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Call me if there's any change ...

8 December: the ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

 • Added a new BtP interview with Gary Brooker about his all-star benefit concert for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday 3 March 2020.

• Added a new BtP interview with Josh Phillips about his charity record for War Child, which is released 8 December 2019, the sad anniversary of its composer John Lennon's death. The interview explores the genesis and recording of this new Gimme Some Truth version in interesting detail. It's not all what you'd expect.

It would be really marvellous if all 'Beyond the Pale' readers would help Josh, Mark Brzezicki, Dave Bronze and the rest of the band by (a) viewing, (b) buying online, and (c) sharing this record on social media. 'Gimme Some Truth' has never been more relevant, and it's excellent listening as well. It would be brilliant if we could somehow get a Hammond-heavy single, played live, into the Christmas charts!

Order your copies of the recent album, Novum, by clicking these special links (which incidentally send a few cents to keep this website afloat): Amazon UK / Amazon USA

Follow 'Beyond the Pale' on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1) and at the somewhat new 'Beyond the Pale' Facebook page, where we hope gigs / events can be more easily spotted than they are amid the busy newsfeed on our former Procol Facebook group.

2 December: the eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Iain Sutherland (lyricist to Gary Brooker ... see here)

Added the first news of Gary Brooker's all-star benefit concert for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday 3 March 2020.

Added a second batch of photographs of Procol Harum on stage in October 2018 (thanks, Uta)

' ...hearing how songs like The Unquiet Zone and Pandora’s Box were performed live is more rewarding than the outtakes.'
Added a perceptive review of the Esoteric 3CD Procol's Ninth (thanks, Jim)

Readers dismayed by the cacographic opening of the above review are invited to read this article and then the marvellous books to which it alludes

'pseudo symphonic ... a bit disappointing ... suffers from lack of a single, unifying thread ... winds up nowhere'
Added a historic contemporary put-down of Procol's 1968 masterpiece In Held by a reviewer who prefers the two 'somewhat country' cuts on Shine on Brightly (thanks, Mary)

Take advantage of the ubiquitous 'Black Friday' to equip yourself with some of the organ films by Procol fan Will Fraser. His company is offering some huge discounts on exquisite boxed sets, until 10 December. What Will doesn't know about organs isn't worth knowing, and he has a shelf-full of awards to prove it. The English Organ is his latest release ... 'the definitive documentary about the story of the English organ and its music'. For the avoidance of doubt, he's the same Will who used to run Conquistador Films ... re-read BtP's bulletin from twenty years ago and discover which former Procoler turned the pages when Will played in London's Westminster Abbey, in 1998.

25 November: the seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a first batch of photographs of Procol Harum on stage in October 2018 (thanks, Uta)

Added a Paramounts 45 rpm record review graphic to this ongoing catalogue of the band's gigs (thanks, Bradshaw)

A link here to a brief explanatory film-clip about Somewhen (thanks, Charlie)

18 November: the sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

11 November: the fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

'... Brooker and the other five members of Procol Harum are busily working on a Broadway musical ...'
Read all about it in another excellent archival article from 1969 (thanks, Mary)

Added a final page of concert shots from a new, recent contributor (thanks, Bob)

Added a note about Procol in a novel to this literary index (thanks, Jim)

Always nice to get a question, long-posed on these pages, answered by an authoritative contributor! Added an account of two SRO Procol concerts in Staten Island, June 1972 (thanks, Bob Herman)

Added a hitherto unlogged Staten Island gig to the 1971 tour schedule ... more contributions always welcome (thanks, Bob H)

'... a bit all over the shop ...'
Added links here and here to two tiresomely amateurish video reviews, of re-issued Procol Harum albums, that you won't like or want to watch (thanks, all)

6 November:

Procol Harum announce a sixth choral/orchestral gig in one of the world's greatest capital cities: details here (thanks Barry, thanks Marina)

Pre-sale for tickets was 7 November at 10 am BST (first two hours exclusive to 'Beyond the Pale' readers): all details and ticket link here

Read an illustrated review of Procol's most recent show in the same august venue.

Updated this compendium, and this news page

3 November: the fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

'It was about November 1966 that Keith Reid and Gary Brooker started writing songs together ...'
Added an article which leads with the foundation of a significant partnership, 53 years ago this month (thanks, Mary)

Added, to this excellent page, a photograph of a famous musician with a famous album (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added a graphic, here (thanks, Anvil)

Refreshed a page you may have missed showing pictures from 2012 (thanks, Bob)

Procol Harum fans are particularly advised to sign up today for our (infrequent) newsletter. We're not necessarily implying that an interesting announcement is imminent; what we are saying is that you'd surely be sorry to miss it if such a thing did come along.

