"On The Threshold Of A Dream" by THE MOODY BLUES – April 1969 UK Fourth Studio LP on Deram Records in Stereo (May 1969 in the USA) with Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge and Mike Pinder (July 2008 UK Universal UMC/Deram Expanded Edition CD Reissue With New 2006 Remaster and Nine Additional Previously Unreleased Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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WHOLE LOTTA LOVE - 1969
Rock, Pop and Genres Thereabouts
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"...Comes The Day..."

The fourth album in their Voyage gave The Moody Blues their first UK No. 1 and broke them Top 20 in the American Billboard Rock charts – a huge LP win for Decca's experimental label Deram Records back in the spring of 1969.

 

Hardly surprising then that "On The Threshold Of A Dream" was singled out for a prestigious SACD Reissue in 2006 overseen by leading band member Justin Hayward. This 2008 follow-up is therefore the Standard Stereo CD Remaster so to speak and part of a whole series of reasonably priced single CD reissues – all pumped up with tasty bonus material, most of which is unreleased. Are you sitting comfortably - then here comes the day...

 

UK released 15 July 2008 - "On The Threshold Of A Dream" by THE MOODY BLUES on Universal UMC/Deram 530 662-5 (Barcode 600753066256) is a 1CD Expanded Edition Reissue and Stereo Remaster of their 1969 UK fourth studio album with Nine Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (68:19 minutes):

 

1. In The Beginning [Side 1]

2. Lovely To See You

3. Dear Diary

4. Send Me No Wine

5. To Share Our Love

6. So Deep Within You

7. Never Comes The Day [Side 2]

8. Lazy Day

9. Are You Sitting Comfortably?

10. The Dream

11. Have You Heard (Part 1)

12. The Voyage

13. Have You Heard (Part 2)

Tracks 1 to 13 are their fourth studio album "On The Threshold Of A Dream" - released late April 1969 in the UK on Deram DML 1035 (Mono) and Deram SML 1035 (Stereo) and late May 1969 in the USA on Deram DES 18025 in Stereo only. Produced by TONY CLARKE – it peaked at No. 1 in the UK and No. 20 on the US Billboard Charts. The STEREO MIX is used for this CD Reissue only.

 

BONUS TRACKS (Alternate Versions, Out-Takes & BBC Radio Sessions):

14. In The Beginning (Full Version, 3:26 minutes, LP Version is 2:07 minutes)

15. So Deep Within You (Extended Version, 3:32 minutes, LP Cut 3:07)

16. Dear Diary (Alternate Vocal Mix, 4:01 minutes)

17. Have You Heard (Original Take, 3:51 minutes)

18. The Voyage (Original Take 4:37 minutes)

19. Lovely To See You (2:26 minutes)

20. Send Me No Wine (2:39 minutes)

Tracks 19 and 20 recorded 18 Feb 1969 for the BBC Radio 1 John Peel "Top Gear" Show

21. So Deep Within You (3:06 minutes)

22. Are You Sitting Comfortably

Tracks 21 and 22 recorded 2 April 1969 for the BBC Radio 1 "The Tony Brandon Show" and is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

 

THE MOODY BLUES was:

JUSTIN HAYWARD – Vocals, Guitars, Cello and Mellotron

JOHN LODGE – Vocals, Bass Guitar, Cello and Double Bass

MIKE PINDER – Vocals, Mellotron, Hammond Organ, Piano and Cello

RAY THOMAS – Vocals, Harmonica, Flute, Tambourine, Oboe, Piccolo and Synth

GRAEME EDGE – Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Synth

 

The big draw for fans here is going to be the ALBERTO PARODI and JUSTIN HAYWARD Remasters from original Deram tapes done in 2006 for the SACD Reissue – here reissued as a sort of 2008 Standard Stereo CD Remaster Edition (2006 is the copyright date on the CD, whilst 2008 is the release date on the rear inlay). The Audio is really excellent throughout. Another highly experienced and much-praised Remaster Engineer PASCHAL BYRNE (of The Audio Archiving Company) has done the Bonus Material - again sweet.

