November 1997: The Procol Harum e-mail List

Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale

The Procol Harum e-mail list archive

November 1997 (thanks, Bill Hammell)

From: ProcolHrum <ProcolHrum@aol.com
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 20:54:46 EST
To: roland.clare@virgin.net, procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: a bit of PH music

A very good idea, posting musical transcriptions of previously available PH songs. Like WRES, I too have an origional Grand Hotel Songbook which I purchased back in 73. And so, the thought occurs to me, it might be fruitful to launch a few inquiries to a few publishers to see if archive trnscriptions in their catalogs might be available to the public on special order. I also wonder about copyright laws concerning posting to the internet , scans of some of these music scores from 20-30 years ago. And what better repository for such information than the Beyond the Pale website? If any information becomes available JensRoland will be first to hear from me., ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Larry Eskridge" <Larry.Eskridge@wheaton.edu Organization: Wheaton College
To: Procol Harum List <procol@progrock.org
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 10:46:21 CST6CDT MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Subject: (Fwd) Re: Welcome to Procol Reply-to: Larry.Eskridge@wheaton.edu Return-receipt-to: Larry.Eskridge@wheaton.edu Priority: normal X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v2.54) Message-ID: <84C6A2363F@joshua.wheaton.edu

I've just signed up for the Procol Harum e-mail list and look forward to doodling away many hours in reading posts to the list and getting to know some of ye.

I grew up in the US in the Chicago area and came to Procol rather "late" in the sense that it was the "Live" album which first snagged my attention upon its release in 1972. Before that I had pretty much ignored the group: I had detested AWSOP when it was a hit (I thought the singer sounded like a Percy Sledge clone), although I remember having been taken with the cover artwork for "A Salty Dog." Needless to say, I became a Procolholic (including the discovery of the innumerable virtues of AWSOP!) fascinated with Reid's lyrics, Brooker's vocals, B.J. drumming and particularly taken with the group's keyboard orientation and the manner in which Trower (until he became Little Jimi Hendrix) and Grabham filled the gaps with their guitar work. If I differ from a good chunk of other Procol fans it might be in that my being something of a "late arriver" means that I am somewhat less fixated on the band's first few albums. Although I certainly love them, I don't look at everything after the departure of Matthew Fisher as part of the band's decline. Heck, I even liked a couple of songs on "Something Magic" (NOT "The Worm & the Tree"!!!!). I saw Procol in Chicago in '73 and '74 and would have seen them during the '91 return except I had a late-arriving son whose entrance into the world was induced on that day :) Had I known about it sooner, I may indeed have made the trek to Redhill for the 30th anniversary wingding.

For context, other musical groups/folks I particularly enjoy: Beatles (duh!), Kinks, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Allman Brothers, T-Bone Burnett, Larry Norman, After the Fire, Al Green.

These days I primarily administrate an academic institute located at a small college in the Midwest that studies American religion. When I have time I do my own research and writing and every now and then teach a history course or two. I'm married and have three kids.

--Larry Eskridge --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- for <procol@progrock.org
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 14:39:14 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michael G. Haynes" <mghaynes@Oakland.edu Message-Id: <199711061939.OAA00521@mars.acs.oakland.edu

I haven't seen a lot of traffic on this mailing list for the whole entire week i've been here*grin*:) but I'm wondering if I'm unusual in that I'm only 22 and really love procol harum's music...Haven't listened to it all because it's been rather difficult to obtain some of their albums on CD in the US...finally obtained the 30th anniversary box set per suggestion from this list and first heard the whole procol harum album after three or four years of enjoying shine on brightly, The Prodigal Stranger, and the Chrysalis reissues...truly magical*smile*:) i love all sorts of other bands as well though I find lately my tastes are edging away from modern music entirely hehe :) Kinks, Allman brothers, clapton in all his various groups;), stevie ray vaughn, pink floyd, gabriel era genesis with a couple phil albums thrown in, the byrds, queen and brian may's solo work as well, uriah heep and deep purple plus many many others but that's a g ood cross-section;)*grin*

Michael ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: JKTownsend <JKTownsend@aol.com
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 17:52:12 EST
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: New subscriber

