Procol HarumBeyond
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This page now constitutes a fascinating Variorum for Procol fans who wish to compare The Commander's song-introductions over three consecutive days when the set list was exactly the same (this can't have happened often, if ever, in the band's history). Note the recurrence of various motifs, a number of unsurprising inconsistencies ... and most interestingly, the markedly more informal tone on 18 August's private camera rehearsal, when the audience was composed entirely of Palers equipped with BtP's special passes, a few of the young Green-Shirted crew, and a handful of other folk who had wandered out of the forest in curiosity.
| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | No spoken preamble |
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GB's public comments, |
Again, no spoken preamble |
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GB's public |
Still no spoken preamble |
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Procol Harum played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much and good evening. Oh, afternoon, sorry! It is indeed magic to be here in the grounds of this castle. Apparently it was built after the architect went to visit Disney Land (laughter) and I think he did a very fine job. And in view of the fact that it is something magic, we shall play that very song. (off-mic) One two three four ... |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you very much, and good afternoon! Thank you, fine people of Denmark. I must apologise for not speaking very much Danish, just a little bit of ... I can say 'Danmark' and that's about it (laughter). But it's wonderful to be invited by everybody here to play for you this afternoon in this beautiful, magic setting. Ledreborg Palace here. And we hope we have a good time. Something Magic. (off-mic) One two three four ... |
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GB's public |
Thank you very much, and good afternoon from us up here. Everybody feeling all right? This is really a beautiful place, and I like the weather today: not too hot. OK, we’re going to try and get hot with a couple here today, but this next one is just something a bit magic, to go with the day. Something Magic |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Something Magic indeed (someone shouts, 'Indeed'!). For my next trick we should like to play a song about some ex-managers of ours who stole all of our money whilst they got incredibly rich. They used to work for a company called Chrysalis, but we called them the Butterfly Boys. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Something Magic for today! Play a sunny song, it's a little bit of rock’n’roll called Butterfly Boys |
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GB's public |
OK, that was, er, pretty straight. We’d like to try and mix a little bit more rock’n’rolly stuff with orchestra this time; this one called Butterfly Boys |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much. Butterfly Boys which is always good in afternoon concert ... we're going to change it now and play something based on wasps, which are more prevalent here at Ledreborg Castle than butterflies. So this is called Wasp ... And we'd like Dave and the orchestra to start it off, thank you. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
It's a perfect day. Thank you Lord, for keeping these nice people dry (laughter). He's just made it a little bit too got for us up here, in the sun. We hope you know a lot of the songs we're going to play tonight – this afternoon, I should say – this next one's called Homburg and I'm sure you'll recognise it once it starts. Thank you, Maestro. |
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GB's public |
Ah well, I hope we’re going to play something you know as well, tonight. This afternoon! We’ve never played in the afternoon before. Never got up so early (laughter). What’s that yellow thing up there? That the sun? Never seen that before. Only when it comes up when we’re on the way home. Anyway you may not recognise this at first, but I’m sure that you will later on. It’s called Homburg. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much. We um, we're going to play one on our own, and we say it's from our latest album, which may have been about ... well ... almost before 9/11, but it wasn't quite. I think it's out on a DVD here on sale and we need to bolster up the finances because the beer here in Denmark is very expensive (laughter). But when we go we wanna go, where they're drinkin' beer and havin' fun. In the VIP Room. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you very much indeed. Actually one of the reasons we sometimes go out and play is, now and again we put a CD out, and we hope there might be something coming out of today ... but um ... we did have one out a short while ago and I think we've er .. got the DVD of it out here somewhere ... we'd like to play just one from it as a band, it’s called The VIP Room, this is where we wanna be. (off-mic) Are you ready? (on-mic) I said are you ready? Are you ready? (crowd shouts 'Yes'!) |
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GB's public |
Homburg, thank you! Might just knock one out with just the band here for a moment, ’cos the conductor needs a bit of a rest. One from our last CD, it’s called The VIP Room. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you! (off-mic) Wasp attack there, three at once. But of a wasp attack there I had, uh ... We'll play one from our Grand Hotel album. C minor. Goes like this. it's called Fires Which Burned. Brightly in brackets. An anti-war song, in three parts. |
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But GB's public comments, 19 August |
