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10 May: The twenty-ninth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale' RIP Donald "Duck" Dunn
Added newly-announced Procol Harum gigs to a handful of pages here, here, here and here (thanks, Chris)
Added some pictures as a taster for the excellent Thames Delta exhibition that celebrates the amazing music to have emanated from Southend-on-Sea
Maybe it's time to revisit the private Procol Harum museum in the Netherlands
Added a 'Christmas Rock' poster here to clarify the origins of a band-name
Added a picture here, and another here
Added a reminder of a concert of Procol music this coming Friday
Added useful music-buying links
here and here
To create space in the Procol download store, the
One More Time download album will be disappearing on 31 May 2012. If
you haven't already got this fine live album, from the Brooker / Bronze /
Brzezicki / Fisher / Whitehorn line-up, then you've got about three weeks to
download it before it vanishes forever.
Get yourself kitted out with Procol tee-shirts for all the forthcoming gigs, from the online Procol Harum shop
Follow 'Beyond the Pale' on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1)
3 May: The twenty-eighth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added (here) a compilation soundclip representing the diverse music on Dave Ball's new solo-album
'An impressive if somewhat eclectic solo effort': added a review of the above album here
'A charming, fascinating and totally endearing missive from the genuine master': added another review of the above album here
'Let’s face it, only the Shadows can get away with
playing Shadows' music all night ...'
Added an unusual feature:
a
former member of Procol Harum interviews a former member of Procol Harum
(thanks, Dave)
26 April: The twenty-seventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added Procol Harum gigs to a couple of pages (here
and
here) – so fans may now plan to see and
hear the band at the following 33 shows (chronological order):
Cape Town, South Africa;
Johannesburg, South Africa;
Skagen, Denmark;
Atlantic City, USA;
Westbury, USA;
Englewood, USA;
Lewiston, USA;
Bethlehem, USA;
Upper Darby PA, USA;
Boston, USA;
Morristown NJ, USA;
Raleigh NC, USA;
Boca Raton, USA;
St Augustine, USA;
Clearwater Fl, USA;
Alpharetta, GA, USA;
Portsmouth, VA, USA;
Washington DC, USA;
Rosemont IL, USA;
Denver CO, USA;
Snoqualmie, USA;
San Jose, USA;
Universal City, USA;
Scottsdale AZ, USA;
San Diego, USA;
Las Vegas, USA;
Copenhagen,
Denmark;
Copenhagen, Denmark again;
Vejle, Denmark;
Aalborg, Denmark;
Aarhus, Denmark;
Wuppertal, Germany;
Wuppertal, Germany again. Seven of these shows will see the band accompanied
by chorus and orchestra.
Added a review of the excellent first solo album from Procol Harum's former guitarist, Dave Ball – including links so you can buy or order it direct
Updated our page about Dave Ball's autobiography ... which is also released this week in downloadable form
Added the tenth and last in a series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
19 April: The twenty-sixth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP Levon Helm and Bert Weedon and Chris Etheridge
Readers may notice that some of the dates that disappeared from the 2012 gigs list have now been restored, as promised. PH management had withdrawn the notification (by US request) from the website until they were officially announced. This was purely a clerical matter so there was no need to panic ... the remaining gigs will go ahead of course, and will be announced (again!) when the moment is right.
Added the ninth and penultimate in a great series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
'Beyond the Pale' paid a visit to the wonderful Thames Delta Exhibition in Southend-on-Sea. A report will follow ... it's strongly recommended.
'Polish television has set up a deal to produce a one-hour TV special, including Brooker's backing group': see here (thanks, Franky) (Have a fresh look at the excellent Polish Procol Harum pictures here)
Corrected and expanded a tour-schedule entry for 1975 for Indiana PA (thanks, Rebecca)
Added a particularly comprehensive contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, One-Eye) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
12 April: The twenty-fifth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Readers may notice that some dates have disappeared from the 2012 gigs list. PH management has withdrawn the notification (by US request) from the website until they are officially announced. This is purely a clerical matter so don't panic ... the gigs will go ahead of course, and will be announced (again!) when the moment is right.
Added a new gig in the USA (thanks, Chris)
Added the eighth in a series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
' ... a sensational performance, joining the Rolling
Stones, and Van Morrison as one of the concert highlights of 1972 ...'
Added a terrific review of Procol Harum from forty
years ago, which is notable also for its prediction about the career of
support band, The Eagles (thanks, Franky)
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Linda) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
Added a backstage pass (thanks, Vince) for a show in 1972 we didn't know ... were you in Las Vegas at the start of July?
5 April:
The
twenty-fourth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15
at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP
Jim Marshall
Procol Harum announce new concert dates, all taking place in the next twelve months in the USA or Denmark: details here, here, here, and here; and here, here and here (thanks, Chris)
There were more dates
on the above list, but PH management has withdrawn them (by US request) from the
website until they are officially announced.
This is just a clerical matter so don't panic ... the gigs will go ahead of
course, and will be announced (again!) when the moment is right.
