14 October 1967: PH from NME

Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale

Procol Harum's first year in the NME

More movie madness: 14 October 1967

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, show further extraordinary news about Procol and ex-Procol film projects, and the management's continuing US focus while the UK end of things continues to be beset by doubts, cancellations and reversals: no wonder Gary got ill again.

Front page: Full page advertisement for David McWilliams’ single and album. (Another full page advert on page 5)

1 (1) The Last Waltz, Engelbert Humperdinck
2 (5) Massachusetts, The Bee Gees
3 (2) Hole In My Shoe, Traffic
4 (3) Flowers In The Rain, The Move
5 (4) Reflections, Diana Ross & The Supremes

Former Procol Harum members Bobby Harrison and Ray Royer announced this week that their breakaway group, Freedom, has been signed by British Lion films. It will appear in a colour feature film The Attraction, which will be submitted as an entry for the Cannes Film Festival in April.

Procol Harum have declined an offer to star in the new British film Seventeen Plus, to be produced by the company which made the Paul Jones movie Privilege. The group has opted out of the picture as it would have meant curtailing its US promotional visit, which is regarded as particularly important in the campaign to establish Procol Harum in America. As a result of this decision, the group has now announced that it will write its own film, on which it hopes shooting will commence in the late spring – a story line has not yet been formulated, but it will be a major showcase for the Harum.

Although the group has postponed its US visit until October 27, it will not – after all – play a London concert this month, as there is not a suitable theatre available at such short notice. Procol arrive back from the States in mid-November and immediately embark upon two weeks of recording sessions.

A spokesman for the group told the NME that it will now play 'at least one' London concert in the November-December period, and will also spend a further fortnight on the Continent during this time. As previously reported, Harum will star in a major British concert tour starting at the end of January.

Manager Tony Secunda flew to America yesterday (Thursday) for talks with A&M Records – the US outlet for the Harum and the Move – regarding promotion of both groups in the States. Procol’s Homburg single notched 90,000 sales within two days of release in America.

Tipped for the charts by Derek Johnson:
The Who, I Can See For Miles
Paul & Barry Ryan, Heartbreaker
Scott McKenzie, Like An Old Time Movie
Kinks, Autumn Almanac
Troggs, Love Is All Around

…Deal now concluded for Herb Alpert’s A&M label to issue Procol Harum records (also the Move) in America … last week-end, Procol Harum lead singer Gary Brooker bedded with virus infection …