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Home (CD)
Following the promotion of their previous long player, A Salty Dog, organist /composer Matthew Fisher (who had also produced A Salty Dog) and bassist Dave Knights departed the group for pastures new while Procol, as Keith Reid put it, started to contemplate our future. Gary Brooker subsequently enlisted Chris Copping as the bands new organ player and bass guitarist. As Copping, who had been a member of Brookers former Southend-based R n B band The Paramounts prior to their turning professional, says: The idea was in part to bring some more R n B back into the bands overall sound. It also formed the basis of a plan to move in the direction that The Doors had taken. The Doors had never had a bass guitarist. Keyboard player Ray Manzarek utilised a bass keyboard as well as his organ. Ultimately, this was to be the plan for Procol Harum. Consequently, Chris Copping became Procols Ray Manzarek; playing organ, bass keyboard and occasional bass guitar. Procol subsequently went into Abbey Road Studios, with producer Chris Thomas in the early spring of 1970. Thomas, who had worked under George Martin on the Beatles White album, proved to be a brilliant choice as producer and duly helped to create what would turn out to be one of their best albums. In fact he worked fruitfully with Procol over their next four years and went on to enjoy a glittering career which included work with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, the Pretenders and Sex Pistols. At its best, Home showcased the sheer diversity of Procol Harum: from the most blues-wailing Whiskey Train to the vast watery depths of Whaling Stories. There were some lighter-weight efforts in between - Still Therell Be More, Piggy Pig Pig and Your Own Choice; but Home also boasted one of Brookers finest ballads, the poignant Nothing That I Didnt Know. While Home was being carefully remastered from the original master tapes, Gary Brooker listened to great many session outtakes and alternate versions, selecting two instrumental bonus tracks (one of which has never been heard before) which are good examples of the bands recording process, illustrating how they laid down the tracks before vocals, solos et al were added.
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Similar artists: 10 CC, AARDVARK, HARDIN & YORK, ROBIN TROWER, MATTHEW FISHER, GARY BROOKER
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