Procol Harum (Official Thread)

[dr wu]

As Strong As Samson (live in studio 1975)

Psychiatrists and lawyers destroying mankind
Drivin' 'em crazy, and stealing 'em blind
Bankers and brokers ruling the world
Storing the silver and hoarding the gold
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
The weakest man be strong as Samson
When you're being held to ransom
Famine and hardship in true living colour
Constant reminders, the plight of our brother
Daily starvation our diet of news
Fed to the teeth with a barrage of views
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're preaching
The weakest man be strong as Samson
When you're being held to ransom
Black men and white men, and Arabs and Jews
Causing congestion and filling the queues
Fighting for freedom the truth and the word
Fighting the war for the end of the world
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
Weakest man be strong as Samson
When you're being held to ransom
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
Weakest man be strong as Samson
When you're being held to ransom
Ain't no use
Ain't no use
Ain't no use
Strong as Samson
When you're being held to ransom

 

[E-Z]

As far as Procol Harum and my self are concerned I remember A Whiter Shade of Pale being played on the radio over here in England back in the 'summer of love' in 1967 but when it comes to the band my interest is in Robin Trower's connection especially with the album Broken Barricades 1971 where their is quite a bit of Trower's guitar work featured and to a lesser extent on the albums Home 1970 and I suppose A Salty Dog 1969 and with regards to the album Exotic Birds and Fruit I have seen it around in the past several times but I was never that interested in checking it out.

 

[dr wu]

Loved Trower's guitar work but his contributions had little to do with Procol Harums overall sound and song structures since Fisher and Brooker seemed to lead the way. Trower always wanted to be the British Hendrix from what I have read....that might be an overstatement but he was into heavy dreamy bluesrock and not what PH was doing....though his contributions on Broken Barricades were evident.
Trowers early lps are all wonderful...later on they became somewhat redundant imho. But I agree he needed to do his own thing and he did it well....though there was a sameness to many of the lps.
I believe the first 5 or 6 Procol lps are all worth having if one likes that 'symph rock' sound they presented on many of their songs and being a prog fan they appealed to me.
Most prog fans think the lp Shine ON Brightly is their best but I think the early ones in general all have interesting music.

A fun one from Grand Hotel
Bringing home the bacon