If you follow 'Beyond the Pale' on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1) or on Facebook, or if you subscribe to our Fresh Fruit newsletter or The Beanstalk, you will have known about the American shows for some time now, of course
Routinely updated this useful page
Added the seventh in a great series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added an authoritative and insightful page about Robin Trower's guitar work with Procol Harum (thanks, Bob)
Kicked off the 2012 tickets-page (thanks, One-Eye)
Added a poster advertising three exciting St George's Day releases from a former member of Procol Harum who has worked as soldier, seaman, policeman, actor, computer programmer, postal worker, printer, estate agent, hospital worker, bodyguard, university lecturer, artist, writer, and banker… as well as finding time to be a musician, author, and artist (thanks, Dave)
Added a link to ninety-five very recent live reviews of Procol Harum gigs in the USA ... they make good reading unless you're stuck in the past.
Added a fourteenth Procol Harum Project show (thanks, Søren)
Procol Harum have unexpectedly confirmed eleven more concert dates
for this summer!
Sorry we have not yet had a chance to make all the pages and setlists-in-waiting.
If anybody would like to know the dates before we announce them on the website,
please use one of these two links:
send an e-mail to find out the USA gigs or
send an e-mail to find out the wider world gigs (thanks,
Chris)
29 March:
The
twenty-third hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15
at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added flowers for BJ
(thanks, Sue)
Added a summer 2012 US date
for Procol Harum ... booking opens 31
March (thanks, Chris)
Added the sixth in a series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Peter J) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
' ... this
piece is, in reality, an embarrassingly inept attempt ... to create a rock
cantata ... kitsch ...'
Not everybody liked Procol Harum's first orchestral show – added
another
'of-its-time' contemporary review by a self-confessed snob (thanks, Franky)
22 March: The twenty-second hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
'Keith especially, spectacles and all, looks almost
straight ... having a grand old time dancing along with his band, safely hidden
...'
Added a weighty-enough piece of Procol
journalism from the USA, 1972 (thanks,
Franky)
Added the fifth in a series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Peter C) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
Added a reminiscence from the musician knocked down by The Commander onstage in front of 40,000 fans
Added a ticket scan here (thanks, Peter)
Ides of March: The twenty-first hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added the
setlist from Gary Brooker's performance in London at the weekend ... much
related material here
Added
the fourth in a series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Ian) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
'...the Procol Harum ... have no conception of
rhythm and its immense possibilities. There was nothing but an incessant
pounding of drums and cymbals ... '
Not everybody liked Procol Harum's first orchestral show – added
another contemporary review
in which some of the inaccurate and patronising statements once
again beggar belief
(thanks, Franky)
8 March: The twentieth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
We are not in a position to bring you any more contracted Procol Harum dates at the moment – but we'd like to advise US Procol fans not to plan any foreign holidays ('vacations') during the four or five weeks starting 13 July.
'No one buys virility or vanity when buying Procol
Harum ...'
Added a 1970 assessment of the band's
prowess and promise from Denver, in America
(thanks, Franky)
Added the third in a great series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Marvin) ... we welcome more readers' contributions ... click here for an easy way to get started
You can find clips on YouTube of Procol's Geoff Dunn playing at the weekend
Procol Harum at Skagen, here; AWSoP in Salem, here; new Blur song 'shares similarites with Procol Harum', here (thanks, Charlie)
Which Procol Harum songs have been stuck in your head? Here's the place to register them
Good to be getting messages from Procol fans who have been enjoying Bristol band Phantom Limb – recent live review here
1 March: The nineteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP Davy Jones
Added a message from Gary
Brooker regarding the London show in eleven days' time.
' ... a tear-duct-bending operation, whether the
listener was 14, 40, or 74 ...'
Added
most of
another contemporary review of Procol Harum's first orchestral show
(thanks, Franky)
Added
a review of the Procol Harum Union Chapel Blu-Ray disc, including direct
links to purchase it (thanks, all)
Added the second in a great series of festival shots from Kløften in 2011
Added another fascinating contribution to the Fans' Concert Diary feature (thanks, Charlie) ... we welcome more readers' contributions
Added a brief 1970 Atlanta Festival memoir (thanks, John)
23 February: The eighteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
As we look forward to summer festival music from Procol Harum, here's the start of a great series of shots from Kløften in 2011
Considerably upgraded our 1971 Procol tour schedule with information sent in by a reader (thanks, David)
This may well jog the memories of American fans who
haven't yet sent in their Concert Diaries
... we welcome
your contributions
Added another
contribution to the
above-mentioned Fans' Concert Diary feature
(thanks, Lars)
Journalism in 1970: what on earth was meant by writing like this ' ... the Harum sound: sullen bass chords dropping on piano runs like a guillotine falling on marching feet, lyrics from Keith Reid that stand out like an effigy for 18th-century poets, and doses of volume dominated by the organ and followed by breaks of light Mozartian runs speeded to resemble rock 'n' roll ...'? (thanks, Franky)
Where did Procol Harum play on 3 August 1973 – was it Aylesbury or Dunstable? (thanks, Laurence). Can anybody clarify?
The above contributor also seeks ' ... info on a spectacular and stellar night I had in Bilzen at the Jazz festival in I think 1974 – 'twas a far out occasion for sure – I remember that I also saw Argent performing, followed by Procol Harum, the perfect ending to a brilliantly-lit night out.' Again, can anybody clarify?
