What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'

March 31: Happy Birthday (1951!) Henry Spinetti! In ten weeks' time Procol Harum play Copenhagen, Denmark

"Were only Procol Harum affected by this strange lethargy and lack of direction in 1977?"

Added the next episode of an ongoing retrospective about Procol Harum, dealing with the last three Chrysalis albums (thanks, Phil)

March 30: Happy Birthday (1950) Dave Ball !

Today: The 6th UCLA Radio Procol Harum Marathon. More info here (thanks No. 6)

Added a good piece about the Great Lost Procol Harum album (thanks, Marvin)

Can anyone tell us more about the speeded-up Simple Sister that this article refers to?

In eight weeks' time Procol Harum play the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in ten weeks' time Silkeborg, Denmark, and in eleven weeks' time they play Katowice, Poland

Sorry for the continuing server-problems. At present none of our mp3 samples may not be working  in some parts of the world due to difficulties at procolharum.net where they are all stored. We are looking into a workaround for this problem – which incidentally is affecting sites in many different time-zones, not just our own.

March 29: In eight weeks' time Procol Harum play the Opera House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

BtP was down about 7 hours yesterday, probably because of virus problems. We are sorry.

Added a good review of the British Invasion CD, featuring Matthew Fisher (thanks, Joan)

March 28:

Added some extracts from Gary Brooker's very interesting Radio feature about A Whiter Shade of Pale, broadcast yesterday in the UK.

The UK's BBC Radio 2 has a poll for best song of Queen Elizabeth's reign … please vote! (thanks, Carol)

Added a ticket (Boston, 1973) to our collection … more always welcome (thanks, Dave T)

Added a nice illustration (Kansas City) to the early tours page (thanks, Dave T)

March 27: Happy Birthday (1971) Matthew Pegg ! Today: Gary Brooker on UK radio: detail here

Added details of another Procol Harum gig! (thanks, Diane, Mark, Rudolf)

What do you know about Mark Lundquist, Procol Harum's promoter? Click here for enlightenment! (thanks, Michael)

Added details, here and here, of the sixth uclaradio.com Procol Harum marathon, which promises a wonderfully eclectic mix of music from Procolers past and present (thanks, No 6)

March 26: Tomorrow: Gary Brooker on UK radio: detail here

Added an illustrated page about occurrences of A Whiter Shade of Pale in contemporary Swedish fiction (thanks, Jonas)

Three points about the upcoming British concerts:

• Booking for the Palers' Events in Croydon is going extremely well with over 100 tickets already booked. This is well over the number we had forecast, and above the capacity of the venue booked for the afternoon's fair. The fair is therefore moved, and both events will be held at the Fairfield Halls in specially hired rooms. Even the new venue is filling up fast, however, and we have to restrict bookings to 130 tickets. So don't delay, if you plan to come to the 002/croydon-paling.htmAWSoP Champagne Reception / Palers' Fair.
• PayPal sends a notification to you when your money for the Champagne Reception / Palers' Fair has gone through. If you didn't receive a message from PayPal, then BtP has not got your booking ... so contact us about this
• Rob Barnes reminds us to remind everyone that it's feasible, transport-wise, to get to both the UK Procol gigs in May, at Newcastleand at Croydon. Please mail him if you will be at both.

March 25:

Added the second part of the recent Keith Reid interview from uclaradio.com (thanks, No 6)

March 24: In eleven weeks' time Procol Harum play Copenhagen, Denmark

Added a substantial retrospective from 1977, particularly interesting for its comments on Keith Reid's writing methods (thanks, Marvin)

March 23: In nine weeks' time Procol Harum play the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in twelve weeks' time Silkeborg, Denmark, and in twelve weeks' time they play Katowice, Poland

"I'll starch all the collars when I go to heaven"

Which Procol Harum song features these words? See if you can guess, before clicking here to find out the answer (thanks, Rainer)

Added some good news of two forthcoming broadcasts by Gary Brooker, one on BBC Radio and one on television in the Netherlands (thanks, Diane, thanks, Dumpy)

March 22: In nine weeks' time Procol Harum play the Opera House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Added, at last, a picture of the very handsome Procol Harum Orchid in its very first bloom (thanks, 'Proud Mother' Beverly)

Added the set-list for another, little-known 1996 Procol gig by the Barbican line-up (thanks, Søren)

March 21:

Added the first part of the recent Keith Reid interview from uclaradio.com (thanks, No 6)

March 20:

Added a setlist from Chicago, 1992(thanks, Bob)

Added some further thoughts, and an mp3, to this setlist's commentary on Brooker and Bach (thanks, Joan)

March 19:

Added a nice picture and a review from Tylko Rock of Procol Harum's most recent Polish concert (thanks, Mirek and Mac)

Remind yourself of BtP's other Procoloid articles from Tylko Rock: Poland 1992 here, Westbury Music Fair 1995 here, London 1996 here, Long Island 1997 here, Redhill 1997 here.

