Procol Harum - Salty Dog (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Not many better, if any ever, than A Salty Dog

Evan B. Quinn | Boston, MA | 12/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The subtle orchestration and vocal interpretation, the swing between classical and blues rock influence, the interplay between piano, organ and one of the top 5 rock drummers from the early era (BJ Wilson seldom receives proper credit - he wasn't the wild thrasher like a Moon, but perfectly complemented his band) not to mention excellent engineering, and real poetry for lyrics... "Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land." C'mon. Despite all the tricks and training of today's rock "stars," if you were to try to find anything better in current rock, and few if any in classic or 80s/90s rock, you would find yourself on "A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive.""

"All Hands on Deck!"

A Minstrel in the Gallery | Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA | 06/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was in the midst of reading Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" when I listened to this album for the first time, and "A Salty Dog" sent chills down my spine. Since I grew up on the New England coast, I have always loved "The Wreck of the Hesperus" but I would recommend this album to anybody anywhere! You'll find yourself whistling along to "Boredom" and marvel at Robin Trower's powerful vocal performance on "Crucifiction Land." I think my favorite track on the whole album, however, is the last one. This is a musical experience you will not soon forget!"

Too bad this version is out-of-print

greyhoundude | Corvallis, OR | 10/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Westside-issued version of A SALTY DOG is/was the best available package. Great value for the $$$, the bonus tracks were at least interesting, the remastering was first-rate, and "Long Gone Geek," while sounding a bit out of place with the rest of the album, finds its chronological place in time as part of this package. Again, as of today (10/17/07), this is the version of A SALTY DOG to own. Highly recommended."

The Pantheon of Rock's Golden Age

Marley | Long Island, NY | 10/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Putting A Salty Dog into perspective requires one to look back at the climate of rock music circa 1969. For this truly was the golden age of rock. The Beatles "White Album" was a virtual smorgasbord of styles and influences. The Who's groundbreaking rock opera "Tommy" established new boundaries and The Byrds were blazing a trail called country rock with their superb "Sweetheart of the Rodeo". The Band really established a distinct departure from the heavey drum ladden, high voltage electric guitar sound that Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zepplin were beating to death. Their debut album "Music From Big Pink" was so radically different from mainstream rock that Eric Clapton himself all but abandoned the extended guitar solo in favor of a more roots oriented approach.

In fact if there is one record that truly left its mark on musicians and began this whole process of rethinking what exactly rock music could encompass, it was "Big Pink". But where do you suppose The Band heard this new sound? Was it Bob Dylan's masterpiece "Blonde On Blonde"? Or maybe it was Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale". Either way it was light years ahead of "In A Gadda Da Vida", "Purple Haze" and "Communication Breakdown". And so the scene was set for Procol's third album release, "A Salty Dog".

What elements went into this work to attribute to its lasting appeal? For starters, lyricist Keith Reid composed a group of songs all thematicly tied together so as to create a Homeric epic not unlike the voyages of Odysseus. This along with the classical influences of Bach, Wagner and Rachmaninoff give "A Salty Dog" its grandeur and emotional punch. But let us not forget this is still rock music not some symphonic snooze-feast. Robin Trower reminds us with his heavey fuzz tone bluesy "Juciy John Pink" and "The Devil Came From Kansas". Yet throughout this sea faring epic we feel the warmth and joy of Gary Brooker's deep rich tenor. Here's a vocalist who could sing the Sear's catalog and still sound deeply emotional and inspired. And Matthew Fisher's majestic keyboard work holds it all together. This is ensemble playing at its best.

Yes, it's true pogressive rock seemed to be all the rage back then. The Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson and the like were peaking on the charts. The record buying public seemingly couldn't get enough of this new classically influenced genre. Innovative?...Indeed it was. But it also seemed rather gaudy and the lyrics pretentious and heavy-handed. What sets Procol Harum and paticularly "A Salty Dog" apart is its subtelty. Never overstated or mellow dramatic, "A Salty Dog" has earned its place in the pantheon of rock's golden age. Listen and get swept off across the water and into a new frontier."

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