What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'

September 1998

September 30:

The Mammoth Task: Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express of 31 years ago today by Yan Friis: Homburg reviewed as A Paler Shade of White, and some more UK TV scheduled.

Ilya Rudev advises us that you can hear Doro (she of the virgins and the bathwater) sing A Whiter Shade of Pale online here (full version) or here (19-second sample) (thanks, Ilya)

Added a page about Stoke Poges, the unreleased Procol Harum instrumental, with an illustration by the Rev. Cyril Harris JP, Vicar of the Parish of Stoke Poges, who retires today (thanks, Matthew Fisher and Toby Baillon)

September 29:

Added a page of pictures of the Edmonton-era line-up, from the Beat Workshop film (indirect thanks, BM)
This film was screened to the Redhill audience: have a look at the Redhill pages, or order the Redhill Glossy Souvenir Programme.

September 28:

Added a great page about Chris Thomas: one or two nice surprises! (thanks, dave lee)

September 27:

Added the words of The First Step, another post-Procol Keith Reid song, recorded by John Farnham (thanks, Frans)

There aren't many websites that cite Procol Harum and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the same breath, so you might like to explore one that does ... (thanks, Sam then Meg)

September 26:

Added another article from the special Procol Harum edition of the Polish Tylko Rock magazine, this time a review from the 1972 Rainbow concert

September 25:

Added another splendid report on the Harum's symphonic RPO show, over two-and-a-half decades back.

September 24:

Added a triumphant review of Procol's orchestral gig with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, twenty-six years ago.

Added a snippet in praise of BJ, from Richard Amey's announcement in Shine On of the Redhill party (thanks, Joan)

September 23:

The Mammoth Task: Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express of 31 years ago today by Yan Friis: under the Beatles' influence, Procol's management flirt with film-projects!

September 22:

Where were you, twenty-six years ago today? Making your way to London's Seven Sisters Road, with any luck!

Added a great treasure, the poster from Procol Harum's 1972 Rainbow concert, Mick Grabham's PH début, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pro Arte Singers (thanks, Quibble)

Added an explanation of how Gary Brooker found Say It Ain't So Joe which he recorded on No More Fear of Flying

Added yet more indispensible AWSoP covers: Josef Zsapka, Felix Slovacek, die Golden Gitarre, and the Keith Mansfield Orchestra (thanks, Sam)

September 21:

Added the words of Brooker and Reid's Harlequin and some notes about Gary Brooker's connection with the Hollies.

September 20:

Added details of another Procol Harum compilation (thanks, Richard Beck)

September 19:

Added Magdalene, as painted by Matthew Fisher's girlfriend Carol Bellantoni (thanks Carol and Matthew)

Added pages for Denny Cordell, Leiber and Stoller, and Tony Visconti: early days yet, but thanks to Dave Lee for starting us off.

September 18:
This page was updated several hours late because of technical problems. Sorry, but there was nothing BtP could do about it – Jens

Added a Spanish text for A Whiter Shade of Pale, with a translation into English. We understand this version is as yet unrecorded: the foot of the page offers a reason (thanks, Patricio)

Reorganised the page of Procol Harum covers in the hope of making it easier to read, and added two more AWSoP covers (Mike & Linda Coates, and Jo-El Sonnier) (thanks Pat Keating and Bill S)

September 17:

'BtP' is delighted to add an excellent new essay from Sam Cameron on Keith Reid's recurrent and absent symbols – how about some thoughtful feedback to The Beanstalk on this one? (thanks, Sam!)

September 16:

The Mammoth Task: Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express of 31 years ago today by Yan Friis: Procol Harum playing Europe; the dawn of BBC Radio 1.

Ringo on AWSoP: his opinion as voiced to 3,000 people who had paid sixty pounds each to attend the charity bash at Wintershall, near Gary's home in Surrey, this month.

September 15:

Added a nice page of words and Instamatic pictures from a Procol Harum concert in early 1976 at Portsmouth: the whole atmosphere of British college-gigs is nicely captured. Maybe some other 'Palers' could follow suit from their own archives? (thanks, Dave again)

Gary Brooker buys another pub

September 14:

Added a very complimentary review of Procol's Ninth from 1975

Added a picture of Ray Royer and his beehive.