 

Anybody who bought the British pressed LP back in the 1969-day will remember with real affection its look – that glossy laminated gatefold sleeve and the 12-page lyric/illustrations book inside. While this CD can't of course reproduce the Red for Mono and Blue for Stereo indicator hole on the rear sleeve of the gatefold on the booklet (leave that to the Japanese SHM-CD reissues with their faithful artwork) – fans will be glad to see that the 24-page booklet reproduces the 12-page LP libretto in its entirety and the bulk of the inner gatefold artwork too. The band actually fought with Deram who were concerned that the elaborate LP booklet (with a liner note by musical impresario Lionel Bart entitled "And They All Lived Happily Ever After") would add two-pence cost to the LP and put some purchasers off – thank God The Moodies prevailed because surely that chunky presentation made the album feel like an event rather than just another release. Throw in some period photos and comprehensive liner notes from Esoteric's MARK POWELL – and you get the gist – this is a quality reissue through and though (five serious men and their Producer). To the music...

 

The album opens with the short Graeme Edge penned "In The Beginning" – all building keyboard Space 1999 soundscapes followed by a spoken passage – Edge going all computer nutty in his 'I Think Therefore I Am' vocal passage (face piles of trials with smiles man). That very particular brand of Moodies Pop/Rock follows on the Hayward-penned "Lovely To See You" – the electric guitars panning expertly across the speaks – the upbeat tune underpinned by acoustic rhythm and a wall of voices (don't know why Deram didn't chose this as the LP's go-to 45 release). Ray Thomas kicks in with the first of three writing credits on the album - "Dear Diary" – his warbling vocals run through devices while that flute, double bass, acoustic and piano float out through your speakers (been just like a dream) – a sweetly remastered tune.

 

Immediately into the John Lodge penned rapid-paced acoustic strummer "Send Me No Wine" – four of the boys providing a mulch of voices behind that ever-present Mellotron (Hayward, Lodge, Thomas and Pinder). Lodge gets his second and last songwriting shot on the album with the guitar-rocking "To Share My Love", but again I have always felt it sounded like 1966 instead of 1969 in its naïve poppermost vibe.

 

In "Never Comes The Day", Justin worries that if she only knew what was on his inside, she wouldn't want him at all. Beginning so quietly, I've loved this track for years – the almost McGuinness Flint English Folk-Rock jaunt to it – a tremendous cut with that Harmonica backing feeling like it has more muscle and those slowed-down acoustic pieces further in - really clear. Hardly surprising then that Deram thought it had Radio potential and placed "Never Comes The Day" with the lesser B-side "So Deep Within You" on a 45-single in April 1969 (Deram DM 247 in the UK and Deram 45-85044 in the USA). But its chop-change structure seemed to do for the release and it barely registered in the UK, making only No. 91 in the US Billboard Singles charts. The LP followed only three weeks after the 2 April 1969 UK 7" single with a B-side that was on the album, so with nothing new, that too probably downed its chances of a success. Shame really, because I think the A-side is one of those lost masterpieces of the late 60ts. Speaking of the flipside (and the Side 1 finisher), with its castle by a stream lyrics and its penchant for overdone Mellotron melodrama, "So Deep Within You" always felt like a skip to me (others love it though).

 

Harmonica, Cello and Acoustic Guitar all beautifully clear on the Sunday afternoon pastoral feel to "Lazy Day" – the second Ray Thomas tune on the album and one that may be too fay for the hardened ear pallets of 50+ years. Flute and soft Acoustic picking fill the Camelot/Merlin spell casting "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" – again the Remaster gorgeous on this pretty fan fave (a co-write between Justin Hayward and Ray Thomas). Graeme Edge gets his second and last poem-song contribution to the "On The Threshold Of A Dream" album with his "The Dream". While it might have been No. 1 material back in let's-give-everything-a-go 1969, its spoken-poetry backed by wailing Mellotron notes is pretty much my number one avoid in 2022.

 

The album proper ends on an eight-minute-or-so three-parter from Mike Pinder - "Have You Heard" broken into Part 1 and 2 - with those centred by an instrumental "The Voyage". This melodic trio is surely why the album is still held up as a passion by fans – their earlier more twee moments on Side 1 countered by this almost Procol Harum Prog Rock Medley – especially in the playing dexterity that permeates the instrumental passage (that Keith Emerson-type piano solo is brilliant). It returns to the you-and-I-belong-in-the-same-world idea for the Part 2 and ends the album on a happy high (how very 60ts) and the floating synth bit that opening Side 1.

 

I hadn't expected much from the Bonuses but how brilliant would have been to have had the Extended Version of "In The Beginning" open the LP – that one-minute and 19-seconds extra somehow making it so much more substantial. You can hear why the Alternate Vocal of "So Deep Within You" wasn't used – while the playing is up to muster – the voice is off. Can't say I hear much difference in the Alternate Vocal to "Dear Diary" but I like it. But for Prog-tastic chaps like me, the prize here is the Original Take of the instrumental "The Voyage" which is slightly extended to 4:37 minutes and feels proper epic. There's more than a rough-in-yer-face to the John Peel and Tony Brandon BBC sessions – good, but not something I'm going to be playing a whole lot of.