It's good to see two other new subscribers to the Procol Harum mailing list. I am new to the list, also ... but not new to Procol Harum. I've been a Procol fanatic since summer 1967, when AWSoP was all over the radio. I remember going to a local greasy spoon in the town where I lived at the time, and putting dimes or quarters into the juke box and playing AWSoP and the B-side "Lime Street Blues" over and over and over again. The first Procol album on Deram was one of the first LPs I ever bought, being the "tender" age of 16-years-old in 1968. I liked the second LP, but "A Salty Dog" was my very favorite music when pulling all-nighters in college in 1970. "Home" just blew me away -- its "sound" was so different and yet so familiar. I had a cassette of "Home" that I wore out, and replaced the LP at least twice for the same reason. "Broken Barricades" was another favorite. I have followed Procol's music faithfully over the years -- although I have my doubts about "The Long Goodbye." It doesn't really grab me. I am not familiar with the box set -- I don't think I've seen it carried anywhere I buy recorded music. Can anyone give me some info about it? The other day I saw a re-released MONO version of the first (and maybe best) album on CD, with the original cover art, but with a color photo of the classic line-up (Brooker, Fisher, Trower, Wilson and Knights, but not Reid) on the rear cover. There are four bonus tracks, including "Lime Street Blues" and "Homburg" and two others (previously unreleased?). I haven't purchased it yet -- I have the Castle Communications CD release from several years back. Presently, I live in a small town just outside Nashville, Tennessee. I am an ordained clergyman in the United Methodist Church, but formerly worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., and as an advertising executive in Denver, Colorado, and a public relations staffer at a large university in Virginia. I have published many pieces of music criticism -- particularly so-called "classical" music and jazz -- and thus my attraction toward Procol Harum. Well, enough. Hope to hear from others on the Procol Harum list soon. I also subscribe to the Quicksilver Messenger Service, King Crimson and Spirit lists. The QMS list is very busy, with KC a strong second in numbers of posts. Peace be with you, Kenneth Townsend (JKTownsend@aol.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 08 Nov 1997 01:35:36 +0100
From: Jens Anders Ravnaas <jensan@online.no
To: JKTownsend <JKTownsend@aol.com CC: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: New subscriber

Hi and welcome to the mailing list you asked about the 3Cd boxed set. My advice is: Buy it. have a look on my Procol Harum website 'Beyond the pale' for my full review,

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Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 01:17:11 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michael G. Haynes" <mghaynes@Oakland.edu

Hani, glad to find another "Heep"ster online...that's definitely another group I just never hear about...I'd say I got into Uriah Heep about the same time I first listened to "Shine ON Brightly" (my introduction to Procol Harum) when I bought Demons and Wizards...at least I managed to get just about all of Heep's catalogue with the exception of Equator which I hear was something of a disappointment...David Byron is one of my top five favorite singers of all time...the others being Johnette Napolitano (formerly of Concrete Blonde), Ian Gillan (of Deep Purple fame), Janis Joplin, and Freddy Mercury (Queen)....George Michaels has a nifty voice but the quality of his songs seems to vary a lot *sigh*...

Larry, as for today's music, even though I'm in this so called "alternative" music era...I don't really "get" much of it either...a very small percentage of the music i like is made up of 90's music...much of it is just too angst ridden for me these days...and for some reason a lot of the newest bands to emerge all seem to be copying the hit songs of mediocre bands only not as well so they turn out some really crappy music hehe:) ahh as long as jethro tull, deep purple, pink floyd and the like can still keep up the pace, the rest of us can stay away from complete and utter shutdown of our aesthetic senses;) I'm starting to wonder if it was a good thing or not being raised exclusively on oldies*grin*...i passed through my entire childhood/teenage years almost without being aware of the music around me...the entire decade of the 80's! *laf*:) however, there's just so much great music i haven't been able to listen to from the 60's and 70's that I hate to waste my time trying to catch up on a musical era that's far below par in my opinion;)

As for the box set, I've listened through the Procol Harum album and I think it sounds really good (not being familiar with the original sound quality I guess that doesn't mean much*grin*)...I'll have to put on Shine On Brightly tonight;) at least i can compare that with the copy I already have*grin*:) but I'm very pleased with it...glad to have AWSOP on CD since the 45 record is 500 miles away and i don't have a record player anyhow*grin*:)

Michael (wishing Floyd, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple or the cure would hurry up and get to his neighborhood sometime soon...can't believe i keep missing bowie*cry*) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Steven R. Seyster" <seys@email.msn.com
To: <procol@progrock.org
Subject: Hello fellow PH fans
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 23:52:35 -0500

