HOME

By the time this fourth album came out, Procol was concentrating mainly their efforts on the US and Continental Europe, (as the UK were mostly ignoring the group) and Matthew Fisher (not a great fan of touring) had simply left the group, although he was still being their producer(until half the sessions). With Fisher gone, one would expect the organ maybe disappearing completely from Procol's music, but such was not the case: Chris Copping, another ex-Paramounts will come in on bass and will also double on the organ, actually making this instrument much more present than on the previous A Salty Dog. One of the most striking features, outside a relatively harder sound (Trower being ever more confidant) are the very depressing lyrics that Keith Reid provided for this album. Most are about death and doom, although it turns out that this was mostly incidental. Another feature is that the album has much more of a focus than its predecessor.

Home is a very much more even album than its predecessor, and the highlights are also brighter than on ASD. Again based on an artwork from Reid's wife (the third is four albums), but this one being rather disputable in its good taste, the gatefold album displays some of the chosen lyrics (but strangely not all tracks) and a picture of the quartet. A very hard Trower-penned Whiskey Train starts off the album a bit surprisingly, but clearly coming just after are Dead Man's Dreamis one of the many highlight of the album, with the equally doomed About To Die, making the backbone of the first side of the album. Both tracks are among the very best of Procol's career.

The second side also holds two major tracks: The Barnyard Story (where Copping plays a Harmonium) and the grandiose Whaling Story with its almost 8-min length and full dramatic suspense. Along with the side-long suit in SOB, Whaling Story is the most ambitious track that Procol wrote and the tracks works wonders live, in studio or in its magnificent orchestral arrangements. Other good tracks are Nothing I didn't know and Piggy Pig Pig (another Trower track), while Still There'll be More is a wink to the previous album's great track, but it is not living up to its promise.

With this album, Procol will end its collaboration with Decca (Regal Zonophone was one of their sub-label which had mostly gathered Salvation Army music before integrating Procol's catalogue), and they will move to a more "prog" label, Chrysalys, but clearly their better days were about to end soon. Yet another great album, from Procol, I prefer this one to its predecessor, but combining both albums to make a single disc would've made one of the best album ever. But I am doing some wishful thinking here.

This is the first PH album after Fisher's departure: Chris Copping replaced him and Knights assuming the double role of organist and bassist. "Home" is, generally speaking, less colourful than "A Salty Dog" but notably rockier in places: PH's persistence at keeping its musical elegance is obvious, but it is also clear that the band consciously intends to go for a rockier trend, so it must come as no surprise that the opener 'Whiskey Train' brings such an explosive vibe - Trower's guitar shines like a forest in flames, while Wilson's drumming lets things swing in order to enhance the song's punch. None of the other up-tempo numbers in this album equals the aforementioned track's punch, but it would be fair to mention the raw sarcastic mood of 'Piggy Pig Pig', the happy-go-merry irony of 'Still There'll Be More' and the restrained frustrated angriness of 'About to Die'. regarding 'Still There'll Be More', a special mention has to go to the rhythm duo, which delivers a well-adjusted jazz-meets-R'n'B scheme for the trakc's strong development. All in all, the more prog-oriented tracks not only provide a solid balance against the album's rockier side but also manage to dominate its general trend. The Gothic 'Dead Man's Dream' delivers a sordid variation of the resurrection of the flesh in the shape of a metaphysical slumber in the mind of a recently dead man: the straightforwardly morbid nature of Reid's lyrics meet an appropriate sonic equivalence in the Spartan main motif, ceremoniously introduced by the piano and soon enhanced by the organ (moving from Romanic to Baroque to Romanic again), while Wilson's solid drumming helps to increasingly build up the song's bizarre air of drama. It sure scared John Peel speechless - he asked the band not to play this particular song for one of his BBC radio shows due to its scary nature, and I have to agree that the topic is scary, but Reid's lyrics and the musicians' work made it beautiful in its own terms. There's lots of songs that deal with death or include lines that allude to death wish in this album. The ballad 'Nothing that I didn't Know' sounds like something out of a crepuscular western from the late 60s-early 70s: the acoustic guitar washes take center stage in order to create an intimate, elegiac mood, and later on, the harmonium chord progression motif displays a sense of softly vanishing into nothingness. This is desolation under a classy guise. 'Barnyard Story' is a brief piano-vocal song (except for some organ layers in the last half) that also portrays some of the recurring dark mood of the album. The penultimate track, 'Whaling Stories', is the most complex one, and also one of the definitive classics of PH's entire career. The distribution of varying sections fluidly linked to each other and the orchestral effect created in many passages make it a genuine progressive gem (later on, it would meet its most solid expression in PH's 1972 live album with the Edmonton Orchestra, but this studio original is also a gem): Trower's solo is one of his most emotionally charged inputs in the band's repertoire, and similarly to 'The Dead Man's Dream', Wilson uses his drumming mostly as an enhancer of drama and intensity. Once the introspective 'Your Own Choice' has reached its closing fade-out, you can tell that this album has managed to maintain PH's archetypical distinction, despite the line-up changes and the irruption of new refreshing airs. I rate this album somewhere between very good and excellent, with a leaning toward the excellent.

