What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'

June 30:

Added some Japanese to this useful page (thanks, Kerry and Kayoko)

Added some more Guildford Paling pictures from the Millennium Convention last year (thanks, Paul)

Added some interesting pictures of fans and musicians socialising at the Manchester Palers' Convention (thanks, Hans)

June 29: 

Added a page showing everyone who played in the Manchester Palers' Band in action (thanks, Hermann)

Added an explanatory photograph to the foot of the Verdict Page of 'Too Many Poets'

These have been a long time in the cyber-pipeline … some more Guildford pictures from the Millennium Concert Weekend last year … specially interesting to look at if you came to Manchester but were not aware of the previous year's Procolfest (thanks, Paul)

Added to our page of Brooker song-introductions from concerts ... more would be welcome! (thanks, Pat)

June 28:

Happy Birthday Dave Knights (1945)

Have a look at the line-up of the Palers' Band (Manchester), and another look at the Palers' Band (Guildford)

Added some pictures of Procol Harum at rest and play in Poland earlier this month (thanks, Mirek)

June 27:

Added Itching for More at the End, another personal assessment (illustrated) of the Manchester Procol gig (thanks, John and Hans)

Added another splendid picture page showing Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra and Choir in action at Manchester (thanks, Hermann)

June 26:

Added a page showing more rehearsal pictures with the Palers' Band in Manchester (thanks, Richard)

Added a splendid picture page showing Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher in action at Manchester (thanks, Hermann)

June 25:

Added That's Why (I Love You So), a great personal assessment of the Manchester Procol gig (thanks, Beverly)

June 24:

Added a page showing a key to the pseudonyms used in 'Too Many Poets'

Added a page showing Procol Harum at rest and play at the Palers' Convention (thanks, Tony)

June 23:

Added 'Some particular highlights', another review of the Hallé / Procol experience (thanks, Bill)

Added a page matching the sound clips made by Chris Copping to the winning 'Too Many Poets' songs, and a scan of the FAX he sent to the Palers' Convention. (thanks, Chris)

June 22:

Happy Birthday Bobby Harrison (1939)

Added 'An absolute whale of a time', another review of the Procol / Hallé experience (thanks, Ken)

Added greetings for the Palers' Convention from absent friends (thanks, Antonio and Stephen)

The auction for the Simple Sister orchestral score, handwritten by Gary Brooker and presented to BtP for fund-raising purposes, has now less than one day to run ... follow this link ... 

June 21:

Added Strange Lights over Manchester, a review of the Hallé experience (thanks, Richard)

Added a few preliminary rehearsal snaps of the Palers' Band (thank you, Linda)

Listen to the sound clips made by Chris Copping for most of the winning 'Too Many Poets' songs, and see if you can match them to the faux-Procol lyrics that he selected ... (thanks, Chris)

June 20: Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra played Manchester UK three days ago

Added a thank you letter from Diane Rolph and from Gary Brooker

Added an excellent review of Sunday's Procol Hallé concert (thanks, Dave, Graham, Bill)

Added a snippet from Mojo to our Manchester index (thanks, Joan)

The auction for the Simple Sister orchestral score, handwritten by Gary Brooker and presented to BtP for fund-raising purposes, has now just over two days to run ... follow this link ... 

June 19: Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra played Manchester UK two days ago

Added a first, illustrated review of the Procol Hallé gig (thanks, Charlie)

Added a page of pictures of Procol Harum playing the Palers' Convention (thank you, Linda)

June 18: Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra played Manchester UK yesterday.

Added a photograph of Procol Harum in action with the Hallé Orchestra and Choir (thanks, Peter)

Added the setlist from last night's very spectacular Procol Harum show, climax of their marvellous European tour (thanks, Jocelyn)

Added another setlist, for an altogether unexpected Procol Harum appearance on 16 June (thanks, Gary, Geoff, Mark, Matt and Matthew)

Chris Copping chose a vinyl album's-worth of texts from our 'Too Many Poets' competition to be the 'Final Cut'. Please see here (many thanks again, Chris) 

Rejigged our Convention index page and added a Procol Harum picture to our first notes on the Palers' Party (thanks, Peter)

June 17: Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK today

Chris Copping FAXed his preliminary verdict on our 'Too Many Poets ' competition through to the Palers' Convention last night. There's more to follow, but please read it here (many thanks, Chris)

Added first notes on the Palers' Party uploaded from Manchester (thanks, Peter)

June 16: Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK tomorrow

Added an early setlist from Green's Playhouse, Glasgow, 1970 (thanks, George)

June 15: Two days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Booking closed for the Manchester Palers' Convention: - tickets on the door will be GBP 15 strictly depending upon availability. 120 Palers are already booked for the Convention. Surely a party you wouldn't want to miss!