We had an album out once, ooh, way back, long long time ago, when most of you were children, when you were fifteen. You remember then? (audience calls 'Yes') In the 70s. This was from the Grand Hotel album: we'd like to do it today with our orchestra and choir, the Danish Underground Choir (laughter) |
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GB's public |
Thank you, that’s Geoffrey Whitehorn on guitar ... Geoff! Phew ... do one from our Grand Hotel album a few years ago, real long time ago actually. If anybody’s grandparents are here they might remember this one. It’s called Fires. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much. Everybody feeling all right? (cries of assent). I said is everybody feeling all right? (redoubled cries of assent). Anybody want some of my vodka, they've only got to ask. Cheers. (Swallows) Oh! That's not vodka, that's schnapps! (laughter). (Somewhat transAtlantic tones) We deal in several things here. We deal in life, we deal in death, we deal in sorrow ... pain, hope, truth ... Nothing but the Truth. (off-mic) One two three fo’ ... |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Can you hear all right over at the back there? Wave! Hello at the back! Hi! Oh yeah, they can hear. Hello at the top! Hello! Hello, the Duchess, or is it the Countess? Countess of Carlsberg, I hear. All due respects, Madam. We'd like to play another little piece of rock for her, called Nothing But the Truth. (off-mic) One two three fo’ ... |
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GB's public |
Thank you very much. We’ve had some ... First of all I must apologise, for not speaking any Danish, apart from En øl was the only word I learnt ... (no response) ... it used to mean ‘one beer’, obviously it’s changed, or I say it wrong, En øl, one Carlsberg, that sort of thing, you know. Um, I did have the pleasure of meeting the Duke of Carlsberg, who lives up in the Castle there. Very nice man. Invited us over for a beer later. And we might go. In the meantime, we’ll play one that you’ve never heard, which I know you’re going to enjoy. What is next, by the way? (laughter). Ah. It’s never the one I think it is. I usually forget to turn the page. Enjoy this one, it’s a bit of rock called Nothing But the Truth. (off-mic) One two three fo’ ... |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Nothing But the Truth. Thank you very much. We'd now like to play ... a Classical piece, which does have reference, quotes, fro three great Classical composers. And we will be holding a contest at the end of the afternoon, to see if you can name these three great Classical composers that are quoted in this piece. It's called Into the Flood. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
(off-mic) [something like 'And they're shot' or
possibly 'Polar-bear shop']. Just got to find the chords to the
next one ... I don't know it ... it's in E ... right! Ladies and
gentlemen, we hope you enjoy this one: it's not been played in public
very much, but ... it is great fun to play with such a fine orchestra.
Aren't they a fine orchestra? (cries of assent). Dansk Radio ... honings
... Orkestre (laughter) ... ('Danish' accent) Danmarks Radio hor... Orkestre. (laughter). It's called Into the Flood. |
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GB's public |
Thank you, Nothing But the Truth. Now we’ll do the one I said that you hadn’t heard before: it’s called Into the Flooooood, and it’s got a few little bits of music in it, and it’s going to feature the (hesitatingly) Dansk Radio Uh...honning...hotteningsOrkest (loud laughter and applause). Um? That’s how you call? |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August |
Thank you very much indeed good people, gnomes of Denmark. When I ...
first of all you must excuse myself and my friends for not speaking
much Danish. I know that Danish people are more educated. I did try to
learn Danish at school: unfortunately the teacher that was teaching us
was Swedish and he couldn't speak English or Danish. But that's the
Swedes for you (amiable growls from crowd). (Ingenuously) Any Swedes
here? (laughter). Good. Keep wearing that blue and yellow flag, one day
you might win a football match (laughter). Actually we've only ever
beaten them once, haven't we? No, I don't think we did beat them, no.
No. Beaten Denmark. Football's only a game. Well, what shall we do now?
Oh, of course, good idea, thank you David, yes, we're gonna do Simple
Sister. Start if off with a sort of ‘We Will Rock
You’. You ready to sing that? (Desultory assent). You ready to sing
that? (Robust affirmations). OK. After you, David.
GB sings 'We will, we will rock you'. As the guitar plays, he shouts 'Geoff Whitehorn!' then 'Yeah, let's hear it' before the choir comes in. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Into the Flood, thank you. Just a little reference to Mozart in the middle, as it's his birthday or something. Phew, me, nice and warm. You nice and warm? (cries of assent). Danish weather! Yeah, we don't get this in England! Just rain and fog. We're going to let the orchestra start this one off. Hopefully a good combination between ... as are hopefully most Procol Harum songs are ... we don't have a big battle with the orchestra ... it all seems to fit OK (applause) even if it's Heavy Metal. |
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GB's public |
Thank you, Into the Flood. Um, where are we? Oh, Ledreborg. Good. The next one, er, we’re going to let the orchestra start it off, as they’re very very good at sort of that ‘We Will Rock You’ type stuff. They like it. (off-mic) We will rock you! |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August |
Geoff Whitehorn on the guitar, Matt Pegg on the bass, Mark Brzezicki
back on the drums. Josh Phillips on the org ... no he wasn't on the
organ on that one, I'm sorry. My name's Gary, party in my room
afterwards (laughter). I've got three beers and a bottle of Schnapps.
