Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale

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Procol Harum in Japan • a short explanation

Procol manager, Chris Cooke, writing on The Beanstalk (30 November 2012)


Yuming Matsutoya (Yumi) has been a star in Japan for forty years, and has done sell-out tours every year, usually with big productions.

For her fortieth anniversary tour she had the dream to go back to the band that not only influenced her musical taste, but also were the reason she actually started singing: Procol.

The tour and the merchandise is labelled "Yumi Matsutoya and Procol Harum – back to the beginning".

Her massive fan base is fully aware of the position Procol has always had in her career. Every show we do now, the audience are treated to sixty minutes of Procol music, as they wait for the show. There is also a temporary club in Tokyo from 16 November for six weeks, called 'Procol Harum', which is playing only PH songs, plus covers of AWSoP.

The setlist is as follows:

Procol Harum
Bringing Home the Bacon
Broken Barricades
Pandora's Box
Shine on Brightly
Conquistador (joined on stage by Satoshi Takebe – Yumi's MD – playing synthesiser string parts)

Procol playing, with Yumi and Gary sharing vocals
A Salty Dog
Homburg
Wizard Man
Roaring Skies (Yumi Japanese solo hit with Brooker / Phillips English lyrics)
Lonely Room (Yumi Japanese solo hit with GB / JP English lyrics)
A Whiter Shade of Pale

The Yumi triple CD - (Y40th) just released and currently Number 1 in the Tower Records chart (yes Tower still exist in Japan) contains the track A Whiter Shade of Pale credited as 'Procol Harum featuring Yuming' (in English) was recorded by Procol in Abbey Road after the 2012 US tour [article here]

The show in Tokyo will recorded for later broadcast, so hopefully you will be able to judge for yourselves if you can find it. It will be transmitted by WOWOW, which is a cable company.

I will agree that it is an unusual collaboration and some of [Beanstalk readers] will question it. It's hard work, but it is also fun and I believe everyone is enjoying it.


On 11 December Chris added:

Last night's performance was filmed by WOWOW with 26 cameras; tonight, back-up night with only 15 cameras. The band visited the Procol Harum bar last night, and Yumi also came along later.

Thanks, Chris

Broadcast

At 2100 hrs on 31 March [not sure which time-zone, though!] the Procol / Yumi show will be transmitted for viewing at 2100 hrs on 31 March [not sure which time-zone, though!]

See http://www.wowow.co.jp/pg_info/detail/102122/index.php for details. The BtP team is not skilled in reading Japanese, but a friendly contributor provides a translation (red text below) of the matter in question

In commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of Yumi Matsutoya's debut, a 'dream' tour with Procol Harum was broadcast in 2012. Don't miss the 'miracle' that brings back Yumi's 'origin'.

It has been decided that the tour Back to the Beginning by Yumi Matsutoya and Procol Harum will be broadcast exclusively on WOWOW. (Watch an example)

Procol Harum is one of Britain's leading bands that coloured the history of rock from the 1960s to the 1970s, and the masterpiece Aoi Kage, which has an impressive classical element, has a strong influence not only on music fans but also on many musicians. Given, it is still sung. Yumi was also one of the influencees of the song, and even wrote on the official homepage that 'the song that paved the way for me to live as a singer-songwriter'. Such a joint with a band that can be said to be the origin of Yumi's sound has a big meaning in looking back on Yumi's footsteps, and it can be said that it is a big event that is strongly engraved in her own music history. On this tour, she said, 'If I didn't listen to Blue Shadow, I wouldn't be there now. I rehearsed with them in London in September, and I strongly felt that again. After singing Hikouki Kumo and Kageriyuku Heya, I felt that I was reunited with the 'sound' that was ringing in my head when I wrote the song, and in November, I will perform with them. Singing my song with Procol Harum ... my dream that suddenly came true after a long time. Probably this is the first and last. I'm excited from now on.'

Procol Harum, who is also the tour title of Yumi Matsutoya's Beginning, and Aoi Kage, will be co-starring on the same stage. The stage should not be missed by those who are interested in and love the music scene of the 60s and 70s. We will tell you in detail the 'miracle' at Showa Women's University Hitomi Memorial Hall on 10 and 11 December 2012.
 

Re the WOWOW site, it looks as if you have to register (by clicking on the pink box for "New Online Registration and/or the blue box "OWOW Member Registration") if you want to access the 'on demand' feature.
 

オンラインIDをお持ちでない方

0a0o0e0?0o

WOWOWメンバー登録

WOWOW0a0o0D0uv{“2
 
 
Registration is free, but it may be difficult navigating/completing registration without being able to understand what you have to input/where.
 
It looks as if you have to be registered even to watch the programme at transmission time (9.00, March 31).
judging from the second boxbelow (Bangumi Toroku = Programme Registration)
 
WOWOW 0e0?0O

 

0T0?uj}Dv{“2yg*

3/31(日)よる9:00

(Thanks, Arun)
 



 


Procol dates in 2012

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