March 18: *Birth of Barrie Wilson, 1947

Added this unusual BJ portrait with 'medieval spaceman' outfit and assorted barnyard fowls (thanks, Pam)

Added a brief but interesting page about Procol Harum and Tolkien (thanks, Bert)

Frequent BtP-contributor David Pearcy maintains an excellent Jimi Hendrix website: if you like it, why not click on the 'The Hendrix 100' banner half-way down the front page, in order to keep him high in the Hendrixian ratings?

March 17: In twelve weeks' time Procol Harum play Copenhagen, Denmark

Added a setlist from Indianapolis(thanks, Bob) and another similar setlist from San Diego, including a commentary, with three mp3 excerpts, on Gary Brooker's debt to Bach, or otherwise, and Darryl Way's debt to Gary Brooker, perhaps.

The UK's BBC Radio 2 has a poll for best song of Queen Elizabeth's reign … please vote! (thanks, Carol)

March 16: In ten weeks' time Procol Harum play the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in twelve weeks' time Silkeborg, Denmark, and in thirteen weeks' time they play Katowice, Poland

' … and the moment I stopped breathing …'

Added a video clip showing Eurovision Song Contest winners, the Olsen Brothers, performing A Whiter Shade of Pale with a surprising variant lyric

Added three mp3 sound samples to the page about A Whitehorn Shade of Pale from the recent Guitar Techniques magazine

Ides of March: In ten weeks' time Procol Harum play the Opera House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Today: Norwegian radio P1 broadcasts the second part of Procol Harum's Concert from Hell: and you can listen on the Internet !

The UK's BBC Radio 2 has a poll for best song of Queen Elizabeth's reign … please vote! (thanks, Carol)

Added a paragraph or two about the short, official version of Magdalene (my Regal Zonophone) from a 1968 reel-to-reel tape (thanks, Art)

Added a piece to our collection of usages of the phrase 'Whiter Shade of …' in common parlance (search for 'Rowling') (thank you, Martin)

Added some mediaeval spacemen to this page of pictures (thanks, Tom)

Added a picture sleeve to this page (search for 'Helge') (thanks, Dick)

Added a Japanese promo picture sleeve to this page … can anyone confirm that it is what we think it is? (thanks, Harriet)

Catch Geoff Whitehorn live in Frankfurt tonight, with "Martelle and Friends" at Blues and Beyond (thanks, Paul)

Just one good UK Procol Harum ticket still going cheap (thanks, Michael)

March 14: Tomorrow: Procol from Hell on Norwegian radio P1 : listen on the Internet !

Added 'In the Autumn of my Initiation' in which a long-term fan speaks, still in awe, of his first Procol encounter (thanks, George)

The UK's BBC Radio 2 has a poll for best song of Queen Elizabeth's reign … please vote! (thanks, Carol)

March 13:

Added a nicely-illustrated and very evocative 1967 article from the UK's Rave, including plenty of comments from Keith Reid ('strange, dreamy') and Gary Brooker ('robust and stocky') (thanks, Dave)

Added more information on the artist behind an unlikely PH cover (search for 'Coxsone') (thanks, Stevie)

March 12:

Added the tenth and final part, A Whiter Shade of Pale – sadly incomplete following the death of Clyde 'AJ' Johnson – to 'The Secrets of the Hive' / 'Extracting the Honey', BtP's careful look at the Westside Pandora's Box album of Procol Harum rarities and remixes (thanks, Larry)

Reminder : good UK Procol Harum tickets going cheap (thanks, Michael)

March 11:

'AWSoP blots out those examination blues.'

