Procol Harum's first year in the NME

A live date, 8 weeks on? : 2 March 1968

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, show Procol Harum only in a list of potential poll-winning bands scheduled (perhaps) to play Wembley in May.

Front page:

Half page advertisement for Esther & Abi Ofarim album 2 In 3 (Philips)
Half page advertisement for New Vaudeville Band’s The Bonnie And Clyde (Fontana)

Main feature headlines:

WHAT HIS PANTO-MATES SAY ABOUT ENGEL!
by Alan Smith

(Engel being of course Engelbert Humperdinck.)

 DONOVAN WANTED A COFFEE ... SO HE WENT TO GREECE FOR IT
by Keith Altham

CARL WAYNE – A JEKYLL AND HYDE CHARACTER
Vain, arrogant, blunt – but also very likeable
by Nick Logan

(half page advertisement for Elton John’s I’ve Been Loving You on Philips)

Tipped for charts by Derek Johnson:

Manfred Mann, Up The Junction
Vince Hill, Can’t Keep You Out Of My Heart

NME Top 5:

1 (2) Cinderella Rockefella, Esther & Abi Ofarim
2 (1) Mighty Quinn, Manfred Mann
3 (12) Legend Of Xanadu, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 (3) She Wears My Ring, Solomon King
5 (9) Fire Brigade, Move

News pages:

NME reveal some of the names who will take part in the annual Poll Winners’ Concert – at Wembley’s Empire Pool on Sunday, May 12:

Amen Corner, Tony Blackburn, Dave Dee Group, Herd, Love Affair, Lulu, Move, Don Partridge, Procol Harum, Cliff Richard, Jimmy Savile, Shadows, Status Quo, Tremeloes, Scott Walker.

Read more from the first year of Procol press