Procol Harum

Procol Harum's self-titled debut album, released in the UK in December 1967 (and in the US in September 1967 on Deram Records), arrived in the wake of the global phenomenon that was "A Whiter Shade of Pale." Recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, London, with producer Denny Cordell, the album captured a band in the act of defining itself: part R&B, part Baroque classicism, part proto-progressive rock, all filtered through lyricist Keith Reid's surrealist, image-driven verse.

The album lineup featured Gary Brooker on vocals and piano, Matthew Fisher on Hammond organ, Robin Trower on guitar, Dave Knights on bass, and B.J. Wilson on drums. Reid, who wrote the lyrics to every track, was a non-performing creative partner. Cordell's production philosophy favored live, direct recording with minimal overdubs, giving the record a raw and immediate quality unusual for the Summer of Love era.

Notably, the UK pressing of the original album did not include "A Whiter Shade of Pale" or "Homburg," both of which had been released as standalone singles. The US version added them. The album's own highlights include "Conquistador," a Spanish-tinged piece that became a hit when re-recorded live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 1972, and "Repent Walpurgis," an instrumental composed by Matthew Fisher that draws explicitly on the works of Bach and French organist Charles-Marie Widor, making the band's classical influences unmistakable.

Critical reception was warm among musicians and the music press. Classic Rock magazine later included it in their "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock," and Rolling Stone named it one of "The 40 Essential Albums of 1967." Reid himself described it: "I thought all the songs were great. It was the worst recorded album, but I really like it."