This is my favorite PROCOL HARUM album! I have it as an old re-release, so I haven't heard the bonus tracks on the new CD (tracks 10-17). Maybe I should do an update!

The overall feeling of this album is melancholic and solemn, with some bluesy rockers giving a little balance to it. I think that the atmosphere of these songs make this album as a true masterpiece! This is just very different kind of music than their first hits, so I guess many people don't hear that kind of music that they would expect from this album. All tracks from the "Whiskey Train" to the "Whaling stories" are marvelous, and I think that they form a nice compact continuum of music. The final song (of the original songs) is maybe the dullest of these all, but it's short and an easy one to skip.

I would recommend anybody to give this album a spin, and check out if you would want to buy it! The album covers are quite silly, but don't get fooled by 'em!

Coming after a trio of outstanding albums, Home is a pretty substantial disappointment. As a Matthew Fisher fan (don't forget he produced A Salty Dog and in fact started off producing this one, before it all went sour), I feel that there's a drop in quality and also the overall "progressiveness" of the band, with the absence of his classical organ lines quite noticable. The poor new man Chris Copping (actually a former bandmate of Gary Brooker, Robin Trower and B.J. Wilson in the R&B group The Paramounts) filled in for both Fisher and departed bassist David Knights, and I think the task was too much for him. While the album kicks off with Whiskey Train, one of Harum's hardest rockin' tunes that rides on Trower's muscular riff and Wilson's cow-bell rhythms, this is generally a very dark and melancholic album, even by Procol's grim standards. The depths are reached courtesy of the sombre, cinematic The Dead Man's Dream which is a piano/organ dirge with rotten corpses with eyes that are alive! It's a masterful, morbid song that PH were actually not allowed to play on John Peel's radio show!

Nothing That I Didn't Know is an outstanding acoustic song about a recently deceased girl (did you hear what happened to Jenny Drew?) which some nice organ and accordion touches, and an excellent eerie fade-out, while other highlights are the vicious About To Die (another showcase for Trower's restrained aggression) and the epic free-form Whaling Stories. This multi-facteted piece kicks off with piano and squealing electric guitar, becomes a little stomper of a tune, then rides an ascending riff which is built up by first piano, then guitar, then organ, then a howling Brooker before Trower drapes a powerful solo around it! To top it all off there's an epic chorale finale, and everything just manages to sound suprisingly chaotic.

Unfortunately not every piece is as inventive. Barnyard Story is another relatively forgettable piano/organ vocal piece, as is Piggy Pig Pig which despite a reasonable build up sounds more boring than depressing. On the other side of the coin there's Still There'll Be More a lighter, upbeat rocker that's as close to AOR as the great Procol Harum could get.

Thankfully, Your Own Choice is a short, almost joyous conclusion to a real downer of an album. Right from it's false start to the dancing harmonica solo that gives the piece a Lindisfarne feel, this upbeat piece is a much belated attempt to lighten the mood.

I know a number of people who rate Home quite highly, and I won't deny that there are some essential PH tracks on the album. Nonetheless, it always comes as a brutal shock to me, probably because I worship the preceeding album A Salty Dog. ... 64% on the MPV scale

The release of "A Salty Dog" - previous album before "Home" - remarked the split between Mathew Fisher and Dave Knights from the band. It was not really for the case for Mathew Fisher as he sat in as the band's producer instead of sat in front of his Hammond organ equipment. Keith Reid attempted to replace Fisher's position as Hammond organ but it did not work out really well. Chris Copping, former Paramount, was hired to do bass guitar. Procol Harum's fourth album "Home" went into production in February - March 1970.

