Procol Harum

Procol Harum is a British progressive rock band, formed in the early 1960s. They are best known for their #1 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", though they have had a devoted cult following throughout their career.

Related Topics:
British - Progressive rock - 1960s - A Whiter Shade of Pale

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The roots of Procol Harum are in a live band led by Gary Brooker and Robin Trower called The Paramounts, popular performers in the early 1960s. They signed to Parlophone in 1963 (see 1963 in music) and released "Poison Ivy", a moderate British success in 1964 (see 1964 in music). They were unable to recreate this success, however, and the band fell apart in 1966 (see 1966 in music).

Related Topics:
Gary Brooker - Robin Trower - Parlophone - 1963 - 1963 in music - British - 1964 - 1964 in music - 1966 - 1966 in music

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Brooker began working as a songwriter and soon formed a band called The Pinewoods, who recorded "A Whiter Shade of Pale" before changing names to Procol Harum. With the sudden success of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin", their label Deram Records became known as the premiere progressive rock label.

Related Topics:
A Whiter Shade of Pale - The Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin - Deram Records

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With its haunting tonality, Bach flavouring, soulful vocals and mysterious lyrics, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached #1 on the British charts and did almost as well in the United States, reaching #5. In the years since, it has since become an enduring classic, placing on several polls of the best songs ever.

Related Topics:
Bach - United States

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The group would have many personnel changes http://www.procolharum.com/99/ph_pedigree1b.htm, but their "classic" lineup for their first three albums was Gary Brooker (piano and lead vocals), Robin Trower (guitar)and lead vocals, Matthew Fisher (organ and lead vocals), David Knights (bass), B.J. Wilson (drums), and Keith Reid (lyricist).

Related Topics:
Gary Brooker - Piano - Lead vocals - Robin Trower - Guitar - Matthew Fisher - Organ - David Knights - Bass - B.J. Wilson - Drums - Keith Reid - Lyricist

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Procol Harum produced a unique sound that emphasized Brooker's melancholy vocals and an evocative mix of his classically-trained piano, Fisher's elegant, church-like organ, and Trower's searing guitar licks, along with frequent black humour and a penchant for unpredictable experimentation.

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Right after "A Whiter Shade of Pale" became a hit, the band set out to leverage their studio success by touring; their live debut was opening for Jimi Hendrix in 1967 (see 1967 in music).

Related Topics:
A Whiter Shade of Pale - Jimi Hendrix - 1967 - 1967 in music

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The group's follow-up single, "Homburg", was almost as successful in the UK as it reached #6, but the LP Procol Harum, was less successful. A series of singles charted lowly in the US and UK, though rarely both at the same time. A Salty Dog (1969; see 1969 in music) was popular among fans, and was their first album to sell well; it is still highly regarded as perhaps their best LP. The title track in particular gained a good deal of US FM radio airplay, with Reid's ominous, alliterative lyrics in the forefront. However, Fisher departed the band after this album.

Related Topics:
Procol Harum - A Salty Dog - 1969 - 1969 in music - FM radio

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During the early 1970s, Procol Harum remained more popular than slightly inaccessible progressive rock bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Musically, Procol Harum was split during all these years between Trower's guitar-driven blues rock style that was often compared to Clapton or Hendrix and Brooker's structured classical rock sound. The group often combined the two into a brilliantly dynamic fusion, but by 1972 the disparities in style became too great; the end of an era was marked for Procol, with the release of their fifth album 'Broken Barricades', and subsequent departure of Trower to form his own band.

Related Topics:
1970s - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Blues rock - Clapton - Hendrix - 1972

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Brooker and Procol returned to success on the music charts in the following years with a distinctly classical rock sound, often backed by symphony orchestras. At this they were one of the first groups to achieve success: the album Procol Harum Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was a #5 gold album in the US in 1972, as well as reaching #48 in Britain. From this, a dynamic performance of "Conquistador" (a song from their first album) was a hit as a single, getting to #16 in the US with considerable additional FM radio airplay, while reaching #22 in the UK.

Related Topics:
Symphony orchestra - Procol Harum Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra - 1972

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More personnel problems contributed to declining sales in the later part of the 1970s, with "Pandora's Box" being their final UK top 20 hit in 1975; the band finally broke up in 1977 (see 1977 in music). They reunited for a single performance five months later, due to "A Whiter Shade of Pale" being named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of the Best British Pop Single 1952-1977 at the Brit awards, part of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee.

Related Topics:
1975 - 1977 - 1977 in music - A Whiter Shade of Pale - Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - Brit awards - Queen Elizabeth II - Silver Jubilee

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The band reformed in 1991 (see 1991 in music) and released The Prodigal Stranger, but sales were modest. A new incarnation of the band, led by Brooker, has continued touring the US since 1992 (see 1992 in music).

Related Topics:
1991 - 1991 in music - The Prodigal Stranger - 1992 - 1992 in music

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The band name was chosen by its manager, after the name of a friend's cat which roughly translates from Latin as "Beyond these things". The original spelling of the phrase is sometimes given as "Procul Harum". If this is the case then the band's name is in fact a misspelling and one which has frequently been 'corrected' in articles and catalogues.

Related Topics:
Cat - Latin

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The asteroid 14024 Procol Harum is named after the band.

Related Topics:
Asteroid - 14024 Procol Harum

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