Procol HarumBeyond
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PH on stage | PH on record | PH in print | BtP features | What's new | Interact with BtP | For sale | Site search | Home |
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Procol HarumBeyond
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PH on stage | PH on record | PH in print | BtP features | What's new | Interact with BtP | For sale | Site search | Home |
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28 February 2020 :
At last – thanks for your patience! – we are able to release the details of 'Beyond the Deep', the grand Procol Harum fans' convention in London on 4 and 5 July 2020
Added a link to Gary Brooker's inimitable spoken introduction to 'Beyond the Deep' ... watch it on YouTube (with the sound turned on, of course)
You are invited to book your 'Beyond the Deep' tickets as soon as you've checked all the details and figured out your travel plans. Best not to delay too long, to avoid disappointment
Please note: be sure to book your
flights and hotels by credit-card, in case your plans change.
Ensure your travel
insurance covers cancellation of these events for whatever reasons,
environmental, political, medical and so on. If for any reason the expected show
cannot go ahead,
the promoters will accept no responsibility except in the
matter of ticket refunds.
Accommodation for 'Beyond the Deep'-goers: explanation here. Accommodation for Procol Harum, and for The Palers' Band, is already chosen by 'Beyond the Pale'
Added a page with early information for those who would like to play in the Palers' Band.
Time to read the words of the Procol song that contains the words 'beyond the deep' ...
26 February 2020 :
Procol Harum have announced new Italian gigs in the towns affected by the Government lockdown in Northern Italy: see here (thanks, Barry)
23 February 2020 :
Nineteen weeks until the Procol two-concert Big Convention weekend in London: watch this page for details
Josh Phillips plays again with the Starlite Campbell Band on 27 February at Putney's famous Half Moon! Only a tenner to see a fabulous band, justly celebrated in (mainland) Europe.
| In 1998, at the end of
a memorable Gary Brooker
and Friends concert, the 'Beyond the Pale' team delivered a dossier
of messages from our readers to the Commander, requesting further Procol Harum
activity (read it here).
It's a varied document, to say the least, but Richard Beck, from
Memphis, seemed to speak for everyone in his beautifully-crafted paragraphs: The last regular Procol show of the 20th century had been in February 1996, and the the next was in September 2000, the occasion of the first 'Beyond the Pale' Fans' Convention. Since the start of the 21st century, however, the band has played, on average, one show every three weeks – so the fans who contributed to that petition must surely feel some sense of reward for their efforts. Also in the petition, webmaster Jens Anders Ravnaas mentioned 1997's marvellous Redhill get-together (of the nine-man Harum), when 'many of us had several late-night talks about how great it would be to arrange a similar party ... maybe the next time in USA? Or Scandinavia? Is there anybody capable and willing to arrange such a wonderful meeting?' Since then 'Beyond the Pale' has succeeded in mounting many major parties – September 2000 (Guildford, UK) | May 2001 (Kristiansand, Norway) | June 2001 (Manchester, UK) | July 2003 (Hollywood, USA) | August 2006 (Lejre, Denmark) | July 2007 (Smith Square, London) | April 2013 (Wuppertal, Germany) | July 2014 (Westbury, Long Island, USA) | May 2016 (Zoetermeer, Netherlands) – and many others, perhaps less ambitious, but no less enjoyable. It's been a pretty good couple of decades. To cap all this, Procol Harum have very kindly agreed to play specifically for BtP fans of all nations, at a gathering in London, on 5 July, as part of the biggest of all these celebrations: and we're looking forward to bringing you more news of all that will be involved, as soon as we're able. For now, two small but crucial details are here. |
Added a very interesting first page of scanned stage passes from the collection of Gary Brooker (thanks, Gary and Franky)
Added a page of photos of the Fender Bass Keyboard, the sort that was used by Chris Copping for live work in the days when Procol were performing as a four-piece.