Added a 1968 date (Ottawa) to this page ... but did it happen? Write in if you know: webmaster@procolharum.com

Updated this useful index by the creation of this valuable page

28 October: the third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

‘I think we write love songs as opposed to social protest songs ...I’m against social protest or any kind of protest.’
Added a fascinating and revealing interview, published half a century ago, which concedes that Procol's 'future plans are vague'. It apparently dates from a time before they found their bassist/organist, Chris Copping (many thanks, Mary)

Find the index to our copious and ever-growing trove of historic Procol press by clicking here

Added a hitherto-overlooked Canadian festival appearance for Procol Harum, 22 June 1969, to this page (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added some pictures of the above Toronto gig (thanks, Bradshaw)

Time to enjoy some British performance shots from the same era (thanks, Wilfried)

Added a link here to a book about the Southend music scene that had eluded our notice until now (thanks, Anvil)

Added some illustrations and a bit of audience insight to this Atlantic City Pop Festival page

Added a couple of photos showing the last public performance of Procol Harum's two original keyboard players together

Here's a great Hammond player

20 October: the second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a review and three graphics to this page (thanks, Rick)

Added pictures from a 2014 gig (thanks, Bob)

Added some illustrated news about Procol manager Chris Cooke (thanks Gary)

Added three photographs relating to The Blink of an Eye at Pompano Beach in the USA (thanks, Franky)

Add some detail to our data about the forthcoming Gary Brooker showing in Ireland (thanks, Gary)

16 October:

Added three more concerts to the roster of Procol shows for 2020 (thanks, Barry)

13 October: the first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Josh Phillips to play in Bury in November ... click here to read about a very promising and exciting gig (thanks, Simon)

Added a couple of illustrations to the foot of this oft-visited page (thanks, Bradshaw)

'... distinguished chiefly by an inane violin repeating a tune suitable for leading a pig to market ...'
Added a peculiar review of a Procol album ... read the quotation above, and guess which album, before you click on the link. One wonders what strange mix or pressing this particular reviewer had got hold of (thanks, Mary)

Let's go back a year to an expansive page documenting the immediate preparations for a fine concert in London.

Added a screenshot here – from the occasion when Keith Reid's My Own Choice book was born – that will be of likely interest to amateur organists (thanks, Anvil)

In which (tenuous) connection, here's a fascinating article from almost twenty years ago to re-read (thanks, Wilfried)

Tweaked this crucial and informative page a bit

Modified this page (thanks, Pia)

8 October : the final hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Ginger Baker, RIP Molly Duncan

Today's the twenty-second birthday of 'Beyond the Pale', and as always we remember an equally celebrated drummer, the great BJ Wilson, on this date

'BJ day inspired me to explore a few things on the internet.' writes long-time BtP reader Wilfried van Damme. 'This led to some information that aficionados might find interesting and which seems not to have been reported at BtP so far. The info concerns a one-time ensemble of musicians called the ‘Freddie Mac Band’, which at some point in 1966 apparently featured both BJ and Alan Cartwright. See this interview with one Ged Peck, guitarist. Both BJ and his bassist friend are referred to in positive terms; they are mentioned in two different sections of the interview. There’s even a picture (bottom of the page) showing BJ and someone who might indeed be Mr Cartwright (is that a suede jacket?), said to be taken while they were on tour in Dublin in 1966. (The opening sections of the interview might also be of some interest, providing a few Procoloid references, broadly conceived, including mention of Marc Bolan.)'

The illustration, right, is interesting in that it shows BJ in the period between The Paramounts and Procol Harum ... it's taken from the interview cited above (thanks, Wilfried!)

Added a link to a great, brand-new clip of Richard Williams from the Palers' Band, playing Repent Walpurgis on BJ Wilson's restored drum kit ... (thanks, Rich!)

Added a thirty-first array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added further information about the upcoming Brooker performance in Ireland on Saturday 16 November

29 September: the forty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Gary Brooker contributed recently to a live broadcast from Abbey Road (on SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel) commemorating fifty years of the Beatles' album of the same name. Here's what Gary said in interview with Beatle historian Kevin Howlett, cut down by BtP from three hours to fourteen minutes. You'll hear the glitches (thanks, Gary S)

You might also like to re-read kindred interviews here and here

' ... ‘But if I couldn’t write when I got older, what would I do?'
Added a good Brooker and Reid interview from 1973 (thanks, Mary)

'It’s not just a bad record, it’s laughably bad in spots, a postcard of poor taste from the heights of pretension.'
We know of BtP readers who like to be reminded of occasional jewels from the early BtP archives. How about this anti-jewel to get your hackles rising? (thanks, Wilfried)

Added a contentious snippet about a well-known musician who didn't join Procol Harum or Squeeze (thanks, Satch). Admittedly there are several such musicians, so don't bother trying to guess this one's identity ... just click the link

