Credit: Eagle RecordsFor the first time in 14 years, there’s a new Procol Harum album.
Novum, the veteran British progressive rock band’s first new studio album since 2003’s The Well’s on Fire, was released April 21. The group continues to be led by one of its founding members, singer/keyboardist/composer Gary Brooker, who’s been the distinctive voice of Procol Harum since they exploded on the scene in 1967 with the legendary single, “Whiter Shade of Pale.”
Novum is Procol Harum’s 13th album overall and helps mark the band’s 50th anniversary. Brooker tells ABC Radio that milestone was the inspiration to record new material: “So off we went. And the band, we’ve been playing live, this outfit as we stand today, for 10 years, and this was the first time we’ve been in the studio. So we suddenly got very excited about it.”
Most of the lyrics on the new album came courtesy of Pete Brown, best known for his work with Cream in the 1960s. The music was a collaborative process between Brooker and the other band members. He recalls, “I thought I would like to sit down with a couple of the people from the band…very, very capable creators. So I sat down with (keyboardist) Josh Phillips, and then we got (guitarist) Geoff Whitehorn involved as well, and we started to think up new ideas.”
Novum features 11 new tracks, one in particular that Brooker enjoys singing: the first single, “Sunday Morning.” He explains, “You can really get into that one. I mean, they’re all good songs to put yourself into as a vocalist.”
Brooker proudly adds that he considers Novum “to be one of the finest Procol Harum albums ever.”
Here’s the track list for Novum:
“I Told on You”
“Last Chance Motel”
“Image of the Beast”
“Soldier”
“Don’t Get Caught”
“Neighour”
“Sunday Morning”
“Businessman”
“Can’t Say That”
“The Only One”
“Somewhen”
