Procol Harum's first year in the NME

A lean week: 23 December 1967

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, show a lean week in terms of Procol press: but the name keeps popping up in odd snippets.

Front page: a full page advertisement formed as a tastefully designed happy new year-card from NEMS Enterprises Limited.

Main feature headlines:

MEET A BEE GEE – COLIN PETERSEN by Alan Smith

BEATLES SEND YULE FUN TO FANS and is this their idea of a white Xmas? by Alan Smith

Procol Harum album cover still one of the 14 covers used in EMI’s half page Christmas ad.

Tipped for charts by Derek Johnson: (none) but
The Byrds are in with a chance with Goin’ Back.

NME Top 5:
1 (1) Hello, Goodbye, Beatles
2 (5) If The Whole World Stopped Lovin’, Val Doonican
3 (2) Let The Heartaches Begin, Long John Baldry
4 (3) Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart, Gene Pitney
5 (7) I’m Coming Home, Tom Jones

NME’s Christmas quiz

Question 39 (of 50):

Which two original members of Procol Harum left the group earlier this year?

Tailpieces by the Alley Cat:

British No 1 hits in overseas countries: Holland – Procol Harum’s Homburg …

Read more from the first year of Procol press