Rectified a blunder here (thanks, Hans)

22 September: the forty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Frank Key, occasionally cited at BtP for his Procol references. Get the anthology here

Added a tribute to our fellow Paler Evgeny Makeev  (many thanks, Hans)

'Of the many performers I have interviewed in the past, Brooker is one of the few who actually enjoys going on the road to perform with Procol Harum' [sic!]
Added a page of Procol panegyric from Cashbox, 1974  (thanks, Paul)

Added a thirtieth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added an eighth and final magnificent page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added some superstar esteem for A Salty Dog (thanks, Paul)

15 September: the forty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

' ... their combination of gothic instrumental work and ominous lyrics have been either wildly embraced or violently abhorred ...'
Added a Keith Reid interview by a writer considerably better attuned to the Procol wavelength than last week's offering (thanks, Mary)

Added a link to some interesting news from Southend-on-Sea (thanks, Bim)

' ... a bone-chilling piece straight out of Poe. It makes death-metal seem pitifully insincere ...'
Added a terrific piece of writing from a scholar who really gets what Procol's finest album is about. Forgive a few false notes in the exposition ... this is a majestic article well worth your attention (many thanks, Wilfried)

And for an antidote to the above, how about '... another relatively forgettable piano/organ vocal piece ...' in this re-read

Added a graphic to this review  (thanks, Paul)

9 September: the forty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a seventh glorious page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

' ... the listener is forced to get into the heads of the musicians to distinguish what the band is saying or trying to play within the written structure of the music ...'
Added a brilliantly incompetent Keith Reid interview from a writer who, it's fair to say, failed to find a soulmate in the distinguished lyricist (thanks, Mary)

Added a twenty-ninth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Evidently many Procol fans have enjoyed this young vocal coach enjoying Gary Brooker's AWSoP from Ledreborg

2 September: the forty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a festival date – close to home! – for Procol Harum in 2020 (thanks, Barry)

'... the only reminder of the band’s early style of fragile, but compelling songs ...'
Added a pre-concert account of the band's career, from 1977 ... what song does the above quotation allude to? (thanks, Mary)

Added a snippet about Gary Brooker's lead vocal on the recent release, Long Live Rock & Roll (thanks, Tom)

Added a sixth exemplary page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added a most intriguing graphic to the page about the mysterious Brooker rarity, Verse 1 (thanks, Michael)

We notice that four books by Southend musician and author John Bobin are on special offer at Amazon UK ... click here ... including Kindle editions of In the Autumn of My Madness and Bark Staving Ronkers

24 August:

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's twenty-second gig of 2019, played tonight at Spiez, Switzerland (thanks, Barry)

23 August: the forty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in, or at, Arbon, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

Added a good photo-page from tonight's Arbon festival gig (thanks again, Heidi)

Added a substantial article about Edmonton ... readers will find plenty of hitherto unbrowsed 1971 info (thanks, Bradshaw)

18 August : the forty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a good Keith Reid article from Record Collector (thanks, Lin)

In which connection, re-read this Keith Reid interview from the end of 2018 ... and buy his new record!

Added a fifth memorable page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added fourteen photos taken at the London Palladium last October (thanks, Nancy)

Added a morsel of superstar esteem here (thanks, Romilly)

10 August : the fortieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a listening link and the tale of an intriguing early demo in the possession of a British collector, and Gary Brooker's reaction thereto (thanks Mick, thanks Gary)

We understand that the city of Pompano Beach (Florida, USA) intends to use Procol Harum’s In the Blink of an Eye – accompanied by the well-known video presentation realised by the musician Ronnie D’Addario from Hicksville, Long Island – as part of Cherie Saleeby’s 9/11 Sculpture unveiling of Unbroken Spine, a book of American Heroism. Read more about it here and see photographs here. This will be shown inside the historical society on 11 September, next to the #1 Pompano Beach Firehouse Museum. 'In attendance will be the mayor, city councilman, Fire Rescue honour guard, antique firetrucks and the boy scouts hoisting the flag at half-mast. In addition, a bagpipe will play.'

Added a tiresome contemporary 'Buyer's Guide' to Procol Harum records ... a provocative but pointless article ... not unlike this one from 1995 (thanks, all)

Added a link to the pictures, which we've had for some time, of fans and band at the London Palladium aftershow party (thanks, Charlie)

Fixed a blunder here (sorry, Mark)

3 August : the thirty-ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the text of an excellent BJ Wilson article from next month's Modern Drummer (thanks, all)

Added a link to the pictures, which we've had for some time, of fans and band and the London Palladium aftershow party (thanks, Charlie)

Added a fourth stylish page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added pictures to our Michel Polnareff pages here, here and here (merci, Romilly).