The band was then a four piece with Copping playing bass guitar and occasional keyboard. Gone were the days with great Hammond organ sounds that really characterized the band's music style. The band was then becoming more of rock band instead of blues based with proggy stuffs. But it does not mean that this is a bad album at all. I personally enjoy the album. The opening track "Whisky Train" with its groove and rock style has become my all-time favorite. In some way it reminds me to Grand Funk's "We are an American Band" which was very popular in the seventies. Even though there is no longer obvious Hammond sound but I still find song like "Barnyard Story" resembles the soul of early Procol Harum's work. "Piggi Pig Pig" has a tight composition with excellent piano.

Overall, it's a good album that classic rock lovers should have. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Procol Harum is such a band who wrote some of the most beautiful melodies in the rock history. Not all are well-known and some are comprised on this album ("The Dead Man's Dream").

Even if Fisher has gone, the powerful and heavy organ sounds are still present, which provides the same atmosphere as on their first three albums. Their previous album "A Salty Dog" was a mix of average rock songs and great rock ballads and the band is digging into the same direction with "Home".

And I come to the same conclusion: I just prefer the band while they produce their catchy, dramatic and emotional melodic songs. While pieces as "Whiskey Train" or "Still There'll Be More" are just not on par with the best of this album.

One of the most poignant moment to be experienced on "Home" is the sad "Nothing That I Didn't Know". This album is referring several times to the death and sounds somewhat dark and pessimistic.

The importance of the keys are well sustained, just listen to the excellent piano part during "About To Die" (again) to get the confirmation. The band had a brilliant idea not to change their sound after Fisher's departure. But the mood is at times too much on the sad side and death seems an obsession ("Barnyard Story"). I quote: "Now and then my life seems truer, now and then my life seems pure. All in all, my thoughts are fewer, maybe death will be my cure ".

The absolute highlight of this album, and probably one of their best song ever written is "Whaling Stories". A passionate piece of music which is extremely moving. The right tone of voice, an extremely good guitar solo and these profound keys... A great moment, no doubt.

The closing number is not a merry one either, again the death theme rises (even suicide) although it is played on a joyful mood which contrasts with the subject.

If you would except "Whaling Stories", there are no exceptional number on this album. It holds a good collection of songs and no blunder. Three stars.

"Home" is the 4th full-length studio album by UK rock act Procol Harum. The album was released in 1970 through A&M Records. "Home" features a couple of lineup changes as organist Matthew Fisher and bassist David Knights have left Procol Harum and bassist/organist Chris Copping has replaced them. With the addition of Copping to the ranks Procol Harum now features the same lineup that played together in the pre-Procol Harum band The Paramounts.

The music on the album continues towards a more conventional commercial pop/rock format like on the preceeding album "A Salty Dog (1969)", but with the addition of Chris Copping a slightly more audible r´n´b influence has crept into the music. "Home" features both bluesy rock tracks and more emotional ballad type rock tracks. There are a few exceptions that could qualify as progressive though in "Piggy Pig Pig" and especially "Whaling Stories". To my ears the latter counts among the highlights of the album. The music is generally centered around Gary Brooker´s strong voice and vocal lines, but the rest of the band put in solid performances too.

In addition to Gary Brooker´s warm and emotional vocal delivery he is also very active behind the piano. As on previous albums one of the greatest assets to Procol Harum´s music is the use of organ. This time is no exception and the melodic organ lines really add some great atmosphere to the tracks. The rythm section is tight and guitarist Robin Trower throws around bluesy licks like there was no tomorrow. The whole thing is packed in a professional, warm and pleasant sound production. Considering that "Home" was recorded in 1970, the sound production is actually very well sounding. While the material are generally of high quality, "Home" is to my ears an album where the songwriting isn´t as intriguing as on the band´s best works. It´s still quality material though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

After "Salty Dog", organist par excellence Matthew Fisher departed PROCOL HARUM, which was surprising on the surface because he seemed to be slowly gaining influence, having co-written and sung lead on three tracks on his swan song. Gary Brooker pulled a few strings and brought old friend Chris Copping into the fray. While not as gifted as Fisher, he was accomplished enough to deliver Procol's trademark organ phrasings while perhaps meshing better with the group's new found direction in blues-influenced downer music. It's not as bad as it sounds though, and while "Home" is uneven and contains plenty of filler, it also counts several of the group's best cuts.

