Previous years of hebdomadal BtP updates

Year 19, ending October 2016

30 September 2016 : the forty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added more Manhattan pictures here   (thanks Bert)

Gary Brooker cutting his birthday cake: added more pictures of Palers partying in Zoetermeer (thanks Uta)

23 September 2016 : the forty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol Harum's prestigious forthcoming orchestral/choral concert in London continues to sell well. Click this link to know who's going to be there

Two members of The Palers' Band – Brian D'Addario and Michael D'Addario – were guests on American television's The Tonight Show (see performance here). Great that this We hope this amazing exposure (see here) for two teenage Procol Harum fans is be viewable online in the wider world too. Their extremely 'happening' band, The Lemon Twigs, played London's prestigious ICA (read about it here) last week ... so no apologies for including a page of photographs from that event. (thank you, Linda)

Added a reminder of this Gary Brooker film / interview / performance. 'You gotta have big music,' says The Commander. Includes nanny-goat action, rainbow trouting, vistas from the Brookers' former residence, and wise words from Wyman.

Added more photographs of Procol Harum in Manhattan (thanks, Bert)

Sorted out some typos on this interesting yet contentious page

Added more photographs from the 2016 International Convention (thanks, Uta)

18 September 2016 : the forty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

It seems that 80 percent of tickets for Procol Harum's prestigious forthcoming orchestral/choral concert in London have been sold already. Click this link to know who's going to be there

Time to re-read these reviews of the band's last engagement at The Royal Festival Hall, and see what was played by reading here

Added to this page of Brooker concerts

Added a graphic and several fresh gigs to this Paramounts page

As we enter the 400th week of running a counter at the foot of this What's New page, it's interesting to note the rank order (by individual computers) of nationalities visiting it ... and the changes since we analysed the data in 2010.

Added a link to this Top of the Pops performance to BtP's Josh Phillips page ... and see also here with Mark Brzezicki

Added a scanned full-colour 1968 poster here (search for 681027) (thanks, BtP stalwart Billy from Philly)

Added an Electric Factory date from 1969 (thanks, BfP)

Added details about more live work from SormoRock

Rectified a blunder here

15 September 2016 :

Procol Harum regrets to announce the cancellation – from the promoter's side – of a forthcoming gig. Details here

11 September 2016 : the forty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Prince Buster; RIP Richard Neville

Added a graphic to our page about Procol Harum's prestigious forthcoming orchestral/choral concert in London, as well as here and here  (thanks, Thomas)

Added a scan of an excellent poster here (search for 'Tree Frog') (thanks, MLinVa)

Added a photograph of a British street-sign

Added the Royal Festival Hall gig to this page

Added strong beginnings of an excellent feature here about gigs played by The Paramounts (thanks, Nick)

5 September 2016 : the forty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added news of Procol Harum's prestigious forthcoming orchestral/choral concert in London (thanks, Chris)

Modified this index page

Created a 2017 Procol concerts page here

Added more images from Procol Harum's recent Maidstone Festival appearance (thank you, Linda)

Added something quite puzzling to this useful page: search for Stonewall (thanks, Josh)

Corrected a severe blunder on this page (sorry, world)

27 August 2016 : the forty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a page of 30+ small images of Procol Harum's recent Maidstone Festival appearance (thank you, Linda)

How soon would you know if there were significant Procol news?
The 'Fresh Fruit' newsletter is the way to keep abreast of developments and announcements. Now might be a good time to sign up, if you haven't already.

Good news for fans of Frankie Miller (remember that Chris Copping joined Frankie Miller's Full House (managed by Keith Reid) in April 1977 (and toured the States with Frankie that year). More about the Miller/Procol connection here; and here he is pictured with Robin Trower's band Jude; and it's well worth re-reading this interview with BJ Wilson in which Frankie is also mentioned (PH backed him in 1975: one official release only ... see this album page, which recalls how BJ also joined Frankie's band.

