What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'
May 2004
May 31: Gary Brooker alerts us to listen to BBC Radio 2 between 45 pm UK time ... You can listen on the Internet here
"I have to shamefully admit that I thought I'd be buying this double CD simply to listen to it once as way of contributing a few coffers to the cause, and then laying it dormant to gather dust but no way !"
Added another great review of From Shadow to Shadow (thanks, Alan)
Added three more references to 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' in common parlance (search for 'shunning', 'mother tongue' and 'Athens marathon') (thanks, Jonas)
May 30: Tomorrow: Gary Brooker alerts us to listen to BBC Radio 2 between 45 pm UK time ...
'Fisher once more proves himself as every bit Brooker's equal as a songwriter ... '
Added a thorough and fascinating review of the third Procol Harum album, A Salty Dog (thanks, John)
May 29: Happy Birthday Gary Brooker (1945)
Added a 1978 interview with Gary Brooker which reveals some interesting new insights into his playing (thanks, Pam)
May 28:
Added details of Gary Brooker in concert tonight! (thanks, Mark)
Added details of three more Procol Harum dates to the 2004 tour schedule (thanks, Mark; thanks, Chris)
May 27:
Added Cologne tickets to pages here and here (thanks, Wolfgang)
Remind yourself of the days in 2000 when Procol unveiled a new line-up and we plotted the inter-relation of its members ... only Grabham and Brzezicki, we thought, had not played together before.
May 26:
In view of the current accolades being heaped upon A Whiter Shade of Pale, added some good CV information to our page about the drummer on that particular record (thanks, John)
Added a letter that does not endorse the said accolades! (thanks, another John)
May 25:
Added another strong review of From Shadow to Shadow (thanks, Marvin)
It may be time to renew your acquaintance with our page about unknown words in Procoldom ... indeed, to contribute to it.
In connection with the Procol Harum film that Henry Scott-Irvine is making, does anyone have a photograph of the 1973 occasion (reported by Gary Brooker) when Christianne Legrand jumped up on a Paris stage to perform with the band? Please let us know
May 24:
"What new records have Procol Harum released / Does BtP have search facilities / Is there a Procol Harum newsletter / Is 'Beyond the Pale' a commercial website / Where are the Procol mp3 files / Do you sell bootlegs / What are the words of
AWSoP about / Do band-members give you 'inside' information / What happened to BJ Wilson?"
Updated our very useful Frequently-Asked Questions page where all this and more is comprehensively addressed.
How many ex-members of the The Mekons have covered Homburg on record? Read no further ... (thanks, Dave)
May 23: Catch Paler John Edgar between 2 and 4 pm UK time in internet broadcast from here, including talk of The Palers' Project and From Shadow to Shadow.
Added another good page of photos from the band's first UK gig of last year (thanks, Paul)
Added a cross-word puzzle to our page about A Whiter Shade of Pale in every day parlance (thanks, Beverly)
May 22:
' ... it is of course the forefather of Supper's Ready, and Close to the Edge, and Gates of Delirium, and Thick as a Brick ... many seeds of bad prog rock are also sown here ... '
Added a discriminating review of the second Procol Harum album, Shine on Brightly (thanks, John)
May 21:
Added another appreciative review of the 2CD album, From Shadow to Shadow (thanks, Martin: happy 25th!)
We welcome more reviews from Procol Harum fans who have ordered this album. There are still CDs left so order yours while you can.
Added news of two broadcasts to the Procol news page
May 20:
Added a graphic to this page (thanks, Jonas) ... and the page is worth revisiting anyway, since it contains suggested text for those who want to write to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the USA, recommending Procol Harum, who have sadly not yet been inducted. If you do write, make sure to mention the recent accolade
Added a link to a page featuring a neat pun ('Non-pro call Harum') the more pleasing for being on a French-language website. (If you can't read French, it's about this album) (thanks, Lélée)
May 19:
Added another page of photographs from the early days of last year's great Procol tour (thanks, Margeet)
Added a link to an amusingly off-hand Procol reference (read it all) (thanks, Lola)
May 18:
Added an excellent piece of news ... guess what has been the most-played record in the UK since 1934? (thanks, all)
And you can read the same thing, with slightly more spelling-mistakes, on CNN here (thanks Jonas)
Have a browse on this Whiter Shade of Pale page, specially in the 'Recognition' section and note how Procol Harum are consolidating their position at the top. This excellent trend partly reflects the energy of the fans who have kept the Procol flag flying ... and the longer we can keep up that energy, the better it will be.