See also this page, where you can glimpse the above-mentioned apparatus in action
Updated this concert page and this one also
Added a cautious, authorised foretaste of a Procol outing in 2021, about which further news is expected (thanks, Barry)
Copious thanks to (chronological order!) Peter, Mark, Carl, Victoria, Samantha, Chris, Pete, James, Franky, Gary and Becky for help and hospitality over the past couple of days while the BtP Webpersons were reconnoitring and making arrangements in Southern England.
|
A Procol fan in Detroit, America, has two good
seats for April's
Procol Palladium show for sale They're Royal Circle Row H, seats 20-21. Face value is 124 GBP, and he's looking for 100 GBP ... in other words, it's a bargain. If you'd like these tickets, send a message to webmaster@procolharum.com and we'll put you in touch with the vendor to make arrangements (thanks, Keith) |
17 February 2020 :
Twenty weeks until the Procol two-concert Big Convention weekend in London: watch this page for details
On 3 March in London Gary Brooker (MD, with House Band Andy Fairweather Low, Ian Paice, Robbie McIntosh, Wix Wickens, Dave Bronze and Graham Broad) will be playing with Bonnie Tyler, Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, John Illsley, Mike Rutherford, Mick Hucknall, Nick Mason, Paul Carrack, Paul Jones, Paul Young, Rick Wakeman, Tom Jones, Van Morrison and Zucchero: details here. And we have just learnt that Matt Pegg and Geoff Whitehorn will also be playing!
'Procol Harum’s asking price for a one-night
concert now is ...'
If you've ever wondered about booking Procol to play for your party, you'll want
to read this price-guide.
Added a link to a page where you may read that '$1 in 1969 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $7.03 in 2020'
'There’s that weird song sung by that Negro with the silly name ...'
Non-PC writing from Tampa about the early impact of Procol Harum in the USA ...
read it here (thanks, Mary)
Updated this marvellous page ... are there any articles linked here that you have not read?
Upgraded our page about Procol playing the Fillmore East
Created an anticipatory page here
The BtP team is hard at work with various valued collaborators, in hopes of being ready with some news before too long, for our patient readers, about the big Procol Harum weekend in London in July
Twenty-one weeks until the Procol two-concert Big Convention weekend in London: watch this page for details
' ...
since there’s no apostrophe in the first word, the second must be a verb, making
the statement a positive one ...'
(Guess which track-title is referred to, before clicking to read the article?)
Added
an illustrated album review, from
1969 (thanks, Mary)
Added a graphic to this page of Homburg reviews (thanks, Bradshaw)
Added a Procol Palladium ticket to our 2020 collection here ... but we notice nobody's sent in any tickets from the 2019 tour ... please scan your souvenirs and send them to webmaster@procolharum.com (thanks, Romilly)
02022020 :
RIP Andy Gill
Just twenty-two weeks until the Procol two-concert Big Convention weekend in London: watch this page for details
E-mail from Gary Brooker to BtP (3 February): 'Please pass on to the website
that I’m recovering well and will be at full power for
3 March at the O2 Arena.'
' ... the
England-is-crumbling saga ...'
Added
an illustrated album review, with brief
snippets of interview, from 2003 (thanks, Mary)
Time to re-read some significant speculations
that preceded the release of the above album
(thanks, Richard)
Please note that the
BtP Fans' Gathering on 2 April is
entirely sold out, and has a long waiting-list. Luckily there's
a much bigger Fans' Gathering, also
in London, on the horizon now
Chance to hear Josh Phillips on
Hammond in London at the end of this month!
Added an Albert Hall Procol Harum ticket to our
1976 collection here ... missing only Bristol,
Cardiff and Oxford from that January British tour
(thanks, Anvil)
Added a curiosity here (thanks, Bradshaw)
Corrected a blunder, here (thanks, Pat)
30 January 2020 :
For those who aren't free to come to London on 4+5 July for the big Procol Harum event, the band has announced another summer gig, this time in August: preliminary details here (thanks, Barry; thanks, Mark)
29 January 2020 :
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You are invited to 'save the days' ... mark 4 and 5 July 2020 in your diary ... and plan your visit to London, England for two Procol Harum concerts and a grand Fans' Convention.
Skeleton details are here. So we're happy to be able to announce the
dates and the city now (thanks, Barry;
thanks, Mark)
and know we can count on Palers to be patient until
fuller particulars are released on these pages. |
28 January 2020 :
You are invited to a sit-down meal in a restaurant (with bar)
very close to Procol Harum's London Palladium gig on 2 April.
Booking will be essential, but all we need is the name of everyone in your
party, in order to reserve your seat. Don't send money ... all that will be
handled by the restaurant on the night.
Event starts at 4.30 pm on 2 April. Showtime is quoted as 6.30 pm. Read all
about it by clicking here
(thanks, Raul)
But note that, as of 30 January, we're booked to capacity
Order your copies of the
2017 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.
20 January 2020 :
' ... quite the strange number with the music line with a pressure that
increases and increases. It is well done with a jazz rock flair
...'
