Early "Procol Harum" R & B!
Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 07/07/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Paramounts were one of the leading British R&B bands in the early 1960`s. They were signed to Parlophone and had a minor hit with Leiber/Stoller`s `Poison Ivy`. During 1963-65 they released 6 singles and one EP of mainly cover-versions of American r&b numbers. This may sound somewhat unoriginal, but since these songs were practically unknown in Europe at the time and the fact that the Paramounts were unusually talented musicians; they were among the most appraised bands around 1963-64.
Their main problem was that they never made the big single-hit. Their strongest A-side `Bad Blood` was banned from the BBC, which meant that very few people heard the song.
Another good single was `You Never Had it So Good`; a typical P.F. Sloan song which might have made it for somebody else, but not for the Paramounts. As a folkish pop-song it was outside Paramounts-territory, so it obviously flopped like the rest of their singles. Gary Brooker has stated that he hates his vocals on that track, but I think it`s one the tracks where the sound comes closest to the Procol Harum sound.
When they finally split up in 1966, Gary Brooker joined up with lyricist Keith Reid and formed Procol Harum. He took along from the Paramounts both drummer B.J. Wilson and guitarist Robin Trower; so Paramounts and Procol Harum were more or less the same band with a new name; but of course with a new and very different approach.
This CD probably contains all finished material that the Paramounts recorded during 1963-66. Besides the released songs there are 6 outtakes which are just as solid as the released songs.
The last six songs come from the `Liquorice John Death` sessions 1970. These sessions were Procal Harum warming up in the studio with old r&b favourites. This was at the time when Matthew Fisher and David Knights had left Procal Harum to be replaced by old Paramounts band member Chris Copping.
Best songs, besides the before-mentioned tracks are `Stupidity` , `Turn On Your Lovelight`, `Cuttin In` and `Breathless`."
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1
