Procol Harum is a British rock band whose musicians were real idols of the mid-1960s. The band members wowed music lovers with their debut single A Whiter Shade of Pale.
By the way, the track still remains the hallmark of the group. What else is known about the team after which the asteroid 14024 Procol Harum is named?
The history of the creation and composition of the Procol Harum group
The team was created in the town of Essex after the collapse of the rhythm and blues team Paramounts. The new band included the following musicians:
- Gary Brooker;
- Matthew Fisher;
- Bobby Harrison;
- Ray Royer;
- David Knights.
The group appeared to music lovers in 1967. This year, the most recognizable track of the musicians A Whiter Shade of Pale sounded on the radio. After the release of the track, the band's repertoire was replenished with another hit Homburg.
In 1967, the band's discography was replenished with a full-fledged studio album Procol Harum. The record was recorded under the wing of the Regal Zonophone label in the UK (mono) and the Deram Record label in the United States (mono and stereo).
By the time the debut album was presented, relations in the group began to deteriorate sharply. The team was on the brink of collapse. Harrison and Royer soon left the team. The musicians were replaced by Wilson and Robin Trower.
Lyricist Keith Reed became an unofficial member of the team. His penchant for maritime folklore manifested itself in the lyrics of the band.
The album A Salty Dog enjoyed considerable interest among fans. Music critics were very flattering about the collection.
Despite the popularity, the Procol Harum group has changed again. Fisher and Knights left the band. The team was replenished with a new member - Chris Copping.
At Broken Barricades, Trower began to play in the style of Jimi Hendrix. Thus, the musician made heavier and improved the sound of individual musical compositions. But there was a new problem of sound weighting that was incompatible with Reid's introspective fantasy sagas.
Trower soon made the decision to leave the band. The musician became part of the Jude team. The Procol Harum line-up has been replenished with new musicians, in the person of Dave Bollom and Alan Cartwright.
Presentation of the live album and the return of the peak of popularity Prokol Harum
In this composition, the band's discography was replenished with a live album. Live In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Unexpectedly for the musicians themselves, the concert collection was received with a bang by fans and music critics.
This event led to a surge in popularity. The live LP, which contained versions of the Conquistador and A Salty Dog, reached the top 5. The collection was released with a circulation of over 1 million copies.
Further changes in the team followed with the departure of Ball and the arrival of Mick Grabham. The latter became a member of the group in 1972. By the way, the team stayed in this composition for 4 years. The musicians replenished the group's discography with three albums.
Breakup of Procol Harum
By the time Something Magic was presented in 1977, the music industry had begun to change. Music lovers demanded something new. The British rock band has lost popularity to punk rock and the "new wave". The band played the tour and announced the band's disbandment.
The musicians returned to the stage only in 1991. This year they presented their new album The Prodigal Stranger to their fans.
In the early 2000s, the musicians unexpectedly presented the album The Well's On Fire. The collection was warmly received by music lovers and loyal fans, but music critics gave mixed comments.
In 2017, the group's discography was replenished with the Novumruen album. The musicians released a collection in honor of the round date. The fact is that the Procol Harum group turned 50 years old.
Interesting facts about the Procol Harum group
- Edmund Shklyarsky, leader of the Picnic group, is a fan of the British rock band.
- Gary Brooker on the piano intro to The Emperors New Closes.
- In 1967, John Lennon himself went crazy on this composition A Whiter Shade of Pale. He recorded it on a cassette recorder and walked around with a tape recorder for days and sang along to the song.
- For 38 years, the copyright to the music of the song A Whiter Shade of Pale and the right to receive royalties belonged to Gary Brooker.
- The group was originally called The Paramounts.
Death of band founder Gary Brooker
On February 22, 2022, the death of Gary Brooker became known. At the time of his death he was 76 years old. His death is reported on the band's official website. The band's frontman died of cancer. He is known to have been battling cancer for the past few years.
