Procol Harum: Live at the Union Chapel [Blu-ray]

There are very few bands from the days of my youth that continue to capture my musical interest, but Procol Harum is one of the few. With the issue of Live At the Union Chapel, they prove that they deserve to be numbered among the musical elite.If you are reading this review, then you probably already have some knowledge of the band and a measure of affinity for their music. If you remember them only the way they were in their heyday, here is an opportunity to see that the band remains a vital unit. The production on this DVD is excellent, the sound largely crystalline, and the ambience conducive to the enjoyment of the kind of music the band plays.I haven't watched any of the extras, but the quality of the performance alone makes this a five-star offering. There are songs from nearly every album except Prodigal Stranger and Something Magic, but the largest number come from their latest CD The Well's On Fire. My favorites are thrilling renditions of Shine On Brightly, Pandora's Box, An Old English Dream, Homburg, Simple Sister, The Question, Wall Street Blues, and of course A Whiter Shade of Pale. Repent Walpugis is missed, I'd have liked to see it replace This World is Rich or Good Captain Clack, but unfortunately it did not.Gary occasionally trips over the lyrics and I think that Robin Trower is really missed on Whiskey Train, but those aren't really complaints, just observations. Overall, Live At The Union Chapel is a Procol fan's dream.If you are a Procol Harum fan, and did not get to see any of the shows when they were on their 2003 world tour, this DVD is a splendid opporunity to see the band's "bookends", Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, working on stage together once again. If you were fortunate enough to have caught one of their shows as I was, then Live At The Union Chapel is a fine souvenir of their memorable tour. It is particularly a necessary addition to the fan's collection as Fisher has once again left the band.Add this to your collection while you can. In my opinion, it is the best and most important DVD of 2004.

Again be careful of the item ordered. There is a single DVD version and a DVD and CD. I did not get the CD. I have noted this for Amazon. The DVD is very good. Eagle vision does a great job of showing different angles and spotlighting the group...not much can be done about the ambient acoustics or lighting in a small chapel. It is shown as performed and depends on your preference of Procol Harum material.

If you've been looking for that perfect Procol Harum DVD, look no further. This is the one! The venue is intimate and the cathedral-like chapel is the perfect backdrop for the band's best-loved works. The production is altogether superb on both audio and video. (There are even alternate camera locations on some tracks, like one from the back of the hall.) The three-part concert is relatively long but you won't notice it, the performances move right along. The band performs a dozen songs from the 60's and 70's (and not necessarily the ones you might guess). They play another eight songs from their latest album, The Well's on Fire, which freshens things up. Gary Brooker's voice is in fine shape and he is playing on a *real* piano this time out. One highlight is the song "As Strong As Samson" from the mid-70's which the've reworked a bit, giving guitarist Geoff Whitehorn room to stretch in the middle. He and bassist Matt Pegg play off well against one another. You've got to see how they do the gull sounds at the beginning of "A Salty Dog." Yes, AWSOP includes the rarely heard third verse. And don't miss the shot of Keith Reid in the audience toward's the end of the main show. All in all, a very rewarding experience. Savor it! (Now, if only they could book a gig with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra..... )

Was defective ; I retrned it for a replacement and it was defective ,too. I think there was a problem in manufacturing the Blue Ray version of tis Disc. When I tried to re order it in standard ( non Blue Ray ) version, it is still out of stock, so I think others have had te same problem and tried also to re order the regular version, which has caused the out of stock situation.

"Procol Harum, Live at Union Chapel" displays superb musicianship seasoned by the world tour the group had just completed in 2003. Gary Brooker does a masterful job of singing and piano playing and the band is the finest England has to offer, original member, Matthew Fisher on organ, Geoff Whitehorn on guitar, Matt Pegg on bass and Mark Brzezicki on drums. Procol Harum's music should be much better known as there is no better progressive rock. The powerful beauty and richness, wit and good spirits of Procol Harum's compositions and lyrics by Keith Reid are a pinnacle of rock history and they haven't let up a bit. Some terrific new material from their excellent 2003 CD, "The Well's on Fire" is performed among such classics as "Conquistador", "A Salty Dog", "Homburg" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". The digital video was skillfully shot in widescreen on high definition cameras, with excellent lighting, direction and editing. The sound quality is great and in surround sound you will feel like you are in Union Chapel on that memorable night. Don't miss this one and tell your friends, this is a classic.

Awesome Concert.Took too long to get.

Buen sonido.La parte instrumental magnífica,en cambio la voz no termina de convencer.El tema principal___ A Whinter shade of pale muy bueno

