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Procol Harum: The best of Procol Harum (Halycon Daze)

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Music Collection Intl.
Released: 1997
Time:
 55:02
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *****..... (5/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.procolharum.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 1999
Price in €: 7,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Whiter Shade of Pale (Brooker/Reid)
[2] Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of) (Brooker/Reid)
[3] Kaleidoscope (Brooker/Reid)
[4] Piggy Pig Pig (Brooker/Reid)
[5] Too Much Between Us (Brooker/Reid)
[6] Quite Rightly So (Brooker/Reid)
[7] Shine on Brightly (Brooker/Reid)
[8] Salty Dog (Brooker/Reid)
[9] Long Gone Geek (Brooker/Reid)
[10] Homburg (Brooker/Reid)
[11] Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) (Brooker/Reid)
[12] Conquistador (Brooker/Reid)
[13] Salad Days (Are Here Again) (Brooker/Reid)
[14] Beyond the Pale (Brooker/Reid)
[15] Pandora's Box (Brooker/Reid)

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


ROBIN TROWER - Guitar
GARY BROOKER - Piano, Vocals
MATTHEW FISHER - Organ (Hammond)
MICK GRABHAM - Guitar
ALAN CARTWRIGHT - Bass
CHRIS COPPING - Organ, Bass
BILL EYDEN - Drums
DAVID KNIGHTS - Bass
B.J. WILSON - Drums
RAY ROYER - Guitar

ALLAN MCDOUGALL - Compilation Producer
DENNY CORDELL - Producer
FRANK DELUNA - Remastering
JIM BICKHART - Compilation Producer
NORMAN MOORE - Design
ROLAND YOUNG - Art Direction
HENRY SCOTT-IRVINE - Liner Notes

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


'Whiter shade of pale' was one of the seminal anthems of the 1967 Summer of Love, and the fusion of classical and soul influences along with surreal lyrics was the source of many other classics, such as 'Homburg' and 'Salty Dog'.
 

 L y r i c s


A WHITER SHADE OF PALE

We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray
.
 .
  .
   .
    .
     .
      .
       .
        And so it was that later
        as the miller told his tale
        that her face, at first just ghostly,
        turned a whiter shade of pale

She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed

She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died

If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
and attacked the ocean bed


CERDES (OUTSIDE THE GATES OF)

Outside the gates of Cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn
whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales
and Neptune dances hornpipes while Salome sheds her veils

Phallus Phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot
but Sousa Sam can only hear the screams of Peep the sot
who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups
and exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up

Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams
And Greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem
And even Christian Scientists can but display marble plaques
Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts
Yeah, my eyes reach out for facts


KALEIDOSCOPE

Jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
in a swirling rainbow tussle
Caught and frozen, broken sheen
now unites for one brief scene
.
 .
  .
   .
    Lonely in the dark I grope
    the key's in my kaleidoscope

Confused faces change their places
take up stances, exchange glances
Lost in multicoloured hues
there is no whole which I can choose
.
 .
  .
   .
    Lonely in the dark I grope
    the key's in my kaleidoscope

In one face, one moment's fusion
Realise the new illusion
Clutching fingers break the puzzle
jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
.
 .
  .
   .
    Still out in the dark I grope
    the key's in my kaleidoscope


PIGGY PIG PIG

Wash yourself and see your sorrow, make every pitcher clean
Take a mop to swab the floor and destroy the evil dream
Counting houses full of lead, the evil eye on high
The streets awash with blood and pus, the new moon's in the sky
God's aloft, the winds are raging
God's aloft, the winds are cold
After leaving I was weeping - count it out in tolls
Watch the book, the page is turning - how the tale unfolds
Inside every cancered spectre,
inside-outside find your own
God's aloft, the winds are raging - God's aloft, the winds are cold


TOO MUCH BETWEEN US

There's you, you're sleeping over there
whilst me I'm sitting here
with so much sea between us
I can't make it much more clear
There'll be no time for crying
We won't make it more than six
I could change my plea to guilty
but I don't think it would stick
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
You've said so much in silence now I truly am disguised

Let him who fears his heart alone
stand up and make a speech
For him perhaps an emperor's throne
if he could only speak
Far too few and far to follow
For shame I'll heed the cry
Be with me when I need a drink
be with me when I die
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
You've said so much in silence now indeed I am disguised