28 July : the thirty-eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a third awesome page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added a handful of hitherto unarchived photographs of the first 1967 line-up of Procol Harum (thanks, Bradshaw)

Added the line-up of the Saugatuck Festival, 1969

Added (grey panel below) a note from a correspondent, with this question: When did this performance take place?

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

Added a second groovy page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added a page of pictures from the rehearsals for Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth which was played last weekend at the Royal Festival Hall in London  (thanks, Anvil)

Added pictures to this recent setlist (merci, Michel)

Added Roine Stolt's recent published praise for Gary Brooker and Procol Harum (thanks, Adey)

14 July : the thirty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added news about the health and progress of Chris Cooke, in his own words and those of his partner Eliza (thanks, Chris)

Added a very interesting, highly complimentary, recently-discovered review of Procol Harum playing the whole of the Something Magic album at a British University in February 1977 (many thanks, Jim).

In which connection, we have archived reviews from many concerts from that tour ... see how many of these praise The Worm and the Tree: Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Bern, London, London again, London again again, Anaheim, Anaheim again, and Burbank

Added a first classy page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent engagement at Collingswood, NJ (thanks, Bert)

Added details of a free concert at St George's Hanover Square, in London, on 23 July: a good opportunity for a gathering of organ fans ! (thanks, Ian)

7 July : the thirty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the setlist with commentary and illustrations from Procol Harum's recent gig in historic Albi, France.
Interesting to see how many, and which, Novum songs make it on to the cut-down festival playlist (thanks, Éric, Dominique, Barry)

Added a fifth and final page of splendid Procol Westbury pictures (thanks, Bert) 

Stratford! It's fifty years on from Procol Harum's first concert with choir and orchestra ... a world first in rock music. Read all about it, starting here ... a good slew of links to click and read.

'... a master of the morbidly mystical, his images dark, grey clouds of perplexity ...'
Added a review of Procol Harum at Santa Monica in 1972 (thanks all). In which connection, see this review as well ('its members’ songwriting limitations will probably keep the group in the middle echelon of rock') and an associated setlist

30 June: the thirty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

' ... tripping the light fandango ... echoes of classics like Bach fugues ...'
Added a tongue-in-cheek, rather lazy piece of US journalism from November 1967. There are several ways of interpreting its final two words (thanks, Paul)

Six Procol dates cancelled at the last minute in Ireland ... see graphic here (thanks, Jim)

Added a fourth page of splendid Procol Westbury pictures (thanks, Bert)

24 June: the thirty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the first new gigs announced by Procol Harum for 2020 (thanks, Barry)

'If it goes on like this I’ll be nipping out to calm down my pacemaker'
Added a thoroughly excellent review of Procol plus guest in action back in May (thanks, Kim)

Added a new song here, with a note from the composer and lyricist (thanks, Kurt)

Added a third page of splendid Procol Westbury pictures (thanks, Bert)

No doubt we all remember Wuppertal 2013 with Procol Harum ... but what has happened in that fine town since? Those marvellous choral/orchestral concerts spawned a series of illustrious successors, involving the music of Jethro Tull and of Albert Hammond. And to know what our favourite sandwich-board-persons, Michael Ackermann and Marcus Grebe, are offering next ... click the thumbnail adjoining.

It's always delightful to add items to our invaluable Tickets Scrapbook (click here) and also to re-read associated pages.

Accordingly ... added a 1973 ticket scan here (thanks, Marvin) ... a good chance to revisit a classic setlist here, and read a review of Procol's 'paramilitary waltz' here (guess the song title before you read the review)

And added a 1972 ticket scan here (thanks, Marvin) ... in which connection, enjoy some tour notes. and a vivid personal memoir here

And added a 1977 ticket scan here (thanks, Marvin) ...  in which connection, enjoy some fab pix here

'I don't really understand the lyrics, but they speak to me ...'
Hear a writer from Westbury-on-Trym, talking on BBC Radio 4 in a lovely Bristol accent about the amber glow of A Whiter Shade of Pale by clicking here. British tour dates here

Added a fourth and final page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent Copenhagen engagement (thanks, Henrik)

Modified this personal concert page (thanks, Marvin)

11 June: the thirty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

'Fisher’s spitefully tortured cathedral Hammond organ madly churns away ...'
Added a compact and occasionally incomprehensible assessment of The Prodigal Stranger (thanks, Paul)

Kevin Ayers, Wizzard, Argent and Procol Harum ... all on the same day!
Added a graphic to this page (thanks, Fritz)

Added a third page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent Copenhagen engagement (thanks, Henrik)

4 June: the thirtieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Leon Redbone (aged 127)

'I remember Barrie playing me a Leon Redbone album in fact'
BtP's earliest interview states that Procol were friends with the lately-departed Mr Gobalian