It partly also, of course, reflects the utter excellence of the record :-)
May 17: Norwegian National Day - very off-topic of course, but also very Norwegian: pictures of the celebration here
' ... this album ranges from good to absolutely stunning ...'
Added an interesting and enthusiastic review of the first Procol Harum album (thanks, John)
May 16:
Added another good review of the Palers' Project album, From Shadow to Shadow, which is now for sale from this website (thanks, Elizabeth)
Thank you for your orders! By buying this album celebrating the songs of Procol Harum you
- Treat yourself to forty great tracks to listen to again and again
- Put a few dollars towards all the expenses associated with keeping 'Beyond the Pale' online
- As a consequence, promote the name and music of Procol Harum
Use this link to order securely with your credit card or PayPal account. Immediate despatch.
May 15:
' ... Gary Brooker, as hard as he tried, could never ever measure up to any of the Moody quartet in terms of vocal resonance and power ...' [sic!]
Added a page in which a Moody Blues fan confesses to an early anti-Procol prejudice (thanks, John)
There has been some interesting and heartfelt reaction, to the opinions in the article above, at The Beanstalk, which is the instant-message forum run (at no charge!) by 'Beyond the Pale' for the convenience of Procol fans. To join this forum to exchange any opinions or questions about Procol Harum, The Palers' Project, or related matters just visit this page. Your membership will be under your own control so you can unsubscribe, resubscribe and so on just as you wish.
May 14:
Added a snippet to our page about Procol's Dee Murray (thanks, Jonathan)
Added an alarming cover of A Whiter Shade of Pale ... search for 'Zak' (thanks, Christian; thanks, Martyn)
Added an illustration to our page about Gary Brooker's most recent public performance (thanks, Andreas)
May 13:
Added a page specifying what portions of the Procol show at Aalborg last year were broadcast in April ... along with the Commander's drolleries about the death of the cat, Procol Harum (thanks, Niels-Erik)
Remind yourself of some of the other remarkable Brooker utterances that have been heard in concert.
May 12:
International Procol Harum Day ! (see here). Today is the anniversary of the 1967 release of A Whiter Shade of Pale: why not have a look at BtP's register of online fans and send a suitably Procoholic greeting to a neighbour?
'This is an essential Paler purchase ... a genuine treasure in its own right ...'
Added another fine review of From Shadow to Shadow, the second 2CD album recorded by the online Procol community (that's you!) to celebrate the song-writing of Brooker, Fisher, Trower and Reid (thanks, Charlie)
Thanks to our reviewers and all who have so far ordered: as soon as you get your copy, let us know ... and please send reviews for the website, so other people will know the quality of the music they're about to order. (
Click here to get your copy)
Once this project has covered costs, all receipts go towards keeping 'Beyond the Pale' running, bringing you Procol news, maintaining the forums, paying online charges and organising special events. Buying this album keeps you in Procol news and features, maintains the band's high profile online, and gives you 160 minutes of fantastic listening enjoyment.
So don't delay ... order today!
May 11:
Added some more onstage pictures from Procol Harum's opening British gig from last year.
Did you listen to the BBC radio broadcast clip we put up lately? BtP wrote twice to DJ Stuart Maconie telling him that an album-track is being passed off as a live session but the mails have not been acknowledged. Meanwhile, read Maconie's curious published comments about mid-period Procol Harum!
May 10:
' ... a collection full of old friends and new surprises ...'
Added another great review of the CD From Shadow to Shadow: read it and order the CD if you admire the songwriting of Procol Harum! (thanks, John)
Last night, again, BBC radio broadcast the 1969 album version of A Salty Dog, asserting that it was a BBC session! Listen to the evidence here, and let us know if you agree. Why not re-read the story of Procol Harum's actual BBC sessions?
You can now pre-order the new Procol Harum DVD: Live at the Union Chapel from Amazon USA and Amazon Canada as well as Amazon UK and Amazon Germany.
