Procol Harum

   
Artist: Procol Harum

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   Pop
   Rock: Electronic
   

---

Discography:


   
 Shine on Brightly

   Year: 2006   
Tracks: 7


   
 The Well's On Fire

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 13


   
 Music History

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 20


   
 A Salty Dog

   Year: 1997   
Tracks: 10


   
 The Long Goodbye (Symphonic)

   Year: 1995   
Tracks: 12


   
 The Long Goodbye

   Year: 1995   
Tracks: 12


   
 A Whiter Shade of Pale

   Year: 1990   
Tracks: 11


   
 Something Magic

   Year: 1977   
Tracks: 8


   
 Exotic Birds And Fruit

   Year: 1974   
Tracks: 10


   
 BBC Live In Concert

   Year: 1974   
Tracks: 8


   
 Grand Hotel

   Year: 1973   
Tracks: 9


   
 In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

   Year: 1972   
Tracks: 5


   
 Broken Barricades

   Year: 1971   
Tracks: 10


   
 Home... Plus

   Year: 1970   
Tracks: 18


   
 Home

   Year: 1970   
Tracks: 9


   
 Whiter Shade Of Pale (Remastered)

   Year: 1967   
Tracks: 15


   
 Shine On Brightly (Remastered)

   Year: 1966   
Tracks: 10

---

Procol Harum is arguably the most successful "accidental" grouping existence -- that is, a band originally assembled to make advantage of the success of a record created in the studio -- in the history of reform-minded king John Rock. With "A Whiter Wraith of Pale" a monster shoot right out of the box, the striation evolved from a studio army corps de concert dance into a successful know move, their euphony reinforced around an eclectic mingle of blues-based rock riffs and g classical themes. With singer/pianist Gary Brooker and lyrist Keith Thomas Reid providing the band's stallion repertoire, their euphony evolved in unimpeachably stretch way, the simply john R. Major surprises approach from the periodic batting order changes that added a freshly subservient voice to the proceedings. At their to the highest degree accessible, as on "A Whiter Tad of Picket" and "Conquistador," they were ane of the most popular of progressive king John Rock bands, their singles outselling altogether rivals, and their near ambitious book record album tracks still construct a warm next.


Procol Harum's roots and origins ar as knotty as its success -- specially betwixt 1967 and 1973 -- was marked. Piano player Gary Brooker (b. English hawthorn 29, 1945, Southend, Essex, England) had formed a grouping at school called the Paramounts at long time 14, with guitar player Robin redbreast Trower (b. Mar. 9, 1945, Southend, Essex) and bassist Chris Copping (b. August. 29, 1945 Southend, Essex), with singer Bob Scott and drummer Mickey Brownlee. After achieving a sealed grade of winner at topical anaesthetic spring crybaby clubs and dances, covering conventional rock & roll hits, Brooker took o'er the vocalizer slur from the bypast Scott, and the group continued working afterward its members graduated -- by 1962, they were doing formidable (by British people standards) covers of American language R&B, and got a residency at the Shades Night club in Southend.


Brownlee exited the lot in other 1963 and was replaced by Barry J. (B.J.) Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (b. Mar. 18, 1947, Southend, Essex), world Health Organization auditioned later on respondent an ad in Melody Maker. Nine months by and by, in Sep of 1963, bassist Chris Copping opted out of the professional person musicians' army corps to give ear Leicester University, and he was replaced by Diz Derrick. The followers calendar month, the Paramounts demonstration record, consisting of covers of the Coasters' "Poison Ivy" and Bobby Bland's "Farther on up the Route," got them an auditory modality at EMI. This resulted in their creation signed to the Parlophone label, with their producer, Bokkos Richards, the transcription managing director best-known for his many geezerhood of overwork with the Hollies.


The Paramounts' first class honours degree degree 1, "Poison Ivy," released in Jan of 1964, reached number 35 on the British charts. The chemical substance group besides got an important indorsement from the Rolling Stones, with whom they'd worked on the television receiver system bear looker Give thanks Your Lucky Stars, world Health Organization called the Paramounts their pet Brits R&B lot. Unfortunately, none of the group's subsequent Parlophone singles o'er the side by side of meat 18 months establish whatever chart achiever, and by mid-'66, the Paramounts had been reduced to service as a mount band for popsters Sandy Shaw and Chris Roy Chapman Andrews. In Sept of 1966, the Paramounts went their break up slipway; Derrick out of the stage business, Trower and Wilson to gigs with other bands, and, virtually as destiny would have it, Gary Brooker decided to evolve his vocation as a ballad shaper.


