"A Salty Dog: 40th Anniversary Edition" by PROCOL HARUM featuring Gary Brooker, Robin Trower, Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid (Lyrics) (May 2009 Salvo Expanded CD Reissue – Rob Keyloch and Nick Robbins Audio Restoration and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...All This...And More..."

With a name loosely based around a Burmese Blue Cat - Procol Harum and their droning melodrama has always been something of an acquired taste - beloved and derided in equal measure. But there's no doubting that there's properly great tunes on their 3rd album for EMI's Regal Zonophone Records. "A Salty Dog" saw the three songwriters in the band all step up with the moody goodies - singer Gary Brooker, keyboard player Matthew Fisher and ace-axeman Robin Trower. There are also six worthy bonuses on this 40th Anniversary Celebration CD chosen by Gary Brooker (mostly the LP-line-up band in fine form on an American Tour in April 1969). Here are the squint-eyed seafaring details...

UK released May 2009 - "A Salty Dog: 40th Anniversary Edition" by PROCOL HARUM on Salvo SALVOCD 020 (Barcode 698458812025) breaks down as follows (67:52 minutes):

1. A Salty Dog [Side 1]

2. The Milk Of Human Kindness

3. Too Much Between Us

4. The Devil Came From Kansas

5. Boredom

6. Juicy John Pink [Side 2]

7. Wreck Of The Hesperus

8. All This And More

9. Crucifiction Lane

10. Pilgrim's Progress

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 3nd album "A Salty Dog" - released June 1969 in the UK on Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1009 (Stereo) and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4179. It peaked on the UK charts at 27 and 32 in America.

BONUS TRACKS:

11. Lone Gone Geek - non-album track, B-side to "A Salty Dog" released May 1969 in the UK as a 7" single on Regal Zonophone RZ 3019

12. Goin' Down Slow (Live In The USA, April 1969)

13. Juicy John Pink (Live In The USA, April 1969)

14. Crucifiction Lane (Live In The USA, April 1969)

15. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)/Also Sprach Zarathustra (Live In The USA, April 1969)

16. The Milk Of Human Kindness (Take 1; Raw Track)

PROCOL HARUM was:

GARY BROOKER - Lead Vocals, Piano, Celeste Three Stringed Guitar, Harmonica Recorder and Woods

MATTHEW FISHER - Organ, Vocals, Marimba, Acoustic Guitar, Piano Recorder and Rhythm Guitar

ROBIN TROWER - Lead Guitar, Vocal, Acoustic Guitar and Sleigh Tambourine

DAVID KNIGHTS - Bass Guitar

BARRIE WILSON - Drums, Conga Drums and Tabla

KEITH REID - Lyrics on all 10 tracks

Along with Lyricist Keith Reid - Gary Brooker provided "A Salty Dog", "The Milk Of Human Kindness", "The Devil Came From Kansas" and "All This And More" - while Robin Trower penned "Too Much Between Us" and "Juicy John Pink" with Matthew Fisher writing the remaining three - "Boredom" (a co-write with Brooker), "Wreck Of The Hesperus" and the album finisher "Pilgrim's Progress". The fold-out three-way oversized card sleeve has tasty black and white photos of band members (taken by Peter Sanders) and a reproduced letter by Alan White of Northumberland to the Melody Maker newspaper of 26 July 1969 bemoaning the lack of public interest in "A Salty Dog" and urging said punters to "...go out and buy it!"

The 20-page booklet is a sophisticated affair - liner notes by HENRY SCOTT-IRVINE that go into each track - there's trade adverts from various musical newspapers, a Regal Zonophone British label bag that actually advertises the December 1968 "Shine On Brightly" LP (along with the Move's latest), superb pictures of the 7" single for "A Salty Dog" from Germany, Spain, France, Holland and Japan, posters for their concerts at Bill Graham's Fillmore East in San Francisco (gorgeous artwork) and even a photo of the road sign for Crucifix Lane in London's SE 1 on which the song is based (deliberately misspelt as Crucifiction). There are recent recollections on certain songs by band members Robin Trower and Matthew Fisher along with the original LP Engineer Ken Scott. It's all very tastefully done actually (a bit of care taken)...

The CD itself sports the FLY label on which it was reissued in 1972 as part of a Twofer LP deal because I think that's who now own the licensing rights - while the Transfers and Remasters have been carried out by ROB KEYLOCH (at Church Walk Studios) and NICK ROBBINS (at Sound Mastering in London). Track 16 was transferred and mixed by NICK WATSON in 1998. Beautifully produced by Matthew Fisher and Ken Scott in the first place - the 2009 remaster is warm and very clear. Even when Trower's guitar gets a bit wild in places (and grungy for that matter) - the stereo imaging isn't too harsh - still reflecting the original Production values. Those big vocals and church-sombre organs sound suitably 'Procol Harum' - there's minimal hiss and where there is - it's not going to detract...

It opens with the Classical-meets-Rock fusion of "A Salty Dog" and immediately the arrangements and melody feel epic - a single you feel should have done better. I've always felt though that the albums two masterpieces come from Trower and Fisher. Trower gives us the unexpectedly lovely acoustic vibes of "Too Much Between Us" - I can't help thinking it should have been single number two off the album with Fisher's equally pretty "Pilgrim's Progress" on the flip (Fisher does the vocal rather than Brooker). A&M Records put out "The Devil Came from Kansas" b/w "Boredom" in the USA on a 45 (A&M 1111) in July of 1969 - but it failed to chart. The British 45 of "A Salty Dog" b/w "Lone Gone Geek" on Regal Zonophone RZ 3019 managed a respectable placing of 44 in the UK - especially given how awkward the track was to pigeonhole in a Pop context. The sleigh bells of "Boredom" make the tune sound like Quintessence or Dr. Strangely Strange or some such hippy happiness. Side 2's grungy guitar vs. harmonica opener "Juicy John Pink" puts an end to that pronto - sounding like its recorded in a garage to get that gritty sound. The best Audio on the disc goes to "All This And More" where the piano, guitar and Brooker's vocals all sound with new clarity.

The Bonus Track B-side "Long Gone Geek" is a fabulous addition to any CD - the Procol Harum going all Small Faces with Reid nicking Bob Dylan lyrics. There then begins a similarly heavy set of live cuts from April 1969 with the band giving it what for to some of the album's heavier cuts (Trower lovers will lap this up).

I bought this Salvo CD when it was first reissued in 2009 but since its deletion it's acquired a nasty top-end price tag. If you can get it at a reasonable cost - seek it out and enjoy. If not there has also been a 2015 updated Anniversary issue on Esoteric Recordings (see review also)...