Procol Harum : 'Live at the Union Chapel' 

Clayton Swartz, online at Audiophile Audition

Procol Harum – Live at the Union Chapel, Blu-ray (2011)

Studio: Eagle Vision Entertainment EVB 833839 [9/13/11]
Video: 16:9 color 1080i HD
Audio: DTS HD Master, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo
Length: 149 minutes
Extras: Interactive interview with Gary Brooker, Alternative angles, Earlier in the day montage, comments from the bar
Rating:  Sound ****   Video  ** *1/2

Great surround sound on this more intimate-setting concert video

Procol Harum was a band propelled by their mega-hit A Whiter Shade of Pale. Only Conquistador, of their other songs, has broken the top 25 [sic]. Most listeners as well as myself could not name another Procol Harum song. The song has been covered by a number of performers. However I find this a very pleasant concert; I like blues-tinged rock. The instrumental playing is accomplished. The concert is a good length and has 21 songs on it. It seems like an impassioned performance – filmed 12 December 2003. The band consists of Gary Brooker on piano and vocals, Mathew [sic] Fisher on organ, Geoff Whitehorn on guitar, Mark Brzezicki on drums and Matt Pegg on bass guitar. The setting is a much more intimate one than the usual rock arena – taking place in a church chapel.

The video on the disc suffers from some of the usual rock concert problems, but to a lesser extent than many. It is vastly better than my recently-reviewed discs of Counting Crows and Sheryl Crow.

Sound is among the best I have heard on Blu-ray, with very good presence. You can almost feel you are at the concert. There is adequate sound to carry the emotion of the music. There is also decent bass impact and high frequency information. The DTS Master sound is a little fuller-sounding and the PCM stereo has a little more clarity.

I can easily recommend this disc to Procol Harum fans and to any listeners liking well-done rock music.