Procol Harum BBC radio sessions

List compiled by Pat Keating and Roland from BtP

If only we could persuade the BBC to issue a multiple-CD compilation set of the numerous Procol Harum sessions listed below! After all, if it was worth doing for Led Zeppelin ... ! 'Beyond the Pale' has twice written to the BBC archivists and never been graced with a reply; we learnt in March 1998, however, that Westside Records are contemplating the commercial release of certain BBC sessions. After a long hiatus, we also heard that Strange Fruit records had plans to release BBC sessions. Who can guess what will ensue?

Pat Keating advises that a bootleg named Through the Garden Fence contains tracks marked *, while another named BBC Classic Tracks contains those marked $; the documentation, however, remains inconsistent and problematic.

BBC Light Programme: Pop North
Recorded 5 June 1967 (with Royer and Harrison): broadcast 8 June 1967

A Whiter Shade of Pale
Conquistador
Lime Street Blues

BBC Light Programme: Easy Beat
Recorded 14 June 1967 (with Royer and Harrison): broadcast 18 June 1967 (Available on legit CD here)

Morning Dew
Mabel *
A Whiter Shade of Pale * $

Radio One: John Peel's 'Top Gear'
Recorded 27 September 1967 (with Trower and Wilson): broadcast 8 October 1967 (Available on legit CD here)

She Wandered Through The Garden Fence *
Good Captain Clack
Homburg * $ (see here)
Kaleidoscope *
Repent Walpurgis

Radio One: Dave Symonds show
Recorded 3 October 1967

Conquistador broadcast 16 October 1967
Good Captain Clack broadcast 19 October 1967
Homburg broadcast 20 October 1967

Radio One: John Peel's 'Top Gear'
Recorded 14 February 1968, broadcast 25 February 1968  (see legit CD here)

Quite Rightly So *
Shine On Brightly *
Rambling On *
Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) *

Radio One: John Peel's 'Top Gear'
Recorded 19 August 1968, broadcast 8 September 1968 (see legit CD here)

Wish Me Well *
Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) *
Long Gone Geek *
In Held 'Twas In I

Radio One: Top Gear
6 October 1968 (see legit CD here)

In Held 'Twas in I (Look To Your Soul / Grand Finale)

Radio One: 'Dave Symonds on Sunday'
Recorded 20 May 1969 (- Fisher, - Knights, + Copping): broadcast 25 May 1969

Homburg
A Salty Dog
The Milk Of Human Kindness
Pilgrim's Progress

Radio One: John Peel's 'Top Gear'
Recorded 27 May 1969, broadcast 1 June 1969

A Salty Dog $
Juicy John Pink
The Devil Came From Kansas
Too Much Between Us

Pat and Roland both recall that the songs broadcast, except Juicy John Pink, were simply the album versions, odd though this may seem. The impression persisted on 9 May 2004 when BBC Radio 6 played the same Salty Dog track again claiming it was a BBC session: listen here ... the album version!

Radio One, Dave Symonds
Recorded 12 May 1970, broadcast 8 June 1970

Your Own Choice * $
Dead Man's Dream
About To Die

Radio One, John Peel’s ‘In Concert’ programme

Recorded 4 June 1970, broadcast 14 June 1970

Still There'll Be More
Wish Me Well
About To Die
A Christmas Camel (Hollywood Bowl revision)
Your Own Choice
The Devil Came From Kansas
Juicy John Pink
Well, I ...
Nothing That I Didn't Know
A Salty Dog
Whisky Train
Whaling Stories

Radio One, Alan Black
Recorded 16 September 1970, broadcast 2 October 1970

Whisky Train *
Juicy John Pink *
Nothing That I Didn't Know *

Radio One, Bob Harris
Recorded 6 October 1971 ( - Trower, + Ball and Cartwright): broadcast 25 October 1971

Simple Sister *
Power Failure
Quite Rightly So
Broken Barricades

Radio One, John Peel
Recorded 12 March 1974 ( - Ball, + Grabham) broadcast 19 March 1974

Butterfly Boys
The Idol
Beyond The Pale
Nothing But The Truth

Radio One: The Concert Programme introduced by DJ Bob Harris and Gary Brooker
Broadcast 30 March 1974

Conquistador (post-Edmonton) $
Bringing Home the Bacon
Whaling Stories (organ intro)
New Lamps for Old
Beyond the Pale (CC on banjo)
As Strong as Samson
Simple Sister (long version)
The Idol
Grand Hotel (tango-style middle)
Butterfly Boys
Nothing But the Truth

More about BBC sessions | Procol on Tyne-Tees TV