Corrected a blunder on this page (sorry, Carole)

20 August 2016 : the forty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a review with good pictures of Procol  Harum's activity on 18 June 2016 ... at two different UK venues (thanks, Michel)

Added a further tribute to our friend and fellow Paler Luiz de Boni (thanks, Hans)

Here's an honourable mention for Gary Brooker in the Men's Journal (thanks, Dennis)

In which connection, read this fascinating interview ('I made my fishing rods, I collected tackle, I opened a fishing shop, I made a fishing video, I went all around the world. I just fished ... and I suddenly thought, 'Jeez, I haven't sung, I haven't written a song for three years.')

11 August 2016 : the fortieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added BtP's tribute to our friend and fellow Paler Luiz de Boni, of whose death we recently heard, with great sadness.

Get the official live recording (feat. Procol Harum) from last month's Rambling Man Festival in Maidstone, UK: details here

Added a Procol Wintershall review with good pictures (thanks, Michel)

Added a second front-row picture page from Maidstone, 2016 (thanks, Peter)

Added an illustration here (thanks, Michel)

As many will know, our friends over in America have begun thinking about a change of leader. Here's a former 'POTUS' with his own version of A Whiter Shade of Pale (thanks, Asko)

It's exciting to witness the volcanic launch of the Lemon Twigs (who claim Procol Harum among their classic influences). Brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario – who played with the Palers' Band in 2014 and at Liquorice Jam in 2015 – played their first (sold-out) UK Twigs gig in London this week and have received serious commendation in The Guardian and The Times. Google will yield numerous sound-clips, photos and articles if you want to know more. As a shortcut, click here, here or here. Their début album, Do Hollywood,  comes out in October. Meanwhile remember these Procol-oriented tracks – here and here – by Ronnie D'Addario, the talented tree from which the said Twigs have sprouted.

5 August 2016 : the thirty-ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the recently-released booking details for the upcoming Procol appearance in Monaco

'For me they must now rank alongside Pink Floyd in the great British Progressive Rock pantheon' (which is no doubt intended as a compliment).
Added a great review (which bizarrely doesn't mention the guitarist) of Procol Harum at Maidstone in July 2016 (thanks, Anvil)

Added a front-row picture page from Maidstone, 2016 (thanks, Peter)

Added a thirteen-picture page depicting the relatively-recent Convention in the Netherlands (thanks, Uta)

Added a picture here

Added another example (here) to our list of Procol Harum-related novels (here) (thanks, John)

And check out a member of Procol Harum at the Olympic Games (thanks, several people)

RIP Einojuhani Rautavaara

'... a thoroughly joyful experience! Business as usual then ...
Added a review of Procol Harum's performance on Sunday (thanks, Carrie and John)

' ... Whiter Shade of Pale, with room made for a stately and fitting guitar solo ... '
Added a full review of Sunday's Prog acts at the Ramblin' Man event in Maidstone (thanks, Anvil)

 '... the music lifts you to euphoric levels ... Josh Phillips's swirling organ work ... a glorious ending to proceedings on the Prog Stage ...'
Added a good assessment of Procol Harum at the Ramblin' Man event in Maidstone (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added a somewhat belated birthday illustration from The Times to the foot of this page ... be sure to read the text of the e-mail, reproduced to its left  (congratulations, Peter!)

Updated pages here, here and here

24 July 2016 :

Added the setlist for Procol's Ramblin' Man Festival appearance

22 July 2016 : the thirty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added another two Procol dates (10/10) (and two illustrations) to 1972's list (thanks, Karsten)

Added a list of putative timings for tomorrow's Procol Harum concert (thanks, many people)

Added a related illustration here and here

' ...  a blueprint for what we did in the early days of Genesis ...'
Not everyone's idea of a recommendation, but intended as praise for A Salty Dog from Steve Hackett (thanks, many people) 

16 July 2016 : the thirty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added another Procol date (11/11) to 1972's list (thanks, Tom)

Added a page of photographs of Gary Brooker singing The Angler and The Pursuit of Happiness in May (thanks, Inger)

