Procol Harum – Live At The Union Chapel
Picture: B-
Sound: B Extras: C Concert: B-
A Whiter Shade Of Pale is the lone survivor
into modern times of the many hits of Procol Harum. From 1967 to 1972, they had many Rock radio hits, but only three
Pop hits. Those hits and more are here
on their latest DVD offering, Live At The Union Chapel (2004, taped
December 12th, 2003) from Eagle Vision. This one offers DTS sound, like the EP DVD from 2003, but
this is full length. Here they are 35
years later, and we once again have a band that can play their music, but their
lead singer is struggling.
To their credit, the concert is a long one, has many songs
that show their talent, contribution to the Rock genre and drive as follows,
with a few tracks designated to work with the DVD multi-angle function denoted
with a ^:
1) Underture
2) Shine On
Brightly
3) Pandora’s
Box
4) An Old
English Dream^
5) Grand
Hotel
6) Homberg
7) Quite
Rightly So
8) Simple
Sister
9) Weisselklenzenacht
(The Signature)
10) Shadow Boxed
11) The Question
12) Wall Street Blues
13) This World Is Rich
14) As Strong As Samson
15) Every Dog Will Have His Day
16) A Salty Dog
17) Conquistador
18) VIP Room^
19) Whisky Train
20) Good Captain Clack
21) A Whiter Shade Of Pale
These are very well written thinking-man’s Rock and their
integrity is unquestionable, as is their sincerity. I was never a fan of any kind, but certainly respect the talented
survivors who seem massive versus who and what we are getting today in or out
of Rock music. They are for real and
their cohesion as a band is evident as they go from song to song. Some bands have this no matter what and they
are one of them. Despite some
misgivings, Live At The Union Chapel is worth a look for even the
novice.
Another reason for this is the presentation. The anamorphically enhanced 16 x 9/1.78 x 1
image is not bad for being shot on High Definition video. The concert was shot on the dark side, but
this still looks good with that, where it could have easily went wrong. The DTS sound is the most impressive thing
on the DVD, bringing the music and musicianship home in a way this disc cannot
in either Dolby configuration (5.1 or 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds)
can. It is nicely mixed and reveals
subtle details that show just how good these guys still are. Extras include eight questions answered by
lead singer Gary Booker, a foldout inside the DVD case and two featurettes
connected to the concert. That adds up
to a quality disc where surprises help offset a few shortcomings.
- Nicholas Sheffo
