Procol Harum's NME coverage ...

9, 16, 23 + 30 October, 6 + 27 November 1971

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, show plenty of tour dates and a brief review, a single live track released, and the first news of the Edmonton album in the pipeline.

NME, October 9, 1971

Front page headlines:

ROD CHART SENSATION

First time ever: No 1 in British and American Singles & Albums charts (story and big pic)

WHO LAUNCH LONDON ROCK CENTRE (story)

TAMS FLY IN (pic)

THE KEITH MOON FILE (small pic)

CREEDENCE: TOUR AFTERMATH

News pages:

PROCOL HARUM'S UNIVERSITY GIGS
Procol Harum plays London School of Economics (tonight, Friday) and Leicester University (Saturday), then flies to Paris on Monday at the outset of a European tour.

NME Top 5:
1. ( 1) Maggie May, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Hey Girl Don't Bother Me, The Tams
3. ( 5) Tap Turns On The Water, C.C.S.
4. ( 6) Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum, Middle Of The Road
5. ( 3) Did You Ever, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Top 5 LPs:
1. ( 1) Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Tapestry, Carole King
3. ( 6) Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel
4. ( 5) Mud Slide Slim, James Taylor
5. ( 4) Fireball, Deep Purple

Tipped for the charts by Derek Johnson:
Till, Tom Jones
Coz I Luv You / My Life Is Natural, Slade
Bank Of The Ohio, Olivia Newton-John

Main album reviews:
Second Album, Curved Air
The North Star Grassman And The Ravens, Sandy Denny
Street Corner Talking, Savoy Brown
The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground (re-issue)
The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground (re-issue)
You Well-Meaning Bought Me Here, Ralph McTell
I'm Still Waiting, Diana Ross

Why Clive collected his pants and said goodbye to Jethro
by Nick Logan
Interview with Clive Bunker where he talks about the new band he started with Robin Trower. Nothing on Procol Harum in here.

NME, October 16, 1971

Front page headlines:

HARRISON SIX SHOWS? (pic)

Who tour preview (three pics and story)

ENGELBERT

SANTANA

CANNED HEAT

REDBONE

News pages:

DATE SHEET

(excerpt)

... Following its return from current European tour, Procol Harum plays Salford University (October 29) and Leeds University (30)...

Big news story on the forthcoming opening of London's new rock centre: The Rainbow Theatre (on November 4).

NME Top 5:

1. ( 1) Maggie May, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Hey Girl Don't Bother Me, The Tams
3. ( 4) Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum, Middle Of The Road
4. ( 6) You've Got A Friend, James Taylor
5. ( 5) Did You Ever, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Top 5 LPs:

1. ( 1) Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Tapestry, Carole King
3. (12) Electric Warrior, T. Rex
4. ( 5) Fireball, Deep Purple
5. ( 3) Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel

Tipped for the charts by Derek Johnson:
So Far Away, Carole King
Let's See Action, The Who
Good Old Fashioned Music, New Seekers
Love The One You're With, Isley Brothers

Main album reviews:
Santana III, Santana
Look At Yourself, Uriah Heep
Teenage Licks, Stone The Crows
Another Monty Python Record, Monty Python's Flying Circus
Distant Light, The Hollies

From NME, October 23, 1971:

News pages

ALL-STAR WEEK ON RADIO 1

(excerpt)

SOUNDS OF THE SEVENTIES: Bob Harris introduces James Taylor, Procol Harum, Chris Spedding and Bridget St. John (next Monday, 25)...

NME, October 30, 1971

Front page headlines:

Group says 'No' to solo album

CLARKE SPLITS FROM HOLLIES (big pic of Allan Clarke)

Redbone tour next month (pic and story)

CROSBY NASH VISIT IS ON (story)

JUDY COLLINS

FOUR TOPS

DOORS

JETHRO

NME Top 5:

1. ( 1) Maggie May, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Witch Queen Of New Orleans, Redbone
3. ( 3) Simple Game, Four Tops
4. ( 6) For All We Know, Shirley Bassey
5. ( 4) You've Got A Friend, James Taylor

Top 5 LPs:

1. ( 1) Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart
2. (10) Motown Chartbusters Vol. 6, Various Artists
3. ( 4) Electric Warrior, T. Rex
4. ( 2) Tapestry, Carole King
5. ( 5) Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel

Tipped for the charts by Derek Johnson:
Captain Zero, Mixtures
Surrender, Diana Ross
Sing A Song Of Freedom, Cliff Richard
Mamma, Daniel Boone
Walnut Whirl / Right On Mother, Peter Noone

Main album reviews:

Fearless, Family
You Don't Have To Be In The Army, Mungo Jerry
Chelsea Girl, Nico (re-issue)
Both Sides Now, Judy Collins
Can I have My Money Back, Gerry Rafferty

AMERICA CALLING
by Nancy Lewis

Ten Years, Procol, Havens, Feliciano for new rock festival

(excerpt)
Ten Years After, Procol Harum, Richie Havens, Poco, Jose Feliciano, the Chambers Brothers and the road company of Jesus Christ Superstar are among the names so far confirmed for an up-coming rock festival - one that looks like it might actually happen!