20 February
Added a link announcing the first concert dates for 2013 (tickets on sale from 1 March 2012) (thanks, Chris)
16 February:
The
seventeenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15
at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP
Dory Previn, RIP
Whitney Houston
Added a 1979
review of Gary Brooker's first solo album
(thanks, Franky)
'Keith probably wished I'd go away … he certainly gave me a
funny smile when we met again a week later ... artists should be judged by their
own highest standards, not against prevailing mediocrity'
Added a
long and fascinating Keith Reid interview from 1977, in which the validity
of The Worm and the Tree is the principle subject.
(thanks, Franky)
Time to re-read the 'History of Harum' by the same author: part one, part two
Listen to Gary Brooker address the audience on the origins of The Worm and the Tree after The Palers' Band performed it in 2006 – and promise to play it again!
New readers might be unaware of the comprehensive 'Taking Notes and Stealing Quotes' entry on The Worm and the Tree
Added the first item in a new feature:
fans' own Concert Diaries. First up is
Webmaster Jens: see what Procol Harum shows he's been
to, down the years, and then go to this
page and
send us your own!
Added a Randy Newman excerpt to
clarify the mondegreen origins of The Devil Came from
Kansas
9 February: The sixteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP Diane Stevens (cf AWSoP)
Added a 2012 festival date for Procol Harum (thanks, Chris)
'What’s this filth? That Keith Reid is getting more
perverted every album’
... 'It must be love that keeps us together ...’
Added a terrific 2,800-word interview by
Ritchie Yorke from the Broken Barricades era, in which Brooker, Reid
and Wilson express candid opinions on numerous artists of the day (Medicine Head
/ Pentangle / Black Sabbath / Curved Air / Mylon / Dr John / James Taylor / The
Band / Janis Joplin / Neil Diamond / The Moody Blues / The Stones / Ry Cooder /
Joe Cocker / Dave Edmunds / Led Zeppelin / Elton John / Randy Newman / Cat
Stevens / Crosby Stills Nash and Young / Neil Young / Bobby Sherman / Deep
Purple) – some are 'rubbish', some are 'terrific', one elicits ‘I've
never heard of him'
and one is 'a big wet sponge’ ('... my
favourite group,’ said Brooker, ‘As long as I don't have to hear them ...'). The
band – on sibylline and provoking form – also offer a track-by-track commentary
on the Barricades album, and all-in-all this is a must-read article for
any Procol fan! (thanks, Franky)
Added this link to a true AWSoP curiosity (thanks, Pat) – why not follow that with another (involving Helium!) (thanks, Charlie)
'There seemed to be close to a dozen mics all over
the stage ...'
Added
another contemporary review of Procol Harum's first orchestral show
(thanks, Franky)
2 February: The fifteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added a Procol Harum date in Colorado (thanks, Evan)
Added an article about Procol Harum on the verge of a San Bernardino gig (thanks, Franky)
' ... soap-operatic religiosity and funeral-parlor
solemnity ...'
Not everybody liked
Procol Harum's first ever foray with orchestra and chorus!
(thanks, Franky)
26 January: The fourteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
RIP Etta James and Johnny Otis
'The lyrics are weighted. They hang in the air'
Added a Procol album review from The
Miami News ... draw your own conclusions, indeed
(thanks, Franky)
Added a page catching up with Geoff Whitehorn and his new signature guitar (thanks, Geoff)
Added an interesting and copiously-illustrated collectors' page about Procol Harum broadcast shows (thanks, Keith)
Added a couple of photographs here
Added twelve 2012 tour-dates here that no fan of great music can afford to miss
19 January: The thirteenth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added news of a Gary Brooker appearance celebrating the posthumous sixtieth birthday party of a famous fan of Procol Harum (thanks, Thomas)
So you think you can spell the name of the lyricist responsible for A Whiter Shade of Pale and Homburg? Have a look at this 'beautiful rarity' page and see if you are right! (thanks, Tormod)
' ... the Procol Harum sound is the kind of music you want to dance to ...'
Added three pages relating to a Procol Harum performance in 1970 at the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra: one here, another here, and some background here (thanks, Franky)
12 January: The twelfth hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15 at 'Beyond the Pale'
Added the solution to this year's Christmas Conundrums
Added the schedule of Triumphant Victors, with the now-traditional 'glamorous assistant' as well ... if your name is listed, do tell us where to send your prize.
Added a link to this page, which shows other work by the co-creator of Procol Harum's famous 'mediaeval spacemen' outfits (thanks, Bradshaw)
'New CD': added a link to this article about 'a letter to Gary Brooker', and the infidels of Procol Harum (thanks, several people)
Added this link to a page which, as our contributor remarks, gives us Procol Harum, Denny Cordell and Big Pink all at once (thanks, Charlie)
Added a good poster and brief concert note to this page (search for 'Buffalo') (thanks, Bob)
5 January:
Added the twelfth and final consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums, with the extra, brief instruction that tells you what you need to do to claim your choice of prizes.
4 January:
Added the eleventh consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
3 January:
Added the tenth consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
2 January:
Added the ninth consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
1 January 2012: Happy New Year! (due to New Year celebrations in Norway, this upload is several hours later than usual. But as they say: the French girls know how to fight – but the Norwegians know how to party!)