May 9:
Added another good page of photos from the band's first UK gig of last year (thanks, Paul)
BtP would like to clarify three points, in response to queries received at the website about the 2CD From Shadow to Shadow
- No, it's not strictly a covers CD. Almost all the Procol songs on it are presented in entirely new versions and different styles, and it's a celebration of the songwriting of Brooker, Fisher, Trower and Reid showing how their work though largely overlooked on commercial releases works wonderfully well in a great variety of artistically valid and appealing ways.
- Correct, it's nothing to do with The Palers' Band or their live recordings. That is a scratch band, convening at parties with little rehearsal to play Procol songs in the original arrangements. From Shadow to Shadow is 95% studio work by the Palers' Project, a loose collective giving their time and talents to support 'Beyond the Pale' and it sounds very polished: online ordering here.
- Yes, it's a great cover illustration, but BtP cannot take the credit: it was donated for the project by the artist Gerry Guthrie from Illinois in America: you can see more of his work here, and read about his AWSoP epiphany here.
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May 8:
Added another page of photographs from the early days of last year's great Procol tour (thanks, Margeet)
From Shadow to Shadow has now been sent out out to everyone who has ordered so far. Thanks, folks. As soon as you get your copy, let us know ... and please send reviews for the website, so other people will know the quality of the music they're about to order. (Click here to get your copy)
Once this project has covered costs, all receipts go towards keeping 'Beyond the Pale' running, bringing you Procol news, maintaining the forums, paying online charges and organising parties and special events. Buying this album keeps you in Procol news and features, maintains the band's high profile online, and gives you 160 minutes of fantastic listening enjoyment.
So don't delay ... order today!
You can now pre-order the new Procol Harum DVD: Live at the Union Chapel from Amazon USA and Amazon Canada as well as Amazon UK and Amazon Germany.
May 7:
" ... the sheer bloody inventiveness is stunning ... a voice that I would gladly walk naked in a blizzard over broken glass to hear ..."
Added a great review of From Shadow to Shadow, the second 2CD album recorded by the online Procol community (that's you!) to celebrate the song-writing of Brooker, Fisher, Trower and Reid (thanks, Rob ... who collected his copy from BtP in person)
Today and yesterday the first batches of the new album were sent out to everyone who has ordered so far. Thanks, folks. As soon as you get your copy, let us know ... and please send reviews for the website, so other people will know the quality of the music they're about to order. (
Click here to get your copy)
Once this project has covered costs, all receipts go towards keeping 'Beyond the Pale' running, bringing you Procol news, maintaining the forums, paying online charges and organising special events. Buying this album keeps you in Procol news and features, maintains the band's high profile online, and gives you 160 minutes of fantastic listening enjoyment.
So don't delay ... order today!
May 6:
Added numerous Procol Harum cover-versions to our list: there are alternative versions of at least 78 Procol Harum songs. Many of these are on the newly-released celebration of Procol Harum song-writing, From Shadow to Shadow, which you can order by clicking here.
May 5:
Added another good page of photos from the band's first UK gig of last year (thanks, Paul)
Procol Harum feature at a paltry #61 on this list of 'Most Underrated Rock Acts' but BJ is nowhere on the greatest drummers' list Brooker / Reid are nowhere on the best songwriters' list Matthew Fisher is nowhere on the best organists' list we could go on ...
Of course such lists are meaningless. So let's hope all true Procol Harum fans will go immediately and add some MEANING to them!!
May 4:
Added a short piece advertising Procol Harum's forthcoming tour ... from 1973
Added entries to our page for non-English-language versions of Procol Harum songs: search for 'Saara' and for 'Conjunto Jardín'. You can use your credit-card or PayPal to order these tracks, which are on From Shadow to Shadow, by clicking here.
May 3:
Added a good page of photos from the band's first UK gig of last year (thanks, Paul)
Whisk yourself back in time to the after-show party from the above gig
May 2:
Embellished this report of Procol Harum at Catford, in March 2003, with some hitherto unseen photographs.
May 1: Welcome to all the new Palers joining the European Union today :-)
Added another page of photographs from the early days of last year's great Procol tour (thanks, Margeet)
Read what was new on this website in previous months