The event is called the Vega Baja Music And Art Fair, and it's scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico, just 45 minutes west of San Juan, from November 20-27 ...

NME November 6, 1971

Front page headlines:

ELTON HOME

New album released, all set for UK tour (big pic and story)

ZEP NOV TOUR

Wembley box office open today (story)

SUPREMES

KRISTOFFERSON

208 TIMES

Engelbert, Student Prince: Procol's new album live: Stoneground 'horror' (story)

(excerpt from the last mentioned passage on front page)

...PROCOL HARUM'S next album will be a live concert performance, in which the group is supported by a 50-piece symphony orchestra and chorus! The LP will be recorded in Canada on November 19 - during Harum's current tour of North America, which opened in Georgia this week - and A&M plans to release it as early as possible in the New Year. The outfit's Gary Brooker has written all the music and arrangements, for Harum and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and Keith Reid has penned the music [sic]. Chris Thomas will produce...

NME Top 5:
1. ( 1) Maggie May, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Witch Queen Of New Orleans, Redbone
3. (14) Tired Of Being Alone, Al Green
4. ( 6) Sultana, Titanic
5. ( 3) Simple Game, Four Tops

Top 5 LPs:

1. ( 1) Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart
2. ( 2) Motown Chartbusters Vol.6, Various Artists
3. ( 6) Imagine, John Lennon
4. ( 3) Electric Warrior, T. Rex
5. ( 4) Tapestry, Carole King

Tipped for the charts by Derek Johnson:
Something Tells Me, Cilla Black
Tokoloshe Man, John Kongos
What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am, The Tams
Jeepster, T. Rex
Fireball, Deep Purple

Main album reviews:
The Silver-Tongued Devil, Kris Kristofferson
Live At Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas, Tom Jones
Surf's Up, The Beach Boys
Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air, Incredible String Band

and finally:

Various Artists. The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies / Isle of Wight and Atlanta Pop Festivals (CBS, 3-LP set, 66311, £4.99).

(excerpt)

...In relief, Procol Harum's plaintive Salty Dog is another standout, though I would have welcomed the addition of some of the driving rock'n'roll which highlighted their wild finale...

NME, 27 November 1971

Front page main story:

STONES TOUR PLANS
LP, possibly double, for Feb release

Exclusive: Jagger talks to NME (big pic of Jagger)

The rest:

PAUL'S WINGS CLIPPED (small story regarding still unavailable Wild Life album)

Zappa / Cher / Kongos / Move and more

32 PAGES

NME TOP 30

Singles:
1. ( 1) Coz I Luv You, Slade
2. ( 4) Johnny Reggae, Piglets
3. ( 7) Gypsies, Tramps, Thieves, Cher
4. ( 2) I Will Return, Springwater
5. ( 3) Till, Tom Jones

Albums:
1. ( 2) Imagine, John Lennon
2. ( 1) Every Picture Tells A Story, Rod Stewart
3. ( 5) Electric Warrior, T. Rex
4. ( 4) Tapestry, Carole King
5. (12) Meddle, Pink Floyd

Main single reviews by Derek Johnson
Brand New Key, Melanie
I Just Can't Help Believing, Elvis Presley
Soley Soley, Middle Of The Road
Open The Door, Judy Collins
Rock Steady, Aretha Franklin
Theme From 'Shaft', Isaac Hayes
Merry Christmas Darling, Carpenters
Baby I'm-A-Want You, Bread
Can't Let You Go, Barry Ryan

Main album reviews:
Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy, The Who
Performance Rockin' At The Fillmore, Humble Pie
Muswell Hillbillies, The Kinks
Rainbow Bridge, Jimi Hendrix
Madman Across The Water, Elton John
Parrish & Gurvitz, Parrish & Gurvitz
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, Elvis Presley

AMERICA CALLING
From Jim Smith in Toronto

FICKLE FOLLOWERS 'SLAM' THE DOORS
(main story concerns a concert with The Doors (minus the late Jim Morrison), then moves on to):

... Procol Harum drew a better crowd last week but, in many ways, were less satisfying. You look at a group like the Doors on stage and know they are giving their souls to the audience. With Procol the feeling just isn't there. Not that the group gave a bad show, but after the intriguing albums, one after another, their stage presence felt just a trifle flat.

That much showed up in King Crimson's set on the same programme. King Crimson's performance really didn't come up to Procol's, but because the Crimson albums are less familiar the group's work seemed more inspired.

Procol move on to Edmonton later this week for a combined performance with the Edmonton Symphony. That is the type of combined work-out that won Procol so many fans in this country. It should be a quality show...

(The column then moves on to T. Rex, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and finally David Cassidy.)