Added a tenth and final set of memorable – and very widely admired – pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (many thanks, Bert)

Added to our gallery of pictures of Gary Brooker, guitarist with Procol Harum (thanks, all)

Added a second page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent Copenhagen engagement (thanks, Henrik)

29 May: the twenty-ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

A very happy birthday to Gary Brooker, born this day in 1945

'I don't think this is going to be a hit ... '
Added a non-prescient graphic to this much-visited page

Added a first page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent Copenhagen engagement (thanks, Henrik)

Added two graphics, here (thanks, Arleen and Martin)

Added a ninth and penultimate set of striking pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

21 May: the twenty-eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added somewhat overdue song notes to this recent setlist

Added a eighth and antepenultimate set of tremendous pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

"If one of us wrote good words AND good music there wouldn't be any problem. It's not a question of me wanting to write everything."
Added a link from this page to this very interesting Gary Brooker interview, at the suggestion of a valued contributor (thanks, Per)

In which connection, newer readers may well be interested in doing some browsing from this admirable jumping-off point (thanks once more, Yan)

13 May: the twenty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Doris Day

Added a great page of pictures from Procol Harum's recent Knebel engagement (thanks, Mike)

Added a seventh set of superb pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added an American article about the PH First Album, released on mono vinyl (thanks, all)

Something (somewhat) familiar at about 12m 17s, here, in this short film about a musically-talentless inventor

Updated fascinating pages here, here, here and here

5 May: 

Added the illustrated setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Copenhagen, Denmark (thanks, Thomas)

4 May: the twenty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the illustrated setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig (with special guest!) in Knebel, Denmark (thanks, Thomas)

Added a sixth set of first-rate pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-eighth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

28 April: the twenty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Porto, Portugal

Added a fifth set of exceptional pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-seventh array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added some star approval (from Roger Glover) to this valuable page. Shocking spelling, mind: it's 'Vaughan' of course (thanks, Billy from Philly)

26 April:

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Lisbon, Portugal

20 April 2019 : the twenty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol management have asked us to alert fans that the next two Procol gigs will be selling merchandise on a cash-only basis. Please don't expect to pay by plastic

Added a fourth set of brilliant pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-sixth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Booker T plays something (somewhat) familiar at about 5.45, here, before showing us how to crawl

Sorted out some rum links here (thanks, Zachary)

13 April 2019 : the twenty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Procol management have asked us to alert fans that the next two Procol gigs will be selling merchandise on a cash-only basis. Please don't expect to pay by plastic

Added a third set of outstanding pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-fifth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Just to dispel any residual confusion among our correspondents, about the status of The Albert Hall gig mentioned in last week's update: yes, it is certainly real and not an April Fool. Clicking the link will demonstrate this.

And also, at risk of labouring the point, this article is entirely specious ... as stated at the foot of the page. Clicking the link will demonstrate this.

8 April 2019 : the twenty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Thanks to all who wrote in having enjoyed our April Foolery this year, and commiserations to the single sap who sent in the right answers ... at which point ticket-demand exceeded supply.

For animal lovers who care about such trivia, the solution is here ... in alphabetical order, of course

Presale tickets for the RT + lifetime musical collaborators gig at The Albert Hall sold out in five minutes, and the public sale, started the following day, was equally rapid. Hope everyone got the tickets they wanted! (thanks, Flora Lipo)

Added a second set of excellent pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-fourth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Don't forget 13 April's Record-Store Day re-issues from Bucks Music etc ... see here for the single and here for the double album (which – as well as the strange 1967 US running order – includes Absolutamente Correcto / En Lo Que Duran Seis Peniques)  (thanks, John and others)

April Fool's Day 2019 : the twenty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the first glimpses of an exciting musical event in London (thanks, Flora)

Added an archival article (thanks, Lipo) that we've temporarily modified to make a simple competition relating to the above entry

Added a first set of fine pictures from the February's NYC Winery gigs (thanks, Bert)

Added a twenty-third array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

23 March 2019 : the twentieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a twenty-second array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added a page about the long-awaited re-issue of Broken Barricades with 36 bonus tracks

Added to our page about the mythical Procol Rainbow film (thanks, Anvil)

Added a graphic to this Beat Instrumental page (thanks, Jim)

Why not re-read a couple more good articles from the same organ ... here and here?

