What was new at 'Beyond the Pale'

August 1999

August 31:

Added a setlist for a classic Procol gig in Munich 1977 where the band played the whole of the Something Magic album and very little else (thanks for all the updates, PC)

August 30:

Added a best guess as to the words of One Eye on the Future (Brooker / Reid) as heard once or twice in concert in 1977; this number is another of those missing from Something Magic (thanks for the update, PC)

August 29:

Added the set-list (with near-illegible handwritten evidence, scribbled in the dark) from BJ's last show in Bristol UK, 1977 (thanks for the update, PC)

August 28:

Added a best guess as to the words of So Far Behind (Brooker / Reid) as heard in concert (sometimes a 'soulful slowie', sometimes a rampant Tamla-flavoured rocker) in the mid-seventies, but probably written long before (thanks for the update, PC)

August 27:

Added the set-list from the monster Procol gig in Vienna 1975 (thanks, Joan; and thanks for the update, PC)

August 26:

Added a best guess as to the words of I'm a Reader and a Writer (Brooker / Reid) as heard once or twice in concert in 1977; this number is one of those missing from Something Magic (thanks for the update, Peter Christian)

August 25:

Added a birthday tribute to Franky Brooker (thanks, Beverly)

For a week from tomorrow both Jens and Roland will be away from their machines. 'Beyond the Pale' has updated daily for at least 21 months, however, and we're not about to let our holidays stop that! Peter Christian has kindly agreed to host the site for us again, so eyes down for our London Week page which will be daily updated here (click the same link daily until the end of this month: the page it leads to will contain fresh material day-by-day)

BtP London week: 26 - 31 August

August 24:

'I respect Reid's insistence on the basic surreality of his words - they don't collapse to a single meaning, much of their value is in their ambiguity. But ... '

Added another sophisticated, detailed and enlightening look at the words of four songs (and at some hitherto-overlooked album-cover art-details) (thanks, Ross!)

Back in June we added 'a very interesting page from a new Paler who assesses four 'odd songs' rejected from Procol Harum's early albums' ... you might like to have another look at that?

August 23:

Added a varied clutch of Procol pictures ... including a piratical visit (thanks, davelee)

Also updated the list of Top 20 countries, and added another 16 countries to the list of countries the Palers come from.

August 22:

Added a personal article about Denny Cordell (thanks, Larry)

August 21:

Added an excellent and much-needed feature, based on Pete Frame's fine work, but very much brought up-to-date: the Procol Harum Pedigree chart part 1 and part 2 (brilliant work, Jonas: many thanks!)

August 20:

Added some chart information about the times when Procol Harum triumphed over Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Jethro Tull and so forth (thanks, Niels-Erik)

August 19:

Refreshed our concerts index-page with some illustrations (thanks, Beverly)

August 18:

Swimming Against the Tide: 1977 Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express by Yan Friis: Brooker buys a pub before Procol's huge UK tour promoting Something Magic; Brooker, Reid and Copping are a bit unforthcoming in a big interview, and French fans clap along to The Worm and the Tree.

Added a little page commemorating a tiresome NME cliché

August 17:

Added a brochure for the pub Gary Brooker bought in 1977: The Parrot Inn (thanks, Beverly)

August 16:

Time to re-read our page on Professor Copping and catch up with his eyebrow-raising work with The Huxton Creepers (thanks, Sam)

August 15:

Added a valuable Liquorice John shopping-aid (thanks, Phil)

August 14:

Swimming Against the Tide: last 1976 Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express by Yan Friis: the advent of Pete Solley, a live show and an impending BBC engagement. Otherwise it's Punk time, with the only Procol feature, 'life after death', relating to the Liquorice John sessions six years before!

August 13:

Added a good little review of two Westside re-releases (thanks, Sam)

August 12:

'Henry spends the rest of the scene with the 1967 blue Deram 45 rpm ... under his left armpit which we all know is no way to treat your precious vinyl ...'

Added a proper Procoholic perspective on Sir Tom Stoppard's AWSoP play as recently played on the London stage (thanks, Sam)

August 11:

Added another Lord Sutch obituary, which gives due credit to a 'rock luminary' much admired at this website (thanks, Joan)

August 10:

Swimming Against the Tide: more 1976 Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express by Yan Friis: AWSoP is rated significantly differently by the readership and the staff; Procol Harum gig on, but there's already a retrospective feel to their press coverage.

August 9:

So here it is. As suggested in the Procol Harum mail-list: Typewriter Torment - A Chatroom for the Palers. Enter here to chat with other Palers currently visiting the chatroom. This is a free service provided by a commercial company, so expect some banner advertising when logging out.

Thanks to Joan May, new information has been added here and here

August 8:

'... they've gone calamitously down in an overblown parody of their former glory ...'

Added a review of Something Magic from 1977 (thanks, Phil)

August 7:

By particular request, we add the words of A Real Attitude as heard last year at Guildford. OK, Keith Reid is never going to write Whaling Stories again ... but the brief verses of this song are still heaving with resonance, and begging to be committed to celluloid by Francis Ford Coppola, Brando, Pacino et al (thanks, Gottfried)

August 6:

Swimming Against the Tide: first 1976 Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express by Yan Friis: the band opt not to top the bill at a dismal festival, loon with the great Vivian Stanshall, and are seemingly re-evaluated by NME, rather late in the day!

August 5:

Added an index-page for albums containing stowaway Procol Harum tracks, unavailable on records that came out under their own name ... if you know of more please let us have further details

Added a page for the Over the Rainbow, an example of the category mentioned above.

August 4:

So Sixties! Peter Borgström discovers an unexpected parallel between the 19th century painter Gustave Moreau and Procol Harum (Thanks, Jonas)

August 3:

Swimming Against the Tide: the final thrust of 1975 Procol Harum news in its chart context, kindly extracted for BtP from the New Musical Express by Yan Friis: Procol play some much-needed British dates, but their 'half-hearted' single has pub-rock and the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody to contend with.

August 2:

Added an illustration to the first great review of the first great Procol Harum album, well-worth re-reading ... in fact, well-worth memorising ... (thanks, Larry)

Also, remember to check out the BtP Search engine and tell us what you think

August 1

Added some small comments to the BtP fans' AWSoP 'meanings' page (thanks, folks)

Read what was new on this website in previous months