Procol Harum: Something Magic, 2CD Remastered & Expanded Edition

A NEW 2 CD RE-MASTERED & EXPANDED EDITION OF THE CLASSIC 1977 ALBUM BY PROCOL HARUM

WITH 14 BONUS TRACKS, ELEVEN OF WHICH ARE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED OFFICIALLY ON CD

INCLUDES A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET WITH NEW ESSAY AND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered 2 CD edition of the classic album “Something Magic” by PROCOL HARUM. First released in March 1977, the albumintroduced a new band line-up of GARY BROOKER (vocals, piano), B.J. WILSON (drums), CHRIS COPPING (bass), MICK GRABHAM (guitar) and PETE SOLLEY (organ, synthesiser) and was recorded in Miami with producers Ron and Howie Albert.

 Although the album would feature a host of marvellous tracks such as ‘Strangers in Space’, ‘Skating on Thin Ice’ and ‘Something Magic’ and the Mick Grabham / Keith Reid composition ‘The Mark of the Claw’, relationships between the band and their producers grew strained when the Albert brothers rejected a number of other tracks written for the new album. As a result, Gary Brooker suggested the inclusion of a lengthy piece he had been working on with lyricist Keith Reid; ‘The Worm and the Tree’. This orchestrated piece would dominate a side of the album and was the first composition of this scale that Procol Harum had recorded since ‘In Held Twas in I’ (on the 1968 album “Shine on Brightly”).

Following the album’s release (and a final US tour with bassist Dee Murray replacing Chris Copping), Procol Harum disbanded, eventually reforming in 1991 with the release of the album “The Prodigal Stranger”. At the time of its release SOMETHING MAGIC stood apart from the emerging Punk rock movement and was unfairly overlooked by critics. However, the passage of time has revealed the excellence of the album.

 This new edition of SOMETHING MAGIC has been newly re-mastered and includes 14 bonus tracks comprising the rare B-side “Backgammon” and two live-in-the-studio recordings of ‘You’d Better Wait’ and ‘This Old Dog’, originally written for the album. The set also includes an additional disc featuring Procol Harum’s performance for the BBC TV and Radio series Sight & Sound In Concert from March 1977.

 This stereo BBC radio recording has been re-mastered from newly discovered masters and appears on CD for the first time. It includes the complete version of ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ which was cut in the original television broadcast of the set. The release also includes an illustrated booklet with essay and interviews by Procol Harum archivist Roland Clare.