Guess which album is being reviewed, before you
click here
(thanks, Mary)
'That song has the best chord progressions in any pop song ...'
Guess which song is being praised, before you
click here
(thanks, Anvil)
Added a first page of Aftershow party pictures from Winterbach, 2018 (thanks, Uta)
Competitors' comments on the BtP puzzles are held over until everything's in,
but thanks to all who have responded, especially those who did so in rhyme.
19 January 2020 :
Procol Harum regret they are unable to play at 'Giants of Rock' on 24 January: please read this page for details
12 January 2020 :
RIP Neil Peart
Added a schedule of
Triumphant Victors who have won puzzles in our Christmas Competition
Added a solution to the Christmas Puzzles. It works like this ...
click here for the
first puzzle, then click successive links ('tomorrow's puzzle) on the
full sequence of pages until you reach the finale.
6 January 2020 :
The BtP Christmas Puzzle has closed, and prize-winners should expect
to receive e-mail notification during Tuesday 7 January.
Thanks to all who played, in such a wide spread of countries; and commiserations to those whose answer was 'differently correct'.
In due course of time we'll publish a solution, with workings, in hopes of putting you out of your misery.
The popularity of prizes (derived from the rankings sent in by all competitors, irrespective of their answers, was A, M, D, O, L, N, I, R, E, P (key here))
Of the 'beat-the-clock' players this year it was pleasing to note that one participant returned a correct answer at 00:01, one minute after the final two questions were published.
That's quite quick work.
5 January 2020 :
|
Dear PH, Paler & muso fans, At the end of the ‘Teenies’ we welcome and look forward to the next decade, which can only be the ‘Twenties’ – I can't see it roaring, but I’m sure something will give it a character before long.
In 2019, the
Cruise on the Blue was a surprise 'cos it was total music and we
battled against the elements and superb competition ... to hopefully win
some new Palers to the fold. Photo: Bert Saraco |
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 (all ten alphabetical letters, please)
|
Note to puzzle-personnel ... thanks
for playing, hope you enjoyed it ... but please be aware that almost
half the answers received are not correct. That may be because participants have guessed the answer – which is fair enough! – but it looks as though a lot of folk may have ignored, or skip-read, the very explicit and helpful blue text with the coloured bullet-points on this page. Anyone who wants to review their
working, in light of this bulletin, is welcome to send a revised answer,
so long as it arrives before 23:59 GMT on the night of 6 January, which
is when the puzzle closes. |
4 January 2020 :
Added our eleventh, painless page of Christmas clues (that note of your findings ... got it ready? Sorry to nag ... )
And once again, the schedule of fabulous prizes
A taste of tomorrow's richly-significant 'geocode' clues ... brightly ... fuzzy ... jukebox ...
3 January 2020 :
Added our tenth, pellucid page of Christmas clues (that note of your findings ... you'll need it soon!)
A taste of tomorrow's mysterious 'geocode' clues ... plucked ... strings ... truth ...
2 January 2020 :
Added our ninth, unproblematic page of Christmas clues
And once again, the schedule of fabulous prizes which are suddenly so much more easily attainable
A taste of tomorrow's pregnant 'geocode' clues ... fell ... stage ... hurt ...
01 January 2020 : Happy New Year to all!
Added our eighth, briefly-despatched page of Christmas clues (you're still keeping a note of your findings?)
A taste of tomorrow's pertinent 'geocode' clues ... music ... payphone ... guitars ...
31 December 2019 :
Added our seventh, speedily-solved page of Christmas clues
A taste of tomorrow's satirical 'geocode' clues ... organ ... pram ... rival ...
30 December 2019 :
RIP
The great Neil Innes
Procol Harum has announced five more concerts for 2020 (thanks, Barry)
Added our sixth, easy page of Christmas clues (don't forget to keep a note of your findings)
A taste of tomorrow's pointed 'geocode' clues ... studio ... stallion ... stands ...
We hope everyone's enjoying the What Three Words system. It's been really interesting pinpointing exactly where the gigs in question took place ... not just the area, but usually the very building, or a building associated with the show ... we're rarely more than a few metres from the stage. Nobody needs to over-use the zoom-out function ... it's only a question of locating a few map-words in the frame close to the 'geocode' square, then checking if/how they feature at BtP.
29 December 2019 :
Added our fifth, undemanding page of Christmas clues
A taste of tomorrow's suggestive 'geocode' clues ... media ... waxing ... voices ...