 

I'd be the first to admit that parts of the "On The Threshold Of A Dream" album (dare we say it) and its Symphonic Rock haven't aged as well as many would like to think (modern-day ears may wonder how this made it to No. 1 at all). 

 

But if you're a Moody Blues fan, and you need this densely produced artifact of 1969 in your life, then look no further than this superbly presented threshold...

"Maximum Darkness" by MAN – September 1975 UK Tenth LP on United Artists (a 5-Track LIVE Set) featuring Deke Leonard, Micky Jones, John Cipollina (ex Quicksilver Messenger Service), Terry Williams and Martin Ace (May 2008 UK Esoteric Recordings Expanded Edition CD Reissue – Paschal Byrne Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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Music Of 1975 to 1979 

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"...Many Are Called..."

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It seems that suddenly (if you could call it that) - MAN had begun to gain actual notice from the buying public when the critical and commercial success of "Rhinos, Winos + Lunatics" in May 1974 was rapidly followed by "Slow Motion" in November of that productive year. Their 9th and 10th studio sets had finally struck a chord and their weird Welsh Rock rhythms were even beginning to sound – dare we say it – kinda cool. 

Time therefore of course to stop, take stock and release yet another live one. Time maybe too, to even take in a third axeman of repute to stand out front alongside the twin lead guitars of Deke Leonard and Micky Jones - John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service. The Welsh and The American – what could go wrong? 

And that's where the beautifully realised "Maximum Darkness" live album with its laminated gatefold sleeve and foldout poster came a Prog-rocking in...

Between 2008 and 2014, Esoteric Recordings of the UK (part of Cherry Red) colluded and canoodled with remaining band members, relaunching their entire album catalogue from 1969 through to 1977 in real CD-reissue style (see detailed list below). Here are the details for entry number ten...

UK released 26 May 2008 (9 June 2008 in the USA) – "Maximum Darkness" by MAN on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2061 (Barcode 5013929716124) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks that pans out as follows (79:42 minutes):

1. 7171 551 [Side 1]
2. Codine
3. Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
4. Many Are Called, But Few Get Up [Side 2]
5. Bananas
Tracks 1 to 5 are their 10th album – the live set "Maximum Darkness" – released July 1975 in the UK on United Artists UAG 29872 and in the USA on United Artists UA-LA345-G. It was recorded at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm in London on 26 May 1975 by VIC MAILE and Produced by MAN.

BONUS TRACKS: 
6. C'mon (Live) – Previously Unreleased
7. Romain (Live) – Previously Unreleased
Both tracks recorded live at The Keystone, Berkeley, California in April 1975

For "Maximum Darkness" MAN was:
DEKE LEONARD – Lead Guitars, Keyboards and Vocals
MICKY JONES – Lead Guitars and Vocals 
JOHN CIPOLLINA – Lead Guitars
MARTIN ACE – Bass and Vocals 
TERRY WILLIAMS – Drums and Percussion 

As well as reproducing Deke's copious original liner notes to the September 1975 UK LP (Pages 16 to 19, albeit in tiny print) - the 20-page booklet features new liner notes by band guitarist DEKE LEONARD recalling how the collaboration with Cipollina came about and their musical meetings of minds. And like all of the booklets in this exemplary reissue series, the text is peppered with period memorabilia like stage passes, trade adverts, gig flyers, the LP artwork and poster and the press buzz around Cipollina joining the band for their tour dates. All is tastefully laid out as Deke recalls hotel room shenanigans when JC first came to meet them (they shoot the door in his face thinking he was some imposter – nice). 
But the really big news is a superb new remaster handled by PASCHAL BYRNE at Audio Archiving using original master tapes. And that pair of Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks are actually that – bonuses - especially "Romain" – a slide-guitar chugger that had opened Side 1 of their third album "Man" way back in the spring of 1971.

