MINT Shrink PROCOL HARUM WHITER SHADE UK Prog Psych

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48

MINTY CLEAN 1967 FIRST PRESSING IN SHRINK WRAP!                                   

DERAM RECORDS CLASSIC!                                                                                                                                                

                                               PROCOL  HARUM

     (((A Whiter Shade Of Pale)))

                                                 USA - DERAM RECORDS - DES 180008

BEAUTIFUL MINT FIRST PRESS on the highly collected DERAM Records label

Original 1967 STEREO first pressing of the very first and legendary album by PROCOL HARUM featuring the timeless smash hit, A WHITER SHADE OF PALE...

***STILL IN ORIGINAL FACTORY SHRINK WRAPPER and...mint 

This is another one of those seminal progressive albums that is so important in the world of progressive music and rock music in general. One of those obligatory passages from sixties popsike to seventies rock, along with Caravan's debut, Soft Machine's first two albums and the Nice's debut. The original UK vinyl did not have the heavily Bach-influenced Whiter Shade Of Pale as found on this, the original US release. One of Procol Harum's most ionnovative trend is a lyricist (Keith Reid), some two years before Crimson's Pete Sinfield, and even before Pete Brown (Jack Bruce's lyricist in Cream), and his incredibly poetic text will be over-analysed for years to come, but they were one of the most important strength of Procol's better tracks.

Procol Harum is one of those groups that should really be considered pioneers of prog as they were the first one to have this double KB attack as Brooker sang and played piano and Fisher played the Hammond organ in such a fabulous manner that it is the principal reason for the success of Whither Shade Of Pale with this awesome intro. However the real gift of Procol lays in the guitar and the drumming. No histrionic solos here, but listen to the incredible psychedelic underlining guitar lines form the awesome ROBIN TROWER. This is a man who was pinned down as a Hendrix clone/student but here again the popular wisdom is wrong as this came out before the first Hendrix album, and one can see here , that he was into experimentation before that. Trower's blues guitar mixed with the classical influences of both keyboards being blended successfully is one of Procol's most enduring achievements. BJ Wilson's excellent drumming is one of the most under-rated prog drummers ever. Some of the tracks are silmply incredibly advanced for the times and still sound so solemnly beautiful nowadays: listen to Oustside The Gates OF Cerdes, Repent Walpurgis, and future hit Conquistador, to get a load on how great these guys were working as a unit and breaking ground with almost every track. To call this album a full-blown progressive is a little off, as the tracks, Kaleidoscope, Mabel and Captain Clac are tracks full of great psychedelic invention that even Floyd or the Beatles would've proudly called their own. One of the secret of Procol's success is the descending bass lines on many of their better tracks and most notably on their Whiter Shade Of Pale classic...

1. Conquistador
2. She wandered through the garden fence
3. Something following me
4. Mabel
5. Cerdes (outside the gate of)
6. A Christmas camel
7. Kaleidoscope
8. Salad days (are here again)
9. Good Captain Clack
10. Repent Walpurgis

CONDITION: The cover is clean, strong and stiff = MINT = in original factory shrink wrapper and ...no bends, no split seams and no writing (TOP OF THE LINE)

The vinyl is all glossy clean and clear...M- top level, plays wonderful!

       A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record