Added three articles about Procol Harum in a nutshell (thanks, Niels-Erik and Ken)

The auction for the Simple Sister orchestral score, handwritten by Gary Brooker and presented to BtP for fund-raising purposes, made a spectacular start at eBay ... follow this link ...

June 14: Three days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Please have another look at our revised page about the attractions at the Manchester Palers' Convention (including discounted Procol merchandise).

Added the text of a recent Robin Trower interview, in which he recalls playing a gig that doesn't actually seem to be part of Procol Harum's history ... (thanks, Joan)

If you can clarify RT's claim to have played Madison Square Garden, please let us know

June 13: Four days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added a very interesting letter from Moscow about the Procol gig in the Kremlin (thanks, Peter)

We suggest you prepare for Manchester by re-visiting the Shine On Merchandise page : John Grayson's mail address for ordering is now corrected.

Added some information about the attractions at the Manchester Convention

The auction for the Simple Sister orchestral score, handwritten by Gary Brooker and presented to BtP for fund-raising purposes, made a spectacular start at eBay ... follow this link ...

June 12: Five days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

BtP have now closed bookings for the Base Camp Hotel in Manchester, Jury's Inn.
You may still be able to get a room however, if you contact Reservations Team by phone 00 44 (0)161 953 8888 (opening hours 8.30 am to 5.30 pm) or e-mail Debbie_O'Neill@jurysdoyle.com. Please mention the Beyond the Pale Procol Harum weekend price to get the discounted price.

Added a setlist from Procol Harum's fantastic gig on 9 June in Aarhus, Denmark

Updated our page about the Procol connections of Southend's Mickey Jupp (thanks, Mikael)

June 11: Six days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

If you are going to Manchester, and have not already done so: you need to book your hotel room now! BtP will close bookings within 24 hours. Also, please book your Convention tickets immediately. The room is humming harder and will soon be filled up.

Jens is just home from what should have been two Procol Harum concerts in Denmark, but his ferry got cancelled, so Odense was lost :- ( ... so no Manchester bookings made during the weekend will be confirmed until tomorrow.

Added a translation of the fine Polish review of the Sopot show, as flagged up a few days back (thanks, Jolanta)

Added three great pages of pictures of Procol Harum playing at Sopot, Poland: here, here and here (thanks, Hermann)

June 10: A mere sennight until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added a setlist from Procol Harum's concert in Odense on 8 June (thanks, Søren)

Added ... one more time ... another consignment of faux-Procol lyrics: Perfectly Drowned (Romulus Remus) , A Warty Hog (thanks, Hamish McBoreal), Number 9, Number 9 (thanks, John Juicy Pink), Tainted Trout (thanks, Regal Z), High Speed Pursuit (Mohammed Poor), Aero plane (John Barleycorn), Taking out the Garbage (The Punisher) and finally the magnificent Grunt Finale (thanks, Ed Monton)

This is the end of 'Too Many Poets' as we know it, until the Day of Judgment at the Palers' Convention (thanks, Anthony Davis, Bert Saraco, Beverly Peyton, Carrie and John Maun, Charles Scott, Charlie Allison, Unsteady Freddie, Greg Panfile, Ian Chippett, James Donovan, Jeremy Gilien, Jim Krapf, John Annable, John Lock, Kerry Holloway, Larry Pennisi, Mike Chaudhuri, Mike Lee, Pat Keating, Richard Solly, Rob Barnes, Roland Clare, Ross Taylor, Sam Cameron, Snake Robertson, Stan Pearson, Tony Sadowski and W George Lovell). Adjudicator Chris Copping tells us that he has three favourite entries at the moment, but a few still to read ...

June 9: Procol Harum play band-only in Arhus, Denmark (enjoy it!); eight days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added some very interesting pictures of Procol Harum at sound-check in Sopot, Poland (thanks, Hermann)

Added something pretty-well magic for Procol Harum collectors, to the BtP shop. This handwritten Brooker original will shortly come up for online auction ... please enjoy a few days' viewing first (many thanks, Gary)

Our 'Too Many Poets' feature is now closed! Added the penultimate batch of faux-Procol lyrics: Nothing But 100 Proof (thanks, BarnyardBoy),Christmas Camelgirl in the Sand (thanks, Cinnamon Churl), Paler Band of Fools (thanks, Faux King About), Maniacal Laughter (thanks, Bright Lee), Not Really (thanks, Webb Syte), and The Forecast Is Cloudy (thanks, Strong S Samson)

June 8: Procol Harum play band-only in Odense, Denmark (enjoy it!)

Today's the closing date for the faux-Procol lyrics competition ... and we had an astonishing number of entries. The question is, which one was most like the real Keith Reid's work? Which one will our adjudicator, Chris Copping, select on 16 June? And - if the real Keith has entered under a pseudonym - will he come second? (see here for precedent!)

