GRAND HOTEL

Although " Grand Hotel" may not be generally viewed as one of the very best of the Procol Harum albums, and is in a way a bit retrogressive (going back to the sound of " Procol Harum", " Shine On Brightly" and " A Salty Dog", instead of following the more adventurous path of " Home" and " Broken Barricades"), and although the band already lost some key members, the album is actually one of their very best. The orchestral grandeur of the first three albums is being perfected here, and taken to a logical end conclusion. Maybe the album misses some of the rough edges of the earlier albums, but that is fully compensated by the music itself, which just takes you away, with all it's melodies, harmonies, and richness of sound. Although they weren't cutting edge progressive anymore in the days of the making of the album, innovation is still around, there is definitely "soul on board" and the lyrics (" words" ) of Keith Reed are sharp tongued as always. I'd say that the title track is the biggest highlight on the album, both musically and textually. Symphonic grandeur at it's very best. The whipped cream on the cake is the fantastic artwork. Grand Hotel: grand band. If you wish to indulge yourself, you know what to buy.