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Martin Scorsese: The Salty Dog! The eagerly awaited new book that unravels the complex tale of Procol Harum, rolled out with a BFI event containing unseen Harum film and TV footage. It's official and you read it here first. Procol Harum biographer Henry Scott-Irvine's Omnibus Press publication The Ghosts of a Whiter Shade of Pale has an exclusive from Scorsese, who describes his love of Procol Harum and their great lyrics. In particular he singles out A Salty Dog.
Led Zep's Jimmy Page concurs, "It's their masterpiece", adding that
Procol's BJ Wilson was his "first choice" for the Led Zeppelin drum
stool. "BJ Wilson? There was nobody to touch him," says Page. "He
almost orchestrated with his drumming - with his uniqueness on the
kit. There was nobody in the world that could drum like [the late]
BJ Wilson. And that's simply it." Elton John and Bernie Taupin mention Pale and its 1967 Top 10 follow-up Homburg. They were both 'like a Dali painting,' says Elton. 'And words by Cocteau,' adds lyric writer Taupin. The Who's Pete Townshend goes on to cite Shine on Brightly as being 'a real heavy influence on Tommy' while author [the late] Douglas Adams describes Grand Hotel ...
Extract from a two-page illustrated preview of THE GHOSTS OF A WHITER SHADE OF PALE (Nov.) by Henry Scott-Irvine in the new SHINDIG! magazine.
Caption: Gary Brooker invents the sit down and play earnest pianist look, The Constitution Hall, Washington DC, 1969
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