Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Procol Harum
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 1970
Running time: 39:11
Rating: 4/5
Legendary prog rock trailblazers Procol Harum went through a major sonic transition on their fourth album »Home«, the follow-up to the masterpiece »A Salty Dog« (1969), the result of two changes in the band’s lineup. Before the »Home« sessions kicked off, organist and occasional singer Matthew Fisher and bassist Dave Knights both left. Their replacement was organist and bassist Chris Copping, an old pal of singer/pianist Gary Brooker, guitarist Robin Trower and drummer B.J. Wilson, with whom he’d played back when Procol Harum were still called The Paramounts.
So The Paramounts were back together in everything but name. Copping was brought in on Trower’s invitation to help them recover some of that old-school R’n’B sound from the ‘good old days’ after the largely symphonic rock adventurism of the first three albums, which had both good and bad consequences on »Home«. As prog rock pioneers they took a step back, since the symphonic arrangements on »Home« no longer played as big a role as before. On the other hand, Brooker took complete control as lead vocalist, while Trower left behind some of his finest blues rock guitar work on this very album.
The altered production, handled by famed former The Beatles producer Chris Thomas (»The White Album«, 1968), with more emphasis on rhythm and blues feel and tighter arrangements than usual, didn’t bring them any bigger commercial success, though. »Home« actually did better in the US than on home British soil. The witty cover, with a saber-toothed tiger and the band members as comic-strip clowns, was made as a parody of the popular English board game Snakes and Ladders. The lyrics from the pen of ‘fifth member’ Keith Reid were once again socially sharp and full of witty metaphors, wrapped in a protective layer of English black humor.
Opening blues rocker »Whisky Train«, which was also released as a single, is a spirited kickoff to the album, written mainly by Brooker and Trower. A wild bluesy guitar riff gets cowbells added to its bouncy rhythm, while Brooker belts it out at the top of his lungs about a metaphorical train/glass of whisky that’s running emptier and emptier. The dramatic dirge with the chilling lyrics, »Dead Man’s Dream«, is a far more traditional Procol Harum creation, with melancholic symphonic arrangements on organ and piano, and Brooker’s voice sounds tailor-made for singing sad stories. This contemplative graveyard drama about a living dead man is followed by the much bouncier »Still, There’ll Be More«, shot through with a cheerful vibe, where a lively piano tempo rules, teamed up with Trower’s classic, blues-seasoned guitar passages. The legendary guitar virtuoso, backed by Brooker’s ever-alert vocal performance and Wilson’s crisp drum fills, cuts loose with two mischievous solos.
»Nothing That I Didn’t Know« is another balladesque dirge, this time about losing a loved one, marked by piercing organ arrangements and a melancholic piano sound, while drum fills building in step with the mighty singing crank up the dramatic tension. The punchy »About To Die«, almost a hard rocker, is one of the album’s better pieces thanks to its melodramatic guitar, piano and organ passages, even though Procol Harum sound more like Traffic than themselves here, since Brooker’s vocal approach this time, for reasons unknown, leans a bit toward Steve Winwood. »Barnyard Story« is another solid piano-driven ballad that, despite excellent, heart-wrenching singing over rustling organs, is just a touch too predictable. The socially critical »Piggy-Pig-Pig«, on the other hand, is, as its title already tells you, a jokey experiment with agitated bass lines and mocking lyrics aimed at political pigs of every color. The dark atmosphere is shaped above all by mighty organ escapades and Trower’s guitar antics, led by a virtuoso solo. The closing vocal grimacing makes for a nice bit of extra color.
The epic »Whaling Stories«, laced with complex organ arrangements, is at just over seven minutes the longest and most ambitious piece on »Home«, and with its lyrics about sailors, ships and whales it sounds like a forgotten »A Salty Dog« creation. In the opening section the tempo is set by weeping guitar passages and a melancholic vocal. The dramatic mood gradually builds through mighty drum crescendos and agitated guitar phrases, while Brooker theatrically ‘narrates’ a fire on a ship in the middle of the sea. Trower’s gastronomic solo nicely marks the start of a storm on the open sea. Solemn harmonies and a stormy organ passage make for a fine ending to this superb epic. The closing »Your Own Choice« is yet another playful little number with bouncy piano and an excellent vocal interpretation from Brooker of Reid’s witty lyrics about making the right choices in life. ŠThe cheeky mood gets an extra kick from a sudden harmonica entrance.
»Home« was a temporary retreat into homespun rhythm and blues territory, with Procol Harum clipping the wings of their symphonic arrangements a bit. It was an artistic step back, but the end result was still thrilling enough that the album as a whole ranks among their better achievements. Copping, a former guitarist, still showed signs of getting used to his new role as organist and bassist, and the album lacked at least one evergreen classic on the level of »A Whiter Shade of Pale«, »In Held ‘Twas in I« or »A Salty Dog«, but that was no obstacle to »Home« becoming yet another classic Procol Harum album, one that’s a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.
Line-up
Gary Brooker – piano and vocals
Robin Trower – guitar
Chris Copping – organ, bass guitar
B.J. Wilson – drums
Keith Reid – lyrics
Production
Chris Thomas
Track list
1. Whisky Train (4:31)
2. The Dead Man’s Dream (4:46)
3. Still There’ll Be More (4:53)
4. Nothing That I Didn’t Know (3:38)
5. About to Die (3:35)
6. Barnyard Story (2:46)
7. Piggy Pig Pig (4:47)
8. Whaling Stories (7:06)
9. Your Own Choice (3:13)