'Something Magic Forever'
Added a page showing spreads from a comprehensive-looking Italian classic rock Procol feature. In an ideal world one of our Italian readers would scan the text for 'Beyond the Pale' so that we can translate it into English (thanks, Chris F)

Added the setlist from the recent performance by a slightly modified Procol Harum (thanks, Peter)

' ...removing the booklet and poster should be done very gingerly ...'
Added a thoughtful guide to the Esoteric re-release of A Salty Dog (thanks, a different Peter)

Can you guess what ' ... doesn’t sound as great as it did when I first heard it. That’s time for you ...' (here taken out of context) refers to, in this renowned Procol organist's review of the A Salty Dog album

2 July 2016 : the thirty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Scotty Moore

Added a thorough reappraisal of Broken Barricades (thanks, Peter)

In which connection, why not enjoy re-reading these essays from 'Taking Notes and Stealing Quotes': Simple Sister – Broken Barricades – Memorial Drive – Luskus Delph – Power Failure – Song For a Dreamer –  Playmate of The Mouth – Poor Mohammed ?

Added a second page of good pictures showing Procol Harum in concert at Zoetermeer, Holland ... highlight of the International Fans' Convention there on 26 May

All set for Procol Harum at Wintershall today; our original information was that Gary would 'get a few mates together' but it seems that a brief set from the full band is in prospect

24 June 2016 : the thirty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added unwelcome Procol news ... and a glimmer of hope ... regarding July (thanks, Chris)

Added a page of good pictures showing Procol Harum in concert at Zoetermeer, Holland ... highlight of the International Fans' Convention there on 26 May

Added a page of Palers' Band pictures from last month: Gary Brooker and Geoff Whitehorn kindly participated, as you'll see (thanks, Inger)

17 June 2016 : the thirty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Henry McCullough

Added the setlist from the Brooker/Whitehorn gig in Germany (thanks, several contributors)

Added some pictures and a cutting about the Brooker/Whitehorn gig in Germany (thanks, Michael)

Added some great photos from the Brooker/Whitehorn gig in Germany (thanks, ET)

Added a link to an interesting performance by Gary Brooker of A Whiter Shade of Pale last week on the Isle of Wight (thanks, Charlie)

Meanwhile, get ready for GB in the UK on 18 June

Updated pages here, here and here

10 June 2016 : the thirty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added some new Keith Reid words, addressed to YOU! (thanks, Keith)

See also here of course

Added a picture page about the recent Convention in the Netherlands (thanks, Uta)

Added an excellent item about crabs  to this ever-growing page  (thanks, several contributors)

3 June 2016 : the thirtieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP the masterful Dave Swarbrick

Added a page showing Gary Brooker's pre-birthday celebrations at the recent International Fans' Convention in Zoetermeer, Netherlands (thanks, Inger)

Updated this invaluable page with lists and statistics.

Added a 1973 photograph to this page

Added an illustration here

Added a link to a salutary piece by Elliott Randall

29 May 2016

Happy Birthday Gary Brooker (1945)
His birthday was of course pre-celebrated in style at the Fans' Convention on 26 May: pictures to follow

Meanwhile, get ready for GB in the UK on 18 June

27 May 2016:

Added a page showing which Procol Harum songs were performed in Lelystad, in the Netherlands, on 27 May

26 May 2016:  the twenty-ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added two pages showing which Procol Harum and Gary Brooker songs were performed in Zoetermeer, in the Netherlands, on 26 April on the day of the International Procol Harum Convention: here (Procol Harum) and here (Palers' Band with distinguished guests)

Big thanks to everyone who came to our International Convention in Zoetermeer, and commiserations to those who missed it.

