Procol Harum Torrent Pirate Search
After the rhythm & blues band disbanded in 1966, singer helped form Procol Harum early in 1967.In July 1967 the band got their first #1 hit 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', co-written by Brooker & Reid, becoming one of the first real 'symphonic rock' songs. A lot of albums and singles were released afterwards, but never enjoyed the success of their first single.The line up for their first single was:Gary Brooker: vocals and pianoMatthew Fisher: Hammond organDavid Knights: bassRay Royer: guitar.Drums by session drummer Bill Eyden.Procol Harum re-formed in October 1991 and recorded 'The Prodigal Stranger' with this line-up:Brooker - vocals and pianoKeith Reid - wordsFisher - hammond organwith guests.Dave Bronze - bassMark Brzezicki - drumsJerry Stevenson - mandolin and guitar.
Is arguably the most successful 'accidental' group creation - that is, a band originally assembled to take advantage of the success of a record created in the studio - in the history of progressive rock. With 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' a monster hit right out of the box, the band evolved from a studio ensemble into a successful live act, their music built around an eclectic mix of blues-based rock riffs and grand classical themes. With singer/pianist and lyricist providing the band's entire repertory, their music evolved in decidedly linear fashion, the only major surprises coming from the periodic lineup changes that added a new instrumental voice to the proceedings. At their most accessible, as on 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' and 'Conquistador,' they were one of the most popular of progressive rock bands, their singles outselling all rivals, and their most ambitious album tracks still have a strong following.' S roots and origins are as convoluted as its success - especially between 1967 and 1973 - was pronounced. May 29, 1945, Southend, Essex, England) had formed a group at school called at age 14, with guitarist (b. 9, 1945, Southend, Essex) and bassist (b.
29, 1945, Southend, Essex), with singer and drummer. After achieving a certain degree of success at local youth clubs and dances covering established rock & roll hits, took over the vocalist spot from the departed, and the group continued working after its members graduated - by 1962, they were doing formidable covers of American R&B, and got a residency at the Shades Club in Southend.exited the band in early 1963 and was replaced by (b. 18, 1947, Southend, Essex), who auditioned after answering an ad in Melody Maker.
Nine months later, in September of 1963, bassist opted out of the professional musicians' corps to attend Leicester University, and he was replaced. The following month, ' demo record, consisting of covers of ' 'Poison Ivy' and 's 'Farther on Up the Road,' got them an audition at EMI. This resulted in them being signed to the Parlophone label, with their producer, the recording manager best known for his many years of work with.The Paramounts' first single, 'Poison Ivy,' released in January of 1964, reached number 35 on the British charts.
The group also got an important endorsement from, with whom they'd worked on the television show Thank Your Lucky Stars, who called their favorite British R&B band. Unfortunately, none of the group's subsequent Parlophone singles over the next 18 months found any chart success, and by mid-1966, had been reduced to serving as a backing band for popsters.
In September of 1966, went their separate ways; out of the business, and to gigs with other bands, and, most fortuitously, deciding to develop his career as a songwriter.This led into a partnership with lyricist (b. 19, 1945), whom he met through a mutual acquaintance, R&B impresario. By the spring of 1967, they had a considerable body of songs prepared and began looking for a band to play them. An advertisement in Melody Maker led to the formation of a band initially called the Pinewoods, with as pianist/singer, (b.
7, 1946, Croydon, Surrey) on organ, (b. 8, 1945) on guitar, (b. June 28, 1945, London) on bass, and (b. June 28, 1943, London) on drums. Their first recording, produced by, was of a piece of surreal poetry called 'A Whiter Shade of Pale,' which set to music loosely derived from 's Air on a G String from the Suite No. 3 in D major.By the time this recording was ready for release, the Pinewoods had been rechristened, a name derived, as alternate stories tell it, either from ' cat's birth certificate, Procol Harun, or the Latin 'procul' for 'far from these things' (hey, it was the mid-'60s, and either is possible). In early May of 1967, the group performed 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' at the Speakeasy Club in London, while arranged for a release of the single on English Decca (London Records in America), on the companies' Deram label.