Just a few words of introduction: I've been a PH fan since Shine came out. A close friend of mine turned me on to the band. (When my friend was married he had WSOP as his wedding song). I was familiar with WSOP but Shine the first full album of PH material I was exposed to. I followed the band for the next few albums, but it wasn't until the first time I saw them in concert that they really struck me. For me seeing a band perform live adds creditability to their work. The first PH concert I attended was at the Shafer Music Festival in Central Park before the live album came out. The line-up for the band was the same as the live album and they were great. By this time quite a few of my friends were PH fans and they were bemoaning the departure of Fisher and Trower but I thought the lineup at that first show performed wonderfully

Since then I've been to over a dozen PH concerts and most of them were gems. There was one concert in a gym at Hofstra University that Gary Brooker apologized for during the show for the poor venue and sound system. It was still worth the price of admission.

Perhaps the show that stands out the most was my second PH concert. It was November 25, 1971. I believe it was a Thanksgiving night. I started the evening at Madison Square Garden with the J Geils Band and Emmerson Lake and Palmer. Both Groups were fantastic. I stumbled out of the Garden and tried to hail a cab. Fat chance! I somehow managed to navigate the subways and wound up at the Academy of Music. The opening acts were King Crimson and Yes. I can remember hoping that Greg lake would sit in with King Crimson since he was just at the Garden. Wishful thinking! I wasn't too familiar with the stuff Crimson played. I stopped following them after their first two albums but Yes was great . This was around the time of The Yes Album. I had been following the band since that July when I caught them at Gaelic Park in the Bronx. But the highlight of the night was Procol Harum. They were super. I can still remember Alan Cartwright swaying back and forth as he played bass and BJ's arms flying through the air, the taped seagulls for Salty and Brooker nodding his head as he pounded on his piano. I also remember Balls intensity and Copping's haircut. If anybody's interested I have a list of the PH concerts I've attended with dates and venues.

My favorite PH albums are Salty and Grand Hotel. I think all of the albums are great but those two hold a special place for me. I like all of the lineups of the band including the latest. The Edmonton reunion concert video is great. PH has never had a mediocre musician in their lineup. I've been lucky enough to purchase all of PH's albums on CD when they were available. Too bad A&M neglects its vaults the way they do. I just received the 30th anniversary package in the mail today. The WSOP instrumental is interesting. I have all of Gary Brooker's solo work and most of Mathew Fisher's. I wish someone would release Journey's End and I'll Be There. I'd love to get my hands on a WSOP reunion video. I wish I could have been there. Couldn't make it across the pond.

As for myself, I'm a Engineering Supervisor for the Maps & Records section of a local utility here in NY. I'm also a frustrated musician/composer. I was in a garage band in the late 60's and later played in a bar band in the early 70's. Back then I played guitar and flute. We played a lot of Tull. Since we had no keys the only PH tune we did was The Devil Came From Kansas. Although I wasn't the singer, the task of figuring out the words fell to me. When I came up with "don't beg the silver paper when I'm trying to sell you cheese" everyone thought I was crazy but I was close. Later in life I took up keyboarding; mostly to help with my composing. The only song I ever performed outside of my home is WSOP. Sharing top honors in my all time musical favorites list with PH is the second incarnation of Renaissance (with Annie Haslem). I vacillate back and forth between the two bands which will be my current obsession. Other bands that are right up there are Jethro Tull and the Moody Blues. Music is really a big part of my life and I probably spend too much time and money on it but what the heck. At least it's a vice that I can talk about.

Well a few words of introduction has turned into a major dissertation. I hope I haven't put anyone to sleep. I'm looking forward to reading future PH messages.

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To: procol@progrock.org
From: Christina <setters@bitsmart.com
Subject: Greetings from Sweden!

I felt it's about time I introduce myself.... I've been quietly abiding in the background for some days.. Some of you already know me a bit, and you can confirm I'm a very shy, modest and silent type of person, right, so it figures?! "Never seen-never heard" - that's me! And I also believe there are 8 days a week! :) (sorry - couldn't resist!) I guess you'll all sooner or later understand I'm joking...... Oh, well....for those I've never met IRL...(yet?).... here are some facts:

I'm a woman from Sweden, and I've been *into* Procol Harum, since AWSOP, when I was a teenager in 1967. I've also had the pleasure of attending some concerts, throughout the years, the latest - I refuse to believe the last - was in Redhill.

