PROCOL HARUM

Beyond The Pale

by Claes Johansen

ISBN 0946719 28 4

192 pages - illustrated - £12.99

"Whiter Shade remained their milestone, and their millstone. But Procol were always a band of quality and in Beyond The Pale they finally have the book they deserve." Mojo

From the outset 1967 was predicted to become “the year of Engelbert Humperdinck”. But in May of that year along came a totally unknown and strangely named rock group that smashed into the charts all over the world with an overpowering sound. The song was called “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, the group Procol Harum. Combining Gary Brooker’s soulful voice, Keith Reid’s enigmatic lyrics and Matthew Fisher’s sweeping organ it became one of the enduring anthems of the 60s.

Over the next ten years Procol Harum continued to produce some of the best records of the era, including all-time classic albums such as Shine On Brightly, A Salty Dog and Broken Barricades. They broke up in 1977, only to reform again to much acclaim in 1991 with a line-up including original members Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Robin Trower (who in his own right had already had a hugely successful solo career in the US) and Matthew Fisher.

Novelist and musician Claes Johansen has spent many years researching the group’s history from their early days as The Paramounts through to Procol Harum’s international status as one of the biggest attractions of the late 60s and 70s. Beyond the Pale is a profound and insightful look at one of Britain’s finest ever rock acts.

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