Should go round. I just say this 'cps we're filling in time where I
might be actually speaking quite seriously about the world situation at
this particular point. But now we'd like to drift back and remember all
our friends that watch us from above. Can't think of any at the moment
but ... (laughter) It's too sunny. Any idea of the weather forecast, anybody? Let's see if we can hear any seagulls, Geoffrey? |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Simple Sister ... Matt Pegg on bass, Geoffrey Whitehorn on guitar, Mark Brzezicki on the drums, back in this time Josh Phillips over on the organ (applause). This song can sometimes make the sun come out: there's no need today, but we would like to play this next one for all of our good friends, and your good friends, who couldn't be with us today. It's called A Salty Dog. |
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GB's public |
Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I think with Procol Harum, when we play with orchestra, and it’s been very very nice, a great honour and pleasure to have been invited here by everybody, um, and we’re thoroughly enjoying it. And it’s not a great battle, Procol Harum and orchestra: everything seems to fit all right. We’d like to play the next one for all of our friends that were not able to be here today. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much. Before we move on to our next epic ... like to explain all about this one, it's a bit out of the ordinary. But ... we haven't actually played it before. I haven't anyway. My next-door neighbour, in ... England, name of Sid, in his eighties, tragic story really. He went off to war in 1939 to fight the dirty Nazis. Unfortunately he got caught about three weeks after marching through France, walked up to Poland, where he spent the remainder of the war. Which was quite a long time, 'til about 1945. And when he came back of course he wasn't a young man any more, he couldn't eat any rich food, and the lack of diet, eating cabbages for five years, had unfortunately caused him to lose his hearing a bit. So this is called Symphathy for the Hard of Hearing. Oh I'm sorry, it's the wrong one. We're doing Old English Dream. (laughter) |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you very much. Um, my apologies once more for not saying Danish. The reason we can't speak Danish is of course because we're English (laughter). It's where we come from. You can tell by the accent, I know. It's just the way I say ('Danish' accent) Danmarks Radio ... (laughter). Anyway we'd like to play one on our own from England, it's called An Old English Dream. Available now. |
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GB's public |
Hang ... I just got to recover from that one. Like to play one that we ... Oh, I didn’t even say, but of course you wouldn’t know, but we are from England (laughter), close friends always with the Danes, since you stopped coming over to Norfolk in 700 AD, anyway (laughter). And now we’re all getting on fine. We don’t want the Euro, you don’t want the Euro, so we’re all happy at the moment (applause). But I tell you, we see a lot more smiling faces in Denmark than we do in London. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you. Where was I. Oh yes, about the chap, went up there ... lost his ... lost his hearing, that was it, yeah. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you very much! Er, the next one might need a bit of an introduction because we've never actually played it before, except the last couple of days with these boys. Er, over in England I've got a neighbour, person that lives next door. He's in his eighties, and he told me his story once, because er, he didn't hear very well, and he can't eat rich food, and I said 'Well what happened to you, Sid?' and he said, 'Well ... in 1939,' he said, 'I had to go to war over in France.' Unfortunately for |Sid he was caught, as soon as he got there ... and he was marched away to Poland where he spent all of that time 'til 1945. And I thought, 'That's a tough life, for somebody from 19 to 24 to sit there building a Polish pier', and it made me think that when we celebrate on November the eleventh every year, lest we forget all those that have died for us. It's called Symphathy for the Hard of Hearing (applause). |
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GB's public |
Remind me to pick those up later: got the address of the hotel written on the back of me words, that’s all right ... we get lost. This next one might take a little bit of explaining because it hasn’t really come out on a record except on a very very obscure one once ... and it involves my neighbour, Sid. Sid, who’s now in his eighties, he told his story one day, because, er, I noticed that he couldn’t eat any rich food at all, he just er ... very plain, and he could never hear very well. And he told me that when he was nineteen, he had to go across to France to fight for his country, 1939. He didn’t get much of a fight, ’cos he got caught, about the third day, and he was taken away to Poland where he had to work for everybody for a few years, and when he came back aged twenty-four he was a changed man ... but a brave man; and I think on November the eleventh every year we remember our good soldiers that protected us, years before. This is Symphathy for the Hard of Hearing (applause). Thank you. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much. (off-mic) Anyone hurt? Er, er yes. What are we on? Whiter? Yes, please. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
(No spoken introduction) |
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GB's public |
(No spoken introduction) |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August |
AWSoP ends with: Thank you ... time for tea.