18 March 2019

Added a summer date for Procol Harum in a country not thus far included in the 2019 schedule (thanks, Barry)

'Procol Harum is a group whose music is easiest described as a combination of the bizarre and haunting ... should prove to be fascinating on or off stage'
Added a good-length 1968 Zeitgeist article in which Procol mischief hilariously subverts the publicity for a high-minded US university festival investigating the origins of rock, 'Why Are the Beatles?', etc (thanks, Martin)

Added a Paramounts ticket here (thanks, Anvil)

31 January 2019 : the sixteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added two Procol Harum dates for April (thanks, Barry)

Procol cruise news (already taken ... that was quick!)
Stan Berman writes to BtP: 'Ok here goes for someone who was wanting to go on the cruise from 10 to 15 February. I bought cabin 2,350 from someone else who needed to sell it. She paid $3,074. I paid her $2,000 but now I can’t go. So if you ever wanted to go for a bargain, contact me and make an offer. The firm deadline from the cruise company is Friday 1 February so you have to act fast.

Added a seventeenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Jens and Roland are very sorry to be the bringers of sad news about Henrik Gøttrup … whom readers will remember from the magnificent Procol Convention in Lejre, Denmark in 2006, where he was our excellent host, and made so many great friends. His wife Helle Frandsen tells us that Henrik suffered a severe and wholly unexpected brain-stem embolism before Christmas; his future still seems very uncertain. Despite his bodily paralysis, however, therapists are beginning to be aware of small movements in his legs, and a little in the arms. He will begin intensive therapy soon at a nearby hospital that specialises in the training of limbs and language. ‘We play a lot of Henrik’s beloved music, when we are with him,’ says Helle, who wants the Procol community to know what has happened. He is aware, and ‘can laugh and cry when emotions take over’. BtP will bring further news when we have it. Meanwhile we extend our love and best wishes to Henrik and Helle, children Jakob and Laura, and their wider family.

27 January 2019 : the fifteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Jean Guillou, RIP Michel Legrand ... two great French musicians

Added a digested mp3 which removes the music, but preserves all the chat, from Gary Brooker's appearance this evening on local DAB radio with Brea Gosling. GB is present for the first hour, talking about his influences and some favourite songs, and Brea makes plenty of references to Procol in the second hour also. Overall, she played lots of PH songs, a Brooker Ensemble piece, and a Harry Brooker composition (of which you'll hear only token snippetry ...). Don't head immediately for the 26m 58s mark, but enjoy the whole show. We've left in some call-signs and a hint of some adverts for the enlightenment of non-British listeners.

Added a sixteenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

January 2019:

‘Beyond the Pale’ was glad to learn, in a call from the Brooker household on 23 January 2019, that Procol’s manager Chris Cooke is responding encouragingly to the treatment he’s been receiving since suffering a serious stroke before Christmas. Visiting him in hospital, Gary was heartened to find Chris propped up in a chair, already able to speak a few words, and beginning to recover a little control over the limbs affected by paralysis. 'He's still very ill, but we were happy to see him doing so well,' was the verdict.

20 January 2019 : the fourteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the liner note from Salvo's re-issue of Broken Barricades ... already ten years ago!

Added an intelligent Paramounts article from 1964 (thanks, Anvil)

Added a fifteenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

13 January 2019 : the thirteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a sequence of solution-pages for this year's puzzles here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.  Even if you didn't play, these will be interesting!

'You sneaky bastard(s)!'  ... '... it took a diabolical mind ... '
Added an entertaining page of competitors' comments ... many of them frank and revealing!

Added an intriguing personal concert diary (thanks, Frans)

Added a scan to this page (thanks, Bob)

Added a graphic to this review ... and why not re-read this historic, associated page?  (thanks, Anvil)

8 January 2019 :

Added a schedule of Triumphant Victors in this year's Christmas Conundrums ... and some preliminary comments about solving the puzzles

5 January 2019 :

Added our twelfth, and final, beguilingly approachable page of Christmas clues

Click on the link at the bottom of the above page, and you'll find your way to the simple Final Procedure ... then you'll soon be sending in your answer!

You'll be sending us the answer AND your choice of prizes (twelve alphabetical letters, please)

4 January 2019 :

RIP Daryl Dragon

Added our eleventh, painless page of Christmas clues

And here's the second instalment of the Final Procedure, which in the past we haven't released until 5 January

And once again, the schedule of fabulous prizes ...

3 January 2019 :

RIP Dean Ford

Please read this very sad announcement relating to a key member of the Procol Harum team

Added our tenth, pellucid page of Christmas clues

2 January 2019 :

Added our ninth, unproblematic page of Christmas clues

And here's the first instalment of the Final Procedure, which in the past we haven't released until 5 January, but which we're drip-feeding this year, to make life easier on the final night

And once again, the schedule of fabulous prizes ... which are suddenly so much more easily attainable

01 January 2019 : Happy New Year to all!

Added our eighth, briefly-despatched page of Christmas clues

31 December 2018 :

Added our seventh, speedily-solved page of Christmas clues

30 December 2018 :

Added our sixth, easy page of Christmas clues

29 December 2018 :

Added our fifth, undemanding page of Christmas clues

28 December 2018 :

Added our fourth, transparent page of Christmas clues

27 December 2018 :

Added our third, uncomplicated page of Christmas clues. And a teeny hint: the info you're looking for, when you follow a link, may not be at the top of the article in question ... do read the whole page.