ありがとうございました。

Non conoscevo questo gruppo nei dettagli, a parte la notissima Whiter Shade...ho preso il concerto come una antologia e per avvicinarmi a questo gruppo e alla loro musica.Ho successivamente scoperto che e' un gruppo che ha cambiato tantissimi componenti nel tempo, tranne il pianista e cantante, tutti gli altri sono ruotati e intercambiabili. In questa formazione c'e' pero' l'Hammondista originale Bobby Fisher, il che' da' un sapore della prima formazione...Fisher non sorride mai, e non guarda mai gli altri, e si capisce che ci deve essere stata parecchia ruggine in questi 40 anni...In ogni caso la performance e' validissima, non e' un gruppo dove i membri si scalmanano e neppure ci si aspetta che lo facciano...suonano con grande classe e in modo sontuoso i loro pezzi...e il tutto scorre fino al termine, anche perche' e' un tipo di Rock molto elegante e suona diverso, complesso e sorprendente rispetto ...a tutto il resto.Gary Brooker fa quello che fa...suona, canta, la voce ogni tanto gli fa qualche scherzo, ma tra lui e Fisher all'Hammond c'e' grande intesa e ne esce una musica quasi sacra, sontuosa.Gli altri membri del gruppo sono solo di contorno, solo il chitarrista Whitehorn gigioneggia un po', ma loro sanno di essere li' per supportare gli altri due.Un bel lavoro, e una grande coerenza, da gente che da 40 anni suona gli stessi pezzi, e non sembra se ne siano stancati...Decisamente un lavoro che si puo' acquistare e godere, per chi ama o pensa che questa musica gli possa piacere.Se vi piaccioni i concerti degli AC/DC invece...non e' il vostro cup of tea.

There seems to be a major resurgence of interest in 1970s music as today's 15-25 year olds rediscover music from that decade. I grew up in the 70s and my friends' teenaged sons and their friends are now frequently asking me about 70s bands and looking for lesser known bands and albums from that era.Procol Harum is one band I've told them about.Many people know Procol Harum from their two songs that get radio play: Conquistador and Whiter Shade of Pale.Those are both good songs that have stood the test of time but this band actually had a lot more great material that never made it on to the radio.For those unfamiliar with Procol Harum, this DVD is an excellent introduction to the band. It contains a lot of their best known material from the late 1960s and early 1970s along with some new songs. For those who do know Procol Harum's work from 40 years ago, this DVD is a worthwhile purchase.The two main creative players in the original band, Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, are both still active in the band and both are featured in this performance. Gary Brooker's voice has held up very well and Matthew Fisher's organ playing is still a main component of the band's sound.The band has gone through a number of guitar players over the years. Robin Trower is probably the best known of Procol Harum's former guitar players. The band's current guitarist, Geoff Whitehorn, is excellent. I wasn't familiar with Whitehorn before seeing this DVD but apparently he's been around the British music scene since the 1960s and has played with Roger Daltrey, The Who, Paul Rogers and many others. I was really impressed with his playing on this DVD.The venue for this recording was the Union Chapel in London's Islington district. It's a 19th century church that is still being used as a church but which is also used regularly as a venue for live performances. The church apparently uses the funds raised from concerts to fund its other activities.It's a great venue. It looks really good in the DVD and, like many 19th century churches, it has great acoustics. These churches had to have good acoustics since the congregation had to be able to hear the sermon throughout the building. One former 19th century Methodist church in my home town of Victoria, B.C. is now the Victoria Conservatory of Music. The former worship area is now a concert venue and performance hall. Like Union Chapel, it has excellent acoustics. The sound on this DVD is really good and the Union Chapel building undoubtedly played a major role in the final sound.This DVD is an excellent introduction to Procol Harum for those unfamiliar with the band. If you're already familiar with the band, this DVD is a very worthwhile addition to your collection.One other piece of trivia for Robin Trower fans. Robin Trower was Procol Harum's guitarist back in the late 1960s, early 1970s. Robin Trower's first two albums (Twice Removed From Yesterday and Bridge of Sighs) were produced by Matthew Fisher, who appears on this DVD in his long time role as the organ player in Procol Harum.Bottom line: Great DVD. If you're discovering/re-discovering or exploring 1970s music, this album is worth checking out.

Pour beaucoup, et surtout en France, Procol Harum est resté le groupe d'un seul tube: A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Grossière erreur! J'ai (re)découvert ce groupe il y a peu et l'immense qualité de song-writer de Gary Brooker, son principal compositeur (lyrics by Terry Reid).Ce concert At The Union Chapel de Londres est une petite merveille. Ambiance intimiste,image et son impeccables, très intelligemment cadré. Datant de 2003, à la sortie de leur dernier album Well's On Fire, Procol Harum interprète quelques uns de leurs plus récents morceaux, mais surtout un pot pas trop pourri de leurs plus grandes réussites: A Salty Dog, chair de poule assurée, Grand Hotel, baroque et dandy en diable, Hombourg ou Conquistador où Brooker confesse son admiration pour Ray Charles. Et puis évidement A Whiter Shade Of Pale, dans une version longue ou Matthew Fisher tricote de divins entrelacs d'Hammond.Gary Brooker au piano et Matthew Fisher à l'orgue sont toujours là, aux deux extrémités de la scène, comme pour rappeler leurs anciennes mésententes. Dans les anciens morceaux, Geoff Whitehorn nous offre à nouveau les belles parties de guitare de Robin Trower, avec un son un peu moins fuzzy qu'à l'époque, mais toujours très énergiques et lyriques, rappelant un peu Gilmour. Mark Brzezicki, batterie et Matt Pegg Bassiste sont tous deux excellents et on voit qu'ils prennent beaucoup de plaisir à accompagner ces vieux renards des sixties.La voix de Gary Brooker a très bien supporté le poids des années, toujours aussi puissante et suave, le Peter Gabriel du riche ! Et puis cet orgue Hammond, discret et omniprésent, qu'aucun synthé n'arrivera a égaler.Un beau voyage dans le temps, sans passéisme outrancier, mais avec la nostalgie du goût des choses simples.