28 December 2019 :
Added our fourth, transparent page of Christmas clues (don't forget to keep a note of your findings)
A taste of tomorrow's enticing 'geocode' clues ... vanished ... bandstand ... hero ...
27 December 2019 :
Added our third, uncomplicated page of Christmas clues.
A taste of tomorrow's significant 'geocode' clues ... infinite ... composer ... melodic ...
26 December 2019 :
Added our second, straightforward page of Christmas puzzles (don't forget to keep a note of your findings)
A taste of tomorrow's telling 'geocode' clues ... tonsils ... piano ... tunes ...
25 December 2019 : Happy Christmas!
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
A taste of tomorrow's hotly-anticipated 'geocode' clues ... surviving ... ensemble ... persons ...
23 December: the eleventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP Paul Whitrow, record producer
Added the crucial 'How to play' page for this year's BtP Christmas Conundrum. This is your chance to figure it all out in advance!
Where in the world is Long Gone Geek? We reveal all.
'... A Whiter Shade of Pale is only one of the numbers we could have
recorded. It just happened that it was the best number Gary and Keith had
written at the time ...'
Added a revealing and provocative
article from June 1967
(thanks, Anvil)
Look back at some 'Celestial Smith' photos (thanks again, Eilish)
Amended two deficient composition credits here (thanks Josh)
16 December: the tenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'
More about the release of Gary Brooker's new live tracks, recorded in New York, here
Added a first glimpse of the excellent prizes in this year's BtP Christmas Conundrums (thanks, Gary). The questions will start, as ever, on 24 December; not a syllable has yet been devised, so they're likely to be rather straightforward this year.
Added a glowing, but far from far-sighted, review of Procol's first album, from Christmas 1967 (thanks, Bradshaw)
Maybe it's time to re-read this hugely-influential article on the same album?
Added a link to KT Tunstall's remarks about her Josh-Phillips-inspired Christmas single
Added a review – as percipient as it is perspicuous – of Procol's seventh album, re-released in the Esoteric series (thanks, Romilly)
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!
2 December:
the
eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at
'Beyond the Pale'
RIP
Iain Sutherland
(lyricist to Gary Brooker ... see
here)
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)
'They might have just well been closed'
Added a link to this
egregious cover of A Whiter Shade of Pale
(thanks, Lars)
Lots of Hammond but no sign of the original
introductory theme. Nifty bit of vibraslap (cf For Liquorice John) at
2m 41s (Tito!)
18 November: the sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #23 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Updated this index-page, which newcomers may not have stumbled upon
Added a historic article about the success of the Edmonton album, recorded pretty well exactly four dozen years ago (thanks, Mary)
Remind yourself about that wonderful concert by clicking
links from
this
page
Updated this page for an
esteemed
musician who's no longer with us
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?
|
Years ago I commented about an attempt to have a festival in Saugerties, close to actual Woodstock. We got there after dark and were directed in pitch black to a field where we were told to camp. Well the sun came up and we were in a flat portion of the town trash dump and on the ground on a couple of 2 x 4s were about eight pieces of plywood to keep the band dry and there were the original boys – Robin included – playing their heart out in the dump. I don’t remember any of the other bands going through with it but Procol did not let us down in the worst possible place to play. I was watching Levon Helm’s Rockumentary I Ain’t in it for the Money and he in one scene at his kitchen table suddenly brings out of nowhere a giggle and a story of when Procol Harum came to town and the fun they had. I was there and it happened and it was a pretty strange situation. I’m sure [Gary] remembers it... I know it surprised me to hear Levon Helm tell that story in his film. I really don't remember anyone else on that bill actually completing the gig: the town seemed to have revoked permits and were simply trying to deal with the people who showed up. I was at The Winery this year and also in Westbury. Procol has been my favorite group since I saw them with the Byrds at the Fillmore East in ’67. |
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)
16 March 2019 : the nineteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
'The band manages to be both organic and technically impressive at the same
time ...'