Added a note from the vigilant Prof. Copping here – which has also caused us to revise Statement #5 in the Christmas Conundrums, and to amend this recently-added page. We've had a word with the compiler of the questions and he assures us 'it won't happen again, Guv' – we don't think anyone will have to change their answers, but it's obviously worth checking your working, in view of the excellence of the prizes
Added the eighth consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
31 December:
Added the seventh consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
30 December:
Added the sixth consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
29 December:
Added the fifth consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
28 December: RIP
Jim 'Motorhead' Sherwood
Added the fourth
consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
27 December:
Added the third consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
26 December:
Added the second consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums.
25 December: Happy Christmas!
Added the first consignment of this year's Christmas Conundrums ... good luck, everybody!
22 December: The
eleventh hebdomadal bulletin for Year #15
at 'Beyond the Pale'
Coming shortly to 'Beyond the Pale', our traditional twelve days of
Christmas puzzles. This is not affected by the changeover to hebdomadal working!
Added a page indicating how the new season
of Christmas puzzles will work.
Added the schedule of fab prizes that will
be available to winners in this year's Christmas puzzles
Added a page relating to the recent activities of a well-known guitar-player and some of his hard-core fans (thanks, Hans)
Added two links – here and here – relating to some charity activity by Gary Brooker in Norfolk, UK (thanks, Charlie)
Are you still Christmas shopping at Amazon? Please click on the link(s)
below to enter Amazon, and this will send a small commission to
'Beyond the Pale' ...
it doesn't cost you anything, but it helps us pay the charges associated with
keeping such a huge Procol website online. Thanks!
15 December:
Procol organist Chris Copping
writes, 'RIP
Russell Hoban –
I still maintain that the language in Riddley Walker is almost identical
to that heard in pubs in deepest Suffolk' (thanks, Chris)
As you will know from BtP on Twitter (follow us on http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1) there have been last-minute negotiations concerning the new Procol Harum overseas dates: however, they are now contractually secure, so if you fancy hearing Procol Harum on a bill with 10cc and the Moody Blues, the details are here and here (thanks, Chris)
'If people – the audience – take a group seriously
enough to go out and spend a hefty chunk of their income on the group's album,
then of course the group should take themselves seriously.'
Added a good-length
Keith Reid interview (with a self-indulgent journalistic preamble to wade
through) from the
time just before the release of Procol Harum's masterpiece
(thanks, Franky)
Updated this page ... one of 6,400 on this website at the most recent count
Added a marital codicil here (thanks, BfP)
Added links to this
live 1968
AWSoP ('well
sung and played with a hooded MF and the most driving performance by BJ')
and this
latter-day
AWSoP ('The
Miller's Tale, EC on guitar') (thanks, Charlie)
8 December: RIP Dobie Gray
Added a perceptive review of the Union Chapel concert on Blu-Ray (thanks, various people)
Added more nuggetry from Franky Brooker's scrapbook: a fascinating article from the time just before the release of Procol Harum's finest album (thanks, Franky)
 |
' ... tradition took a knock ...'
Added
a page that vouchsafes a glimpse
of the way-out gear in which Gary and Franky Brooker were married in 1968
(thanks, Franky) Added a press clipping to this seminal page (thanks, Franky) |
Added a link to a page about Gary Brooker's career (including a Grammy) (thanks, Charlie)
Added a link to a 60s' pop single derived from Bach's Air on a G String (thanks, Charlie)
'I pardoned a pig!' writes Vicki (Mrs Chris) Copping from Australia (thanks, Vicki)
Added one more curiosity (thanks, Charlie)
New single from Bristol's finest (Yolanda, the singer, sang some fine Matthew Fisher with a BtP webmaster at one time)
1 December: RIP Ken Russell
As readers of
BtP's Procol Facebook
Forum will already know, Gary Brooker's performance of
two great
songs in new arrangements was broadcast on Friday
(thanks, Pia). Gary explains that when Procol Harum
started we were 'little boys ... sixteen ... it seemed like a good idea at the
time' ... and sheds amusing light on his relationship with Eric Clapton.
Added a page about this great show from
BtP's Roman correspondent (thanks,
Stefano)
'... they don’t get attacked like The Rolling Stones. They’re just a different
type ...'
Added an interview with a
57-year-old Mrs Violet Brooker (thanks,
Franky)
Added a still from the film Luna de Avellaneda
(thanks, Pato)
Find A Whiter Shade of Pale music here
Top 10 music Blu-Rays according to Steve Guttenberg, more about one of the Blu-Rays here
24 November:
Added pictures to this 1969 Procol Harum interview, which we thought originated in Crawdaddy!, but turns out to have been published elsewhere first (thanks, Franky)
Added new of Gary Brooker on television (thanks, Chris) and Josh Phillips on stage (thanks, Josh) here
Restored a missing paragraph about a 'laughably ugly vocal' to this Salty Dog review, which we thought originated in Rolling Stone, but also turns out to have been published elsewhere first (thanks, Franky)
Jelle Ravestein alerts BtP to a Top 2,000 list – in Holland – 'that will broadcast in the last week of every year. Fans can vote in the last week of November (NOW) to stand the best change for Procol Harum. Select only Procol Harum with the song A Whiter Shade of Pale ... this song currently already hits the best 40 ... so let us make it a number one after all these years. You must vote before Friday 25 November, 17:00 Central European Time
Robert Moselle sends us 'a link to the Jack of Clubs Metasymbology page, since Gary Brooker is identified (here) as a Jack of Clubs ... 'This link has a list of other Jack of Clubs people – you should get a kick out of it!'
