited piano and organ, while Barrie James ‘B.J.’ Wilson keeps a bouncy rhythm going on drums. »Too Much Between Us« is a tender acoustic ballad with Brooker’s trademark melancholy-velvet vocal, which in mood and rhythm, over the warm sound of Fisher’s organ, is a little reminiscent of a child’s lullaby. »The Devil Came From Kansas«, a somewhat allegorical jab at America’s eternal obsession with every conceivable religious cult as well as its traditional consumerism, is a feisty blues rocker with a mighty guitar riff and a mischievous organ melody, which makes it the album’s grittiest track. The rest of the band pitch in on backing vocals and create some seriously effective vocal harmonies.
The folk rocker »Boredom«, where Fisher takes the lead vocal, is a simple but fun pastoral little number with whistling, dulcimer and gentle acoustic guitar chords, paired with a distinctly satirical lyric about the apathy of modern society. »Juicy John Pink« is a short blues rocker with ruffled harmonica and a slightly tipsy-sounding Brooker vocal. Trower’s songwriting influence is plain to hear here, with his repetitive, spirited guitar riff in the starring role.
The mystical »Wreck of the Hesperus«, where Fisher once again takes over the vocal baton, is on the other hand one of the most accomplished masterpieces of their career, with mighty, melodramatic orchestral arrangements that symphonic prog rock connoisseurs will still be licking their lips over today. The lyrics again touch on seafaring adventures, telling of a castaway lost somewhere in the middle of the ocean while the evening star shows him the way to shore. In Greek mythology, Hesperus, the personification of the evening star, was the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn (known in Slovenian as Zarja), and the brother of Eosphorus (sometimes also known as Prosphorus or, especially later in Christian mythology, as the infamous fallen angel Lucifer).
The symphonic rock masterpiece »All This And More«, with its complex shifts in time signature, is also one of the album’s best moments, where Brooker’s heart-wrenching vocal blends beautifully with weeping guitar passages and a fragile piano melody. The wistful blues rock ballad »Crucifiction Lane« is a Trower song from head to toe, already smelling a little of his later solo career and showing clearly why opinions on Procol Harum’s future sound between him and the rest of the band started to split. Trower’s inconsolable vocal is backed by a mighty guitar phrase, fragile piano nuances and a repetitive rhythm, all crowned with a mouthwatering guitar solo.
Fisher’s closing symphonic work of art »Pilgrim’s Progress« boasts a gorgeous evergreen melody and an incredibly warm, almost hypnotic organ sound that fits his dreamy vocal perfectly, creating a nearly solemn ambience together, especially in the closing section with its handclaps and cheerful vocalizing. Some CD reissues of this album also feature the bonus track »Long Gone Geek«, which originally came out as the B-side of the »A Salty Dog« single. It’s yet another spirited blues rocker with a playful lyric about a clumsy swot.
»A Salty Dog« is one of the finest achievements in the long, stormy saga of these indestructible prog rock pioneers, who made most of their greatest masterpieces early in their career. The title track alone, about the end of sailor romanticism at the hands of new technologies that tear apart genuine human relationships, was enough to give the album cult status the moment it came out, since this unforgettable evergreen, with its deeply contemplative nature, still completely captivates the listener today, even though the other songs on the album are by no means ‘slouches’.
Lineup
Gary Brooker – vocals, piano, celesta, three-string guitar, bells, harmonica, orchestral arrangements
Robin Trower – guitar, vocals (09), acoustic guitar, tambourine
Dave Knights – bass guitar
Barrie Wilson – drums, percussion, tabla
Matthew Fisher – organ, vocals (05, 07, 10), marimba, acoustic guitar, piano, rhythm guitar, orchestral arrangements
Kellogs – whistling
Keith Reid – lyrics
Production
Matthew Fisher
Track List
1. A Salty Dog (4:41)
2. The Milk of Human Kindness (3:47)
3. Too Much Between Us (3:45)
4. The Devil Came from Kansas (4:38)
5. Boredom (4:34)
6. Juicy John Pink (2:08)
7. Wreck of the Hesperus (3:49)
8. All This and More (3:52)
9. Crucifiction Lane (5:03)
10. Pilgrims Progress (4:32)