Added a menu note about the food at the Convention on 26 May (thanks, Alexandra)

Added a schedule of auction items, and other merch, that will be available at the Convention in the Netherlands (thanks, Gary Brooker)

Added a note about touring with Procol Harum in the 1970s (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added some shots of Convention posters spotted on location in the Netherlands (thanks, Hans)

Added some more shots of the Procol party last summer in Stuttgart, Germany (thanks, Hary)

14 May 2016:  the twenty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Tony Barrow

Added a review to this page (thanks, Carla)

Added a new page here, which relates to the posters shewn in these photos (thanks, Hans [pictured])

Added illustrations to this page

7 May 2016:  the twenty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a page about the After-Show Party at Zoetermeer on 26 May – a number of tickets are available now for fans who'd like to mingle after the Procol Harum show, but can't make the afternoon part of the Convention

Added a ticket to this page from 2002

Added a link – here – for those who want to buy (or read a free snippet of) the latest comprehensive account of Procol Harum in the brief form of a 106-page book (merci, Charlie)

Updated this useful page ... essential browsing for newcomers to this website

30 April  2016:  the twenty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Phil Ryan

Gary Brooker gives a characteristic interview to an Italian newspaper (thanks, Massimo)

Good to know that the Procols are sending a pile of signed CDs for the pre-show part of the Amsterdam Convention (thanks, Chris)

Booking for Zoetermeer Basecamp Hotel (the base for overseas visitors coming to the Amsterdam Procol Fans' Convention) is now closed.

' ...by the standards of Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer and a few others, Procul [sic] Harum were relatively down to earth ...'
Always nice to know what the South China Morning Post makes of a classic Procol album (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added – as a reminder of what we'll be experiencing in the Netherlands in a few weeks' time – a third picture page showing Procol Harum on stage in Manhattan, 2014 (thanks, Bert)

Booking for Zoetermeer Basecamp Hotel (the base for overseas visitors coming to the Amsterdam Procol Fans' Convention) is set to close end of Saturday 23 April.

'Gary Brooker's always ragged voice proved surprisingly adept at hard rock'
Added a review of Procol Harum's masterpiece Home which contains a number of curious assertions. Before you read it, guess which of the nine songs got the highest star-rating (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added – as a reminder of what we'll be experiencing in the Netherlands in a month's time – the eighth and last in a great series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

RIP Victoria Wood, Pete Zorn, Prince

17 April 2016

For people having problems booking tickets for the Procol Harum concerts in Zoetermeer and Lelystad, we have learned solutions: see here for Zoetermeer and here for Lelystad.

Because more people have the chance to book, and therefore to come to the Convention, we have extended the booking period for our Zoetermeer Basecamp Hotel until end of Saturday 23 April.

14 April  2016:  the twenty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Thunderclap Newman

Added a review of Shine On Brightly that is peppered with very curious remarks ... fascinating and annoying reading (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added a link to some new playing from 'arguably the most popular guitarist from Procol Harum': scroll down this page

Lots of rock memorabilia available for auction imminently, including (if you scroll down) A Whiter Shade of Pale autographed by its famous original singer

8 April 2016: the twenty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

What goes on at a Procol Fans' Convention? Added a photo-index to eleven international gatherings this century ... looking forward to the twelfth ...

Good to get official confirmation of a couple of attractive Procol gigs for later in 2016 – here and here – that have been on sale a while (thanks, Chris)

Good also to learn that the Zoetermeer show is already sold out ... that is set to be a cracking gig, with the Convention beforehand, and the afterparty afterwards! Booking for the parties remains open, of course: click here

No PayPal, or no Norwegian? Here's the link to a page heaving with groovy diagrams to help you when you reach the page for Convention bookings
 

1 April 2016: the twenty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Venue needed for special Procol line-up ... your chance to help, and put your own town on the world-wide musical map (thanks, Chris)

Convention news: added details (in red) about eating times (to suit office workers) and about new merchandise (also in red) to the Convention Page

Procol Harum's next two gigs are close to Amsterdam, famous cultural capital of The Netherlands. So is the 2016 International Procol Harum fans' convention! If you're going to the gigs (Zoetermeer, Lelystad) we look forward to seeing you at the Convention too: for food, drink, music, and the company of fellow-fans of this great band (including pilgrims from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the USA). We've organised a Basecamp Hotel where you can stay close by, and from which transport is laid on to The Convention, the gig, and then back to the aftershow party where, of course, Procol themselves head the guest list!

