Procol Harum - Live (DVD)

Harry Salzberg

Here's my opinion of DVD, Procol Harum Live in Denmark 2001

There are no glaring mistakes ... the digital sound is superb ... the band looks right and Gary's voice is sharp as ever ...

To see up close Matthew's spiderlike fingers on the keyboard is a real treat ...

The songs run the spectrum from the first to last releases ... Grand Hotel and the first LP have the most play with Home coming in last ...

Whitehorn's guitar's tone is as poignant as Trower's, but unfortunately as has been true since Trower left, the leads cannot be duplicated ... as a matter of fact, in Memorial Drive, Piggy Pig Pig, and Repent Walpurgis it's just as well the guitar playing gets drowned out during the leads ... on the other hand, on those songs where Trower's leads aren't permanently sketched, Whitehorn shines, especially on As Strong As Samson ...

Pegg's bass playing is like a good umpire at a baseball game, ie unnoticeable ... blends right in all the time ...

The drumming is much better than on the last orchestral release, with little overplay ... maybe a handful of times BJ's licks are missed, but all in all a good effort this time ...

Matthew keeps his gameface throughout, cracking the slightest smile at the end of the concert ... his playing is flawless, using mostly his right hand for lead and left hand on the controls ...

Gary does a masterful job (even with the lyric sheets), as if this was one for the record-books ... a permanent illustration of what this band has done for 35 years ... .Salty Dog and Grand Hotel take honors, with Beyond the Pale as most fun.

BJ's thunder was absent, Trower's lightning gone ...
But even so a mammoth task was accomplished in Denmark 2001 ...