Procol Harum's first year in the NME

Overseas sales: 25 November 1967

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, involve poll predictions: PH in 'terrific fight for supremacy in the Best New Group division', some high chart placings abroad, and some desperately silly headlines

Front page: Full page advertisement for Traffic's new 45 Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (Island)

Main feature headlines:

New series - MEET A BEE GEE: No 1 BARRY GIBB By Alan Smith

BEATLES EATING CHIPS! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING SO COMMON asks Colonel McCARTNEY! by Norrie Drummond

Small advertisement inside EMI's half page advertisement on new albums and singles shows the cover of the Procol Harum album, Regal Zonophone LRZ1001 M

CLIFF'S NEW 'EYES' MAKE HIM SNEEZE! by Alan Smith

Tipped for charts by Derek Johnson:

Traffic, Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
Beach Boys, Wild Honey
Diana Ross & The Supremes, In And Out Of Love
Keith West, Sam
Seekers, Emerald City
Pink Floyd, Apples And Oranges
Dave Davies, Susannah's Still Alive

NME Top 5:
1 (1) Baby Now That I've Found You, Foundations
2 (7) Let The Heartaches Begin, Long John Baldry
3 (10) Everybody Knows, Dave Clark Five
4 (2) Zabadak! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 (4) Love Is All Around, Troggs

24 (15) Homburg, Procol Harum

World Disc sales:

News pages:

SHOCKS, SURPRISES IN INITIAL NME POLL VOTES COUNT: BLACKBURN, TOM, HUMP, LULU, PROCOL LEADING THE FIELD

 (excerpt)

... First successes for Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and Procol Harum - these are some of the sensational indications from the first 1,000 coupons analysed in the great 1967 NME International Poll.

... There is a terrific fight for supremacy in the Best New Group division. The Tremeloes, Traffic, Bee Gees and Procol Harum are dividing the majority of votes already cast and any of them could emerge victorious.

There is, however, more hope for Procol Harum to defeat the Beatles' All You Need Is Love with their Whiter Shade Of Pale as this year's Best British Disc...

AMERICA CALLING: Hollywood, Tracy Thomas

 ... Then next week, the Procol Harum revitalise the Strip at the Whiskee a Go Go ...

Read more from the first year of Procol press