The band jackrabbits out of the gate with "Whisky Train", in which Trower and the group finally marry their individual visions. A non stop hard rocker with aggressive vocals by Brooker and incisive leads by Trower, it is also a showcase for B.J Wilson who sparkles on percussion. "Still There'll be More" is a more melodic up tempo piece with frighteningly misogynist lyrics and perhaps Trower's best solo as a band member. He has thankfully shed the fuzzbox quality that helped sink "Shine on Brightly". Other superb numbers are the atypically acoustic "Nothing I didn't Know", the morbidly static "About To Die", with Trower extending himself beyond the Hendrixian, and the bouncy closer "Your Own Choice", with Trower again shining in a twisted way and a brilliant harmonica fade out.

Unfortunately, the remaining tracks are all failures even if they don't sound out of place - Whaling Stories is a shrill pretentious mess, like "A Salty Dog" without editing. Narratives were hit and miss with this group. So, while the highlights outnumber those on "Salty Dog", the disappointments do as well. Nonetheless, the group was clearly in it for the long haul, and would not be entering the rest home anytime soon.

Good news, bad news. Home is an excellent rock album. Unfortunately, it's not a very good Procol album, at least in the sense we'd come to expect.

Whiskey Train is a fine, if generic, blues rocker that pretty much every band was putting to vinyl at the time, and is in fact a great way to start the album. Trower's a superb guitarist, no question there, but really, every band and their mothers were cranking out this type of song on a regular basis. It was certainly a new sound for the Procols, but not one that advanced what they had been doing, unless one counts it as a step up from Juicy John Pink.

Which is the general problem here. The songs are solid, the musicianship unassailable, but I don't hear a band that's leading the charge any longer as they were on the previous three albums. This is a set of good rock songs, some (Still There'll Be More, About to Die) being absolutely beyond the average. So then, naturally, one has to wonder what exactly did Matthew Fisher bring to the band that was now lost with his departure from the band? Maybe, just maybe, that is what's responsible for Keith Reid's preoccupation with death on the album, for with the possible exception of Whaling Stories, there's nothing epic here. No In Held Twas In I, no Repent Walpurgis, no A Salty Dog. There's no doubt something was lost, and now it's all tangled up in lawsuits which will go on in Dickensian fashion until all of the principals are no longer with us.

As Reid sez:

Too many poets and not enough rhyme... Draw your own conclusions.

So Procol-wise I can only consider this a disappointment. Nonetheless, it's a good enough album for the time, a cut above what other lesser bands were doing, but sadly not what I'd have expected from this band. I enjoy it certainly, as would any Procol fan. But then, I enjoy some of the albums Savoy Brown was putting out at the time as well.

For decades I had always considered Procol Harum as "that band that did A whiter Shade Of Pale". Never actually researching the band, I made the wrong assumption that they were this sort of 'one megahit wonder' group thanks to sheer ignorance and a lack of enthusiasm to explore the band's history even though I always dug the tune. In fact, it was only months ago that I realized that they had a pretty rich catalog of albums with strong progressive leanings. Hell, I use to think they were merely an R&B soul band! Yes, they had soul, but as it turned out, they were much more than that. This album, in particular, was a shocker in almost all the right ways.

Before I delve into the musical contents of this release, I have to say that the album cover, quite frankly, sucks. It's an absolutely stupid and misleading representation of Home's output, and most likely did no favors in piquing interest and selling units. The Monkees would have balked at a cover sleeve this cornball. Most importantly, This effort is unquestionably not just dark, but practically pitch black, and deserved a cover illustration that reflects this overall tone.

My only other issue with Home is that the opening number "Whiskey Train" is a rather poor choice as an introduction to this album. The song has a Southern boogie rock flair that was creeping into the scene at the time, yet it almost sounds like a parody of a genre that was still in its growing stages. There's a sweet hard rockin' barroom lick that wears out its welcome after a couple minutes of ceaseless repetition, and enough cowbell to send Christopher Walken into spasms of joy and flailing limbs. By itself it's not a throwaway track despite its faults, but it didn't prepare me for what would follow throughout the rest of Home's duration, which turned out to be an astonishing revelation.

Considering some of the pessimistic, dark and foreboding releases churning out in 1970 from bands like Black Sabbath, Black Widow and Van Der Graaf Generator among others, this may be the grimmest 1970 album of them all. Second track "The Dead Man's Dream" is like "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" performed by a suicidal goth band. Similar pace and style, but with all the hope of a rotting corpse. With lyrics depicting decay and maggot infestations, this is not the Procol Harum tune to play at your wedding. It also works magnificently in achieving its aims, conjuring up images of stark bleakness in a strangely almost majestic fashion. The rest of the album follows suit in different ways. There's the upbeat paced "Still There'll Be More" that channels sheer rage and hatred in the lyrics while groovin' up a storm, and somber ballads such as "Nothing That I Didn't Know", in which the pastoral music is tempered by lyrics about a young woman who died. I'm not sure what was going on with these guys during the writing process of these lyrics, but it couldn't have been the happiest time in their lives. Maybe had recently had kids or something (I'm dealing with this right now).