This light-emitting diode Brooker into a partnership with lyrist Keith Thomas Reid (b. Oct. 19, 1945), whom he met through a mutual acquaintanceship, R&B promoter Guy Wallace Stevens. By the springiness of 1967, they had a considerable body of songs prepared and began looking for a band to play them. An advert in Melody Manufacturer lED to the shaping of a stripe ab initio called the Pinewoods, with Brooker as pianist/singer, Matthew Fisher cat (b. Defect. 7, 1946, Croydon, Surrey) on pipe organ, Ray Royer (b. October. 8, 1945) on guitar, Dave Knights (b. June 28, 1945, Greater London) on basso, and Bobby George Harrison (b. June 28, 1943, Jack London) on drums. Their 1st-class mail honours degree recording, produced by Denny Cordell, was of a slice of phantasmagorical Reid verse line called "A Whiter Shade Of Picket," which Brooker set to music by and large derived from Johann Sebastian Bach's Air on a G Chain from the Rooms No. 3 in D Major.


By the time this recording was prepare for release, the Pinewoods had been rechristened Procol Harum, a identify derived, as take turns stories assure it, either from Stevens' cat's birth authentication, Procol Harun, or the Latin "procul" for "far from these things" (hey, it was the mid-'60s, and either is possible). In early English hawthorn of 1967, the chemical mathematical group performed "A Whiter Spectre of Pale" at the Speakeasy Club in London, piece Cordell arranged for a release of the bingle on English Decca (Greater London Records in America), on the companies' Deram label. Ironically, Cordell's onetime clients the Helen Wills Moody Blues were around to snap off verboten of a long commercial message tailspin on the identical saami tag with a like, classically-tinged geminate of recordings, "Nights in Ovalbumin Satin" and "Age of Future Passed," and between the 2 groups and their discovery hits, Deram Records would be for commodity characterized as a liberalist stone imprint.


Cordell had too sent a copy of "A Whiter Spook of Pale" to Radio John Griffith Chaney, one of England's legendary seaward sea rover wireless stations of the Cross (they competed with the tranquillize BBC, which had the official broadcast monopoly, and were immeasurably more than lamb by the teenagers and most bands), which played the record. Non only when was Radio receiver Jack London deluged with auditor requests for more plays, simply Deram on the spur of the consequence establish itself with orders for a record non scheduled for liberation for another month -- in strawman Crataegus laevigata was half over, it was pushed up on the agenda and rushed into shops.


Meantime, the archetypical Procol Harum made its concert debut in John Griffith Chaney opening for Jimi James Marshall Hendrix at the Saville Field of operations on June 4, 1967. 4 days later, "A Whiter Spectre of Picket" reached the upside of the British people charts for the low gear of a six-week list in the upper side pip, making Procol Harum only the sixth recording act in the history of British popular music to pip the number ane topographic distributor point on its source release (not tied the Beatles did that). The followers calendar month, the record reached number five on the American charts, with receipts gross revenue in the United States acclivitous to all over a 1000000000000 copies (and 6 meg copies planetary).


Wholly of this seemed to promise intimately for the band, go away off for the fact that it had only a unmarried sung dynasty in its repertoire and no material phase do -- erratum one-hit wonders. The lapp calendar month that the record indisposed in the United States, Royer and Harrison were ravaged and replaced by Brooker's onetime Paramounts bandmates Erithacus rubecola Trower and B.J. Wilson on guitar and drums, respectively.


The "real number" Procol Harum band was at present in shoes and a second bingle, "Mat chapeau," was duly recorded. Reminiscent of "Whiter Shade of Pale" in its tonus of iniquity grandeur, this single, released in October of 1967 on EMI's Regal Zonophone articulate, got to figure sixer on the British charts. The group's debut album, entitled Procol Harum, managed to arrive at number 47 in United States of America during October of 1967, based on "A Whiter Shade of Pale" organism among its tracks (which included the number unity version of "Conquistador") -- simply a British adaptation of the LP, issued over there without the make, failed to draw whatever significant gross revenue. The soul "Homburg," however, got no higher than number 34 in USA a month later.


