Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale

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Procol Harum shade Queen to top Britain's most-played chart

The Times • 14 April 2009


Of course, it's good to see Procol Harum pictured (see below) in The Times (even if two people in the shot didn't play on the famous record) ... but it's also galling to see the slipshod sub-editing that leaves the band's name spelt two different ways (see below again) in adjoining titles.

'Twas ever thus ... see here


The haunting organ theme has been a favourite on pub jukeboxes for more than four decades and was the subject of a bitter court case last year, Now A Whiter Shade of Pale has been confirmed at the most-played song in British public places in the past 75 years ...

... Gary Brooker, the lead singer of Procol Harum, said yesterday that the news that it had topped the PPL chart was a 'great and unsought honour'.

"It isn't something I could have remotely imagined when I wrote the song and then made that legendary recording with Procol Harum all those years ago," he said.

"Every musician and singer hopes to reach out and communicate to the audience, so it means a great deal that the record has such an indefinable popularity and lasting appeal."

Brooker won his battle to reclaim full royalty rights to the hit at the Court of Appeal after Matthew Fisher, who played the distinctive organ solo, claimed a share of the money


Read the full text online here and note the extraordinary public comments, including the frankly delusional 'Jerry' from Seattle in America who alleges 'Kenny Williams from Manchester actually sat in on drums for the recording of Pale. The regular drummer could not keep the unusual [sic] beat. Kenny played with the Legends and died in Germany unrecognized.'
 

Unbelievably shoddy sub-editing and proof-reading from 'The Times'


More Procol history at BtP | Most played over 75 years | More about the AWSuit | More Procol / Procul in The Times

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