26 December 2018 :

Added our second, straightforward page of Christmas puzzles

25 December 2018 : Happy Christmas!

Added a Christmas message from two key representatives of Procol Harum (thanks, Gary, thanks Josh)

Added our first, simple page of Christmas puzzles ... good luck to all! Here's the schedule of fabulous prizes ...

Make sure you've read the page introducing this year's Puzzles before you put pen to paper

24 December 2018 : the eleventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Galt MacDermot

Added a page introducing this year's Christmas Puzzles (a simpler affair than usual ... just a question of collecting some song-titles)

Added a very good Resources Page to help you coast through the Christmas Puzzles and win your choice of prizes

Added a page of twenty photos showing Gary Brooker in action, with Eric Clapton and Albert Lee and many others, at the Concert for Chas last week (thanks, Gudrun)

Added a fourteenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

17 December 2018 : the tenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a thirteenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

10 December 2018 :

Ian Hockley (of The Royal Opera House Muscat, and of The Palers' Band) presents a free, festive organ recital in London Thursday 13 December, under the auspices of the Anglo-Omani Society. He will take the audience on a journey through Denmark, Germany, Austria, France and on to Oman with a wide variety of music by Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Widor, concluding with a new work, Sindbad, by Naji Hakim. England will be represented by composers with significant London connections, Purcell, Handel and John Stanley. The organ at St Andrew is a 1989 Mander

The details: Thursday 13 December 2018, 18:30 – 21:00 GMT, at St Andrew Holborn, 5 Saint Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AF; music at 7.00pm, but arrive at 6.30pm for a mince pie. The recital is free, as are the refreshments: register here

7 December 2018 : the ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a BtP exclusive, Keith Reid's first interview about his new album – In My Head – which is released today. A review of the ten songs is interleaved with Keith's revealing commentary (thanks, Keith)

Added the words of a new Keith Reid song, The Trial of the Century, in which the author looks back on a fairly recent lawsuit (thanks, Keith)

Incidentally, a signed copy of the above new album is among the fab prizes in the annual BtP Christmas Puzzle recreation ... more about that soon. For all those who can't wait, links to buy the album are here

Added a third page of fine photographs from one of Procol Harum's most memorable recent shows

Added a twelfth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Updated this crucial page, and this one

2 December 2018 : the eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a second page of excellent photographs from one of Procol Harum's most distinguished recent shows

Added an eleventh array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Check in again on 7 December to read the weighty new BtP Keith Reid interview, which is also a review of his new album.

24 November 2018 :

AWSoP was sung live (vocal and piano) on BBC Radio 4's ISIHAC again this evening (thanks, Jeff) ... well worth a listen ... the link is on this page

24 November 2018 : the seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP the excellent Roy Bailey [MBE] ... another Southend connection

Added an illustrated review of Procol Harum's most recent concert (thanks, Mirek, and Mac)

Added a very strong set of Polish photographs here (thanks, Anvil)

'... another playground for the veteran ...'
Added a review of the new KRP album (thanks, Todd)

Added a tenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

19 November 2018 :

Quite by chance – 'continuum!' – BtP today (birthday of the late Allen 'One-Eye' Edelist) received a distinctive tribute to OE from a fellow fan who's only just found out the sad news ... click here ...  (thanks, John)

18 November 2018 :

Updated two Polish pages, here and here (thanks, Howard)

17 November 2018 : the sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a first page of great photos from a recent Procol show

Added a ninth array of  personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

'I wouldn’t assume to know what the song is about in its entirety ... I’ve written many myself ...'
Added another fan's brief page of notes about the 'meaning' of A Whiter Shade of Pale' (thanks, Nigel)

Added a link here which, should you choose to follow it, will yield access to a mixable online multitrack of A Whiter Shade of Pale ... albeit not the original!

'...an organ melody not a million miles away from you-know-what ...'
Again, can you judge from the above which album is being reviewed in this archival review (thanks, Royston)

10 November 2018 : the fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added a page of great photographs from one of Procol Harum's finest recent shows

Updated this interesting schedule of songs  (thanks, Todd)

Overhauled this hastily-typed review of last month's Procol Palladium concert

The Procol road-crew accomplish a speedy set-up in this instructive lo-fi collage from Zoetermeer, November 2018. With help from local hands, John Magner fettles the piano and lead guitar; Thomas Wyler the drums; and Howard Colinese the bass and other keyboards.