Here's the page where you can book for the Basecamp Hotel.

25 March 2016: the twentieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added another festival appearance to the 2016 roster of Procol dates (thanks, Chris)

Added news of a eleven-date tour in April on which Procol fans can hear 'one of the UK’s top keyboard players' (as he's rightly described): details here (thanks, Charlie)

Added a page which elucidates the connection [sic] between Asterix the Gaul and Procul [sic] Harum (thanks, Wilfried)

Added a review of Procol's most recent UK show (thanks, Robin)

19 March 2016: the nineteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the seventh in a series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

Click here to watch and listen to an exciting new project involving Josh Phillips (organ) and Procol's occasional guitarist Dave Colquhoun (frontman and writer) (thanks, Josh)

11 March 2016

RIP Keith Emerson

You can now book your room(s) at the Basecamp Hotel for the Palers' Convention in Netherlands

9 March 2016:

RIP Sir George Martin | Happy Birthday Robin Trower (1945)

Booking is open – on this page – for the Procol Fan Convention on 26 May. thus far, we have bookings from people in Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA ... which is very nice indeed!

6 March 2016: the eighteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the long-expected page introducing the next Procol Fan Convention, which will take place on 26 May 2016 (thanks, Hans, Frans)

Watch this page in days to come as we activate the links to the Basecamp Hotel booking, the Convention booking, and the Palers' Combo arrangements.

Added (here) a link via which you can acquire your lyric-sheet for A Whiter Shade of Pale signed by the man who penned the famous words (rose not included) (thanks, Joe)

26 February 2016: the seventeenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Bruce Lacey and Vi Subversa

Added a new Gary Brooker date – with Geoff Whitehorn, and fireworks – to the 2016 concert page and here (thanks, Chris)

Added, here, a scan of a signed LP cover ... from this tour ... a Procol Harum album on the Deram label, so strange-looking to European eyes (thanks, Guy)

Added another happy collocation of friends from distant countries who've met through a shared admiration for Procol Harum (thanks, Stefano)

Palers' Project man breaks guidelines

Nice piece of memorabilia going up for auction

18 February 2016 : the sixteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Watch this space for news about Basecamp Hotel, convention arrangements etc for the Dutch Procol outing on 26/27 May

Added this link about a new Geoff Whitehorn endorsement. As Maestro GW comments, 'hardly earth-shattering news, but WTF? Fine guitar strings, manufactured not half an hour from where I live, and have been for 50+ years. Why do we ignore good stuff on our doorstep?….so British…..so Procol...' (thanks, Geoff)

Added another brief review of Procol Harum's recent 'Giants of Rock' outing (thanks, Phil)

John Greenaway alerts us to ... 'a 50-part series broadcast on BBC Radio 2. It was first aired in 2013. On Tuesday 23rd February, according to Radio Times, "Stuart Maconie continues with Procol Harum's debut hit A Whiter Shade of Pale – one of the world's biggest singles of all time (ten million copies sold) and one that continues to resonate nearly fifty years after its dominance of British radio in the summer of 1967. Marked by its Bach-derived melody and cryptic lyrics, the inspired single captured the mood of the so-called 'Summer of Love'. Maconie examines the realities of the Summer of Love and what this period really meant for most Britons". This repeat goes out from 11.00pm to 12.00. I didn't hear it first time round but, based on Maconie's track record, should be worth a listen.'