There's some standout progressive tracks that deserve serious mention. "About to Die", although not progressive in a technical sense, is brilliant in how it takes a dirgy riff and fuels it with frantic and offbeat drumming to add power and a sense of desperation. The soulful delivery of the vocals is the icing on the cake. In my opinion, Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die really could have used a track like this. "Piggy Pig Pig" is quite progressive in its song structure, veering towards crescendos rather than any typical catchy song oriented format. Then there's the albums true grand statement, "Whaling Stories". It's an absolute monster, and practically a must listen for any fan of prog rock. Boasting complete shifts in style and tempo, a ferocious ascending note pattern punctuated by a splenetic guitar and a wild and glorious apocalyptic finale, this track truly shocked me when I first heard it. To think I once thought Procol Harum was just a minor group with a hit song, all I can say now is that at least I'm finally enjoying this song , and didn't miss out on some serious quality music.

The album finishes with "Your Own Choice", a musically enjoyable and almost optimistic sounding piece until I realized the lyrics are as fitting an end to an album of such despondency, being that of the choice to commit suicide. It reminds me of The Door's "People Are Strange", in that the charming music offsets the nature of the lyrics to create a song you sing along to happily without pondering the actual words you are belting out.

Those looking for the truly cynical and more ominous side of the rock spectrum really need to check this album out. The mood is matched by sheer talent by all involved, and the production is clear and top notch for its time. Don't let the album cover or the goofy opening track steer you away, there's a lot of killer stuff to be found herein if if you're in a moody sort of mood.

Procol Harum's fourth album takes the tightness they achieved on the landmark A Salty Dog album, and beefs it up with a dose of heaviness. Organist/vocalist Matthew Fisher has left the band, now replaced by Chris Copping, who also doubles on bass guitar. Robin Trower (lead guitar) picks up some of the songwriting slack, though Gary Brooker (piano, vox) still carries the majority of the songs, as he did on prior albums.

Normally, I don't pay a lot of attention to song lyrics, but in this case I feel Keith Reid's lyrics are so striking (and in some cases, shocking) that they can't help but guide my review. The album cover shows a tacky (those colors!), wacky little board game featuring the band members' smiling heads. The first song (written by Trower/Reid) is an uptempo 12 bar blues called "Whisky Train" (Trower really lets loose for the first time here). Are the boys giving us a fun party record? Not on your life. Reid's lyrics quickly slip into macabre images of death and decay (complete with maggots) on the following dramatic piano ballad "The Dead Man's Dream", and into sociopathic violence on the otherwise bouncy "Still There'll Be More". "Nothing That I Didn't Know", "About to Die" and "Barnyard Story" all contain dark images of death and despair as well.

Musically, as I mentioned, there's more of an emphasis on guitar thanks to Robin Trower's increased role, and even Gary Brooker's quieter piano-based songs seem to have an added layer of gravity and heaviness to them, fitting the dour subject matter well. The dense, apocalyptic "Piggy Pig Pig" and the dramatic maritime epic "Whaling Stories" are clear highlights; the former song further explores the doomy symphonic sound of the prior album's "Wreck of the Hesperus", haunted by the refrain "God's aloft, the winds are raging / God's aloft, the winds are cold", and the latter song is the dark underbelly of the romantic sea captain theme explored on the prior album. "Whaling Stories" is, in fact, one of the band's most direct connections to progressive rock, building from a quiet, yet ominous piano ballad (similar to "A Salty Dog", the prior album's title epic) to an absolutely mind-blowing middle section akin to a chaotic storm. The slow, heavy, chromatic climbing riff in this section is probably my favorite moment on the whole album. The final track, "Your Own Choice", is an uncharacteristically light song; in this context, however, it feels almost like a suicide note, a moment of calm reflection and philosophizing just before offing yourself. Draw your own conclusions, as the song says....

A wonderful album. Not a five star album, but a very high four.

"Home" from 1970 was Procol Harum's fourth studio album initiates the seventies for the band and it starts with an album with a very colorful cover which seems to have taken inspiration from comics and some form of board game. The title "Home" perhaps is though to symbolize that the band goes back to its roots. I don't know.