While "7171 551" was new, Quicksilver aficionados would recognize two of their songs in "Codine" and "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" – tunes that had turned up on the 1968 Psych Soundtrack album "Revolution" (again on United Artists). In the new liner notes, Deke Leonard explains that Cipollina leaving the band to return to America after the British Tour left a musical hole in Man. And you can so hear why on the two Side 2 live works outs - "Bananas" and "Many Are Called, But Few Get Up" (originally on the albums "Do You Like It Here Now? Are You Settling In?" and "Be Good to Yourself At Least Once A Day" from 1971 and 1972). They go to eleven and half minutes and nearly fourteen – the blend of musicianship being exactly what you would imagine it to be – a hybrid of Man vs. QMS amalgamated – such sympatico in the playing and ideas. The combined sound is one of both Classic Seventies Rock sidling up to Prog Rock elements and both winning in the antler rut. 

Bonuses - the eleven-minute studio version of "C'mon" originated on the "Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day" LP in November 1972, while "Romain” had been on the "Man" album that preceded it in March 1971. "C'mon" scoots along with typical Man guitars until it reaches about four minutes in and slows to a Blues pace where the introduction of Brian Auger/Graham Bond type organ give it a very mellow Prog/Jazz feel. "Romain" is a guitar vehicle where the band gets to stretch out. Great extras and cleverly chosen too. 

So there you have it – a largely forgotten 70s live set that should be rediscovered - reissued by a label that cares...

Deke Leonard put out three Solo LPs in 1973, 1974 and 1981 (also on UA), Terry Williams later joined Dire Straits and Guitarist Micky Jones passed away in 2010. 
Esoteric have reissued and remastered the entire MAN catalogue in the same upgraded manner with full co-operation from the band (see list below) and I’ve reviewed 4, 6, 9 and 10 and now 11 to date.

MAN DISCOGRAPHY for Esoteric Recordings CD Reissues

1. Revelation (January 1969 debut) – Esoteric ECLEC 2127 (2009 Remaster with 4 Bonus Tracks)

2. 2 Ozs Of Plastic With A Hole In The Middle (September 1969) – Esoteric ECLEC 2128 (2009 Remaster with 3 Bonus Tracks)

3. Man (March 1971) – Esoteric ECLEC 2012 (2007 Remaster with 2 Bonus Tracks)

4. Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? (November 1971) – Esoteric ECLEC 2013 (2007 Remaster with 3 Bonus Tracks)

5. Live At The Padget Rooms, Penarth (September 1972) – Esoteric ECLEC 2014 (2007 Remaster with the original 3-track album expanded onto 6 tracks across 2CDs)

6. Be Good To Yourself A Least Once A Day (November 1972) – Esoteric ECLEC 2019 (2007 Remaster In Card Digipak with "Map Of Wales" insert and 2 Bonus Tracks)

7. Christmas At The Patti by MAN and FRIENDS (July 1973) – Esoteric ECLEC 2018 (2007 Remaster. The original vinyl was a live double 10” Record that featured FLYING ACES, DUCKS DELUXE, THE JETS, PLUM CRAZY with DAVE EDMUNDS, HELP YOURSELF with DEKE LEONARD and B.J. COLE and finally MAN with DAVE EDMUNDS and STAN PHIFER. The CD contains the full double with no extras)

8. Back Into The Future (September 1973 – Half Live/Half Studio Double-Album) – Esoteric ECLEC 2060 (2008 3CD Remaster with the 2LP set on CD1 whilst CD2 (June 1973) and CD3 (August 1973) have 10 Bonus Tracks)

9. Rhinos, Winos + Lunatics (May 1974) – Esoteric ECLEC 2020 (2007 Remaster with a Bonus 7” single cut on Disc 1 and a Previously Unreleased 5-Track Live Concert at The Whiskey A Go Go in LA on Disc 2)

10. Slow Motion (November 1974) – Esoteric ECLEC 2062 (2008 Remaster 6 Bonus Tracks)

11. Maximum Darkness [Live] (September 1975) – Esoteric ECLEC 2061 (2008 Remaster with two Live Bonus tracks)

12. The Welsh Connection (March 1976) – Esoteric ECLEC 22403 (2013 Remaster with a Bonus 7” single B-side ad 5 live tracks on CD1 and a 2nd CD of 9 tracks)

13. All's Well That Ends Well [Live] (November 1977) – Esoteric ECLEC 32431 (2014 Remaster of the album on CD1 with 2 Previously Unreleased CDs of the entire show from December 1976 (Discs 2 and 3) newly mixed from the 24-track tapes. There is also a repro of the "History Of Man" insert that came with the first 5000 copies of the original vinyl album)

"Hergest Ridge" by MIKE OLDFIELD – August 1974 UK Second Album on Virgin Records featuring Guests Sally Oldfield of The Sallyangie and Clodagh Simmonds of Mellow Candle, William Murray of Kevin Ayers Band, Tom Hobart, William Murray of The Kevin Ayers Band and The London Sinfonietta Choir Arranged by David Bedford (June 2010 UK Mercury/Universal Single CD 2010 Expanded Edition Remaster – Mike Oldfield and Paschal Byrne Remixes and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Wordlessly Beautiful..."

