- What's a Procol Harum?
- Have I heard of them?
- What's up with their name?
- Who are in Procol Harum?
- Are the albums available in stores?
- Is "A Whiter Shade of Pale" really stolen from Bach? Someone told me it was!
Procol Harum are a British band, most famously active in the late 60's and early 70's. Their sound is quite distinctive, based largely on layers of piano, Hammond organ, bluesy guitar, and Gary Brooker's distinctive vocals. Procol Harum were able to make a basic rock outfit sound orchestral, and were also able to make orchestras work in a rock context -- no mean feat. (see, for example, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer for a painful example of "orchestral rock" gone terribly, terribly wrong)
You probably have, even if you don't realize it. Procol Harum are most famous for their haunting "A Whiter Shade of Pale", a huge hit in 1967, though in the 80's, a whole new audience heard it on the soundtrack to "The Big Chill". "Whiter Shade" is still played on radio stations inclined to play songs form the 60's and 70's, as is "Conquistador" (usually the live, orchestrated version -- you know, all those horns and all) and, occasionally, "Shine on Brightly". So, yes, you've probably heard at least something by them -- and you ought to hear more.
What's the deal with their name? Does it mean anything? It frightens me.
The name "Procol Harum" was taken from a Burmese cat that belonged to a friend of Keith Reid. The name apparently cannot be translated, although it is Latin in origin. The cat, tho, "has magical properties, is an uncanny cat: no one has been able to take his picture," according to Gary Brooker. (this taken from the liner notes on the CD version of "Broken Barricades") There is also much discussion among people who discuss such things of the fact that "procol harum" is close to, but not, Latin for "beyond these things." IF you're interested in the debate, see the article at Beyond the Pale.
This is a more complicated question.... there have been a number of personnel changes over Procol Harum's history. Best known, however, and most influential, was the lineup on the first Procol Harum album. This was:
- Gary Brooker: vocals and piano
- Matthew Fisher: Hammond organ
- Robin Trower: guitar
- David Knights: bass
- B.J. (Barrie) Wilson: drums and percussion (actually, Trower and Wilson joined the band after the song "A Whiter Shade..." was recorded, but anyway.)
Apart from David Knights, whose bass playing isn't particularly inspired, every member of the band has a distinctive style in addition to prodigious talent. Both Brooker and Fisher excel at being able to meld traditional rock styles with more classical stylings, leading to a very diverse and expansive sound. Brooker's vocals are deep and bluesy, but he also has the range and subtlety for more intricate and ambitious melodies. Robin Trower's guitar playing is deep and bluesy -- he gets a huge sound out of his Les Paul with thick distortion and lots of unison bends. His playing is equally inspired in both his rhythm work and his lead playing. (For more information about Robin Trower, see this excellent site, from where I also stole the scans of the first five PH album covers which appear later on this site). Barrie (BJ) Wilson was a ceaselessly inventive drummer, a truly inspired musician, whose ability has been compared (rightly) with John Bonham and Keith Moon.
This lineup remained unchanged for the first three PH albums (with both Matthew Fisher and Robin Trower taking occasional turns at vocals), but by 1970 ("Home"), Fisher left the group. His replacement was Chris Copping, who, while quite good, simply is not as inspired and original a player as Fisher. Copping also doubled on bass for a while, but Alan Cartwright then took over. In the 90's, Dave Bronze took over on bass. After "Broken Barricades", Robin Trower left the band, to be replaced by Dave Ball and then Mick Grabham. Both of these guitarists merely aped Trower's previous style (Trower, in his solo career, evolved into a more Hendrix-like, Stratocaster-based style). So, while their playing is pleasant, it isn't of the same caliber as Trower's. For the 1991 album "The Prodigal Stranger", both Fisher and Trower rejoined Brooker. However, sadly, Barrie Wilson died before the album was recorded, so, for the first time, his drumwork is absent from a Procol Harum album (he was replaced for that album by Mark Brzezicki, an excellent studio drummer whose work you almost certainly own somewhere, but whose style is a bit heavier than Wilson's nimble stickwork).
Thus, the only constants on all PH albums are Gary Brooker (and Keith Reid's words), although BJ Wilson is nearly omnipresent. But the heart of Procol Harum is clearly Brooker/Fisher/Trower/Wilson/Reid. In the end, though, perhaps what truly defines Procol Harum is the songwriting of Brooker and Reid, and Brooker's arrangements. Thus, no matter what the lineup, there is some fine songwriting to be found on every album.
Hey! Are all the albums available on CD?
For a long, long, time, the only albums available on CD were the first three, and the "Best Of". At the moment, though, the first Procol Harum album does not appear to be available in the US -- though it should be available as an import, and you might be able to find it used. I've just seen a new import version widely available in U.S. stores which even has some nice bonus tracks. Three albums were issued on Mobile Fidelity CD's -- Home, Broken Barricades, and Live. None are available now in the US in any CD format, which is a great loss. Home, at least, is available overseas on CD -- a friend brought me back a copy from France (it was on a UK label.) Therefore, you Europeans should be able to find it, and perhaps partcicularly dedicated and resourceful fans from other parts of the world as well. However, I believe that Home is now (Fall 1997) finally available on CD in the US. Run out and buy ot now before it falls out of print again.
Happily, a couple years ago, all the Chrysalis albums were released on spanking new CD's with decent packaging. These should be readily available at any good record store. The Prodigal Stranger and The Long Goodbye should also be easy to find (the former is on Zoo records; the latter on BMG).
More recently, in 1998 and 1999, some new re-issues have popped up on CD, both in Europe and the U.S., containing bomus tracks on many albums. More on this when I get them!
If you like to shop on line, CDNow! is a good source, and has available everything there is to be had.
Is the melody from "A Whiter Shade of Pale" really stolen from Bach? Someone told me it was.
It is widely believed that the melody of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was stolen from Bach. This is, apparently, a completely apocryphal story. It is an original melody, which is just so good, people think it's Bach. (plus, there is a certain similarity of style.) For more complete details on the similarities between the song and Bach, click here. Brooker actually says he was influenced mostly by a TV commercial jingle when he was writing the song. See the album entry for A Whiter Shade of Pale for more information about the song.