Procol Harum - Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974) (Vinyl)

Year: April 1974, Recorded 1973 - 1974 (LP 1974)
Label: Chrysalis Records (UK), CHR 1058
Style: Art-Rock
Country: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK
Time: 37:15
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 251 Mb

"Exotic Birds and Fruit" met with a good critical reception but only rose to No. 86 on the Billboard album charts. In Denmark, it peaked at #9 upon release, and nearly a year later in early 1975 it re-entered the Top 20 peaking at #19. The album was preceded by the single release of the opening track "Nothing But the Truth" back with the single only B-side track "Drunk Again".

Exotic Birds and Fruit is the seventh full-length studio album by British progressive rock band Procol Harum. The cover artwork for the album is by Jakob Bogdani, a noted Hungarian artist whose paintings centred on exotic birds and fruit.
Collaborating again with producer Chris Thomas, Procol Harum the band recorded the album at George Martin's Air London Studios in London. According to singer/songwriter/piano player and band leader Gary Brooker the album was recorded in reaction to the two preceding albums which used extensive orchestration. Brooker stated "We made the live album with an orchestra. We'd then taken the orchestra into the studio for 'Grand Hotel'...we'd had enough of orchestras".
This back to basics approach worked well given that there were regular power cuts during the power struggle between Edward Heath's government and the UK unions. The band used an emergency generator during the blackouts which forced three-day working weeks during the so-called "winter of discontent" of 1973–74.
The album features the song "Butterfly Boys" written about the founders of the band's record label at the time Chrysalis. The band were unhappy with the terms of their contract and expressed that frustration in song.
"Exotic Birds and Fruit" met with a good critical reception but only rose to No. 86 on the Billboard album charts. In Denmark, it peaked at #9 upon release, and nearly a year later in early 1975 it re-entered the Top 20 peaking at #19. The album was preceded by the single release of the opening track "Nothing But the Truth" back with the single only B-side track "Drunk Again".

Personnel:
Gary Brooker – vocals, piano
Mick Grabham – guitar
BJ Cole – pedal steel guitar
Chris Copping – organ
Alan Cartwright – bass guitar
B. J. Wilson – drums

01. A1 Nothing but the Truth (03:12)
02. A2 Beyond the Pale (03:06)
03. A3 As Strong as Samson (05:10)
04. A4 The Idol (06:39)
05. B1 The Thin End of the Wedge (03:42)
06. B2 Monsieur R. Monde (03:43)
07. B3 Fresh Fruit (03:05)
08. B4 Butterfly Boys (04:26)
09. B5 New Lamps for Old (04:07)



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