I guess what I appreciate most is that Procol's music MOVES me! It's a *special, powerful, majestic* sound that touches my soul; yeah...that's PH to me! (sorry English is not my native language; I can't fully describe it......) But it puts me in a special mood - like no other music! Not to mention the lyrics, of course...[Hi Keith! Are you here? We missed you in Redhill!] Umm....What else? I got hooked on Matthew's way to 'treat' the organ. *That's* PH to me! It's outstanding - in my opinion! (I *had* to mention this, otherwise he'll probably remove my link from his webpage) [LOL!!!]

Serious now; Procol Harum without Matthew Fisher is still PH of course - but it doesn't make me 'shiver' - atleast not in the same way. Know what I mean? I guess it goes back to the time of AWSOP..and the first impressions lasts - especially since it became a WOW-experience and a new world was revealed music-wise to "this young girl"......who played the organ and piano herself at that time. Oh well!

I am not ONLY a Procoholic; naah, I'm also somewhat of a BillyJoelic (eh?) and although you may disagree.....hey..it's making sense..atleast to me! Why? "It's All About Soul"! Too! :) (Elton John and Billy Joel are performing together in Gothenburg, Sweden next summer.... guess who's going to be there) Sorry - I'll never mention those names on this list again - please forgive me! ---Repent!---

As I've already said: I was one of the fortunate who attended the 30th Anniversary, and it sure was a great event! (Thanx Jens Anders for letting me know 'bout it)

Words can never express/describe it completely - and I'm so thankful for those few days; I'll treasure them as long as I live........atleast as long as my mind works and I can remember and *feel*. And I'm not ashamed to admit I still sometimes get tears in my eyes when recalling it all!

Thanks for reading this far.......I'll try to concentrate on 'the subject' in my next email! Oh..I almost forgot: Guys.....do you remember our Farewell - greeting at Laker's Toby? Yeah....that's right: Next Year In New York!!! :) (Haven't given up hope!)

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Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 21:51:58 -0500 (EST)
From: Jem33@aol.com
To: setters@bitsmart.com, procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: Greetings from Sweden!

I got hooked on Matthew's way to 'treat' the organ. *That's* PH to me! It's outstanding - in my opinion! <<

YES -- He certainly has the Magic Touch on that Hammond! David Lanz used those words ("magic touch") to describe and thank MF on the liner notes to that CD of his that MF played on - Christofori's Dream (1988), and I've heard that Gary also has described MF's playing that way.

(I *had* to mention this, otherwise he'll probably remove my link from his webpage) [LOL!!!] <<

Serious now; Procol Harum without Matthew Fisher is still PH of course - but it doesn't make me 'shiver' - at least not in the same way. Know what I mean? <<

YEP! After MF left, the organ became a Background Instrument for me. But fortunately, BJ was still there to make Me shiver - in a different way - it became a different band - but still awesome. And Robin and Mick pitched in with some glorious playing as well. But that Bach-like Cathedral sound just wasn't there anymore, after MF left. And sadly, it wasn't there very much on his solo albums either. I heard some of it in his organ lines on the Prodigal Stranger CD, so I haven't given up hope that someday he'll record an album of songs in that style again.

As I've already said: I was one of the fortunate who attended the 30th Anniversary, and it sure was a great event! (Thanx Jens Anders for letting me know 'bout it) <<

And thank YOU for those great photos you took for the WebSite - not only the ones in the Redhill Section, but that lovely soulful photo of MF at the bottom of His page! :-) :-)

So Welcome to the List, Christina! I hope you'll share more of your Redhill experiences with us.

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Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 08:57:31 -0600
From: "Andrew T. Sweet" <atsweet@mcs.com Reply-
To: atsweet@mcs.com
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: procol V1 #58

Speaking of Matthew Fisher, has he recorded any solo albums recently? I really enjoyed the first three, but I haven't heard anything new from him in more than ten years...

Andy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 13:58:50 -0500 (EST)
From: Jem33@aol.com
To: atsweet@mcs.com, procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: Re: procol V1 #58

Speaking of Matthew Fisher, has he recorded any solo albums recently? I really enjoyed the first three, but I haven't heard anything new from him in more than ten years... <<

He recorded Strange Days around 1980, but it was never released, except maybe in Holland or Germany? BUT -- it's out on CD!!! -- in combination with his 3rd album "Matthew Fisher." So the 2-on-one CD is called "Matthew Fisher/Strange Days." It can be had via the CDNow online store --

and at many other outlets as well. The instrumentation is mostly synths, but his beautiful voice and wonderful melodies compensate. I like to listen to those songs and Imagine how they'd sound with piano and Hammond rather than synths...