When Mike Oldfield issued solo platter No. 2 to a public hungry for more sidelong Progtastic Folk Rock - Virgin V 2013 took until the chart of 14 September 1974 to hit the number one spot (it was released in Blighty on 28 August 1974). 

"Hergest Ridge" (named after a real place near the town of Kington in Wales) stayed atop for three weeks only to be replaced (yet again) by his first album "Tubular Bells" from 1973 - interest in the first reignited by the Celtic musical beauty conjured up in the second. 

For Oldfield aficionados "Hergest Ridge" is "The Empire Strikes Back" in his voluminous catalogue. Not quite the groundbreaking "Star Wars: A New Hope" meisterwerk of the original 1973 template "Tubular Bells" - and considered by critics and large wads of the public to be a wee bit of a disappointment on release - it has nonetheless been beloved by real fans ever since. In fact (like others of the same persuasion) - I'd rather listen to the 1974 Celtic-influenced Folk Rock beauty that is inherently in Side One of "Hergest Ridge" than return to Side 2 of "Tubular Bells". 

Can't say I'm digging the non-Bootleg artwork either that has been replaced by some glider thingy (Bootleg was the Irish Wolfhound who lived at the Manor Studio and graced the original 1974 artwork front and rear - its given a full page in the booklet). But the 2010 Mike Oldfield Remix and the following Paschal Byrne Remaster have lifted up the Acoustics in this to a point where it suddenly feels so damn fresh. To Grid Reference SO296565 (starting point in the Kington Car Park)...

UK released 7 June 2010 - "Hergest Ridge" by MIKE OLDFIELD on Mercury/Universal UMC 532 675-5 (Barcode 600753267554) is a 2010 Single CD Expanded Edition Remaster that plays out as follows (44:10 minutes):

1. Hergest Ridge (Part One) 19:21 minutes 

2. Hergest Ridge (Part Two) 18:46 minutes 

2010 Stereo Remix by Mike Oldfield 

BONUS TRACKS: 

3. In Dulci Jubilo (For Maureen) 2:45 minutes 

Non-Album B-side of "Don Alfonso" - a February 1975 UK 45-single on Virgin VS 117 - a cover/rearrangement of a Bach melody

4. Spanish Tune (3:11 minutes) – 1A withdrawn 1974 UK Promotional-only One-Sided 45-single on Virgin VS 112 – Previously Unreleased on CD – it is a remixed edit of the final section of "Hergest Ridge (Part Two)". 

The 16-page booklet (with new interviews from MO, trade adverts, original LP artwork etc) provides a deep insight into the personal and musical turmoil that seemed to surround the album at every turn – Oldfield under not entirely unreasonable pressure from Richard Branson at Virgin to provide Opus Two – and right quick my son. Oldfield admits that he had been running on musical empty since the years he had spent putting T Bells together - and got away to the country to seek inspiration. He bought a house called The Beacon on the edge of Bradnor Hill by the Welsh border near the town of Kington that needed renovation. 

After teaming up with a local multi-instrumentalist called Leslie Penning – they hit the local restaurant and played multi-instrument gigs – Hurdy Gurdy, Recorders and The Crumhorn – for free wine. This got the spirit up, the Mediaeval tunes out and the creative juices flowing. And a local guidebook suggested rambling up the ancient path to a beauty spot called "Hergest Ridge"...

With Tom Newman engineering - again we get extensive overdubbing of a huge range of instruments for both Part One and Part Two passages. Mike Oldfield wielded armies of Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Organ, Glockenspiel, Timpani, Tubular Bells, Gongs and even Sleigh Bells (ring-ding-a-dinging). Ted Hobart played Trumpet, his brother Terry and sister Sally provided Flute and Backing vocals respectively (Sally Oldfield used to be in The Sallyangie with Mike). Backing Singers came from two other sources – the David Bedford arranged Choir of The London Sinfonietta and the well revered Clodagh Simmonds of cult Folk-Rock group Mellow Candle. William Murray of the Kevin Ayers Band provided Percussion too. 

