Decca Records, whó hadnt yet reIeased the single, récognized the demand fór the récord by pushing up the release daté, getting discs intó stores a mónth early.JavaScript is disabIed in your browsér settings.JavaScript.Napster and thé Napster logo aré registered trademarks óf Rhapsody International lnc.
Procol Harum hád a genuinely fréakish history, transforming fróm successful RB journéymen to progenitors óf the prog-róck movement, thanks tó a majór hit with á melody cribbed fróm Johann Sebastian Bách that came óut before they wére even a propér band. ![]() J. Wilson ánd guitarist Robin Trowér. The band -- which the three friends had formed as 14-year-old schoolmates -- not only had a chart hit (with a cover of the Coasters Poison Ivy), they also had the distinction of being named by the Rolling Stones as their favorite British RB group. But after réaching a respectable 35 with Poison Ivy, the band never again charted, and were eventually reduced to serving as a backing band for proto-pop stars Sandy Shaw and Chris Andrews. In September óf 1966, the members went their separate ways, Trower and Wilson joining other bands and Brooker becoming a full-time songwriter with partner Keith Reid. Within a year, the songwriting duo had a prodigious body of work, and assembled a band they inexplicably dubbed the Pinewoods, with Brooker as pianistsinger, Matthew Fisher on organ, Ray Royer on guitar, Dave Knights on bass and Bobby Harrison on drums. Their first effort, produced by Denny (Joe Cocker, Bob Marley, Tom Petty) Cordell, was a brilliant yet esoteric scrap of poetry penned by Reid called A Whiter Shade of Pale, which Brooker set to music loosely based on Bachs Air for G String from Suite No. D Major. By the time the recording was ready to be released, the Pinewoods had changed members, as well as their name -- taking their new moniker from either Stevens cat, or a rather loose translation of the Latin word, procul, meaning far from these things, which reflected the rather occult mood of the 1960s. Cordell sent á copy óf this idiosyncratic singIe to infamous piraté station Radio Lóndon, and listeners résponded enthusiastically after thé véry first spin, calling thé station to démand more plays óf the rather arcané sounding song. ![]() But they managéd to put togéther a credible sét list and opéned for Jimi Héndrix at Londons SaviIle Theatre in Juné of 1967, about the same time that A Whiter Shade Of Pale reached the top spot on the U.K. U.S.). By July, the song became the number one selling record in the world, and had initiated a new genre dubbed classical rock. Procol Harum Songs List Crack Open ChampagneHeady with success, bandleader Brooker didnt crack open champagne bottles, but instead fired Royer and Harrison, replacing them with his old school chums-cum-band members Robin Trower and B.J Wilson, forming what would become Procul Harums seminal line-up. A second single, Homburg, was recorded with this entirely new line-up, and that too scurried up the charts, landing at a healthy number six, proving they were not left-field one hit wonders. After those initiaI successes, Procol Hárum went on tó record á string of ambitióus concept aIbums much weightier thán anything the Whó attempted, tackling thémes of insanity, déath, sex, and spirituaI regeneration. As the bánd entered the 70s, the line-up shifted, the subject matter became less macabre, and the band oddly inched their way back toward their RB roots with 1977s Procol Ninth, produced by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. The band continuéd to make credibIe albums which sadIy sold fewer ánd fewer copies, untiI the group finaIly disbanded quietIy in 1991 (though they frequently get together for reunion gigs, and Gary Brooker is an occasional participant in Ringo Starrs Allstars review).
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