Grand Hotel album review – Procol Harum
Procol Harum were already into their fifth line-up when, in 1973, they released their sixth studio album, Grand Hotel.
With guitarist Robin Trower and his replacement for Live in Concert with the Edmonton Orchestra, Dave Ball, both gone, Mick Grabham, ex of Ladbroke Grove country rockers Cochise, joined the fold and along with Alan Cartwright on bass, Procol Harum were back to being a five-piece. Grand Hotel also saw a triumphant return to the symphonic sound they had been drifting away from on the previous studio albums, Home and Broken Barricades.
As with the earlier albums it’s Gary Brooker’s piano that takes the lead, and with Alan Cartwright’s arrival freeing him from bass duties, Chris Copping provides sterling support on the organ, enriching the melodies in a far less “hands-on” manner than previous Hammond-maestro, Matthew Fisher.
The album begins in noble style with a track that sits comfortably amongst the best that Procol Harum ever knocked out.
‘Grand Hotel‘ gives the album its name and the listener a lavishly dramatic example of symphonic rock at its very best. This is the stuff of movie soundtracks, belted out with incredible finesse by the band that could never be surpassed when it came to this sort of thing. Not by Queen, ELO or anybody. As the cover of the album suggests, the song evokes a feel of 1920’s grandeur, with the opulent air of a hotel exclusive to the rich and the famous prevalent throughout. The inclusion of full orchestral and choir arrangements puts it at the zenith of the band’s output alongside such classics as ‘A Salty Dog‘ and ‘Whaling Stories’. The inclusion of a raw, orchestra-free version of ‘Grand Hotel’ as a bonus track, though still exceptional, highlights the elevation these symphonic embellishments give it.
With such a strong opener, Grand Hotel pulls out all the stops ensuring it doesn’t disappoint for the remainder, and though the vast scope of the title track proves difficult to surpass, one would be hard-pressed to find a damp squib amongst what’s on offer.
They range from the melodic humour of ‘A Rum Tale’ to the jaunty bossa nova of the closer (and weakest track), ‘Robert’s Box’. In between, ‘For Liqourice John’, an emotional lament to a friend who committed suicide, and ‘Fires (Which Burn Brightly)’, an operatic number strengthened by the vocal contribution of Christianne Legrand, both match ‘Grand Hotel’ for sheer breathtaking elegance.
Grand Hotel easily ranks alongside A Salty Dog and Home as one of Procol Harum’s best studio albums.
Grand Hotel is reissued by Salvo Records and available from Amazon.co.uk
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“Grand Hotel” by Procol Harum has been re-issued many times over on CD. Adding that there has been some criticism over the years of the sound quality on the original vinyl (as voiced by band member Chris Copping), the prime reason for making a new issue of this LP has to be the sound quality. Yet this review mentions nothing of the kind. However, enticed by other reviewers who remarked on the “crispy clear” and “super detailed” sound on this issue I went and bought it. Well, it may be that it is clear and detailed, but so is everything else if you crank the treble up to 11. In fact, this CD is extremely poorly remastered, thus keeping in line with the tradition established by Salvo since the start of their Procol re-issue program (the two first CDs were running at the wrong speed, and despite complaints from customers nothing has been done to recall these faulty discs or indeed rectify the error on subseqent product). The sound on this disc is so flat and harsh it borders on distortion, particularly with regard to vocals and Hammond organ. It is a disgrace to the group casts a cold sheen over a record that was never renown for its soulful warmth in the first place. It may be that the 1973 vinyl was a far spell from what the group had heard in the studio, but it is still head and shoulders above this rubbish. You can pick it up second hand for chip money and the UK version even has a large booklet with all the lyrics.
I bow down to your vastly superior knowledge.
As far as I’m concerned, it sounds all right to me.