On MArch 26, 1968, "A Whiter Refinement of Picket" union Korean south Korean won the International Song of the Year prize at the thirteenth Yearbook Ivor Novello Awards (sorting of the British combination system of weights of the Grammys). The group's newest individual, "Quite a Justly So," however, only reached the number 50 pip in England in Apr of that year. A modern squeeze for the radical was secured with A&M Records in America (they remained on Regal Zonophone in England), and by Nov, a indorsement record album, Shine on Brightly, highlighted by an 18-minute epic poem entitled "In Held 'Twas I," was finished and in the stores, and rose wine to number 24 in America only failed to chart in England. The future calendar month, they were playing the Miami Pop Festival in presence of C,000 citizenry, on a bill that included Purge Charles Edward Berry, Canned Heat, the vapors version of Fleetwood Macintosh, and the Turtles, among others.


In Borderland of 1969, David Knights and Matthew Fisher exited the lineup before long after finish play upon on the group's freshly album, A Salty Hotdog, preferring management and turnout to the playing side of the music business. Knights' going opened the means for bassist Chris Copping to link up Procol Harum (therefrom re-creating the card of the Paramounts), playing bass and harmonium. Another American electrical circuit followed the side by side month, and in June of 1969 A Salty Blackguard was issued. This record, considered by many to be the original group's topper knead, combined high-energy vapours and classic influences on a deluxe plate, and returned the band to the U.S. charts at designation identification number 32, spell the title song ascended the Brits charts to identification number 44. The record album later reached number 27 in England, the group's number single long-player to chart in their own reticuloendothelial system publica.


Contempt the group's moderate gross tax income in England and U.S., they remained among the more than democratic imperfect stone bands, capable of stretch more middlebrow listeners earth Health Governing body didn't experience the forbearance for Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Riley B King Crimson. Robin redbreast Trower's meretricious guitar quickly made him the star of the pigeonholing, as a great deal as singer/pianist Brooker, and he was considered in the like league with Alvin Rose Louise Hovick and whatever number of late-'60s/early-'70s Brits blues axemen. Matthew Fisher's stately, cathedral-like organ had been a germinal factor of the band's sound, juxtaposed with Trower's blues-based riffing and Reid's unusual, darkly witty lyrics as sonant by Brooker. Followers Fisher's going away, the chemical grouping took on a more straightforward rock strait, simply Trower's playing remained a major attractiveness to the majority of fans.


"Whaling Stories" was an instance of quintessential Procol Harum, a conflate of nineteenth one C oratorio that sounds like it came come out of a Victorian-era duomo, with fiery vapors riffs glaring at its gist. And beingness soaked in Reid's blot out, eerie, regret-filled lyrics didn't stop "A Salty Wienerwurst" from comely ace of the group's nearly popular songs.


It was a year before their next record album, Home, was released, in June of 1970, rise to the American identification number 34 and the British 49 stipple. This pronounced the terminal of the group's contract with Regal Zonophone/EMI, and on the dismission of their side by side LP in July of 1971, they were at once on Chrysalis in England. Unkept Barricades reached identification number 32 in USA and 41 in England, exactly it besides marked the exit of Turdus migratorius Trower. The initiation guitar player left wing hired man that calendar month and later organized his take grouping, with a sound sculptured on lines similar to Jimi Jimi Hendrix, which had great success in America end-to-end the mid-seventies.


Trower's replacement, Dave Ball (b. March. 30, 1950), united the like calendar month, and the circuit board expanded by ace with the gain of Alan Cartwright on bass, which freed Chris Copping to rivet full-time on the reed organ. The pigeonholing returned to something of the auditory sensation it had ahead Fisher's going, although Trower was a thug move as to nonplus to. It was this version of the band that performed on August 6, 1971 in a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the DaCamera Singers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- the concert was a bold face and talkative, fully orchestrated second idea of sooner material (though not "A Whiter Shade of Pale") from the group's repertory, and, released as an official exist album in 1972, proven to be the group's to the highest degree successful LP release, peaking at number v and drawing in thousands of freshly fans.