The new Stereo Mix for 2010 makes a real point of bringing out the acoustic guitar whilst that penny whistle theme that opens Part One is simply gorgeous. Even as it gets overly crowded on Side One – the Remaster lets out those Trumpet fills – those cymbals crashing as they introduce another coda – and I’d love to know just what the hell it is that the ladies are singing on Side 2. Both bonuses are interesting shall we say, but the real bully beef lies with the density and at times pastoral beauty of both principal parts. 

Second best – maybe. But I find I come back for second helpings – and this major audio overhaul has only made that repeat decision all the more likely. 

In one of the full-page period adverts Virgin ran in the trades – it states the music is "...Wordlessly Beautiful..." I agree. Soar over the magical landscape of this CD Reissue and soak up its deeply lovely greenery. Way to go minimalist M.O....

"Broken Barricades" by PROCOL HARUM – May 1971 US LP on A&M Records and June 1971 UK LP on Chrysalis Records – featuring Robin Trower, Gary Brooker, Chris Copping, BJ Wilson and lyricist Keith Reid (28 June 2019 UK Esoteric Recordings 3CD Expanded And Re-Mastered Edition with 36 Bonus Tracks (32 of which are Previously Unreleased) in a Large Card Digipak with Booklet and A Foldout Poster – Paschal Byrne Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Cellar Full Of Diamonds..."

 

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Desperate not to be pigeonholed by the Mellotron melodrama of May 1967's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" (a huge worldwide hit) - Procol Harum were always trying to move forward musically from that crowd-pleasing 45 straightjacket with their albums proper - onwards and upwards and damn the genre torpedoes. But truth be told, their dense often Prog-like Rock of the late 60ts and early 70ts has always been something of an acquired taste and their fifth studio LP "Broken Barricades" from 1971 was and is no different. 

The last platter to feature ace lead guitarist Robin Trower who quit a month after its release to pursue a solo career (his hard rocking Hendrix-like debut "Twice Removed From Yesterday" appeared in March 1973 also on Chrysalis Records) - BB has divided the faithful for years - some loving it - some loathing it - most sensibly plopped in-between. 

"Broken Barricades" was issued first week of May 1971 in the USA on A&M Records SP-4294 and second week of June 1971 in Blighty on Chrysalis Records ILPS 9158 (Chrysalis still using the Island catalogue number numerical hence the ILPS code). But which reissue to buy on CD? There are three principal ones to choose from with both 'content' and 'price' a factor, and I'd like to explore what's what and why?

First up was Germany's Repertoire Records; their EROC remastered "Broken Barricades" appearing in August 2002 on Repertoire REP 4980 (Barcode 4009910498026). That single-CD variant came in a card digipak with three bonus tracks - "Broken Barricades" (Single Edit)", "Power Failure (Single Edit)" and "Simple Sister (Mono Version)". I mention this because despite the huge 36 Bonus Tracks offered on this latest June 2019 triple-CD set from Esoteric Recordings of the UK (32 of which are Previously Unreleased) – that threesome is 'not' featured here and when you look at the 66-minute playing time on Disc 3, there was room. The 7" single edits of "Broken Barricades" b/w "Power Failure" were issued Stateside in July 1971 on A&M Records 1264 with no UK equivalent – so have always been British 45 collector's items for years. It feels like a bit of a silly oversight to have left them off. 

The second CD outing for "Broken Barricades" came with Salvo of the UK in August 2009 as part of their 'Procol Harum 40 Years' reissue series. Salvo Records SALVOCD022 (Barcode 698458812223) offered Four New Bonus Tracks – all Previously Unreleased at the time. At least these four are repeated on this 2019 Esoteric Records 3CD variant (the titles are Tracks 10, 9, 17 and 15 on CD A as listed below). Coming in a gatefold card sleeve, Nick Robbins of Ace Records fame was the Remaster Engineer on that Salvo version and most fans rate this variant as tops. The Repertoire and Salvo issues are still under a tenner new and can often be found for less on auction sites.

Which brings us to this new 3CD beast clocking in at over twenty quid depending on where you buy it and offering some genuine rarities fans have been craving on digital for over three decades. Let's get to the technicalities...

