Reviewed! Procol Harum - Live at the Union Chapel
Procol Harum
Live at the Union
Chapel
Eagle
Procol Harum Live at
the Union Chapel is as straight-forward as concert DVD releases come – no frills,
all performance, though this one isn’t without its flaws. No, the flaws aren’t exactly
what you would call fatal; it seems as if this release is more a product of its
environment than anything else. The Union Chapel, a small Gothic chapel in the
borough of Islington in Greater London, as majestic as it is, presents issues
when it comes to overall sound quality. Still, it’s not so bad to make you stop
watching a concert that features more than its fair share of new material –
well, new in the form of 2003 and the bands release The Well’s On Fire. The newer songs, tracks like “An Old English
Dog,” “Every Dog Will Have His Day,” “Wall Street Blues,” “VIP Room” and “Weisselklenzanacht
(the Signature),” resonate just as well as a Procol Harum classic like “A
Winter Shade of Pale,” which predictably closes out the show. But therein lies
the problem – since pretty much a third of this performance is dedicated to the
newer songs, casual listeners might find themselves lost when the band isn’t
performing hits.
The slate of extras isn’t all that bad. There’s an
interactive interview with singer Gary Brooker as well as a couple of montages
including one from the band earlier in the day, a seven-minute fast-motion
video montage of set up for the show. Fans also get their chance to add their
two cents in the extras section, as fans at the bar in Union Chapel discuss
their impressions of the concert, the new album, and how they originally got
into Procol Harum.
Good performance,
good venue, good DVD, good purchase. Enough said.
Grade: B-
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