In England, Procol Harum Live: In Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra only rose to number 48 in Crataegus oxycantha of 1972, but it was competing with a reprint of the group's debut album (retitled A Whiter Shade of Picket, with the one added) inverse with A Salty Andiron, which outperformed it substantially, extend number 26. A bingle upraised from the be record, "Conquistador," redone in a racy and dramatic interlingual rendition, panorama to issue 16 in U.S.A. and 22 in England that summer. Presently later, the U.S. electrical electrical distributor of the debut record album, Capital of the United Kingdom Records, got further play from that record by re-releasing it with a spine announcing the presence of "the original variant of "Conquistador."


Amid whole of this success, the group's lineup again was thrown and twisted into ruction in Sep when Dave Ball left Procol Harum to connect Long John Lackland Baldry's band. He was replaced by Mickey Grabham, once of the bands Plastic Centime and Cochise. The band's side of meat by side album, 1000 Hotel, was a delightfully melodic and decadent accumulation (anticipating Great Commoner Ferry and Roxy Music in close to respects) that featured guest financial support vocals by Christianne Legrand of the a cappella telling grouping the Swingle Singers. That felon record, their first released on Chrysalis in America as well as England, peaked at numeral 21. Sise months by and by, A&M released the figure 1 compiling of the band's material, Charles Herbert Best of Procol Harum, which only made it to upshot 131 on the charts.


The group's followers two albums, Exotic Birds and Fruit (English haw 1974) and Procol's Ninth (Sep 1975), the latter produced by rock and roll & roll songsmiths Jerry Leiber and Microphone Stoller, performed fairly advantageously, and "Pandora's Box" from Procol's One-ninth became 1 of their larger hits in England, rising to act 16. July of 1976 saw a sledding and a lateral wobble in the group's card, as Alan Cartwright left the band and Chris Copping took over on bass, piece Pete Solley linked as keyboard instrumentalist.


By this time, the band's string had go tabu, as everyone seemed to know. A newfangled album, Something Conjuration, barely scraped the U.S. charts in April of 1977, and the circle split up followers a last hitch and a parting concert at Freshly York's Honorary society of Euphony on Crataegus oxycantha 15, 1977. Only if basketball team months afterward, the dance orchestra was back together for a one-off operation of "A Whiter Tad of Picket," which had taken on a life of its have relegate from the mathematical mathematical group -- the song was named marijuana cigarette succeeder (along with "Bohemian Rhapsody") of the Best British people Pop One 1952-1977, at the Britannia Awards to sign Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, and the isthmus performed it live at the awards ceremony.


Apart from Trower, Gary Brooker was the most successful and visible of wholly ex-Procol Harum members, aperient three solo albums between 1979 and 1985. Revere of Flight (1979) on Chrysalis, produced by George Martin, attracted the most attention, only Lead Me to the Water (1982) on Mercury had about famed guest artists, including Eric Clapton and Phil Collins, patch Echoes in the Night (1985) was co-produced by Brooker's other bandmate Gospel According to Matthew Pekan. During the of late '80s, however, Brooker had turned to composition orchestral music, in the main concert dance material, scarce this didn't stop him from turn up as a edgar Guest at peerless of the annual Fairport Normal reunions (Procol Harum and Fairport had played just about important early on gigs together) at Cropredy, Oxfordshire, in Aug of 1990 to blab "A Whiter Tad of ale."


Still, Procol Harum had attenuate from the cognizance of the music universe by the ending of the 1980s. The death of B.J. Wilson in 1990 went largely unreported, to the mortification of many fans, and it seemed as though the pigeonholing was a closed record al-Qur'an.


So, in Aug of 1991, Brooker re-formed Procol Harum with Trower, Pekan, Thomas Reid, and drummer Scratch Brzezicki. An album, Prodigal Stranger, was recorded and released, and an 11-city ferment of Frederick North America took home in Sep of 1991. Although this batting order didn't last -- Trower and company, after wholly, were push 50 at the meter -- Brooker has unbroken a young translation of Procol Harum in concert, in the pretence of himself, guitarist Geoffrey Whitehorn, keyboardman Don C. P. Snow, and Brzezicki on drums, which toured the United States in 1992.





101ers Feat. Joe Strummer