11-19-10
Procol Harum – “Home”
I confess that it was the absence of Procol Harum’s “Home” LP in my collection that lead me down the path of re-buying much of my somewhat extensive vinyl collection, beginning in roughly 1997. I was discussing “Home” with a friend, and I wondered if the CD issue that I currently possessed had the interior photo of the US A&M version – or the same info as on the insert of the UK Regal Zonophone issue. It did not.
I went to my US / UK wall of LP’s and – “Home” was missing; I had sold it / traded it earlier in a fit of blithering idiocy. Well, I figured “What kind of collector am I if I don’t have a “complete” version of one of my favorite albums?”
In 2010, I presently own:
HOME A&M US SP-4261 LP
1970 9 TRKS US original issue
HOME REGAL ZO UK SLRZ 1014 LP
1970 9 TRKS UK original issue, insert
HOME JVC/CUBE JPN VICP-61312 CD
1970 17 TRKS (’01 issue) (8 x bonus tracks) kami sleeve
Oddly, I now also have an edited 45 of “Whisky Train” (A&M US 1218). I re-bought both US & UK original LP’s and I upgraded my EU CD of “Home” on Castle to a Japanese JVC version, with a paper sleeve and bonus tracks.
I really like this album a lot. It’s not my favorite Procol Harum LP, but it’s a damned good one (I like both the debut album and “A Salty Dog” a bit better). It’s album #4 and the next-to-last album with guitarist Robin Trower.
I could definitely be sold this album yet again! Bring on an SA-CD, or Mobile Fidelity DSD mastered version! Perhaps it could be re-done in Japan with more anatomically correct artwork, and a replica insert (no doubt as an SHM-CD)?
The bonus tracks on the 2001 Japanese JVC version are “Rockin’ Warm-Up / Go Go Go (Move On Down The Line)”, “The Dead Man’s Dream (Take 7)”, “Still There’ll Be More” (Instrumental, Take 3”, “About To Die (Instrumental, Takes 1 & 2)”, “Barnyard Story (Take 4, remix)”, “Piggy Pig Pig (Take 2, remix)”, “Your Own Choice (Take 14, remix)” and “Whaling Stories (Take 2)”. Odd – no alternate takes or remixes for “Whiskey Train” or “Nothing That I Didn’t Know”!
Originally released in 1970, I had been following Procol Harum for a while, when “Home” first walked down the midway. It’s as rock-solid as British rock music gets – it belongs in almost anyone’s collection. Certainly not the Procol Harum album to miss.
Still, There’ll Be More…
Back on 12/1/2010! Cheerio!
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