UK released 28 June 2019 (delayed from May 2019) - "Broken Barricades: Expanded And Re-Mastered Edition" by PROCOL HARUM on Esoteric Records ECLEC 32673 (Barcode 5013929477346) is a 3CD Three-Flap Card Digipak Reissue with 44-Tracks (36 Bonus Tracks, 32 of which are Previously Unreleased) that plays out as follows:

CD A (72:53 minutes):

1. Simple Sister [Side 1]

2. Broken Barricades 

3. Memorial Drive 

4. Luskus Delph 

5. Power Failure [Side 2]

6. Song For A Dreamer 

7. Playmate Of The Mouth 

8. Poor Mohammed 

Tracks 1 to 8 are their fifth studio album "Broken Barricades" - released May 1971 in the USA on A&M Records SP-4294 and June 1971 in the UK on Chrysalis ILPS 9158. Produced by CHRIS THOMAS - it peaked at No. 32 in the USA and No. 44 in the UK. Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid - Tracks 3, 6 and 8 written by Robin Trower and Keith Reid 

BONUS TRACKS: 

9. Simple Sister (Raw Track) *

10. Broken Barricades (Long Fade) *

11. Memorial Drive (Early Mix) 

12. Memorial Jam 

13. Luskus Delpi (Early Version)   

14. Power Failure (No Applause) 

15. Song For A Dreamer (King Jimi) (Backing Track) * 

16. Playmate Of The Mouth (The Boyard's Ball) (Raw Track, Heavy Bass Mix) 

17. Poor Mohammed (Backing Track) *

* First appeared August 2009 on the Salvo Records 40th Anniversary CD Reissue - all others PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

CD B - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (71:54 minutes):

Live - WPLJ, New York City, 12 April 1971 

1. Memorial Drive

2. Still There'll Be More 

3. Nothing That I Didn't Know 

4. Simple Sister

5. Luskus Delph 

6. Shine on Brightly

7. Whaling Stories 

8. Broken Barricades 

9. Juicy John Pink 

10. A Salty Dog 

11. Whisky Train 

12. Power Failure  

Tracks 1 to 12 were originally issued in the USA on a white label unofficial compilation called "The Elusive Procol Harum" (catalogue number 718 A/B). This is the first official release of this Mono material. 

BBC Radio One - 'Sounds Of The 70s' - recorded 6 October 1971

13. Simple Sister 

14. Quite Rightly So 

15. Broken Barricades 

16. Power Failure  

CD C - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (66:41 minutes):

Live - Sverige Radio, Folkets Hus, Stockholm, 16 October 1971

* Not featured in the Sverige Radio Broadcast 

1. In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence *

2. Still There'll Be More 

3. All This And More 

4. Quite Rightly So 

5. Power Failure 

6. Pilgrims Progress 

7. Simple Sister 

8. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)

9. A Salty Dog 

10. Repent Walpurgis * 

11. In The Autumn Of My Madness / Look To Your Soul / Grand Finale 

The original 1971 LP (on both sides of the pond) was a gatefold sleeve with die-cut shapes in the card on the front-flap to see the band faces on the inner flap beneath. As another reviewer has pointed out, this three-way foldout digipak doesn't have such elaborate packaging and worse - it feels clunky and awkward with what it does have. One flap of the digipak has a six-leaf foldout poster of the cover art (Esoteric Recordings catalogue number on it) while the 28-page booklet is certainly substantial with new liner notes from ROLAND CLARE. The lyrics are on the digipak flaps but there is naught beneath the see-through CD trays. 

The booklet is very in-depth and features input from the band’s leading player Gary Brooker and archive material. You get rare 45s from Europe of "Poor Mohammed" and the hard-to-find titled US sleeve for "Simple Sister", period pictures of the band, an A&M trade advert for the US album, even a full-page shot of a 1970 master-reel from the "Broken Barricades" sessions. The booklet also shows a photo of the four-piece featured on the cover - Robin Trower on Guitar, Gary Brooker on Keyboards and Vocals, Chris Copping on Bass and Hammond Organ while BJ Wilson played the Drums and Percussion. The unsung fifth member of the band was lyricist Keith Reid described as providing 'words' pictured in silhouette on the rear. I can't help thinking that this is really one of those occasions where it would have been better to have a 3CD Clamshell Box Set – three mini LP repro artwork sleeves on the inside, the 1971 bootleg art (which exists) and a new cover for Disc 3's Swedish Radio Broadcast. 