Added an interesting, illustrated article about Procol Harum playing at UMIST Manchester, 1969 … giving their services for nothing! (thanks, Phil)

Updated the list of early tours with the above gig, a British mini-tour, a 1970 appearance on Isle of Wight and a Minneapolis show (thanks, folks)

March 10: In thirteen weeks' time Procol Harum play Copenhagen, Denmark

Added another Danish concert date to this year's schedule of Procol engagements (thanks, Thomas, Diane, Mark)

Added an interesting note about Grand Hotel CDs (thanks, Mark).We'd be intrigued to know if anyone else has a CD with the fault described.

Added news of the recent AWSoP auction … the story's not over yet! (thanks, Mike)

March 9: Happy Birthday (1945) Robin Trower!

In eleven weeks' time Procol Harum play the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in thirteen weeks' time Silkeborg, Denmark, and in fourteen weeks' time Katowice, Poland

Added an open-air concert date – previously advertised in Denmark, yet not confirmed until today by Procol Harum's management – to this year's schedule of Procol engagements (thanks, Mark, Diane, Thomas)

Added some Portuguese album-cover illustrations to our page about Grand Hotel (thanks, Beverly)

Updated the list of Palers staying in Croydon on the weekend of May 26. Booking for the Procol-fans' hotel in Croydon is here, and for the Palers' Fair and Champagne Reception it's here.

Still missing some of Procol Harum's regular albums on CD? CDNow offers most albums on sale, including new 2002 re-mastered versions and various compilations. Click here for a full listing: sale ends 11 March.

March 8: In eleven weeks' time Procol Harum play the Opera House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: please see details of suitable hotels in Newcastle and arrangements for pre-concert get-together in Newcastle

Added a page about the new 2.5 hour compilation 2CD from Metro Records (featuring the stereo A Whiter Shade of Pale) ... not something that the diehard fan will actually need, but an appealingly-priced present to give to your friends and neighbours who haven't quite got the message yet about the excellence of Procol Harum's early output. (thanks, Phil)

March 7: Happy Birthday (1946) Matthew Fisher !

Did you send in your opinion about the prospect of a new Matthew Fisher solo album? See here for details …

Added some brief Procoloid snippets (kindly contributed in response to our recent appeal!) from Bill Wyman's Stone Alone (thanks, Marvin)

Added good new pictures of two early Procol line-ups, one here and another here (thanks, Beverly)

March 6:

Added a recollection of Procol Harum in a Berlin concert, just a day or so after their famous Musikladen recording in Bremen (thanks, Pete)

March 5:

" … the somewhat startling entrance of Keith Reid, who … looked uncannily like Harpo Marx …"

Added a very interesting Rolling Stone piece from 1972: Procol Harum (with Dave Ball) fitting up for the Grand Hotel photo-shoot, and riding high on the success of the Edmonton album(thanks, Marvin)

March 4:

There must be many rock books and biographies with snippets about Procol Harum in them ... maybe visitors to BtP would like to send us some extracts? Here's a recent example:

Added the Procol bits, and some useful background about Southend, from the recently published and highly-recommended biography of Vivian Stanshall (many thanks, Lucian)

Still missing some of Procol Harum's albums on CD? CDNow offers most albums on sale, including new 2002 re-mastered versions and various compilations. Click here for a full listing. Sale ends 11 March

March 3:

Added a setlist from Procol Harum in Minneapolis, 1992 (thanks Steve)

Added a page about a valuable AWSoP single, signed by Brooker/Reid, that comes up for auction on Tuesday 5 March(thanks, Mike)

March 2: In twelve weeks' time Procol Harum play the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, and in fifteen weeks' time they play Katowice, Poland

Added another picture single-cover (wrong picture, incidentally!) … it was an optimistic move to unleash this particular item in to the world of chart radio (thanks, Beverly)

Re-organised the page of Procol Mondegreens and added some new specimens (search for 'Marvin') (thanks, the same)

Added a scan of a brief Rhythm Kings article to this page (thanks, Kerry)

March 1: In twelve weeks' time Procol Harum play the Opera House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Today: Norwegian radio P1 broadcasts the first part of Procol Harum's Concert from Hell: and you can listen on the Internet !

Added another compilation album, about which we don't know a great deal (thanks, Antonio)

Added another Hammond session to our list of Chris Copping's musical projects : search for 'mutual friend' (thanks, Cletis)

The Union of Danish Procoholics have changed their name to "The Danish Society of Procoholics". Have you seen the rare Procol Harum pictures on their excellent website at 18 November 1974 (thanks, Niels-Erik)

Read what was new on this website in previous months