He also recorded an all-instrumental album around 1994 - (again, sadly to me -- mostly synths) called "A Salty Dog Returns." There's a GREAT rendition of Green Onions on that though - and there he's on the Hammond in all its/his Glory!! He and guitarist Dick Taylor from the Pretty Things (Taylor outdoing himself) trade phrases and it's totally Exciting - especially if turned up LOUD!!!! MF is a GREAT Blues player - you can hear that by listening carefully to Wish Me Well (I know it's hard not to focus on RT's HOT Licks, and so MF can go overlooked), and also the Easter Island CD where they do a LIVE version of the gorgeous slow blues "Going Down Slow." (Easter Island was recorded in 1969, mostly at Fillmore East, and is a bootleg with poor sound quality but one can imagine how great it Really sounded).

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Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 23:53:31 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michael G. Haynes" <mghaynes@Oakland.edu

You say that MF plays some great blues tracks but you don't like the sound of synthesizers; however, how do his solo albums in general sound compared to his Procol Harum work. Is it likely a fan of PH would also enjoy his solo works?;) Appreciate the recommendations. That instrumental album sounds interesting from your description;)

Michael ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: procol@progrock.org
From: "Hidroelectrica Alicura SA" <alicura@neuquen.com.ar
Subject: 30th Anniversary Anthology
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 97 06:13:11 PST

Hi Procol Friends: I've just received the 30th Anniversary Box Set and want to do some comments. First of all, I think I must introduce myself again 'cause when I did, in august, the list was very tinny and, despite being reading and enjoying the conversation since then, I've never let my voice to be heared, because I felt I had nothing new to say. So, a little enhanced since my last appareance here, there I go: my name is Jose Luis Pomar, I'm from Neuquen, Argentina (South America, I guess you know). I'm an Engineer, 46 years old, 5 children. As far as I know, I'm the southest Procol Harum fan in the world! Unhappily, due to this, I've never seen Procol live (neither even on TV!) because they never played in this part of the world; except for Robin Trower who toured with Bryan Ferry in early 1996, but I didn't realize until a few months ago. I have no bootleg tapes, and even my record collection is very incomplete. But, I love their music more than I can say (specially in english that isn't my language; if Keith lyrics are rather obscure for you all, imagine for me!) anyway, Procol is my favourite band, Gary my favourite pianist and singer, B.J. my fav... and so on. Well, let's go to the comments. The first: According to the notes in the box, Homburg (the single) was performed by the original line-up (featuring Royer & Harrison) Can anybody tell if this is true? Second: The AWSoP stereo version let hear guitar and piano playing, which I never heared in the single or album release... however, sadly, drumming sounds awfully amateurish... don't you agree? I think Denny Cordell was really right replacing Harrison by Eyden for the record. Third: (this one mainly for Joan May): I was seventeen at the time (1968) the first album was released in my country, on the Parlophone label, slightly different from both UK and US versions, included Homburg, Quite Rightly So and In The Wee... but excluded Salad Days and AWSoP. I remember I was crazy about it, play it along the whole day. Those days I told one of my school mates, that Repent Walpurgis featured a cello... Now I think Robin's work in that track was his best ever. Sorry about my english. I apologize for the mistakes. Kind regards. Jose Luis

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Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 15:58:14 +0100
From: Frank Matheus <matheus@uni-muenster.de Reply-
To: matheus@uni-muenster.de
To: Procol Harum <procol@progrock.org
Subject: bill wyman interview

I went to the doctor yesterday, and in the waiting room I found a two week old German mag called "Stern" (which means "star"). They had an interview with Bill Wyman, and he talked a bit about his new band "The Rhythm Kings" and the cd and the tour. Regarding the concerts he mentioned Gary and said that it was fun to play with him and the others. He left the Stones because he saw no further musical challenge with that band, and he seemed to be really happy working with his new mates. There was another intersting inforamtion: He said that he had recorded 57 or so tracks and that the others will be published on two more cds. So we have the chance that Gary will have more space on the next albums. That's the interview as far as I remember ist (at least the parts of  interest).

