What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'

May 31:

'He has made this version of Procol as much fun to watch as to listen to ...'  '... the best Procol Harum band I've ever heard ...'.

Added some glowing notes on Procol Harum in Lillehammer (thanks, Bob; thanks, Per)

May 30:

Added another page of revealing shots from the recent Chelmsford soundcheck

May 29: Happy Birthday Gary Brooker (1945)

Added a prestigious concert date for Procol Harum in another capital city (thanks, Chris)

There are great new products at the BtP Online Shop ... browse and securely order the new Palers' Project 2CD, among many other recordings, publications and garments.

May 28:

Added the extremely delightful setlist from last night's Procol show at the Lillehammer Festival in Norway (thanks, Chris) with performance notes (thanks, One-Eye)

Added a page showing some fans and their antics at Lillehammer (thanks, Jens) 

Reminders for Denmark 2006: sign up for The Palers' Band.
Sold-out Procol shows in the summer: some tickets now available at the BtP Shop.
Booking for the Palers' Revels: click here. 
Palers' Basecamp Hotel: click here to make your reservation. 

May 27: RIP Desmond Dekker  Procol Harum play Lillehammer, Norway; twelve weeks until their two consecutive orchestral gigs at Ledreborg Castle in Denmark

'... not just a new and exciting set of variations on the theme of familiar songs, but beautifully and meticulously packaged ...'

Added another view of 'Trace of a Feeling' (featuring Geoff Whitehorn, Rockette Morton, Adam Hart-Davis, and many more) (thanks, Rob)

The album – 42 new versions of Procol / Fisher / Trower / Reid songs – is for sale here at a special introductory price: get it while you can!

May 26: Procol Harum play tomorrow at Lillehammer, Norway, and in six weeks' time at Lulworth Castle

Added some images of Procol Harum (current line-up) playing A Whiter Shade of Pale (thanks, Juice)

Added two new CD products to the BtP Online Shop ... where fans can browse and securely order Procol / Whitehorn / Palers' Project CDs, publications and garments (thanks, Geoff) 

May 25: Procol Harum play Randers in twenty-four weeks' time

Added a frank and unexpurgated reading of the famous song which (if you choose to read it) may incline you to view the chorus in a fresh, perhaps not wholly welcome light (thanks, Herbert)

You may recall something faintly similar, here 

Today In Music History at Soundgenerator.com: Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale entered the UK chart for the first time (thanks, Jonas)

May 24:

Added a page of excellent first photos from Gary Brooker's Band du Lac concert at Highclere Castle (thanks, Robert) 

Nice to see various European websites referring to Trace of a Feeling ... see here and here

UK Palers: a TV programme showing very late on BBC1 tonight (actually 2.25 am Thursday morning!) entitled The Curious House Guest contains a short item on St Mary and All Saints' church in Surrey, where the first Within Our House concerts were held (thanks, Andy)

May 23:

'... a hugely enjoyable collection performed by people who are obviously hugely enjoying themselves ...'

Added a review of the brand-new Palers' Project 2CD, entitled Trace of a Feeling – order this excellent album now, while it is still available on special offer at the BtP Shop (thanks, John) 

May 22:

Added a first set of sound-check pictures from a very recent Gary Brooker outing.

Satirical addendum: apologies to any patrons who (perhaps being unfamiliar with 'Beyond the Pale', or not having followed Mr Brooker's career with much interest) weren't aware of Gary's involvement in this increasingly-unfashionable area of British life, doubtless obliging some of his admirers to put their personal convictions on 'hold' for the duration of the evening's entertainment.

May 21: RIP Freddie Garrity

Added the setlist from last night's Band du Lac (ie Gary Brooker's superstar group!) concert at Highclere Castle

Many thanks to Jonas in Stockholm for manning the ship while the regular webpersons were away ... great work, as ever! 

May 20: Procol Harum play in a week's time at Lillehammer, Norway; thirteen weeks until their two consecutive orchestral gigs at Ledreborg Castle in Denmark

Added the setlist from last night's Gary Brooker and friends (ie Procol Harum unplugged!) concert in Chelmsford

May 19: Gary Brooker and Friends play Chelmsford Cathedral; Procol Harum play in seven weeks' time at Lulworth Castle

Confirmed the rather exciting line-up for today's Brooker gig (thanks, Franky)

The Danes are of course the most Procoholic nation in the world: but the Norwegians are girding their Harum loins for the forthcoming Lillehammer gig: added a link to a Norwegian Procol Harum quiz ... see how you score in the easy version and the hardcore version (thanks, Halvard)

Of course BtP ought not to be promoting the tours of any rival heroes dating from the heyday of British rock, but in this case we are prepared to make an exception (thanks, Crusto)

For the next few days, while the BtP webmasters are away from their machines at Gary Brooker's gigs, we are delighted to leave you once again in the very capable hands of Jonas Söderström in Stockholm, our Replacement Cook. To find his updates, read on! (thanks, Jonas)

May 18: Gary Brooker and Friends play Chelmsford Cathedral tomorrow; Procol Harum play Randers in twenty-five weeks' time

Added a fourth good page of images from the first-ever Trower / Wilson gig from 1967 (thanks, Larry)

Reminders for Denmark 2006: sign up for The Palers' Band.
Sold-out Procol shows in the summer: some tickets now available at the BtP Shop.
Booking for the Palers' Revels: click here. 
Palers' Basecamp Hotel: click here to make your reservation.
 

May 17:

' ... and that cathartic feeling as the storm at sea subsides ...'

Added an excellently vivid and detailed concert memoir from the Home tour (thanks, Mike)

May 16:

Added an excellent first review of Trace of a Feeling (thanks, Bert)

Today the 2CD album will be going out to Procoholics in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the USA; thanks for all the orders placed at the BtP shop ... this is a vital ingredient in keeping BtP afloat.

