Procol Harum

[charlyg]

I was beboppin around Youtube and I stumbled onto two versions of Whiter Shade of Pale. One is from 1967 and the other from a few years ago at my guess. Anyways, I went to the web site,and it is not at all what I expected. Rather functional and easy to get around. What's wrong with those folks? It is a fansite so the "facts" may be skewed a tad. Wiki actually has a pretty good write up.

http://www.procolharum.com/

Out of the swirling ocean of psychedelia, which included Jefferson Airplane's 'Somebody to Love' (a Top Ten hit in May) and The Doors' 'Light My Fire' (June's #1 hit) there had arisen a dark and mighty leviathan with a strange and magical name: PROCOL HARUM. The name, misspelled from the Latin, translates as 'Beyond These Things.' The original owner of that name was somebody's cat. And like a cat, fame nuzzled up warmly and then abruptly walked away. Inscrutably, critics trashed the golden band's follow-up single 'Homburg' for either being, or not being 'A Whiter Shade of Pale.' Management and personnel problems added to the bad luck. Other bands made a big splash and didn't repeat. Jefferson Airplane, to cite one example, disappeared from the charts completely after 1967's 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit.' But 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' was THE hit of 1967 and it burdened the band with a legend they couldn't live up to.

Here are the two versions, almost 40 years apart.





I also had quite a fondess for Simple Sister, and of course, Conquistador!

[winston]

It's pretty hard to beat the lyrics to that song. Keith Reid just simply out did himself on their first and only real hit.

"Her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale"

That is classical writing. Apparently by a man (Reid) who was very much a loner

Here's an interesting tidbit:

Some time during the last few months of 1979, a Dutch national radio station, TROS, broadcast a series entitled The Procol Harum Story, produced by Tom Mulder. In the second part of this series, Gary Brooker related the following impression of Keith Reid:

'I'd known him for a year, and if I thought back, I couldn't ever remember him speaking. He could have been dumb, for all I knew. Very very quiet, and very very shy. Totally unapproachable. I was the only one that could communicate with him, and we never actually spoke to each other. Just sat down and worked a few things out.

Thanks Charly.

[charlyg]

Yes, that is one of my fave rock lines! It has such a haunting melody too. That swirling Hammond helps too! We should also make a mention of the album, A Salty Dog, which I believe Robin Trower played on..

"All hands on deck, weve run afloat! I heard the captain cry
explore the ship, replace the cook: let no one leave alive!
Across the straits, around the horn: how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captains eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many junes have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seamans log: your witness my own hand

[ozover50]

'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' falls into the 'I've played it to death' category for me...... still great but I'd listen to other PH stuff before that one.... again!!

'A Salty Dog' is by far my favourite PH song..... thanks for posting the lyrics, Charly.

[charlyg]

Yeah Howard, it does get some play! I did enjoy seeing them doing it recently on that second vid. Kinda fun to see if they still had anything to "give" to the song, and I would say. yes, they still got it!

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

I was raised on 60's and early 70's music, and it has informed my own musical style. It was a singular period as far as lyrics were concerned...all the consciousness expansion caused everyone to write very strange, trippy lyrics. The bigger the "wow factor" the better.

Nowadays, such lyrics are called vague, and when you try to pitch a song with vague lyrics, your chances of making a sale are very slim indeed. Unfortunately, I find myself almost always leaning toward the vague, thanks to oddballs like Lennon, Dylan, and just about every other influence of mine. And perhaps the King of All Vague Lyrics is this very song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Just a gorgeous song. I remember reading a story of Lennon playing it over and over for anyone who would listen to it, telling them how great it was.

[jps]

What a great band! I saw them twice, the first time in '72 with Steeleye Span as the opening act (another great band). I saw then about 10 years ago, till great IIRC.

A band I put together recently is doing AWSOP.

[charlyg]

Steeleye Span! Wow, I almost got whiplash! I had forgotten all about them. Off to find some stuff as I can't remember their sound anymore!

[jimk]

Nowadays, such lyrics are called vague, and when you try to pitch a song with vague lyrics, your chances of making a sale are very slim indeed.... And perhaps the King of All Vague Lyrics is this very song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Just a gorgeous song.

Whew! Good, I'm glad somebody else feels like that, too. Because I couldn't figure out what the song was about the first time around, 40 years ago, and I still can't.

But I sure do love that Hammond B-3! And have liked it ever since then.

JimK

[jps]

...I saw then about 10 years ago, till great IIRC.

I guess I can't spell!

We'll try this again: I saw them about 10 years ago, still great IIRC.

[charlyg]

This is the first time I have seen this connection..

http://www.procolharum.com/awsop_burns.htm

On 12 March 1791 the Scots poet, Robert Burns, wrote a poem called Tam o’Shanter (A tale). The poem tells a story about a drunken, womanising man who witnesses a witches' party in an old church, whilst riding home after a serious drinking session. In an introductory letter to the poem it is mentioned that the poem is to be presented to Captain Grose. Mention is also made within the introduction, to another poem "To all ye ladies now on land" the night before an expected sea engagement … (prose summary in Modern English)

During 1966 / 1967 Keith Reid (full name Keith Stuart Brian Reid – a guid Scots label there by the way) modernised this poem, and Gary Brooker (and Matthew Fisher) added some of the most haunting music the last millennium has produced. Reid's type of song-writing was similar to another musical artist, David Bowie, in that he would cut up lines of text, mix them up then re-assemble the textual mix. I believe this is why the song starts about three-quarters of the way through the poem.

Consideration should be given to the fact that the two pieces were created 176 years apart. The same words and phrases take on different connotations over the centuries.

Whatcha think?

[mgauction]

Always loved those guys! Caught them at the 2,000 seat Santa Monica Civic for the Broken Barricades Tour in the early 70s. Robin Trower was still with them and they were incredible. Then saw them next at the Hollywood Bowl where they created that live album. Trower was gone by then but, one of the all-time greatest drummers, Barrie (BJ) Wilson was still with them. Completely forgotten R&R drummer!

Actually have been listening lately to 'Shine On Brightly' and David Knights played some nice lines -- nothing real fancy but very tasteful. Unfortunately he was drowned out by the rest of the band as any bass player would have been.

Also ---- are you aware that Mathew Fisher, the organist, sued Gary Brooker over written ownership on "Whiter Shade.." because of the the organ solo -- and HE WON! Brooker is furious!!

http://www.procolharum.com/awsop_lawsuit_index.htm

[charlyg]

That's too much data to digest! I watched the Channel 4 tv report on that link and it filled me in fairly well.