When Gazza met Macca: Alan Matthews alerted the Procol Facebook group to a long lost gem - an unreleased forty-minute documentary on the Abbey Road Rockestra recording session on 3 October 1978. Gary Broooker can be spotted on many occasions throughout but the significant highlights are as follows: 7’18” : Macca announces “Gary Brooker of Procol Harum” as the fifteenth member of the team (fourth on the alphabetical end credits) as the sound of a camera shutter and accompanying stills suggest that Linda is taking shots of each member; 8’16” : Gary chatting with session producer Chris Thomas; 9’47” and 10’ 25” Gary chatting with Tony Ashton; 11’00” : some solo pipe smoking!; from 14’00” – and this is the big moment of interest – McCartney running through the piano part with Gary. Read a related interview here
Procol Harum go down the memory-hole of instant oblivion, in some pretty good company (thanks, Frank)
17 November: RIP Doyle Bramhall and Jackie Leven
‘Money’s nice; it
buys security, not only for me but for the people around me.’
Added
a significant
article about the first line-up change in 'The' Procol Harum –
fascinating both for what it says and for its 'period' style – that BtP has been
looking for for many years (one webmaster read it in 1967, but didn't note the
publication it appeared in). It has surfaced at last, in Franky Brooker's
scrapbook (thanks, Franky)
In connection with the above, readers may care to glance at the same writer's article about the previous Procol line-up
Added a transcription, here, of the Procol reference in the Mart Scorsese film, Living in the Material World, about George Harrison (thanks, Geoff)
Added a comment here about Christiane Legrand playing live with Procol Harum (thanks, Chris)
Today: sale of some Procol memorabilia –
full story here – and you might
well get a brand new CD by an ex-Procoler into the bargain
(thanks, Dave).
Added the missing link ...
click here to know how Procol Harum are related to The Sound of Music
Added an excellent review of
the Union Chapel concert on Blu-Ray (thanks,
Robert)
10 November: RIP Christiane Legrand
'I suppose we might have become a bit lazy ...'
Added a very illuminating
note about
Procol Harum ... being sold off by their manager
... (thanks, Franky)
Procol fans will be interested in the upcoming sale of some irreplaceable and
unique Souvenirs of Malibu: Lot No 478, from a field of 840 exceptionally
eclectic items. The auction's on 17 November:
full story here – and you might
well get a brand new CD by an ex-Procoler into the bargain
(thanks, Dave).
In connection with the emergence of the above-mentioned photographs (which Gary
Brooker characterised as 'very Python-influenced') read about
Dave Ball's playing on Grand Hotel (and
here ... and listen to
a recording).
Another interesting archive piece about a mystery Procol guitarist in a photograph may be read here
'This was the first time
in 40 years that Brooker had ever sat in with another group ...'
Added a link to a 'well-intentioned
but strange article' (thanks, Robert)
clearly written by someone who hasn't read about
Gary and
the Palers' Band at Domus Felix
Added
a link to a film-clip
of the Parisian orchestral AWSoP that Henry Spinetti refers to
here
– a treat indeed for fans of the 'Barbican 1996'
line-up
(thanks, Carlo)
John Greenway alerts UK readers that 'BBC2 are showing Living in the Material World – about George Harrison – this coming Saturday, 12 November, from 9.45pm to 11.20pm.' He wonders if this will reduce the potential DVD sales for Christmas! If you would like to own this Martin Scorsese film it's now available from Amazon.co.uk (DVD or BluRay) and Amazon.com (DVD or BluRay). The Commander, who attended the première screening in London, informs us that Procol Harum gets a mention.
3 November:
'No More Fear of Jazz' ... added documentation concerning an unusual Gary Brooker recording (thanks, Gary)
Added an intriguing note from Procol's erstwhile organist to this page (thanks, Chris; thanks, Sebastian)
2 Point 4 Children (thanks, Alan). Mind you, was this version ever played on Top of the Pops? Should the characters not be listening to the orchestral version?
Added a link to a cover version (search for 15 Pop Greats ) of A Whiter Shade of Pale 'The AWSoP singer might be Justin Hayward – from his previous recording with Mike Batt, probably?' wonders our correspondent. (thanks, Niels-Erik).
Added a brief gig-note to this page (thanks, Gil)
Added a link to Procol Harum's Cornerstone album, to this page (thanks, Per)
Christmas shopping ... attention Beatles fans! The Martin Scorsese film – Living in the Material World – about George Harrison is now available from Amazon.co.uk (DVD or BluRay) and Amazon.com (DVD or BluRay). The Commander attended the première screening in London, and informs us that Procol Harum gets a mention.
27 October:
Added scans from the concert-programme from Gary Brooker's performance last weekend in Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture, Op 57 (Arnold was, incidentally, the original conductor of Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra). The Overture, originally commissioned for a Gerard Hoffnung concert, is dedicated to US President Herbert Hoover and its score includes sundry vacuum cleaners.
Playing lead Hoover is a second Hoffnung connection for GB, following his comment 'It's a Hoffnung' at the start of the Edmonton LP, in allusion to the fact that the opening number seemed unable to start, band waiting for orchestra, orchestra waiting for band, and so on.