May 15:

We are proud to announce Trace of a Feeling, the third 2CD album from the Palers' Project
A celebration of the fantastic song-writing of Brooker, Fisher, Trower and Reid, two years in the making, involving a hundred musicians world-wide ... Beautifully presented with specially-commissioned artwork, professionally mastered and factory-pressed, Trace of a Feeling presents 42 Procoloid songs in sparklingly-fresh versions, performed by the people who love them best ... the musical fans.   Many hundreds of Procol Harum's admirers have bought and enjoyed the previous Palers' Project 2CD albums, Lost in the Looking-Glass (2002) and From Shadow to Shadow (2004). 'Stuffed with gems' was one of Gary Brooker's comments; 'Really intriguing', said Keith Reid.
Please visit the BtP shop to order your copy of Trace of a Feeling at the discounted opening price of 18 USD: pay by PayPal in your choice of currency; or use your credit-card here. (thanks, everyone who has contributed to the project)

May 14:

Added a setlist from Old Testament Procol Harum (thanks, Rip)

May 13: Procol Harum play in a fortnight's time at Lillehammer, Norway; fourteen weeks until their two consecutive gigs at Ledreborg Castle in Denmark

Added a curious reference to A Lighter Shade of Fuel (thanks, Robert)

Corrected a broken link, so that you can again take the BBC's AWSoP quiz from here (thanks, Dale) 

Many satisfied customers are visiting the new BtP Shop ... where fans can browse and securely order Procol and Palers' Project CDs, publications and garments. 

May 12: A week until Gary Brooker and Friends play Chelmsford Cathedral; Procol Harum play in eight weeks' time at Lulworth Castle

Today being 'International Procol Harum Day', we add the first part of a transcript of Gary Brooker's 'Artist in Profile' interview from The London Barbican in 1999 with the late Douglas Adams: read this, and find out the significance of today's date. (thanks, Jill)

May 11: Procol Harum play Randers in twenty-six weeks' time

Added a twelfth and final page of screenshots taken from the broadcast of Procol Harum and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (thanks, Larry)

May 10:

Added a nice tour pass here (thanks, Robert)

Added some quick Trower impressions (thanks, davelee)

May 9:

Added a third good page of images from the first-ever Trower / Wilson gig from 1967 (thanks, Larry)  

May 8:

Added a page announcing The Palers' Band 2006, and requesting information and feedback from musicians, of whatever standard, who would like to rehearse Procol tunes in the run-up to the two huge PH gigs at Ledreborg Castle, and then play to fellow fans at the two after-show parties, 19 and 20 August.

Although the Procol orchestral shows are sold-out (Saturday) and likely to sell out (Sunday), BtP has acquired a supply of tickets for both shows. These will be made available to people who book for the after-show parties as well. Tickets are available at the BtP Shop.

The Palers' Band is a scratch-band, with different personnel each time it meets. It's friendly and democratic: all comers are welcome, and they will have a wonderful time playing Brooker / Fisher / Trower music with fellow enthusiasts, from all over the world, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and no ego-tripping!

If you love Procol Harum, and you play an instrument or sing, this is a wonderful opportunity for some unforgettable fun: don't be shy, and don't delay!

Booking for the Palers' Revels is at this page; read this carefully if you're planning to join the Palers' Band. 

May 7:

Added an eleventh and penultimate page of screenshots taken from the broadcast of Procol Harum and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (thanks, Larry)

May 6: Procol Harum play in three weeks' time at Lillehammer, Norway; fifteen weeks until their two consecutive gigs at Ledreborg Castle in Denmark

Booking is now open for the Palers' Revels – two after-show parties following Procol Harum's sell-out 12,000-strong symphonic gigs on 19 and 20 August, and three days of musical sessions and good company for people who want to play Procol tunes in an enjoyable, ego-free context!

Click here for all details, including a special bonus – private access to Procol's closed dress-rehearsal.

Secure online booking is available from the BtP shop; note that physical tickets will not be sent, but you will receive an e-mail confirming that your name(s) is added to the list on the door for the night(s) you booked. When ordering, state the name of each person you are buying tickets for, using the 'Add comments about your order' area at the online shop.

Palers' Basecamp Hotel still has plenty of discounted accommodation available: click here to make your reservation.

May 5: Two weeks until Gary Brooker and Friends play Chelmsford Cathedral; Procol Harum play in nine weeks' time at Lulworth Castle

Added a review of Robin Trower's recent Manchester gig (thanks, Dave)

May 4: Procol Harum play Randers in twenty-seven weeks' time

Added another overseas concert date for Procol Harum (thanks, Chris)

Where will they pop up next!

May 3:

The Danes must be the most Procoholic nation on earth ... with 20,000 or so Procol tickets sold for concerts in August, their press is already looking forward to November gigs ... added such a page here (thanks, Niels-Erik)

May 2:

Added a new entry (search for 'Parochial') to this valuable page (thanks, Merlin of Exmoor)

Added a footnote to this infrequently-visited page (thanks, Jonas)

Find your Procoholic neighbours and have fun with the Procol fans' world atlas ... now showing 420 names and counting ... and add your own name, town, or favourite lyric. There are some amiable curiosities in the film-strip associated with it ... click here

Always nice to hear from satisfied customers when they receive their Procol and Palers' Project CDs, publications and garments from the new BtP Shop ... where Procol fans can browse and order securely.

Mayday:

Added a tenth and antepenultimate page of screenshots taken from the broadcast of Procol Harum and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (thanks, Larry)

Read what was new on this website in previous months