Procol Harum - A Salty Dog mp3 album

One of the great hits that never was for Procol Harum. Fans of this band admire "A Salty Dog" almost as much as their classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale". I always thought that Procol Harum handled their classical conceits much more honestly than say, the Moody Blues. There is something so pretentious about the Blues' 'epic' "Nights in White Satin" that I find that song ponderous and laughable lo these many years later. The Moody Blues in short were pretentious, and the true Shit Mongers of Art Rock. Gary Brooker admired Beethoven. The Blues thought they WERE Beethoven."A Whiter Shade of Pale" is simultaneously in Overplay Hell and yet remains a riveting mix of Bach and pop. Keith Reid's surreal lyrics were always a bonus to a Procol Harum tune. "A Salty Dog" successfully steals some genuinely classical music elements and retains a sense of grandeur to this day.But be forewarned: this is not 'rock and roll'. Robin Trower must have felt so constricted by the group's classical illusions that this english Hendrix had to leave the band and play rock and roll. I like to think of Procol Harum as a group that gave the term 'art rock' some welcome connotations. Much like Led Zeppelin were head-over-heels above their heavy metal contemporaries.At any rate, although Procol Harum retained a cult status, commercially they were finished, and could almost go down as 'one hit wonders' except for a hit they managed with a revival of the early tune "Conquistador" with a full orchestra. Now THAT was a bit overblown and I enjoy the simpler version from the first album more.Art rock....ugh! "C'est La Vie" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer yuch yuch....E.L.O. actually playing the riff from "Beethoven's Fifth" before going into Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven". That's terrible. That's ugh. When Procol Harum was at their best, they were much better than these bands.And "A Salty Dog" has mercifully been saved from Overplay Hell. Which is good.