Exotic Birds and Fruit Another successful follow up was in order for Procol Harum as their classic Exotic Birds and Fruit climbed the album charts and received significant airplay in 1974.

“Nothing But The Truth” kicks off this album, and from the driving piano provided by Brooker and the orchestral arrangements throughout the album, the listener is treated to a great rock recording which stands up nicely to their other classics like Home and Broken Barricades. Mick Grabham’s guitar work is stunning and B.J. Wilson’s drum style really add to the delivery of the songs as one can hear plainly on “The Idol” and the hit single “As Strong As Samson.”

One particular favorite, “Beyond The Pale,” truly shows the classical orientation of this popular band. Cleverly mixing and weaving melodies and meters unlike other rock acts of the time, Procol Harum truly helped develop the first echoes of the progressive Rock movement, dating all the way back to 1967’s Whiter Shade Of Pale. “Beyond The Pale” and the other tracks on Exotic Birds and Fruit continue this tradition.

The Procol Harum Remaster series and Friday Music are proud to present Exotic Birds and Fruit for the first time on CD in North America. It hasn’t seen the light of day here in over three decades, the treasured masterpiece is now open for all to hear. As another disc in the extensive reissue program authorized by Procol Harum, Gary Brooker has given us two very rare bonus tracks to round out the collection, the rare B side “Drunk Again” and the unreleased extended studio version of “The Blue Danube” by Johnann Strauss II.
Customer Review: The Exotic Harum
Procol Harum’s 1974 release, “Exotic Birds And Fruit,” is one of the group’s finest albums. It may not boast any “hits,” but diehard Harum fans know classic Harum songs when they hear them, and “Exotic Birds” contains many of them, such as the thumping “Nothing But The Truth,” the drinking-song pastiche “Beyond The Pale,” the fine melodies of “As Strong As Samson” (with one of Keith Reid’s very best lyrics: “Ain’t no use in preacher’s preaching/When they don’t know what they’re teaching”), the spooky “The Thin Edge Of The Wedge,” the playful “Fresh Fruit,” and the rockin’ “Butterfly Boys.” The band, led by singer/pianist extraordinaire Gary Brooker, sound superb on this one. Thumbs up all the way on Procol Harum’s “Exotic Birds And Fruit.”

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