Getting better all the time. Procol Harum: Grand Hotel.

**StevegSr** · 02-13-2016

As an American, Procol Harum's very acclaimed 1973 album Grand Hotel didn't fit into my mix of hard rock, folk rock and prog rock records of the time.

Where all other genres had some type of guitar hero or songs with fantastic guitar solos, Grand Hotel seemed too lush, melodramatic and, frankly, too Eurocentric in both song style and lyrics to really grab me. And no killer guitar solos.

After listening to some acclaimed albums that I've never been able to embrace (still waiting for The Land Of Grey And Pink to reach me), I was really digging listening to Grand Hotel's flip side. I'm still waiting for a Martin Barre-like guitar solo to breakthrough in the break on Bringing Home The Bacon, but it's getting better all the time.

What's your take on PH's Hotel Grande?

**The Dark Elf** · 02-13-2016

The last Procol Harum album I cared about was the Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony album. Even though Robin Trower had just left, Dave Ball gave such a Trower-esque punch to "Conquistador" and other songs that the album is splendid to listen to. In fact, I recently bought a remaster of the album. Afterwards, meh.

**StevegSr** · 02-13-2016

Originally Posted by The Dark Elf

The last Procol Harum album I cared about was the Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony album. Even though Robin Trower had just left, Dave Ball gave such a Trower-esque punch to "Conquistador" and other songs that the album is splendid to listen to. In fact, I recently bought a remaster of the album. Afterwards, meh.

Yeah, Ball really burns it up on Conquistador, and the album itself is one of those sonic and musical must haves!

**JJ88** · 02-13-2016

Although Trower's departure was a big blow, it's another great album, no dramatic decline for me. (That came a little later.) The title track alone is one of the best things they ever did, with that sense of faded grandeur. 'Bringing Home The Bacon' and 'TV Caesar' also endure for me.

The only song I find a little iffy is 'Robert's Box', but most of their albums have a ropey track or two, I find (not a big deal). I don't mind 'Souvenir Of London', although I appreciate the lyrics are too 'nudge nudge' for some fans.

**bob_32_116** · 02-13-2016

There is a Procol Harum thread here somewhere, started by Yours Truly I believe.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to listen to a goodly number of PH's album, as I was staying at the house of a friend who was somewhat of a fan. I really liked the debut, Salty Dog, Grand Hotel, and Something Magic. Surprisingly, my friend does not have Shine On Brightly or Broken Barricades; he has a compilation that includes some tracks off those. Procol's Ninth is a bit of a waste of CD groove space. What were they thinking, with that ridiculous cover of Eight Days a Week?

Grand Hotel is possibly my favourite of the bunch, for the title track, For Liquorice John, and A Rum Tale.

As for "no guitar solos", well this is a progressive rock forum, so i would not have thought it was a problem that a band did not stick to formula.

**Reid** · 02-13-2016

I listened to five of their first six albums last week. I don't have Broken Barricades. I love the title track to Grand Hotel. Gary Brooker is one of the great vocalists in rock music, imo. The rest of the album doesn't quite reach the heights of the opener. I don't miss guitar solos. In fact, I never cared for the more guitar driven tracks on Home. If I had to pick one album to listen to, it would be the debut release. Cerdes is my fave PH tune.

**JJ88** · 02-13-2016

Procol's Ninth had Leiber and Stoller as producers. Something of a mismatch, to say the least. It was lucky they had 'Pandora's Box' on that. Something Magic is almost entirely forgettable.

**StevegSr** · 02-13-2016

Originally Posted by bob_32_116

There is a Procol Harum thread here somewhere, started by Yours Truly I believe.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to listen to a goodly number of PH's album, as I was staying at the house of a friend who was somewhat of a fan. I really liked the debut, Salty Dog, Grand Hotel, and Something Magic. Surprisingly, my friend does not have Shine On Brightly or Broken Barricades; he has a compilation that includes some tracks off those. Procol's Ninth is a bit of a waste of CD groove space. What were they thinking, with that ridiculous cover of Eight Days a Week?

Grand Hotel is possibly my favourite of the bunch, for the title track, For Liquorice John, and A Rum Tale.

As for "no guitar solos", well this is a progressive rock forum, so i would not have thought it was a problem that a band did not stick to formula.

Perhaps you missed the point I was trying to make. My listening in 1973 included prog with great guitar from artists like Robert Fripp and Steve Howe, and one great guy named Gilmour. ELP was the only "Non guitar band" that I listened to, so guitar in rock was, for me, the formula. (And ELP even had some spare guitar work from Greg Lake!)

**Animal** · 02-13-2016

Grand Hotel has some of their finest writing, imho. And I love the concept. All of the lyrics deal with various forms of self indulgence.

**undergroundrailroad** · 02-13-2016

As a whole, it's probably the most enjoyable Procol album for me to listen to straight through. The production is very, very elaborate. This belongs in the best sounding albums of the 70s thread. And yes, the title track hits a pretty great emotional height. The last verse, culminating in "Early morning pinch and bite/These French girls always like to fight" is just crushing.