Announcer interrupts the Palers' decorous
conversations: Sorry, due to the deafening applause from the audience
(whoops, cheers) yes, and remember, have sympathy for the hard of
hearing, you can be even higher, yes (great cheers). Here they are, back
on the stage, ladies and gentlemen, Procol Harum |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
AWSoP ends with: Thank you so
much, thank you; it's been wonderful to be here, thank you! (Returning for encores) Thank you very much indeed. We'd just like to ... we do have one more, or two more. We'd like to refer back to an album which was the first time [sic] we ever played with an orchestra, back in 1971 when I was like six years old (laughter) ... like to play a couple for you from that, from the Edmonton album. |
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GB's public |
AWSoP ends with: Thank you so much, thank you for having us! (Returning for encores) Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, before we go any further I would like to say a grand ‘thank you’ once again, or for the first time in fact, not only to Denmark’s Radio Concert Orchestra, or as I said it the other day, The Danish ... the Danish Underground Orchestra (laughter) ... I think it’s a [rambling fake Danish sounds] bit of an accent ... but the man ... and of course the Correct Choir – thank you! – but the man that’s been holding together here right in the middle, a fellow Englishman I believe, but we’ll forgive him that ... please, a big round of applause for our conductor, David Firman! (applause) Thank you. I’d also like to thank Jens Hofman, who seems to have put this all together ... what a man! (applause) Yes, Jens Hofman! I’d like to thank my mum, (laughter) always looked after me, my wife, and er ... Josh Phillips on the organ (applause), Matthew Pegg on the bass (applause), on the drums, keeping time, Mark Brzezicki! (applause). And on the guitar, only man without a suit, Geoff Whitehorn! (applause). Geoff’s voice: and last, but hardly least, our fearless leader, Gary Brooker, MBE! (applause) Shortly to be resident of Ledreborg Castle. Gary’s voice: that’ll cost me at least a hundred Kroner. |
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August | Thank you very much! Recently adopted as the Greenland National Anthem, that one. Thank you. You remind me of the last audience we played to in Denmark. 'Cept there's more of you now. Well back in 1971 we had a very enjoyable experience, but not quite as enjoyable as what we've been having here this evening with David and the marvellous Radio Unstant Underground Orchestra ... or whatever they're called (cheers). They've been doing a fine job. They can't all sit up. Half of them are pregnant. And of course the Danske Underground Choir as well. Maestro Fraülien David Firman on the white blind man's stick. Once again thanks to the band here, drinking the beer over there before time. Josh Phillips; dying to have a beer but not having the time, Matt Pegg on bass; having a general problem with time, Mark Brzezicki on the drums; and a continual absolute drink problem, the international drinker Geoff Whitehorn on guitar. I've been your amiable and most incredibly funny host, thank you, ha-ha, let's all have a good chuckle, ha-ha-ha-ha. And we'd like to sign off with the Spanish National Anthem, which goes like this. |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you once again, ladies and gentlemen! Over on the organ, Josh Phillips (cheers); on the bass, Matt Pegg (cheers); on the drums, Mark Brzezicki (cheers); on the guitar, Geoff Whitehorn (cheers). My name's Gary, we'd like to say a big 'thank you' not just to the Radio Kor but also to Danmarks Radio Horrrring ... Holdninks ... Orketsre (laughter)! And as they are so good (off mic) See, they love you! Mind you, you've all been here before. Marvellous, thank you for inviting us, we've had a lovely day here at Ledreborg, and we're all going to live here. We've made an offer on the house (laughter). Pray silence, for Denmark's Radio Horrrring ... Holdninks ... Orketsre (laughter, cheers) |
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GB's public |
Thank you very much! May God be with you, and we’ll
let the great Radio Choir ... Orchestra thing, the Danish Concert
Orchestra ... Radio! (off-mic) Underground (on-mic)
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Procol Harum then played |
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| GB's rehearsal comments, 18 August |
Gracias, saludos a toros! Gracias gracias, two tequilas,
three frozen daiquiris, a Martini with a tom olive for me. Purdy. Once
again, the orchestra there, the Underground Orchestra ..
Announcer GB: Not do it properly? Yes, I knew I had to say it on stage in front of all these people so you have ... It's all right, they can't speak English. Good, thanks for being here, we've enjoyed you, hope you will join us again tomorrow. See you. (cheers). |
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GB's public comments, 19 August |
Thank you and goodnight! |
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GB's public |
(none) |
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Have a look at song introductions |
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