Procol Harum's first year in the NME

Plastic Penny on Procol: 27 January 1968

These excerpts from New Musical Express, kindly selected for 'Beyond the Pale' by Yan Friis, show Mick Grabham's band listening appreciatively to Gary Brooker, and Procol planning a televised appearance in the States: was that film ever shown?

Front page: Full page advertisement for Grapefruit’s Dear Delilah (RCA Victor)

Main feature headlines 

SUPREMES LIVE IT UP IN LONDON

LBJ made Diana weep by Alan Smith

 ENGELBERT WORLD’S GREATEST WORRIER by Norrie Drummond

 HERD-A-WEEK: First of a brilliant new series

ANDY BOWN by Keith Altham

 PLASTIC PENNY PUT 'SCRATCH' ON RECORD by Keith Altham

 (excerpt)

 … He (Brian Keith) likes to believe that his voice has ‘scratch’, his definition for a natural soulful sound.

 ‘Gary Brooker has ‘scratch’ in his voice,’ explained Brian. ‘Ray Charles used to have ’scratch’ but on some of his more recent recordings like Yesterday he is singing between the cracks!

 … I went looking for two new members one night and came back with Tony and Mick. I got both of them on recommendation – I was told Mick could play like Jimi Hendrix and that was good enough!

 … Mick plays a medley of Hendrix numbers like Foxy Lady, Stonefree and Hey Joe.

 Tipped for charts by Derek Johnson

Bee Gees, Words
Move, Fire Brigade
Sandie Shaw, Today
Alan Price Set, Don’t Stop The Carnival

 NME Top 5:

1 (5) Everlasting Love, Love Affair
2 (1) The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde, Georgie Fame
3 (7) Am I That Easy To Forget, Engelbert Humperdinck
4 (3) Daydream Believer, Monkees
5 (2) Walk Away Renee, Four Tops

 News pages:

 Small advertisement for the Saturday, Jan. 27 gig with the Equals at Starlight Room Boston

 Procol-Move US shows

Procol Harum and the Move fly to America next month specially to star in two concerts at New York’s Village Theatre on February 11 and 12, the second of which will be televised throughout the States. Also on the bill are two US groups, Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape. It will be the Move’s first visit to America.

 NME at Midem ’68

(just a general report, including this excerpt:)

… The French pop stars and Britain give us one (gala performance) tonight, Wednesday, and already there are plenty of artists here to take part in it. The line-up is Long John Baldry, Moody Blues, Billie Davis, Kiki Dee, Julie Driscoll, Georgie Fame, Procol Harum, Lulu, Spooky Tooth, Brian Auger Trinity and Roger Whittaker …

Read more from the first year of Procol press