[Think of the opening choral shout preceding Whaling Stories on the Edmonton album, then click on Sir William Walton's oratorio Belshazzar's Feast and listen at about 1.53. Similar? This is probably a third Procol / Hoffnung echo, since Walton himself presented that single choral shout (of 'Slain!') during another of Hoffnung's musical extravaganzas in the 1950s]
Added a ticket here (thanks, Kjell) and updated this tour-dates page
Charlie Allison draws our attention to
this
imperfect archive recording of Homburg ... the perils of a
live vocal! 'A technician tries to give him a new [mic],' says Charlie, 'Which
doesn't work either! The host tries to make it look swinging!'
Here's an
antidote – same country, different microphone. Ray Royer and
Bobby Harrison in the band, of course. This probably dates from the era when the
Brooker moustache was dyed by his hairdresser ('a bit too much salt and
pepper in it' as he explained to BtP). Gary's wearing the iconic garment he has
also sported at various 21st-centruy gigs. What are the chances of any of his
distinctive stage-outfits ever coming up for sale?
BtP sold one at auction, a while back
20 October:
Birthdays yesterday: Keith Reid and Peter Solley
Added two Procol Harum ticket-scans, here and here and here (thanks, Per)
In case anyone missed it, added a sick kiwi
bulletin
here (thanks,
Dave)
Added a
good, illustrated review of Procol Harum on Blu-ray disc
13 October:
' ... [Procol] may play something awful at
the start of the set and by the end they’ll have forgotten it. I can remind them
of their mistakes.'
Added a hitherto-unknown Keith Reid interview
from (probably) 1973 (thanks, Per)
: intriguing to compare it with
this
article
Added
an all-night 'Procul' graphic from the London School of Economics to
this page and to
this one
(thanks, Dave)
Added prize-winners'
names and solution from our recent
Esoteric / Cherry Red Prog CD competition ... please send your addresses ...
Recommended Hallowe'en reading ... Black Shuck ... a new all-English horror novel written by a man ('the new MR James' according to one reviewer) with close Paler links (look inside all the Palers' Project CDs, for instance)
October 8: 'Beyond the Pale' has been uploading pages daily for fourteen years today
Added a couple of very late Old Testament Procol Harum pictures (thanks, Ron)
| Changes at 'Beyond the Pale' Since this Procol Harum website started, fourteen years ago, Jens and Roland have uploaded on average five pages every four days – there are now something like 6,400 – thanks of course to Procol fans all over the world who raided their scrapbooks, typed out archive articles, and sent us numerous setlists, concert reports, learned disquisitions and photographs. Way back in October 1997 e-contact among fans was
exciting and new and our forum,
The
Beanstalk, was soon humming with convivial conversation and
controversy. 5,000 days later, however,
Facebook,
Twitter and so on
offer many other ways of keeping in touch and sharing photographs, and
the supply of historic or unknown Procol interviews and pictures is
all-but exhausted (unlike the webmasters, of course, whose own Procoholism remains undimmed!). The BtP Online
Store will remain open round-the-clock, as will
The
Beanstalk of course. We know that everyone who has enjoyed the first
fourteen years at BtP will continue to send in material for our
bulletins, – and we hope they'll enjoy absorbing it in the new, weekly
way. And for people who really need their dosage daily: just go
back to day one – bookmark this index
– and revisit an archived page every 24 hours! |
October 7:
BtP's Procol Harum page may be archived in the course of the never-ending 'improvements' to Facebook. To prevent this, please visit the page and post a message. When there is enough 'recent activity' we shall have the option of an 'upgrade' rather than being archived. So, please visit this page now.
| Later: superb response, everyone: thanks! The Procol Facebook page is now upgraded and full of life. |
Added – arguably later than expected – an overnight review of a Procol Harum aftershow party from December 2010 (thanks, Bub)
Competition for these excellent musical prizes closes on at 2359 GMT on 7 October: see how to play
Routinely updated this useful page
"I would try to convince them not to come to the show, because who needs all that passion, art, and life-changing emotion in their lives?" Richard Thompson, in this interview, evincing a bit of British obliquity reminiscent of Gary Brooker here
October 6:
Added a third and final page of pictures of fans enjoying the Band du Lac experience in June (thanks, Michael)Follow BtP on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1
October 5: RIP Bert Jansch
Added a second page of pictures of fans enjoying the Band du Lac experience in June (thanks, Michael)October 4:
Added
a page of pictures of fans
enjoying the Band du Lac experience in June
(thanks, Michael)
Competition for these excellent musical
prizes closes on at 2359 GMT on 7 October: see how
to play
October 3:
Forty years after Procol Harum's Scopitone Whiter Shade of Pale promo one or two of the same visual tropes have been recycled by 'Cosmic Trip Machine' (thanks, Will)
Keith Reid gets an incompletely-informed mention on
this blog
October 2:
Added some more pictures of an Italian
Procol tribute band (with variant instrumentation) in action
(thanks, Carlo)
October 1:
Added some happy Whaling
Stories pictures from June this year
September 30:
Added photographs of another Procol Harum tribute event (thanks, Ernesto)
Photographer John Cook (see his work
here)
writes to BtP: 'We have just finished totally refurbishing our Peak District
holiday cottage and would be happy to offer any Procol Harum fans a 20% discount
for bookings up until the end of 2011. Details can be found
here.' John adds that a Roland
RD600 and Hammond XB1 are available for use, in an adjacent outbuilding.