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Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 08:54:28 -0600
From: "Andrew T. Sweet" <atsweet@mcs.com Reply-
To: atsweet@mcs.com
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: procol V1 #60

You're not the only Southerly Procol fan - I spend a lot of time in San Martin de los Andes listening to Procol - and lately, a lot of Matthew Fisher... Andy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 15:19:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Jem33@aol.com
To: alicura@neuquen.com.ar, procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: 30th Anniversary Anthology

I haven't even read all of your message yet - just skimmed it because I'm in a rush right now - but came across your statement:

Those days I told one of my school mates, that Repent Walpurgis featured a cello..<<

YES YES YES!!!!! I've always maintained that RT achieved an Incredible sound on Procol's First - like a Wild Frenzied Electrified Cello!!!! --- and very few people have agreed with me on that -- except my husband and one other fan who may or may not want to identify himself. <G ....Recently RT did an interview with Vintage Guitar Magazine where he said his First Guitar was actually Shaped like a cello (!) -- but he never said he was going for that sound with Procol. Anyway -- thanks for hearing Robin the way I do! I never expect others to hear things the same way I do - and don't ever fault them for not doing so - but it's always a Great pleasure when someone does agree. :-) :-)

Michael H -- I'll be writing more about FIsher's solo works soon -- don't have time right now.. please forgive...

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Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 12:51:07 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michael G. Haynes" <mghaynes@Oakland.edu

well since there's not a lot of talking on here right now, i'll throw out one of those "done to death" topics*grin*:)

I'm curious what sort of things you look for in the groups or songs that are your favorites;)

The reason I ask is the groups that often become popular today lack the very traits I hold precious: voice quality, instrumental proficiency, songs that are about something. Groups like Uriah Heep (great voice, great musicianship, songs not always about anything particular), queen (great voice, great musicianship, songs sometimes and sometimes not about anything), the now disbanded concrete blonde (kick-ass voice, good musicianship, songs that are about things other than just love;), Jefferson Airplane/Starship (satisfies all three perfectly to me;), Deep Purple (well there songs are sometimes pretty campy (Ted the Mechanic comes to mind) but sometimes they also try to be about something (The Aviator's a good example); anyhow voice and musicianship have never really been a problem*Grin*:)

other mentions (btw Procol Harum is sorta a dead giveaway*Grin*:) clapton, jeff beck, cream, grand funk railroad, marillion, live, depeche mode (ok they're electronic music but they satisfy two/three still;) INXS (on again off again for song quality but still great lead singer)

anyhow those are partial lists, but very little of the music i like comes from groups that started in the 90's...80's has virtually become an iron curtain for me...there just seems to be little incentive for groups to become proficient in ANY of these categories before striking a record deal these days...the public doesn't demand it...a catchy tune and they don't look what the songs about...a terrier could be the lead singer and they wouldn't notice;/ what do you think sirs?

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Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 17:57:44 -0800
From: jlaustin <jlaustin@prodigy.net Reply-
To: jlaustin@prodigy.net
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Rarities

Are any of you fellow Procol fanatics familiar with either a CD of live BBC recordings plus outtakes with Robin Trower called "Through The Garden Fence" or a CD produced by Matthew Fisher (and on which he plays?) called Route 66? I recently received a catalogue from a company in New York which specializes in hard-to-find music from the '50s through the '80s which listed these two items among their PH-related items. I figure that if anyone in the world knows of these items, it will be someone tuned into this list.

Thanks for any reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 21:23:29 -0500 (EST)
From: Jem33@aol.com
To: Procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: Important Factors in Music

Whoops! I think I pushed the wrong button on this the first time---- Please forgive if this is a duplication:

the very traits I hold precious: voice quality, instrumental proficiency, songs that are about something. <<

(Optional)Vocals - I like bluesy, soulful singing, with few or no vocal overdubs to obscure the nuances of the vocals;

Instrumentation - no synths, no orchestras. Favorite instruments: HOT Lead Guitar, Creative Drumming (can't Stand Metronomic drums, e.g. Mark B); I also like bluesy acoustic piano. Don't care for electronic keyboards with the Monumental Exception of Matthew "Magic Touch" Fisher!!!!!