The 'real' band was now in place and a second single, 'Homburg,' was duly recorded. Reminiscent of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' in its tone of dark grandeur, this single, released in October of 1967 on EMI's Regal Zonophone label, got to number six on the British charts. The group's debut album, entitled, managed to reach number 47 in America during October of 1967, based on 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' being among its tracks (which included the first version of 'Conquistador') - but a British version of the LP, issued over there without the hit, failed to attract any significant sales. The single 'Homburg,' however, got no higher than number 34 in America a month later. On March 26, 1968, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' won the International Song of the Year award at the 13th Annual Ivor Novello Awards (sort of the British equivalent of the Grammys).
The group's newest single, 'Quite Rightly So,' however, only reached the number 50 spot in England in April of that year. A new contract for the group was secured with A&M Records in America (they remained on Regal Zonophone in England), and by November, a second album, highlighted by an 18-minute epic entitled 'In Held 'Twas I,' was finished and in the stores, and rose to number 24 in America but failed to chart in England.
The next month, they were playing the Miami Pop Festival in front of 100,000 people, on a bill that included, the blues version of, and, among others. In March of 1969, and exited the lineup shortly after finishing work on the group's new album, preferring management and production to the performing side of the music business. ' departure opened the way for bassist to join (thus re-creating the lineup of ), playing bass and organ. Another American tour followed the next month, and in June of 1969 was issued. This record, considered by many to be the original group's best work, combined high-energy blues and classical influences on a grand scale, and returned the band to the U.S. Charts at number 32, while the title song ascended the British charts to number 44. The album subsequently reached number 27 in England, the group's first long-player to chart in their own country.Despite the group's moderate sales in England and America, they remained among the more popular progressive rock bands, capable of reaching more middlebrow listeners who didn't have the patience for.
's flashy guitar quickly made him the star of the group, as much as singer/pianist, and he was considered in the same league with and any number of late-'60s/early-'70s British blues axemen. 's stately, cathedral-like organ had been a seminal part of the band's sound, juxtaposed with 's blues-based riffing and 's unusual, darkly witty lyrics as voiced.
Following 's departure, the group took on a more straightforward rock sound, but 's playing remained a major attraction to the majority of fans.' Whaling Stories' was an example of quintessential, a mix of 19th century oratorio that sounds like it came out of a Victorian-era cathedral, with fiery blues riffs blazing at its center. And being soaked in 's dark, eerie, regret-filled lyrics didn't stop 'A Salty Dog' from becoming one of the group's most popular songs. It was a year before their next album, was released, in June of 1970, ascending to the American number 34 and the British 49 spots. This marked the end of the group's contract with Regal Zonophone/EMI, and upon the release of their next LP in July of 1971, they were now on Chrysalis in England. Reached number 32 in America and 41 in England, but it also marked the departure of. The founding guitarist left that month and subsequently organized his own group (with a sound modeled along lines similar to ), which had great success in America throughout the 1970s.'
S replacement, (b. 30, 1950), joined the same month, and the lineup expanded by one with the addition of on bass, which freed to concentrate full-time on the organ. The group returned to something of the sound it had before 's departure, although was a tough act to follow. It was this version of the band that performed on November 18, 1971 in a concert with the and the in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - the concert was a bold and expansive, richly orchestrated reconsideration of earlier material (though not 'A Whiter Shade of Pale') from the group's repertory, and, released as an official live album in 1972, proved to be the group's most successful LP release, peaking at number five and drawing in thousands of new fans. In England, only rose to number 48 in May of 1972, but it was competing with a reissue of the group's debut album (retitled, with the single added) paired with, which outperformed it considerably, reaching number 26.