Added an aggregated review
(illustrated) of Procol's six North-Eastern US dates (thanks,
Bert)
Added some performance pictures from Boston (thanks, Gregg)
'I for one sure hope to get another chance to
see them perform'
Added a nice review of Procol in
Nashville (thanks, Bradshaw)
Added a twenty-first array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)
10 March 2019 : the eighteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added a page of excellent photographs from Procol Harum's recent Westbury concert (thanks, Bert)
Have a look at this ... GW in 1999 ... solo starts at 2.50
Added a twentieth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)
Here's a link to an excellent, extended interview with Procol organist Josh Phillips (thanks, Anvil)
6 March:
RIP Jacques Loussier
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's second gig in Boston, USA (thanks, Keith, Nancy)
5 March:
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's first gig in Boston, USA (thanks, Nancy)
4 March:
RIP Keith Flint
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Collingswood, USA (thanks, Harold)
Updated crucial pages here and here
3 March 2019 : the seventeenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added a page of excellent photographs from Procol Harum's recent Westbury concert (thanks, Bert)
Added copious song-notes
about the third NYC Winery concert
Added a review of the
Ridgefield concert, and a curious premonition
(thanks, Chris)
Added a nineteenth array of personally-selected and captioned Procol pictures (thanks, Mary)
2 March:
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's excellent, recent gig in Ridgefield, USA (thanks, Bob / Kerry)
1 March:
RIP Andre Previn
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's excellent, recent gig in Westbury, USA
28 February:
RIP Ross Lowell
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's third, recent gig in New York, USA
27 February:
RIP Mark Hollis
Added the
setlist
and some excellent photographs
from Procol Harum's second, recent gig in New York, USA
(thanks, Bert)
Thanks to all the people who have written in about 'GE' in
this report. Just to clarify,
'GE' is not a typo, any more than 'BJ' is. BJ was not 'BW'
26 February 2019 :
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in New York, USA
25 February 2019 :
Added an illustrated page about Sunday's session in New York with the Palers' Band
24 February 2019 : the sixteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added the setlist (illustrated!) from Procol Harum's recent gig in Washington, USA (thanks, Matthew)
' ... a captive crowd, who appeared open to basically anything ...'
Added an illustrated review of Procol Harum's only
Chicago show this year
(thanks,
Anvil)
'... stated they had to learn A
Whiter Shade of Pale as they were often asked to play it ...'
Added a
review of the 'On the Blue' cruise
(thanks, Peter)
Added an eighteenth array of
personally-selected and captioned Procol
pictures (thanks, Mary)
21 February:
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Chicago, USA (thanks, William)
Regarding the concert that was due to take place on 22 February, Procol Management asks us to say how much PH enjoyed their first night in Chicago and how sorry they were not to be able to play to fans who'd booked the second night ... the show was cancelled because of fiery forces -- see here -- entirely outside their control.
19 February:
Added the setlist from Procol Harum's recent gig in Nashville, USA (thanks, Savage Rose)
18 February:
Added the setlist (illustrated) from Procol Harum's recent gig – not without surprises! – in Atlanta, USA (thanks, Steven / Markku)
17 February 2019 : the eighteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added an insider's page of 'On the Blue' pictures (thanks, Franky)
Added a page of nice 'On the Blue' pictures (thanks, Erich and Sielaff)
Added a varied page of 'On the Blue' pictures (thanks, Nancy)
'Unfortunately, their best material, which features a degree of 'imitation jam
session' sounds, was the unnamed stuff.'
Added a 1968 review of Procul [sic] at the
Fillmore East
(thanks, Bradshaw)
Procol for Europe: added a clipping regarding three UK, four German, and five Scandinavian dates to this page (thanks, Martin)
14 February 2019 :
Added setlist and photographs from Procol Harum's second Caribbean concert (thanks, Sam)
13 February 2019 :
Added setlist and photographs from Procol Harum's first Caribbean concert (thanks, Sam)
7 February 2019 : the seventeenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #22 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added two Procol Harum dates for August (thanks, Barry)
NB the festival date in July (though already selling tickets) is not yet contractually confirmed. Check this page before booking
Added historic Procol dates, or graphics associated therewith, in various places here, here, here, here, here and here (many thanks, Martin)
'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 links ... here and here ... to Gary Brooker's contributions (and Albert Lee's, Eric Clapton's, etc) to the Chas Hodges memorial night in London (thanks, Heidi)
'Gary Barlow was a guest on last week's Desert Island Discs – link here – and he chose A Whiter Shade of Pale as one of his tracks. I think he mentioned that it was one of the songs he learned to play on the keyboard.' (thanks, Claire)
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
| Also added a Management Statement for the avoidance of doubt: 'There no longer exists a valid contract for PH to play concerts in Russia. The promoter has been instructed to cease advertising and to advise ticket holders of the situation.' |
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
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For
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