Exotic Birds And Fruit - Procol Harum (1974)

I knew one thing about Procol Harum: their “Whiter Shade of Pale” classic rock standard. They were pure psych pop in the 60s and leaned into a strings- and organ-heavy blue-eyed soul sort of sound.

This is a very different album from several years later, where you hear them as a much more concentrated rock band.

Produced by Chris Thomas–a name I didn’t recognize but has actually shown up here a couple of times–There’s a definite 70s British rock sound that’s hard not to hear. But aside from the dated sonics, you get a band that has a lot going on.

Tracks I Liked

Nothing But The Truth - organ-first rave-up

Beyond The Pale - I really dug this one, and then on a second listen realized it’s possibly because I’ve been watching a lot of Taskmaster and it sounds a lot like the Taskmaster theme music. Still great regardless.

The Idol - sounds very Bowie-like, which is high praise in my book