September 13:

Added some more Procol Harum pictures from Larry Pennisi's huge archive (thanks, Larry)

Revamped the index to Procol Harum compilation albums, which should now prove much less user-hostile. Please mail us with the missing dates and liner-notes if you are able.

Added the track-listing for the forthcoming Liquorice John CD

September 12:

Added a page for the new EMI Paramounts CD featuring Brooker, Trower and Wilson: expect a BtP review shortly. It has 28 tracks, 12 unreleased before, of which six are Liquorice John recordings with Chris Copping on bass (thanks, Steve at EMI)

Added some detail to Yan Friis's mighty Paramounts Progress Part 1 and Part 2: re-read for the sake of 'Their sound is marvellous and the drummer is something of a genius', as a prophetic and discriminating fan wrote (thanks, Frans Steensma)

September 11:

Added three curiosities related to A Whiter Shade of Pale:

The elusive Neurotic Saga, listed as a PH B-side in an online discography, is run to earth on our covers page by Frans Steensma (thanks, Frans)

The truth is 'plane to see, notes Joan May ... (search for 'complimenting' [sic])

Breathe new life into an old masterpiece with A Brighter Grade of SAIL

September 10:

Added a 'witty' 1992 article from Q magazine, whose writer makes a number of remarks which possibly deserve as much scorn, from today's perspective, as he was pleased to heap on the writer of the NME piece that BtP put up yesterday.

September 9:

The Mammoth Task: Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express of 31 years ago today by Yan Friis: Jimi Hendrix getting to grips with Reid words, and a brilliant review of a live PH show ('next best thing since the Beatles'): Repent Walpurgis left the reviewer 'limp and exhausted'.

Added a link to a snippet of information about Bud Scoppa, whose PH articles here and here are worth re-reading (thanks, Joan)

September 8:

Added a gem: the utterly unexpected story of You'll Be On My Mind and Time Will Tell, two Keith Reid songs recorded in 1967! (thanks, Frans)

September 7:

Added a set-list from 1976 recording a monster Procol Harum concert of 23 songs, five of them non-originals, two of them long pieces from the 'classical' repertoire, and one of them a new song whose name is not recorded (thanks, Dave)

And why does Procol music keep cropping up in Heartbeat? (thanks, Greg Smith)

September 6: (Sorry for a delayed update of this)

Have a merry chuckle over Dave Lee's What-if History of Procol Harum – and remember what Kent said to King Lear: 'This is not altogether fool, my lord' ... (thanks, Dave!)

September 5:

Added a letter from Frans Steensma to Record Collector, May 1998, concerning 'lost' Paramounts tracks; by the way it includes the quotation that GB is wont to attribute not to the Stones' Keith Richard but to his own publicist (perhaps the other KR?): 'The Paramounts are one of the best groups to come up for a long time.' (thanks, Frans)

September 4:

Liner-notes to compilation albums are often hack-work that make gloomy, misleading reading. Not so these, which evidently emanate from a true Cerdean (thanks, Joan)

September 3:

Added a copiously-illustrated review of the Ringo / Gary gig at Essen, three nights ago: it includes details of songs, stage-gear, and perspiration-rates (many thanks, Frank Matheus)

September 2:

The Mammoth Task: Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express of 31 years ago today by Yan Friis: continuing interest in Procol Harum’s management background, and in Royer and Harrison's Freedom, which at the time must have seemed like a real PH splinter-group.

There's trivia ... and there's trivia ... and there's a strange half-human hairy thing with a bald head ... added a disquisition on Chris Copping's 'Sailor' tee-shirt from the Something Magic album (thanks, Axel!)

September 1:

Added a page revealing how Gary Brooker came to perform a solo AWSoP at Mick Ronson's memorial concert: you can also order the CD (thanks, Dave Lee & Justin Purington)

Added more information to our page about the Fillmore East gig in 1971 (thanks, Frans)

Read what was new on this website in previous months