Lyrics are optional - I enjoy instrumentals as well as vocal performances If there are lyrics - I MUCH prefer NON-LOVE SONGS!!! I think that's one reason I like KR's words so much. Love songs are just BORING to me -- too predictable and ordinary.. Love is a very personal thing and I think any given love story is Fascinating to the people actually In that relationship, but a big bore to others. ;-)

To me, Lyrics are very secondary to the music, and I'll accept Any lyrics that don't interfere with the flow of that music. Things that would interfere include: trite lovesong lyrics, words that advocate some kind of bigotry or human-rights violation, or those that sound too dumb -- a KR gaffe in the latter area is "round and round and round and round again" in Perpetual Motion on Prodigal Stranger. I like lyrics that have a musical Sound to them, and/or evoke brief interesting or unusual perceptual images - a la Cerdes. I don't care for lyrics that are too conceptual or fraught with meaning. If I want to delve into concepts, I'll go to literature, not music. Thinking about concepts interferes with my enjoyment of the music - different parts of the brain, I guess. ======================== Some of my favorite musicians: PH of course, Matthew Fisher's solo works; Jefferson Airplane (up thru Volunteers); Jeff Beck - TRUTH album; early Buddy Guy/Junior Wells, Butter/Bloomfield Band (esp East-West); Dire Straits; Eric Bazilian (with Hooters band and Joan Osborne's Relish album); Howlin' Wolf/Hubert Sumlin; early Pat Benatar/Neil Geraldo[nee Giraldo]; early Heart w/Roger Fisher; [A little non-sequitur: Heart and PH Both had Wilsons and Fishers - and sadly lost their Fishers, to the detriment of both.]; Bob Marley w/Carlton Barrett [drums]/Junior Marvin[guitar]; Ijahman Levi (another soulful reggae singer); Bonnie Bramlett; Jackson Browne (again his earlier work, esp w/David Lindley).

I know -- not much recent stuff. But I'm still listening to the current sounds on radio, MTV, etc.. and always on the lookout for good music..

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Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 21:29:23 -0500 (EST)
From: Jem33@aol.com
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Wrong Song

Another gaffe on my part: a KR gaffe in the latter area is "round and round and round and round again" in Perpetual Motion on Prodigal Stranger. <<

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From: "Randall Davis" <rd615@earthlink.net
To: <jlaustin@prodigy.net, <procol@progrock.org
Subject: Re: Rarities
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 18:35:14 -0800

I have Through the Garden Fence, it's a collection of BBC recordings of pretty good quality. If anyone is interested, I can type out the song list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Randall Davis rd615@earthlink.net http://members.aol.com/rd615/home.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -----Original Message-----
From: jlaustin <jlaustin@prodigy.net
To: procol@progrock.org <procol@progrock.org
Date: Saturday, November 15, 1997 6:05 PM
Subject: Rarities

Thanks for any reply. ==== For subscription commands http://po.internetrti.com/guest/RemoteListSummary/Procol

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Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 11:31:52 -0500
To: <procol@progrock.org
From: Alan Semok <asemok@IDT.NET
Subject: Re:Garden Fence

JLAUSTIN wrote (clipped): Are any of you fellow Procol fanatics familiar with either a CD of live BBC recordings plus outtakes with Robin Trower called "Through The Garden Fence"<<

Not a bad collection...the sound quality is not perfect as with most bootleg discs (which this one is) but it's nice to hear what amount to "live in the studio" performances for the most part (on some tracks, there was some minor overdubbing). With BBC beginning to release material from these sessions (the Led Zepelin disc is the newest in the BBC series), perhaps the new year may bring us an officially released disc of the Procol BBC sessions with cleaner sound. Maybe it's time to drop the Beeb a line, en masse, to let them know there's interest in such a thing. Couldn't hoit!

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Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 20:36:21 +0300 (GMT)
From: marpe@chasque.apc.org
To: procol@progrock.org
Subject: Important factors. All this and more