Gary Brooker continued to sing and play piano, Keith Redi wrote the lyrics, Robin Trower played guitar, Barrie James Wilson the drums and Chris Copping took over on both bass and organ.

Let me guess the rationalization of the bass and organ is one explanation why the music of Procol Harum became less interesting. The organs aren't as dominating as before. Now they have parked in the background insted of the front. "Home" is a little less interesting than "A Salty Dog" which contained some great tracks. On this album I just find two songs that seems to be far striving. I allways want to hear the inspiration and the intentions.

Not so surprising the best song are the most lengthy. "Whaling stories" (8/10) is a fantastic and very heavy rock song, that actually is quite symphonic. Its length provides it to be both calm and poetic and heavy and very dramatic. That is a song I would recommend. I'd also recommend "About to die"(8/10) which has a progressive approach unlike the rest of the songs. I would also mention "Piggy Pig Pig" which is a hard and interesting rock song(7/10) and "Nothing that I don't know" with an emotional vocal and nice organ(7/10).

The rest is less intriguing. "Dead man's dream"and "Still there'll be more" could be enjoyed but "Whiskey Train"(too much blues), "Barnyard story"(too bland) and "Your own choice"(where I hear some false notes) could you with advantage ignore.

Beside from a love cover picture and a couple of great tracks this record is a disappointment, and I wish for more peculiar releases. I missed the organs and the higher intentions which made "Shine on brightly" so great.

After the "A Salty Dog" album was recorded, Matthew Fisher (organ) and David Knights (bass) left the band, and they were replaced by Chris Copping, who played both organ and bass for this and their next album (titled "Broken Barricades"). And it was also a curious thing, because this quartet (Gary Brooker, Robin Trower, B.J. Wilson and Chris Copping) also played together before in a Rhythm and Blues band called THE PARAMOUNTS , which recorded some singles in the early sixties. So, this line- up of THE PARAMOUNTS was reunited between 1969-71, plus lyricist Keith Reid, of course, in this PROCOL HARUM line-up.

This album is a bit more "dark" in music and lyrics than "A Salty Dog", and with more emphasis in more Heavy Rock songs by Trower and more simple Blues influenced songs by Brooker. As a whole it is not one of my favourite albums from them. But it has some good songs like "Whisky Train" (with music by Trower and sung by him, and it also was released as a single, I think), "Whaling Stories" (the best song from this album, and the most Progressive song in this album in structure and arrangements, which was better played in their "Live" album from 1972 with additional very good orchestral and choral arrangements), and "Your Own Choice" (which included an harmonica solo by Harry Pitch). The rest of the songs are good but not very interesting for my taste.

If Procol Harum have one distinguishing fault, it's the overall quality of their albums. Title tracks like A Salty Dog and Grand Hotel are classic songs they few can aspire to in the progressive rock cannon, but the remaining songs on these respective albums are hit and miss.

Home is one of Procol Harum's first albums to contain great songs all the way through starting with Robin Trower's powerful blues riffing on Whiskey Train in which the narrator pledges his divorce from the bottle for the love of his sweetheart. Gary Brooker easily laying down the requisite whiskey voiced pleading while adding color with some old time piano from the wild west. It remains one of Procol's best rock songs along with the foreboding and dramatic About To Die which features more heavy riffing from Trower mated to Keith Reid's fascination (on this album) with death. The song's stiff verse turns on a dime into a chorus that would fit easily on any early album by the Band, and is aided with rustic but compelling piano from Brooker. This also sounds inspired by the Band.

The death theme reappears on the acoustic strummed ballad titled Nothing I Didn't Know. A pining lament for a girl dumped and somehow ends up deceased, with Brooker singing how he should have died instead. With all this death in the air, you would think that home was a dreary album but the truth is that Brooker, Trower, drummer BJ Wilson and bassist/organist Chris Copping laydown such compelling music that Reid's lyrics seem almost like an afterthought.

This album's highlight is the progressive masterpiece titled Whaling Stories, where Reid's lyrics return to early Pocol Harum surrealism with an orchestra and choir adding dramatic flare to this suite-like song. Another Procol classic on par with A Salty Dog and Grand Hotel, but not seeming as grand as the other album tracks on Home are so good in themselves.

For many Procol Harum fans, this is there favorite album. It may not be my mine, but I can certainly understand their reasoning. An extremely solid album. 4 stars.