September 29: Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ProcolHarum1
Added some recent Gary Brooker events to this page
Thanks to all the people who have taken part in the Brooker / Prog / Esoteric / Cherry Red Competition. Remember, you can submit your answer any time before 8 October and still have a chance of winning a fab. prize
September 28:
Added the tenth and final , easy question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)
September 27:
Added the ninth, and penultimate, non-challenging question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)
Added a scrapbook-scan to this Mick Grabham interview page (thanks, Per)
Look out next midnight GMT for the final stage in the Esoteric puzzle
September 26:
Removed the question-mark that had been hanging over this page, now that we definitively know the provenance of the article (thanks, Per)
Added the eighth, basic question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)September 25:
'German radio channel SWR1 – www.swr.de/swr1/rp – organises a chart-voting (best songs ever). Please vote for A Whiter Shade of Pale until 24 October. Last year it was #22: it must come better this year' (thanks, Hans)
Added
the seventh,
no-frills question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition
(thanks, Douglas)
September 24:
Added – here and
here – two scans relating to the longest-titled single (ten words!) that
Procol Harum ever released (thanks, Per)
Added
the sixth,
transparent question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition
(thanks, Douglas)
September 23:
Added the fifth, cushy question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)
Added some pictures of a Danish Procol tribute band in action (thanks, Søren)
September 22:
Added some pictures of an Italian Procol tribute band (with variant instrumentation) in action (thanks, Carlo)
Added the fourth, straightforward question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)
September 21:
Added
the third,
uncomplicated question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition
(thanks, Douglas)
Added a link to an instructive film about Southend-on-Sea, where The Paramounts came from – a chance to see some of the sights and, of course, enjoy the distinctive Essex accent (thanks, Barry)
September 20:
Added the second, undemanding question in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition (thanks, Douglas)
Watch out for the 'befuddled brain' reference here
Added
a setlist from an Italian Procol tribute act
(thanks, Carlo)
September 19:
Added the first, simple question
in our Esoteric/Cherry Red Prog Prize competition
(thanks, Douglas)
Added a link to
a nice media mention of Keith Reid
(thanks, Charlie)
September 18:
Added a page of details about our upcoming prize quiz
Procol Harum fan Rob Barnes (Palers' Band 2000) has his third Community Radio show coming up: Wednesday 21 September, 1800–1900hrs BST on NE1FM 102.5 Newcastle/Gateshead, and www.ne1fm.net/listen global. He writes, 'Lots more great music – an unusually colourful theme this time, including music by Donovan, Cat Stevens, Procol Harum, Beatles, and Roy Orbison. Please e-mail me at this address if you'd like a dedication or a forthcoming event read out 'live on air' to the world
September 17:
Coming soon, BtP's Late Summer Prize Prog Competition – have a look at
the music you stand to win
(thanks, Esoteric and Cherry Red)
September 16:
Added some Amazon.com reviews of
Lead me to the Water ... all excellent, but strangely none
commenting on the recent re-release
September 15:
Added three illustrations to this Gary Brooker album page
September 14:
Added the seventeenth and final page of a detailed sequence of Procol concert shots (thanks, Demetrio)
Fans of Tillbrook and Difford might like to read this good interview
September 13:
Added a note about the début of an Italian Procol Harum tribute band (thanks, Carlo)
September 12:
Added a strong setlist here from the weekend's gig in Denmark (thanks, Søren)
September 11:
In memoriam: film by
Ronnie
d'Addario
Ronnie's interview with Gary Brooker
September 10: Procol Harum Project show tonight
Added the story of finding a Procol souvenir in a historic organ (thanks, Carlo)September 9:
Added an interesting and informative Roman
souvenir (thanks, Carlo)
September 8:
'... We do have some very, very good fans as well. I think if we didn't play, I would feel that we were letting some people down ...'Added
a Gary Brooker
interview, given to an American journalist in June 2010, about 'why
Procol exists in 2010' among other things'
(thanks, Robert)
September 7:
Added
the
sixteenth page of a
detailed sequence of Procol concert shots
(thanks, Demetrio)
September 6:
Added a Tommy-related snippet to this page (thanks, Paul)
Added a VAT-related snippet to this page which (if anyone has sharp enough eyes) might help us to date the recently-acquired ticket scan (thanks, Henrik)
September 5:
Added a piece entitled 'Our Procol Haven' from the UK's Daily Mail (thanks, numerous contributors)September 4:
Added
a page containing pleasing visual material for the Keith Reid completist
(thanks, Bradshaw)
September 3:
Added some more photographs of Procol Harum in Denmark earlier this year (thanks, Matilde)
Updates may continue to occur at curious times this week ... for geographical reasons, by and large
September 2:
Added a final batch of photographs of No Stiletto Shoes on stage in Southend (thanks, Freddie)September 1:
Added some photographs of Procol Harum in Denmark earlier this year (thanks, Matilde)
Routinely updated this useful page
August 31:
'The words take on a very specific meaning, in the context of remembering ... '
Added a page of heartfelt thanks to 'Beyond the Pale' readers. It contains an mp3 clip of broadcast thanks – to you – so give it a listen ! (thanks, Rob)
August 30:
Added
a ticket, resourcefully culled from a surprising source
(thanks, Hans)
We've added the ticket to the 1975 page. Do readers think
that is the correct year? Notice that we have no
tour dates for early 1975 ... please
let us know what you think.
