Procol Harum - Live at the Union Chapel
Procol Harum: Live at the Union Chapelis a record of the final  performance of the band's 2003 world tour, taped on December 12 before a  small London crowd. The venue was an inspired choice. As a performance  space, the Gothic church is at once both intimate and grand, a perfect  mirror for the band's odd but cogent mix of bar-band boogie and  classically tinged prog rock. The 21-song concert includes eight  selections fromThe Well's on Fire, Procol Harum's  2003 studio album. Most of the newer songs are strong (particularly "The  Question" and "An Old English Dream"), and the band, having honed its  arrangements to a T, does an exceptional job of blending its recent  music with its older material. Singer-pianist Gary Brooker and organist  Matthew Fisher, both original members, lead the way through time-honored  favorites like "Homburg," "Conquistador," and their immortal 1967 hit "A  Whiter Shade of Pale."The DVD's spacious but never murky 5.1 surround mix puts you right in  the church with the audience. As usual, the DTS tracks surpass the Dolby  Digital soundtrack, but with this disc the DTS format proves especially  critical to an appreciation of the Union Chapel's gorgeous acoustics.--Michael Mikesell