Geoff Welch alerts us to 'a new HBO series Vinyl directed by Martin Scorsese about the record business in the 1970s that will have some PH in the sound track a New York Times review states "That sophistication extends to the soundtrack, which samples the period’s hits without landing on too many obvious choices. Fifty-something viewers will tingle at the sound of Ride Captain Ride, Pillow Talk, Love Train, Down by the Lazy River and Conquistador: Link here

Gene Deverick alerts us as follows: I am not sure if this has been previously reported … My bride, Marti, and I were visiting the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia today and came upon a piece of art in the permanent collection which might interest PH fans. The piece is titled, “Beyond the pale”. Here are photos of the artwork and a close up of the attribution and description placard. Note the artist’s understanding of the original meaning of the phrase, “beyond the pale”.' This work references the assimilation policies of the 1950s and 1960s and the whitening of aboriginal Australia. The white paling fence and the title 'Beyond the pale' accords with notions of being fenced off, marginal, outside the boundaries. The original meaning of 'beyond the pale' refers to Irish people who lived outside the region of Ireland controlled by the British, which was demarcated by a fence made of pales. Here it refers to the experience of indigenous people as outcasts and the refuse of civilised society.' Sandra Hill, Nyoongar, born 1951. 'Beyond the Pale' 2010 Balingup, Western Australia. Synthetic polymers, paint on plywood, painted wood

12 February 2016 : the fifteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a second page of pictures from the recent Minehead gig, depicting a breezy walk along the front and a (much warmer) Breezy encounter backstage (thanks, Linda)

Added a poster here (thanks, Frans)

Added a ticket to our ever-growing scrapbook, here (thanks, Edgar)

Updated a personal page here ... if you have a similar page at BtP, in need of refreshing, please let us know

Added an as-yet unsensational page, here ... please contribute.

5 February 2016 : the fourteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Maurice White, Dan Hicks

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's 'Giants of Rock' appearance in Somerset, UK

'If some rock vocalists make life hard for themselves by adopting a vocal delivery in their early twenties that gets more and more difficult to pull off as they hit their seventies, then Gary Brooker chose wisely ...'
Added a good review of the above gig by a 'casual convert' rather than by a hardcore or partisan Procol-watcher (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added a page of pictures from the above gig (thanks, Linda)

Updated personal pages here, here, here and here ... if you have a similar page at BtP, in need of refreshing, please let us know

Added an item – from the web – about Johnny Cash, with no Procol relevance

27 January 2016 : the thirteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Black, RIP Paul Kantner

Procol Harum on stage in just a few days' time

Added two Dutch dates for Procol Harum in May: details here and here (thanks, Chris)

Procol Harum, Close to the Moon ... and close to Caravan, Focus, Family, Soft Machine, Rick Wakeman, Adrian Belew, Alan Parsons, Hawkwind, Martin Barre ...
Added an Italian date to Procol's 2016 schedule (thanks, Chris)

'As far as fame and fortune goes you get to your comfort zone and then you’re rich enough'
Added Gary Brooker's interview about his finances which was published this morning in the personal finance pages of the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

Read about his court costs, dodgy managers, highest-earning gig, oilwells and girls that he's bought.

22 January 2016 : the twelfth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Dale Griffin, Glenn Frey

Procol Harum on stage in just over a week's time

'This one is for creative, eclectic, observant, intelligent Procol fans and Palers ... '
Added a feeling and thoughtful review of Trace of a Feeling (thanks, Peter)

You can buy the album online: as the review observes, 'Interesting that each disc is about 79:45 in length, 15 seconds or so short of being completely full. Great value, therefore!'

And, as we hope for confirmation of several more Procol Harum gigs in Europe (there may be tickets on sale, but fans should be cautious until we hear that contracts are actually signed), we add the sixth in a series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

15 January 2016 : the eleventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP David Bowie

Added a page showing the solution to the recent series of Christmas Puzzles. Even if you didn't join in the fun, have a look at this page and see why so many people did.

The Christmas Prizes are on their way to the Triumphant Victors (with one exception, which the winner in question knows about)

Since Procol's last couple of gigs involved a variant line-up, let's remind ourselves of who's going to be playing at Minehead on 30 January (thanks, Bert)

8 January 2016:

Added a page of nicely-barbed and appreciative Competitors' Comments, relating to the puzzles lately ended

Oh yes, and the Schedule of Winners, which contains a significant surprise.

If you find that Lady Luck (sorry, 'Person Luck') has awarded you a prize, well done ... and now you need to send your postal address to the BtP team in order that we can get things in the post.

