The Well's on Fire

Antonio Costa Barbé in Italy's Musica e Dischi

The following review, kindly sent to BtP by its author, appeared in Musica e Dischi. He notes, In the magazine there is very little space per review, so I wrote this note for the editors:

......il pezzo forse indugia sugli eventi pre-album, ma mi pare che per i PH cio' sia doveroso per i lettori italiani . Vedete se sia possibile mantenere integro il pezzo . grazie

...the piece perhaps lingers over pre-album events, but it seems to me that for PH this is appropriate for Italian readers. See if it is possible to
keep the piece complete. Thank you.

PROCOL HARUM:
"The Well's on Fire" * * * *
Production: Rafe McKenna and Procol Harum
Eagle Records
EAGCD209 GAS 0000209 EAG

Ritornati in Italia dopo trent'anni con una tournee' che ha riscosso palpitante successo, i Procol Harum si ripresentano finalmente sulla scena discografica con un nuovo album. Alle orecchie dei piu' suonera' come successore di A Salty Dog (1969) o al massimo di Grand Hotel (1973), a così vecchie "stazioni" essendo qui da noi ancorato il ricordo del gruppo!

Having come back to Italy, after 30 years, with a tour which was a triumphant success, Procol Harum finally re-introduce themselves on the discographic scene with a new album. To the ears of most people it will be perceived as a successor to A Salty Dog (1969) or even more to Grand Hotel (1973), so far back is our memory of the group anchored here at home!

Invece i Procol (con la nuova formazione che comprende stabilmente Gary Brooker e Matthew Fisher, oltre a Matt Pegg, Geoff Whitehorn e Mark Brzezicki) hanno ripreso vita da almeno un decennio, e godono di una consolidatissima stima a livello mondiale, complice l' oceano immenso di Internet.

In fact, though, Procol (with the new line-up which now consistently features Gary Brooker, and Matthew Fisher with Matt Pegg, Geoff Whitehorn and Mark Brzezicki) came back to life over ten years ago, and enjoy a hugely strengthened esteem world-wide, aided and abetted by the immense ocean of the internet.

The Well's on Fire e' un esempio cristallino del New Deal intrapreso da Brooker a livello compositivo, con l' aiuto di Fisher e dell' onnipresente/assente paroliere Keith Reid: canzoni ben tornite, che spaziano dal rock alla ballata intimistica, senza scordare la vena blues che serpeggia indomita nell' anima del leader.

The Well's on Fire is a shining example of the New Deal that Brooker has undertaken as a composer, with the help of Fisher and the omnipresent/absent wordsmith Keith Reid: well-honed songs ranging from rock to intimist ballads, not forgetting the vein of blues that runs invincibly through the leader's soul.

Tra i brani, assistiti da un' ottima produzione, spiccano Shadow Boxed, The Vip Room, e le poetiche This World is Rich (for Stephen Maboe) e the Emperor's New Clothes. Non manca uno strumentale (The Signature) in cui passato e presente si fondono nell' indimenticabile <suono hammond> che scorre sotto le dita di Maf Fisher. (acb)

Numbers which stand out in this excellent production include Shadow Boxed, The VIP Room, and the poetical This World is Rich (for Stephen Maboe) and The Emperor's New Clothes. And there's also an instrumental (The Signature) in which past and present merge in the unforgettable 'Hammond sound' which flows from Maf [sic] Fisher's fingers.

Translated into English by Martin Clare (thank you!)

Procol Harum albums