Sunday, March 6, 2022

Procol Harum - 1973-09-21 - Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA (w/Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra)

Procol Harum

1973-09-21
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA
with The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Pre-FM soundboard recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more from Gary Brooker and Procol Harum! The combination of Procol Harum with a live Symphony Orchestra was an inspired move, and following the success of their live album, Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972), which lead to the new Orchestral version of 'Conquistador' becoming one of their biggest hits, the band continued to do various concerts in conjunction with Symphony Orchestras, to great acclaim. The Orchestral arrangements was a perfect fit with Procol Harum, it emphasized their classical leanings, and brought a new vitality and power to many of their songs. Their next album, Grand Hotel (1973) continued with this classical rock theme and was another powerhouse album. They continued with additional strong albums, with Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974), Procol's Ninth (1975), and Something Magic (1977), but saw declining sales and public interest by the late '70's, and broke up in 1978. They then later reformed with Gary Brooker, Robin Trower, Matthew Fisher, and Keith Reid in 1991, and released The Prodigal Stranger (1991), as well as touring in the early'90's. Another version of the band emerged in the early 2000's, with Brooker, Fisher, Geoff Whitehorn (guitar), Matt Pegg (bass). and Mark Brzezicki (drums), which toured and also released a new album, The Wells's on Fire (2003). But Fisher left in 2005, leaving Brooker as the only remaining original member. Brooker and the band continued to perform occasionally throughout the coming years, and released their last album of original material, their 13th, Novum, in 2017. That same year, Brooker was seriously hurt falling from the stage at a concert. But Brooker and the band toured again in 2018 and 2019. Gary Brooker died on February 19, 2022 of cancer-related illness at the age of 76. 
I have here a show from back in 1973, with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, on the heels of their breakthrough live album. This is an excellent Pre-FM recording, featuring the Orchestral arrangements and new songs from their recently released Grand Hotel album. A Great show.
     
Tracklist:
01) Broken Barricades (2:53)
02) A Christmas Camel (6:03)
03) Toujours l'Amour (3:42)
04) Grand Hotel (6:44)
05) Fires (Which Burnt Brightly) (6:19)
06) A Salty Dog (5:24)
07) Conquistador (4:13)
08) Grand Finale (part-five of In Held 'Twas in I) (3:46)
09) TV Ceasar > (5:13)
10) Rule Britannia (1:16)

Gary Brooker - Piano, vocal
Alan Cartwright - Bass
Chris Copping - Organ
Mick Grabham - Guitar
B.J. Wilson - Drums
with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra (Conductor: Isaiah Jackson)
and Roger Wagner Chorale (Director: Roger Wagner)

mp3 - Procol Harum_1973-09-21_Hollywood Bowl_mp3.rar

FLAC- Procol Harum_1973-09-21_Hollywood Bowl_FLAC.rar

3 comments:

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Unknown said...

RIP Mr Brooker...so sad we are losing so many greats now every month it seems...but he left a legacy for sure, class band and a top voice ...Thank you.

ethiessen1 said...

This has been commercially released:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/procol-harum-still-therell-anthology-1967-2017-8cd-box-set/