QUITE RIGHTLY SO

For you (whose eyes were opened wide whilst mine refused to see)
I'm sore in need of saving grace. Be kind and humour me
I'm lost amidst a sea of wheat
where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry

An ode by any other name I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
for those too sick, too sick to see
though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me


SHINE ON BRIGHTLY

My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop
and I can see no end in sight
and search in vain by candlelight
for some long road that goes nowhere
for some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
is shining brightly, quite insane

The chandelier is in full swing
as gifts for me the three kings bring
of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
and fat old Buddhas carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
and watch as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly quite insane

Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
my tongue it seems has run aground
and croaks as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly, quite insane


A SALTY DOG

'All hands on deck, we've run afloat!' I heard the captain cry
'Explore the ship, replace the cook: let no one leave alive!'
Across the straits, around the Horn: how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many Junes have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seaman's log: your witness my own hand


LONG GONE GEEK

Weird goings-on at the County Jail
Prisoners reading the sheriff's mail
He's strapped down to a swivel chair
trying to swivel right out of there
Pin-striped Sweet's in Cell 15
Convinced his self it's all a dream
He's got a pet black tabby cat
that carries a gun and wears a Stetson hat

The door flies open, in strides Geek
Looking like the front page of Newsweek
He says to Lou in a voice of glee,
'What's the matter, ain't you glad to see me?'
Lou's on the floor 'cause he can't stand up
as green as a leaf in a tea-cup
When on to Geek's back jumps a Stetson-hatted cat
Which breaks Geek's neck like he was a rat

Long gone Geek!


HOMBURG

Your multilingual business friend
has packed her bags and fled
Leaving only ash-filled ashtrays
and the lipsticked unmade bed
The mirror on reflection
has climbed back upon the wall
for the floor she found descended
and the ceiling was too tall
.
 .
  .
   .
    .
     .
      .
       .
        Your trouser cuffs are dirty
        and your shoes are laced up wrong
        you'd better take off your homburg
        'cos your overcoat is too long

The town clock in the market square
stands waiting for the hour
when its hands they both turn backwards
and on meeting will devour
both themselves and also any fool
who dares to tell the time
And the sun and moon will shatter
and the signposts cease to sign


MAGDALENE (MY REGAL ZONOPHONE)

Though I know the night has fallen and the sun's sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand

Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears
and for once I stood quite naked. Unashamed, I wept the tears
which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you
but the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew

Magdalene, my Regal Zonophone


CONQUISTADOR

Conquistador your stallion stands
in need of company
and like some angel's haloed brow
you reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast
has long since lost its sheen
and in your death mask face
there are no signs which can be seen
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though I hoped for something to find
    I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador a vulture sits
upon your silver shield
and in your rusty scabbard now
the sand has taken seed
and though your jewel-encrusted blade
has not been plundered still
the sea has washed across your face
and taken of its fill
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though I hoped for something to find
    I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador there is no time
I must pay my respect
and though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
and as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
and though you came with sword held high
you did not conquer, only die
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though I hoped for something to find
    I could see no maze to unwind


SALAD DAYS (ARE HERE AGAIN)

You come to me at midnight and say, 'It's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear
I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me
those bangles that I paid for long ago
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
    and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam
The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream
and for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime
and though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
    and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead
to try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed
At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings
and still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time
.
 .
  .
   .
    And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
    and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
    You really know that it's not so


BEYOND THE PALE

Who will search for Holy Grail
Past the edge beyond the veil
Who will come beyond the light
Far from reach beyond all sight
Who will share this bitter cup
let the wild dogs tear them up
let the cold winds blow them down
drive them deep beneath the ground

Who will live in darkest night
Dankest gloom and quietest quiet
Buried deep beneath the ground
Far from any human sound

Who will search for treasure trove
Scour the seas and scale the globe
Past the peaks beyond the heights
Farmost reaches furthest sights
Who will share this bitter cup
let the wild dogs tear them up
let the cold winds blow them down
drive them deep beneath the ground


PANDORA'S BOX

While horsemen ride across the green
and Snow White still remains unseen.
Pegasus, the winged horse,
relays his messages by Morse.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.

While Handel plays his melody
Doctors cause uncertainty
And though I know the lifeguard's brave
There is no one for him to save.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.

Cock Robin views his frozen feet
and wraps them in a winding sheet
and calls out for his favourite drink
the Persian that's as warm as mink.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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