Please savour the antepenultimate bunch of lyrics: Perfectly Drowned (thanks, Romulus Remus), Just a Dream (thanks, The Dreamer), The Tomato Plant I Fancy (thanks, Clarence Birdseye), Enough Today (thanks, Turner Cartwheel), To Cut Away the Years (thanks, The Cut), Two Sides to Every Coin (thanks, Alan Terego), Tomorrow's Tombstones (thanks, Arc) and Where the Peaches Slice (thanks, Tattoo)

Added a page of pictures of Procol Harum playing in Copenhagen (thanks, Jonas)

Added some 'colored gemstones' here (thanks, Nancy)

June 7: Ten days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added two setlists from the current tour ... a great show in Wroclaw, Poland, and a sensational show in Sopot, Poland ... Memorial Drive ... !!! (thanks, Mirek) ... here's a link to a review too

 Added the next wadge of faux-Procol lyrics: Destinations of the Heart (thanks, Stone), Echoes in the Ebony (thanks, Daunton), What's in a Name (thanks, The Celt), Issues (thanks, Captain Clackgood), Mrs Good For You (thanks, Sam 'Haha' Spoodle), When the Velvet Crashes (thanks, The Beat), You Still Taste the Poop (thanks, The Dogshit Twins) and Ghosts Along the Way (thanks, The Ghost)

Manchester accommodation: there are still excellent hotel rooms available at the BtP discount rate, but Palers are now competing for them with the general public (who pay more!). So if you are interested in discounted hotel accommodation in Manchester on the weekend of the Procol / Hallé gig (and the Palers' Convention of course) please let us know immediately.

June 6: Eleven days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added a page about the Palers' Band, Norway: what they played, who they were, and how they sounded (mp3 sampler included).

Added the next dose of faux-Procol lyrics: Be Here Tomorrow (thanks, Silk), Bootleg Train (thanks, Hermanns Mentor), Crimson and Abstract Blue (thanks, Shade), Another Strange Dream in Brooklyn (thanks, Bob Zimmerframe), Fiery Moon and August Chair (thanks, The Bosun's Sister) and Fractured Phrases (thanks, Chico)

June 5: Twelve days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added the next three faux-Procol lyrics: Horse Gang Blues (thanks, O'Bryan Stewart), Fresh Food (thanks, Kitty Kitchen) and Hey Surfer Dude (thanks, Hernando Cortez)

Visit our Palers' Convention page to add yourself to the ticket-list by sending BtP an e-mail! If you have mailed us already, you should have received a confirmation by now. If you haven't, please mail afresh!

Added a setlist and a concert report on Procol Harum at the Kremlin Palace on 29 May (thanks, Evgenyi)

June 4: Thirteen days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added a good article about the Kristiansand Concert and sound-check (thanks, Tore) and a scan of Gary's hand written setlist for the night here (thanks, Franky)

 Added a page of pictures of Procol Harum playing in Kristiansand (thanks, Jonas)

June 3: A fortnight until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added the next three faux-Procol lyrics: Angel (P Nutbutter), Ghost Readers in the Sky (ISBN Number One) and Taken Away (Joseph Craig)

Added a page showing Procol members enjoying Procol videos at the Palers' Party (thanks, Frank)

Will these scenes be repeated at the Manchester Palers' Convention, and have you booked your ticket? It's got to be first-come first-served, and we've had a lot of mails. However there are plenty of people who we know are staying in Manchester on Saturday night, who have not signed up for the Convention. Please do this now. Even if you are playing in the band you will need a ticket!

Visit our Palers' Convention page to add yourself to the ticket-list by sending BtP an e-mail! If you have mailed us already, you should have received a confirmation by now. If you haven't, please mail afresh!

June 2: Procol Harum play band-only in Wroclaw; fifteen days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Added the setlist and additional comments from the Petersburg gig on the current Harum tour (thanks, Andrey)

Added the next three faux-Procol lyrics: The Chalice (Cliff West), (A) Power Too Far (Hello Rider) and Too Hot to Work (Alf Williams)

June 1: Procol Harum play band-only in Sopot; sixteen days until Procol Harum and the Hallé Orchestra play Manchester UK

Manchester accommodation: BtP booked a great number of discounted hotel rooms, and many Palers have taken them up (something over 140 room/nights so far). However we shall soon have to give back the unsold portion of our group booking. So if you are interested in discounted hotel accommodation in Manchester on the weekend of the Procol / Hallé gig (and the Palers' Convention of course) please let us know very soon.

Added a review of the opening night of the current Procol tour (thanks, Niels-Erik)

Please visit our page about the Palers' Convention in Manchester, to which we have now added a map, price, booking details, and schedule of attractions, and some pictures. In brief: we are not sending tickets out; you will need to make your reservation by e-mail, and pay on the door. Capacity is finite so please add yourself to the ticket-list by sending BtP an e-mail: click here. We hope to accommodate all comers of course, but it must be first-come, first served!

Read what was new on this website in previous months