The Audio is a 24-Bit Remaster from original tapes by PASCHAL BYRNE at Audio Archiving and it really is a tale of two source cities. Some have said the album is too bright – I don't think so. I've had the Salvo issue for years and it's the nuts – but here there is more power in those keyboard flourishes – the vocals too – and the guitar feels like its about to bust a gut but not in a bad way. But I agree with detractors that feel the live recordings are just about acceptable – while the BBC stuff is disappointingly gruff and actually rather crappy (I can so hear why this session stayed in the can). Still, to have this much unreleased-material in one place will be a huge draw to fans (especially that US famous white label). And Trower was still with the group too managing three songs on the record while Gary put up the rest (I dig that Brooker/Trower dynamic). To the tunes...

I never could work out whether lyricist Keith Reid was with the whooping cough kid in "Simple Sister" (pointing out her horrible social stigma) or against her - the lyrics reeking ever so slightly of snide. No such confusion however with the Trower riffage - Side 1's opening track smacking of "Whisky Train" revisited - that fantastic Rock chugger on the band's preceding album "Home" from 1970 on Regal Zonophone Records. That fuzzed-up Sabbath-like guitar is quickly joined by piano-funk. I never did like the vocal on this – feels like it's detached and too far back in the mix – and unfortunately I'm not sure this Remaster helps. The simpler title track "Broken Barricades" with its catchy synth runs was an obvious US single – all bright jewels and glittering sand – the sound is great. We're back to riffing with the excellent "Memorial Drive" – the band sounding like a Rocking outfit – cool piano soloing too. Side 1 ends with "Luskus Delph" – a tune I always liked musically (even those string passages) but those lyrics feel forced and pretentious. 

The Side 2 opener "Power Failure" is my favourite cut on the record – a heady mix of Trower guitar – great Brooker vocals and a set of keyboard arrangements that make the whole chunky tune swing. A&M in America tried the full version of "Simple Sister" as a second 45 from the album in September 1971 with the equally long five-minutes-plus of "Song For A Dreamer" on the flipside (A&M 1287). But I think they should have resurrected the shorter Rock-catchy "Power Failure" which they'd used as the B to "Broken Barricades" in July and tried that as an A in September 1971. The Remaster of "Power Failure" is excellent and I've been playing it like a loon – siding it into playlists alongside the fantastic March 1971 "Dragonfly" B-side "The Purple Dancer" by Fleetwood Mac (see my review for the 2020 box set "Fleetwood Mac: 1969 to 1974"). Speaking of which, the album's other redeemer is the Fleetwood Mac "Albatross"/Jimi Hendrix "Little Wing" floating beauty of "Song For A Dreamer" – a Trower tune that precursors the ballad sound he would get on say "Bridge Of Sighs" from 1974. With a really great remaster - "Song For A Dreamer" is shimmering Rock that sounds like its lyrics – oblique words sung about meeting you on the other side of the moon – lying in the ocean – scheming at the bottom of the sea. The album finishes with two tunes that divide - the slyly worded nasty that is "Playmate Of The Mouth" (month/mouth pun intended) followed by the equally acrid "Poor Mohammed" - both somehow reading as sympathetic and damning at one and the same time. 

Of the Alternates - the drums and slide guitar of "Power Failure" is a real funky find as is the 'King Jimi' mix of "Song For A Dreamer" - a stunning 'vibe' tribute to the recently lost master axeman. The being at 'The Boyard's Ball' version of "Playmate Of The Mouth" does feel like a work-in-progress albeit a not very interesting one. Better is a tad hissy "Memorial Jam" - riffage galore - working it out - well worth the entrance fee and a must for Robin Trower devotees. 

"So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado..." the announcer introduces the band and off goes Trower and Brooker - silver dollar across the sea. The "Home" album track "Still There'll Be More" follows and although the sound is very 1971 - it isn't disastrous by any means - power in the performance. The 'slow Scottish lament' of "Nothing I Didn't Know" is introduced with humour and both piano and vocals are well transferred. Trower nearly blows the room out with "Simple Sister" but I went instead to the Ten Years After boogie of "Juicy John Pink" and the set's final winning double of "Whisky Train" and "Power Failure" - both akin to early ZZ Top - if that makes sense. The four from the BBC are practically unlistenable and really should have been replaced with those single edits. I have to admit to that I struggled too through the Sverige set not because of the performance but the sound - Brooker's vocals too distant to be genuinely engaging or enjoyable.

So despite the splurge of Previously Unreleased and combined with the fatso packaging that feels clunky instead of classy - I'd give this bulging attempt at "Broken Barricades" four stars instead of five for a 'different' remaster of the album, those unreleased outakes worthy of the moniker Bonus and that excellent-sounding US gig. The rest feels unnecessary, but of course, fans will have to own it. A 'cellar full of diamonds' then, well almost...