**mogrooves** · 02-13-2016

Some nice songs mixed in with a few duds, but not a bad album; I dig the elegiac tone, suitably rendered by Brooker.

**Jacob Holm-Lupo** · 02-13-2016

But we can't really discuss Grand Hotel without mentioning Fires "(Which Burnt Brightly), which is for my money one of the most perfect short compositions in all of prog - and Christiane Legrand's vocal contribution is out of this world.

**spellbound** · 02-13-2016

I always liked this album. Bought it on LP when it was new. Later got the Japanese mini-LP compact disc. Still have both. And I agree, Jacob, "Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)" is incredible.

**Galactic Bulldozer** · 02-13-2016

Originally Posted by StevegSr

I'm still waiting for a Martin Barre-like guitar solo to breakthrough in the break on Bringing Home The Bacon, but it's getting better all the time.

I have no hesitation in saying that Dave's solos have as much balls as Trowers', though he has a smoother tone. His contributions to Toujours l'Amour, Bringing Home the Bacon, TV Caesar and even Doctor, Doctor lift the songs to greater heights. The singing is great, so is the organ, the lyrics and the punchy sound makes me want to blow out my brain again.

**zombywoof** · 02-13-2016

"Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)" is an amazing track.

**undergroundrailroad** · 02-13-2016

Another vote for Fires. It's gorgeous and really moving.

Also, concerning Robert's Box - yeah, I'm not sure about the first part of the song, but I'm glad to sit through it because... man, that huge, ominous chord progression that takes up the last 2 minutes of the album ("Just a pinch to ease the pain") is mind-destroyingly awesome.

**bob_32_116** · 02-13-2016

Originally Posted by Jacob Holm-Lupo

But we can't really discuss Grand Hotel without mentioning Fires "(Which Burnt Brightly), which is for my money one of the most perfect short compositions in all of prog - and Christiane Legrand's vocal contribution is out of this world.

I neglected to mention "Fires", mainly because I tend to forget which album it's on - but yes that is one of their best.

I'm not that fond of "Robert's Box", which seems a rather anticlimactic way to end the album.

**Galactic Bulldozer** · 02-13-2016

You can carry on straight to the next album if you find the end anticlimactic...

**hofmeyer** · 02-13-2016

Grand Hotel is the epitome of Procol Harum (...in the closest / most correct definition of epitome...) Just wish they'd release it in 5.1

**jkelman** · 02-13-2016

One of my very favourite PH albums....and a nice coincidence. Am in the process of gradually reviling my collection to full resolution (no more compression for me), and I did the entirPH catalogue this afternoon.

I got a set of OPPO planar magnetic headphones and headphone amp for my 60th birthday, so between my FiiO high res player and iPhone/iPAd I can now listen to full and high res with good DACs, so I am done with lossy compression.

Listened to the Esoteric remaster of A Salty Dog this afternoon and it was wonderful.

**Progbear** · 02-13-2016

The bookend tracks on this—the title song and “Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)”—make the album for me. The rest of the album is OK, except for “A Souvenir of London,” which is one long cringe. They might have lost a bit of the grandeur with Exotic Birds and Fruit, but I thought it was an improvement overall.

Still haven’t heard Procol’s Ninth. I listened to Something Magic exactly once: “The Worm and the Tree” has to be the worst 70s side-long epic ever (spoken-word tracks SUCK!).

**GuitarGeek** · 02-13-2016

I've been wanting to hear this record for 30 years now, ever since I read that Grand Hotel itself was the inspiration for the Milliway's sequence in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Douglas Adams actually said he wanted to play the song in the background on the radio series, but the song is only about 5 minutes long and Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, etc spend something like 20 minutes at The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe.

Salty Dog is another record I always intended to hear. MTV used to show a clip of Procol Harum miming that song on their old Closet Classics show, so I know the song is pretty happening, but have always wondered about the rest of the record.

**Trane** · 02-14-2016

Originally Posted by The Dark Elf

The last Procol Harum album I cared about was the Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony album. Even though Robin Trower had just left, Dave Ball gave such a Trower-esque punch to "Conquistador" and other songs that the album is splendid to listen to. In fact, I recently bought a remaster of the album. Afterwards, meh.

Totally agreeeeeeeeeee...

Could never get into 70's Harum stuff pas the Edmonton Symphony thing

Originally Posted by hofmeyer

Grand Hotel is the epitome of Procol Harum (...in the closest / most correct definition of epitome...) Just wish they'd release it in 5.1

Let's just say that GH is the epiome of the second version of the band (the first version being the ex-Paramount line-up)

Originally Posted by Progbear

Still haven’t heard Procol’s Ninth. I listened to Something Magic exactly once: “The Worm and the Tree” has to be the worst 70s side-long epic ever (spoken-word tracks SUCK!).

You haven't missed much with Ninth... or with Exotic Birds & Fruits , FTM

However, it would be too bad not to have heard at least once their Magic and that atrocious Worm & Trees suite: I think that was the most laughable prog thing ever recorded (well those Works and Love Beach thingies did worse)... And it certainly fed water to the punk's mill against prog