The roots of Procol Harum lay in a live band called 'The Paramounts', led by Gary Brooker and Robin Trower, popular artists in the early 1960s. They signed a contract with Parlophone in 1963 and released the single "Poison Ivy", which was a moderate success in the UK. However, they could not maintain this success and the band split up in 1966. Brooker went to work as a songwriter and came into contact with lyricist Keith Reid, with whom he wrote several songs. To perform these songs, a new band was formed, called 'Pinewoods', which included Brooker, organist Matthew Fisher and bassist Dave Knights among others. With this band, the song "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was recorded. Even before this song was released, the band's name was changed to 'Procol Harum'. It was their manager who came up with the idea to name the band after a friend's cat.
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" became a huge success and is one of the few songs to reach number 1 in the charts twice. The song is widely regarded as one of the greatest pop classics. The melody was based on (a part of) Bach's "Overture No. 3 in D, BWV 1068". The band's lineup was changed by replacing two members with former Paramounts Robin Trower (guitar) and B.J. Wilson (drums). A first album was recorded, simply called Procol Harum. A second single, "Homburg", was also released, which, although less successful than its predecessor, also reached number 1 in the charts. Later singles often had little success but the LPs found their way to a large and loyal audience, especially abroad, notably in the Netherlands.
The band is seen as one of the pioneers of the progressive rock genre. The band's lineup has changed frequently over time. The only constant members are singer/pianist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid.
Procol Harum reached number one in the Dutch Top 40 three times: with 'Homburg' and twice with 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' (in 1967 and 1972).
Top 2000
On 6 July 2021, Peter R. de Vries was shot in the centre of Amsterdam after a television appearance on RTL Boulevard. Nine days later he died in hospital from his injuries. On the day of his funeral, the song A Whiter Shade of Pale was played on all radio stations in the Netherlands. Voters use the Top 2000 to express their feelings. Listeners commemorate Peter R. de Vries with their choice of “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”.
Sunday Morning Classic: Procol Harum
On 12 December 2021, Procol Harum's debut album, bearing the same name, was on our turntable as the Sunday Morning Classic. This album features the band's biggest hit; A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Interestingly, this is only the case on the USA version. The European version lacks the song. On the USA version, Conquistador was moved to a different place on the album, making A Whiter Shade Of Pale the opening track. Another track from side B was sacrificed for this.
Bach provides inspiration
Brooker draws his musical inspiration for the song from Bach: "I remember having a musical idea that I worked out on the piano. 'Air On The G String', a composition by Bach. I think I made a mistake after the first two bars, but I continued in my own way. Then I wrote the sequence, which had a Bach-like melody." According to the frontman, everything fell into place that morning: "I received an envelope with new lyrics from Keith. 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' was the first I opened."
A musical painting
Lyricist Keith Reid came up with the idea for 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' at a party: "There were some people sitting together having a good time. They were talking about a friend of theirs and said: 'You look a bit strange. A bit pale.' That's how I came up with the title of the song." Reid has great admiration for the painter Salvador Dalí: "Sometimes you think: I want the song to feel like a Dalí painting looks. You try to translate the colours of a painting into words." The song caused a lot of commotion. According to Brooker, the reason is simple: "There was no music in this style yet. It was something completely new."
source: Wikipedia and NPO photo: Stefan Brending and public domain