August 29: Happy Birthdays Chris Copping (1945) and Geoff Whitehorn (1951) – treat yourself to one of Geoff's solo albums
Added another page of shots intended to give some insight into the background to the Band du Lac gig in JuneProcol Harum fan Rob Barnes (Palers' Band 2000) has his second Community Radio show coming up: Tuesday 30 August, 1700–1800hrs BST on NE1FM 102.5 Newcastle/Gateshead, and www.ne1fm.net/listen global. He writes, 'Listen in if you can: and send me a message if you'd like a dedication read out on air: you can e-mail me at this address.'
August 28:
Added another page of photographs of No Stiletto Shoes on stage in Southend (thanks, Freddie)
August 27:
Added another page of shots taken before Gary Brooker's memorable last Band du Lac performance
August 26:
Added some final interesting pictures taken when Procol Harum last played with an orchestra in the USA (thanks, George)August 25:
Added
another page of shots
taken the day before the memorable final Band du Lac performance
Added
another page of
photographs of No Stiletto Shoes on stage in Southend (thanks,
Freddie)
August 23:
Added a page of shots taken the day before Gary Brooker's memorable last Band du Lac performance
August 22:
Where are you planning to be between 7 April and 16 June 2012 ?
Added a Press Release to assist with your forward planning (thanks, Lib)
August 21:
Procol Harum fans may hitherto have been in the dark about the matter of Shades and Tints, so it's nice to be able to shed some light here (thanks, Guus)
Added a Whitehorn 45 rpm label here (thanks, Anvil)
Have a brief squizzy at
seven shots of decorative developments in Bristol UK
August 20:
Added some final concert shots from Procol Harum's recent spa-town gig in Southern Germany (thanks, Heidi)
August 19:
Added another page of photographs of No Stiletto Shoes on stage in Southend (thanks, Freddie)
August 18:
Added some further interesting pictures taken when Procol Harum last played with an orchestra in the USA (thanks, George)
August 17:
'Beyond the Pale' is very lucky to be served by such vigilant and prolific
correspondents. We welcome everyone's comments ... the last few days have
yielded several of great interest: a Hazy Shade correction
here (thank
you, Peter), a probable GB/Fab Macca movie sighting
here (thanks,
Robert), some Classical scholarship
here (thanks, Jan) and some line-up
notes here
(thanks, Chris)
August 16:
Added brief news of a well-loved
former Procoler
at work (thanks, Chris)
August 15:
Added an enigmatic and whimsical page (thanks, Charlie)
Procol Harum fan Rob Barnes (Palers' Band 2000) advises us that 'Community radio station NE1FM in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is letting me loose (and 'live') across the airwaves to present a few early evening shows; the first is Tuesday 16 August from 1800–1900hrs BST. If you're in Newcastle/Gateshead, you can listen on 102.5 - and world-wide online at www.ne1fm.net/listen . I can at least promise some cracking music – full of originality, great performance and song-writing skill from the familiar and not quite so familiar. AND I have a SCOOP: the first-ever airplay of a track from the brand-new album of one of my favourite bands! I hope you can listen in! If you have any dedications/celebrations, you can e-mail me at this address.'
A morsel here for King Crimson fans
August 14:
' ... funereal, Bach-derived organ ...'
We invite you to play 'spot the [sic]' with No 14 on this Rolling Stone list (thanks, Robert) while listening to this extract (a little more on this topic – 'a lawsuit waiting to happen' – at this crucial page (search for 'Girl Talk'))
To read other pieces containing the words Rolling Stone at 'Beyond the Pale', sample this list
August 13:
What songs did Gary Brooker contribute to on All Things Must Pass? (thanks, Per)
More about this matter in various places at the website: follow links at the
foot of the page and try here and
here and here
August 12:
Added a final page of good pictures from Procol Harum's recent Harrisburg show (thanks, Bert)August 11:
Added some Afrikaans to this useful page
(thanks, Chris) and some suggested words
for Theme from Separation
(gratias, Jean-Paul)
August 10:
Added a nice article and updated
this related page
(thanks, Gerard)
For other references to the same matter (Procol Harum and The Band) see
here and
here
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August 9:
Added a third set of strong soundcheck pictures from Procol Harum's 2010 Harrisburg show (thanks, Bert)August 8:
Added a curious variant to this page (search for 'Tuilagi') (thank you, Peter)
August 7:
Added a second page of good soundcheck pictures and captions from Procol Harum's Harrisburg show last year (thanks, Bert)
August 6:
Updated pages here, here, and here with excellent pre-order news for anyone hungry for Procol Harum recordings
And you might like to read this feature (thanks, Richard)
August 5:
' ... the once magnificent American eagle has devolved into a brooding, dark,
and gruesome symbol ...'
Added an unexpected insight into
Conquistador (thanks, various
contributors)
And you might like to read this obituary (thanks, John)
August 4:
Added a page of good soundcheck pictures
from Procol Harum's recent Harrisburg show
(thanks, Bert)
August 3:
Added a light-hearted page of pictures from Procol's recent Harrisburg concert (thanks, Howard)
August 2:
Added a forthcoming gig, and a line-up change, here (thanks, Søren)
August 1:
Added another page of photographs of No Stiletto Shoes on stage in Southend (thanks, Freddie)What was new on this website in past months
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