Michael asked about what sort of things we look for in the groups or songs that are our favorites, and wrote that the groups that often become popular today lack what he looks for: voice quality, instrumental proficiency, and songs that are about something I agree about voice quality (not necessarily great voices, nor great vocal technique, but a distinctive, personal way of singing) Instrumental proficiency is OK, but I would add that the display of virtuosism (i.e. Mahavishnu Orchestra) usually makes me nervous. I like it better when I feel there is some kind of wisdom in the musicians choice of the notes that must be played (maybe a lot per minute, I'm no minimalist) and the ones that are superfluous. Lyrics have always been very important to me, maybe because I work a lot with words as a journalist, and maybe because I've learnt most of my English trying to figure them out through the years - and KR has been some kind of Ph.D.!. I usually have to pay special attention to them, and expect some reward: I don't mind if they are just a good collection of topics (i.e. the blues classic stuff), it' s OK if there is a story well told and it's OK too if they are obscure or just some good old nonsense - lyrics only disturb me when they are poorly written, too obvious, or pretentious (i.e. some of Yes). To me, melody is optional (really love some Dylan songs that don't offer much from this point of view. About instrumentation. As a guitar player, I often NEED a guitar in the centerfield (not neccesarily lead) - when the music is based on keyboards it has to be really good to catch me. The same applies to other instruments: I don't need great drummers, percusionists or bass players, but when I like one of them (i.e. BJ Wilson, Ray Cooper or Tony Levin) I become a real fan. Here are some of my favourites (not in order). Zappa, Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Roy Harper, Incredible String Band, Neil Young, old CSN (&Y), King Crimson/Adrian Belew, Paul Simon, Television/Tom Verlaine, Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Django Reinhardt, Byrds, Cocker, Grateful Dead (specially Workingman's Dead & American Beauty), Beatles and Stones, Otis Redding, Cream/Jack Bruce, Traffic/Winwood, Janis, Nick Drake, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, The Band, John Fahey, Led Zeppelin, Don McLean, The Mamas & The Papas, Lou Reed, Oregon, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Clash, Tom Waits, good old CCR, Santana, Patti Smith, Jethro Tull, Little Feat, Cat Stevens, Talking Heads, some Brazilian musicians (Joao Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Baden Powell, Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil) and lots of blues (YES, YES: Howlin' Wolf/Hubert Sumlin & early Buddy Guy/Junior Wells, Muddy Waters/Otis Spann, Freddie King 1960-64, Willie Dixon, Leadbelly, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Furry Lewis, Lightnin' Hopkins, Allman Brothers with Duane, Canned Heat, Clapton, Bloomfield, old Fleetwood Mac, Ry Cooder et al). As you see, most of them began in the sixties or the early seventies, and that leads me to another thing I look for and seldom find in the eighties and nineties: invention and creativeness. I feel that "rock" territory has been almost totally explored (and defined). Even when I hear something new I like (it happened with Michelle Shocked, recent Paul Weller, Suzanne Vega & the first Counting Crows album) it's because I appreciate a good reworking of things I discovered a lot of years ago. Be well, you all Marcelo Pereira

PD: I also love some musicians of my country, Uruguay, but I think it's useless to list them here (if someone is interested in knowing about Uruguayan music, e-mail me).

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Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 15:53:31 +0800
To: procol@progrock.org
From: Hani So <hani@pacific.net.sg
Subject: Re: Important factors. All this and more

1. Melody 2. Composition 3. Instrumentation proficiency 4. Vocal proficiency 5. Lyrics

Procol's "Homburg" and "The Worm & The Tree Part I and II" Matthew Fisher's "Seperation" Uriah Heep's "Paradise/The Spell" Rainbow's "Eyes Of The World" Deep Purple's "Speed King" Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air" Barry Ryan's "Elouise" The Move's "Fire Brigade" Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "Joybringer"

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To: "Bill Hammell" <bill@progrock.org
From: bill@progrock.org (Bill Hammell)
To: <procol@progrock.org
Subject: Fw: Procol Harum
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 15:27:41 -0500

I'm forwarding this to the list in case someone would like to help this gentleman. He is in search of Robin Trower stories.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ Bill Hammell - bill@progrock.org /_/ _/ Mgr: Livgren/Elefante, Wakeman, Yes, Procol Harum Email Lists /_/ _/ Kerry Livgren: http://progrock.org/livgren/ /_/ _/ John Elefante: http://progrock.org/elefante/ /_/ _/ irc.progrock.org - channel #livgren Livgren IRC Chat /_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

-----Original Message-----
From: Lloyd Phillips <pphillips@nextdim.com Newsgroups: rec.music.progressive
Date: Sunday, November 30, 1997 12:23 AM
Subject: Procol Harum

Does anyone out there have any anecdotes or stories they'd like to share concerning past Procol guitarist Robin Trower? I'm writing a profile of Robin, and would be interested in hearing anything concerning his career with either Procol, the Paramounts, or with his own power trio.

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