Added an eighth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Updated this crucial page

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Alkmaar, Netherlands

' ... there is no epic this time, shorter songs are the order of the day ...'
Again, can you judge from the above which album is being reviewed in this archival review (thanks, Royston)

Added a seventh array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added some more venues to this end-of-show photographs page (thanks Pia and Peter)

Added a Procol Harum concert for 2019, across the water (thanks, Julia)

Corrected an error here (sorry, Gary Brooker)

Added the setlist from Procol's triumphant show at Zoetermeer, Netherlands

1 November 2018 :

Added some audience photographs (of the musicians, onstage) from the Esbjerg concert (thanks, Peter H)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Zwolle, Netherlands

Hallowe'en 2018 :

Added some audience photographs from Procol's recent show at Sønderborg, Denmark

Added some end-of-show photographs, which you can help us identify! (many thanks, Thomas)

30 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Sønderborg, Denmark

Corrected an error here (thanks, Kim) and added some choice pictures here (thanks, Erik)

Expanded the setlist from Aalborg with comments about the songs, banter-notes, and so forth

Added the setlist from Procol's cracking show at Aalborg, Denmark

27 October 2018 : the third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Odense, Denmark

'If you consider yourself a fan of progressive rock, and you do not yet own a copy of this album, you owe it to yourself to invest in a record that pointed the way ...'
Again, can you judge from the above which album is being reviewed in this archival review (thanks, Royston)

Added a sixth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added a nice find to our 'whiter shade of pale' common-parlance feature (thanks, George)

26 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Esbjerg, Denmark 

Added the setlist, with illustrations and comments,  from Procol's recent, definitive show at Greve, Denmark

24 October 2018 :

Added another Procol Harum concert, overseas (thanks, Julia)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Magdeburg, Germany (thanks, Chris)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Hannover, Germany

22 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Bonn, Germany

21 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Heilbronn, Germany  (thanks, Howard and Uta)

Added a comprehensive and well-illustrated review of Procol Harum in Vienna (thanks, Charlie)

20 October 2018 : the second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added an excellent review of one of the recent Esoteric re-mastered albums. Why didn't critics respond this way at the time? (thanks, Paul)

A British politician offers a controversial opinion of a Whiter Shade of Pale (thanks, Charlie)

Added early news of a forthcoming album from a former member of Procol Harum (thanks, Anvil)

Added a fifth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Chemnitz, Germany (thanks Mario, Matthias)

17 October 2018 :

Added photos from Procol's recent show at Berlin, Germany (thank you, Peter)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Berlin, Germany (thank you, Peter)

Added another illustrated BtP review of the Procol Palladium concert (thanks, Charlie)

Updated crucial pages here, here, here, here,  here, here and here

15 October 2018 : the first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'

Added an illustrated BtP review of the Procol Palladium concert (thanks, Howard)

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Zürich, Switzerland (thanks, Heidi)

' ... like influences from traditional French music ...'
Can you judge from the above which album is being reviewed in this archival review (thanks, Royston)

Added a fourth set of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Added a link here about David Knights's time with Jimi Hendrix (thanks, Charlie)

14 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Vienna,  Austria (thanks, Charlie)

Added an illustration here (thanks, F)

12 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol's recent show at Winterbach, Germany

11 October 2018 :

Added a high-angle page of London Palladium concert photographs (thank you, Linda)

10 October 2018 :

Added a comprehensive page of London Palladium rehearsal photographs (thank you, Linda)

9 October 2018 :

Added the setlist from Procol Harum's epic concert at The London Palladium, their fortieth with choir and orchestra ... more concert notes will follow, but sleep is a more pressing priority

8 October 2018 : the final hebdomadal bulletin for Year #21 at 'Beyond the Pale'

RIP Montserrat Caballé, RIP Kim Larsen

Today's the twenty-first birthday of 'Beyond the Pale', which we duly celebrated with a fine crew of Procoholics in a London restaurant (thank you, Linda)

Added a few snaps of Procol Harum in rehearsal (thank you, Linda)

Added an interesting page of ancient lo-fi photos of the great BJ Wilson – whom we always remember on this date – in action in the late 60s and early 70s (thanks, Mystery Donor)

Added a link to a great clip of Richard Williams from the Palers' Band, playing Bringing Home the Bacon on BJ Wilson's restored drum kit ... full story here (thanks, Rich!)

Added a third selection of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)

Please read the autumn gigs page for news about two gigs in doubt (thanks, Chris)

Alumnae corner: from The Palers' Band, Jeremy Gilien was featured composer here (interview / performances); the Lemon Twigs are en route to the UK to record Later With Jools Holland; and from The Palers' Project, Jack Briggs (Mick Grabham's kinsman) has a couple of tracks on YouTube and an album deal

What was new on this website in past times