Hot Stamper Pressings of Art Rock Albums Available Now
Our recent Shootout Winning early UK pressing was described this way:
Looking for some proggy music that falls somewhere between Jethro Tull and Supertramp, with sonic credentials to match the recordings of those two very well-recorded bands? Well, look no further.
This early UK press is full of the Tubey Magic and studio space that makes the band’s recordings the joy they are to play on a heavily-tweaked audiophile rig.
If you’re a Prog Rock or Art Rock fan, this is a classic from 1971 that belongs in your collection. This also just happens to be our pick for the best sounding recording by the band. Others of similar stature can be found here.
And here are the notes that back up everything we had to say about the copy that knocked us out.
We LOVED playing this album, both for the music and the sound. These guys don’t get the respect they deserve among audiophiles, but we’re doing our best to try to change that.
Side one kicks off with the hit track Simple Sister, and you won’t believe how hard it rocks. Some copies are overly clean — they have the kind of clarity you might hope to find, but lacked the richness and fullness that makes ’70s analog so involving. Those “clean” copies simply do not earn very high grades from us. We leave that sound to the Heavy Vinyl and CD crowd; they seem to like it.
Punter and Thomas
John Punter engineered and Chris Thomas produced. They have worked on many of our favorite — and best-sounding – albums by British artists.
Domestic Vinyl
Last time around we wrote:
Here’s a free tip for those of you who want to try to find a great sounding copy of this one on their own: avoid the domestics at all costs. We played a bunch of them and they were all dogs.
This time around we actually played a domestic copy that was pretty good. It was clearly made from a dub tape — they probably all are — but it was very well mastered from that dub tape. It surprised us by actually sounding rich and full and Tubey Magical like a good Brit, just a bit more smeary and veiled as you would expect from a record mastered from a copy tape.
Side One
Simple Sister
Broken Barricades
Memorial Drive
Luskus Delph
Side Two
Power Failure
Song For A Dreamer
Playmate of the Mouth
Poor Mohammed
AMG Review
Despite the departure of organist Matthew Fisher, Procol Harum survived, and this album is ample proof…
Procol continued as a four-piece, and it was indeed a good thing that they decided not to replace Fisher. The sound of the band on this album is a bit sparser, but definitely not without dimension and dynamics.
“Simple Sister,” one of the finest Gary Brooker/Keith Reid compositions, is truly glorious, with Robin Trower’s frightening lead guitar work juxtaposed nicely against a wonderful string arrangement.
Several other tracks are first rate, including “Power Failure” and “Playmate of the Mouth.” Along with Little Feat, Procol Harum was a great survivor among rock bands that have lost a key member. The proof is in these grooves.
Want to find your own killer copy?
Consider taking our moderately helpful advice concerning the pressings that tend to win our shootouts.
As of 2025, shootouts for this album should be carried out:
How else can you expect to hear this record at its best?
Based on our experience, Broken Barricades sounds its best: