Every time it seemed the group could be on the brink of re-establishing their international fame, they just missed and slipped back into the dark corners of the playlists. The Edmonton album went gold, however, and Grand Hotel cracked the Twenties on Billboard's charts, lingering in the lists for over five months. Due to this album's title cut, though, the band began to resent their new image. We owe him a lot because he helped us pin our sound down. A producer gets better as he gets to know the band.
Recording is fascinating but very complex.
To make a sound for yourself that stands out from the rest is much harder than it might seem. Even with new visions swimming around their heads, though, Procol Harum still had troubles from forces beyond their control. When they began recording Exotic Birds , England was just slipping into the biggest slump in some time. The economy was dipping lower, the energy drain was taking the place of a brighter tomorrow, a three-day work week at minimum wage was about to be established and Procol Harum was lined up and ready to bounce into the studios to begin work. We'd rushed into the studio in the beginning of December absolutely brimming with ideas and plans.