7 January 2016:

Our annual series of Christmas puzzles is now closed. Thanks for playing, and for some amusing and occasionally harrowing feedback. We have three beat-the-clock winners, from Italy, Italy and the USA , and a hatful of names to draw five more from when a suitably Glamorous Assistant becomes available during Thursday sometime. Watch this space for winner announcements in due course of time.

For those who care about such things, the eight prizes this year were closely-grouped in popularity. These are the inferred desirability-percentages per prize, taking all preferences into account (also factoring in the responses from all the people whose final answer was 'differently correct').

14.1 – Esoteric 2CD 'Procol Harum'
13.9 – Signed tee-shirt [men's style] and Esoteric 3CD ‘Shine on Brightly’
12.7 – Esoteric 2CD ‘A Salty Dog’
12.4 – 2LP ‘Live from the Union Chapel’
11.6 – Esoteric 2CD ‘Home’
10.9 – ‘I'm Coming Home’ DVD
10.5 – Signed tee-shirt [women's style]

5 January 2016:

Added a New Year message from the BtP team to all fellow Procol fans worldwide

Added the last in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Good luck with the instructions that follow it (click link provided, to change pages): just read 'em carefully (take your time!) and all will be well.

4 January 2016:

Added the eleventh in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Don't forget to have another look at the roster of prizes and be ready with your preference order – all the letters, please! – something like: "AGBHCDEF"

The final clue is scheduled to appear on this page (press F5 or 'Reload' to ensure your browser shows the latest version) at midnight London time (GMT), when Monday 4 January becomes Tuesday 5 January.

3 January 2016:

Added the tenth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles

2 January 2016:

Added the ninth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Don't forget to look at the schedule of prizes

1 January 2016: Happy New Year!

Added the eighth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles

31 December:

Added the seventh in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Don't forget to look at the schedule of prizes

30 December:

Added the sixth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles

29 December:

Added the fifth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Don't forget to look at the schedule of prizes

28 December:

Added the fourth in our annual series of Christmas puzzles

27 December:

Added the third in our annual series of Christmas puzzles. Don't forget to look at the schedule of prizes

26 December:

Added the second in our annual series of Christmas puzzles

25 December: Happy Christmas!

Added the first in our annual series of Christmas puzzles – good luck everyone! They do get easier and easier, as the prizes get more and more munificent.

24 December

Added a page of advice and information about how to play and win the Christmas Quiz for this year

Christmas shopping: if you use Amazon, why not visit them through these links – Amazon USA – Amazon UK – Amazon Germany – Amazon Canada .. That way, the Procol website gets a few cents' commission, which we put into parties and prizes and other fan-type pursuits. Of course, it doesn't cost the punter a penny

17 December 2015 : the tenth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

' ... a band still at the top of their game, less than eighteen months away from the Fiftieth Anniversary of when it all started ...'
Added a good review of Procol Harum in Turku (thanks, Peter)

Added a photo report of Procol's two recent Finnish gigs (thanks, Marko)

Added two Procol tickets here (thanks, Marko)

Added the schedule of prizes for this year's Christmas Puzzles ... choose, now, which one you most desire ... and read here how some constructive comment from members of the band has resulted in a change in this year's competition

10 December 2015

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's concert this evening (thanks, Chris)

And now 7.5 weeks to wait until their next outing ...

9 December 2015 : the ninth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol Harum in concert tonight

Added a major Festival appearance for Procol Harum this summer (thanks, Chris) :'a music festival that appeals as much to the foodie as it does the rock music fan in us all ...Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Prog, Blues and Country music stages alongside great outdoor BBQ food, fine bourbon whiskies and barrels of real ale ...'

What's the betting Procol will play this excellent song at the above festival?

Added details of what Procol Harum played in Finland last night ... including the wondrous Dead Man's Dream (thanks, Chris)

Added to The Unquiet Zone information here (thanks, Matthias). Read about the words and the music of this excellent song here

Added a Ringo link to this Ludwig drums page

4 December 2015 : the eighth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol Harum in concert ... the band's rehearsals with Dave on guitar are over, and there's not long to wait ...