A single lifted from the live record, 'Conquistador,' redone in a rich and dramatic version, shot to number 16 in America and 22 in England that summer. Soon after, the U.S. Distributor of the debut album, London Records, got further play from that record by re-releasing it with a sticker announcing the presence of 'the original version of 'Conquistador.' Amid all of this success, the group's lineup again was thrown into turmoil in September when left to join 's band.
He was replaced by, formerly of the bands. The band's next album, was a delightfully melodic and decadent collection (anticipating and in some respects) that featured guest backing vocals by of the a cappella singing group. That record, their first released on Chrysalis in America as well as England, peaked at number 21.
Six months later, A&M released the first compilation of the band's material, which only made it to number 131 on the charts. By this time, the band's string had run out, as everyone seemed to know. A new album, barely scraped the U.S. Charts in April of 1977, and the band split up following a final tour and a farewell concert at New York's Academy of Music on May 15, 1977. Only five months later, the band was back together for a one-off performance of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale,' which had taken on a life of its own separate from the group - the song was named joint winner (along with 'Bohemian Rhapsody') of the Best British Pop Single 1952-1977, at the Britannia Awards to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, and the band performed it live at the awards ceremony. Apart from, was the most successful and visible of all ex- members, releasing three solo albums between 1979 and 1985. (1979) on Chrysalis, produced by, attracted the most attention, but (1982) on Mercury had some notable guest artists, including and, while (1985) was co-produced by 's former bandmate.
Pirate Torrent Sites
During the late '80s, however, had turned to writing orchestral music, principally ballet material, but this didn't stop him from turning up as a guest at one of the annual reunions ( and had played some important early gigs together) at Cropredy, Oxfordshire, in August of 1990 to sing 'A Whiter Shade of Pale.' Still, had faded from the consciousness of the music world by the end of the 1980s. The death of in 1990 went largely unreported, to the chagrin of many fans, and it seemed as though the group was a closed book. Invited by, played the Cropredy Music Festival in 1995 and toured the U.S. They remained inactive for several years afterwards.
A 30th anniversary show was played in Surrey, and an open-air concert at New London Sinfonia in 2000. A live DVD appeared in 2002, followed by a brand-new studio album a year later. Entitled, the band featured, (guitar), (bass), and (drums); guested on backing vocals. They played festival gigs in the U.S., and recorded the audio/video package in London. Left the band in 2004. The following year, took over the Hammond organ chair he vacated, leaving the only original member.This version of the group did sporadic high-profile gigs over the next 12 years, playing by themselves or with symphony orchestras around Europe. They also underwent another personnel change as replaced on drums.
Procol Harum Torrent Pirate Search Engine
In 2010, aside from performing at several festivals, toured the U.S. As openers for. In 2012, after being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - and failing to get in - they toured the U.S. Again, this time as openers for. On the other side of the pond, their profile remained high; they played several orchestral concerts as well as band-only concerts.
In 2017, celebrated the beginning of their 50th year by playing a sold-out orchestral concert at the Royal Festival Hall. During the first half of the show, fell (this was the third such incident since 2007) and injured his head and right hand. Undaunted, he returned - adorned in bandages - to play the second half. Also released their first album of new studio material in 13 years.
Was produced by and engineered and mixed. Written collectively, all but two songs offered lyrics from (famous for his work for and ). Was released by Eagle Rock Entertainment in April.In the spring of 2018, Esoteric Recordings released an official limited edition super deluxe boxed set celebrating 50 years of the legendary Procol Harum: Still There'll Be More. The eight-disc set comprised five CDs and three DVDs.
The first three audio discs draw upon the key tracks from the entirety of the band's illustrious career. Disc four is the entire 1973 concert at the Hollywood Bowl with the and the. The fifth disc offers a previously unreleased gig at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens in 1976. The two DVDs feature over three-and-a-half hours of (mostly previously unissued) footage from 1967-1977. Also included is a 68-page hardback book with an essay by, and a lengthy, in-depth commentary on the included performances by, as well as previously unseen photographs and memorabilia from 's private collection.