Added the fifth in a series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

The Italian 'Homburg' ... added a codicil to this 'observation of great interest to Hispanophones, Lusophones, Italophones'

Our chum Derren 'Glimpses of Nirvana' Brown has released something rather odd into the London Underground

25 November 2015 : the seventh bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol Harum in concert ... two weeks to wait!

Added a review from Goldmine about the recebt Esoteric re-releases (here, here, here and here) which, while it doesn't say much about the discs themselves, nails the enduring impact of Procol's early work with endearing precision

BtP readers who remember this provoking page from earlier in the year, and Gary Brooker's plea for help in creating a custom lampshade, will be thrilled to see evidence of progress here (thanks, Paul)
 

18 November 2015 : the sixth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol Harum in concert ... three weeks to wait!

44 years on from Procol Harum's memorable recording in Edmonton, Canada ... please enjoy a new feature-length piece about the recording(s) and much more. Click the pictures to surf sideways into further Albertabilia (thanks, Peter)

Added pictures, sent from Russia, of Procol's memorable German show from warmer this year (thanks, Elena)

12 November 2015 : the fifth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Alain Toussaint and Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor

' ... this wild, passionate flamingo-type dance ...'
Added some unexpected ideas about A Whiter Shade of Pale (thanks, Phillip)

'... grandiose but ultimately pathetic hippy delusion ...'
Thus spake the narratological imperialist Louis de Bernieres, not about A Whiter Shade of Pale, but nonetheless on a page (here) where he mentions that song's involvement in a crucial rite of passage (thanks, Charlie)

Added the fourth in a series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

6 November 2015 : the fourth bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

' ... not often that you can see a band like Procol Harum for a dollar ... Procol Harum will receive $2,000 ... a band which ... does not normally attract an unruly crowd ...'
Added good documentary evidence for a much-debated Procol Harum tour-date ... the second-last of the Old Testament ... to this page, and an article foretelling the show here (many thanks, Bill)

Added the fourteenth in a series of photographs of the grand concert at Ewhurst, Surrey, UK

Added a brief Procol report from a Lambertville Music Circus gig in the summer of 1970 (thanks, Bill)

More from the author of the above piece here, of course.

Traditional fun and games in England last night

29 October 2015 : the third bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added an interesting critical evaluation of Procol Harum's third album (thanks, Peter): 'A Salty Dog was a terrific maiden voyage for producer Matthew Fisher'

While you're at it, why not re-read the Rolling Stone review from 1969: 'a little awkward in their pursuit of the new directions'

And of course there are many more reviews of it here.

Added the third in a series of picture pages showing Procol Harum on stage at Gossau, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

22 October 2015 : the second bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added an interesting critical evaluation of two recent re-issues of Procol Harum (thanks, Peter): 'any inconsistencies in approach were redeemed by Keith Reid’s surreal lyrics ...'

While you're at it, why not re-read the Crawdaddy review from 1967: 'Procol Harum and particularly Gary Brooker have a long creative road ahead'

And of course there are many more reviews of it here.

Added the thirteenth in a series of photographs of June's grand concert at Ewhurst, Surrey, UK. Musical director of the event, Josh Phillips, gets a careless but honourable mention here.

Some Italian Procobilia for you to enjoy may be found here

14 October 2015 : the first bulletin for Year #19 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added an interesting critical evaluation of two recent re-issues of Shine on Brightly (thanks, Peter): 'Shine on Brightly is probably Procol’s best album – it has the elements we want and expect'

While you're at it, why not re-read the Rolling Stone review from 1968: 'Shine On Brightly is not the album one might have hoped for.'

And of course there are many more reviews of it here.

Added Finnish gig-booking details here and here (thanks, Charlie):

Added the twelfth in a series of photographs of June's grand concert at Ewhurst, Surrey, UK

What was new on this website in past times