PROCOL HARUM: Procol Harum (a Whiter Shade Of Pale) (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Souvenirs, souvenirs for the oldest among us. In 1967, a band with a strange name signed the hit of the summer, the year, the decade and maybe even the century. Barely twenty years old, the musicians of Procol Harum bewitch us to the sound of a Hammond organ that takes us into a romantic slow song that has delighted several generations of young males.

'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' is born, a mythical anthem definitely associated with the legend of the group. Originally released as a single, the title does not appear on the first album released in England, soberly named "Procol Harum", but is included on the American edition judiciously renamed "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". The emphatic theme on the organ, the warm and characteristic voice of Gary Brooker, the refinement of the arrangements, the easily memorable melody, although difficult to reproduce are so many keys explaining the deserved success of this title. Let's immediately put a stop to the rumours: 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' is not a plagiarism of a work by Bach. Musicological analyses have shown that the German composer's pieces, from which Procol Harum was supposed to have taken his inspiration, were not written in the same key and did not present a succession of identical notes that could lead to suspicion that they were borrowed. More simply, the classical culture of Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher naturally imposed itself, borrowing from baroque music the turns of phrase that will seduce so many listeners.

In the shadow of this monument, the rest of the album has a hard time existing. So much so that it was not until 1972 and their "Live With The Edmonton Orchestra" that their cover of "Conquistador" became a hit. However, Procol Harum imposes from this first record the style which will be characteristic for him. On the one hand, he exploits his classical and romantic vein by using two keyboardists, Brooker on piano and Fisher on Hammond organ. But he also remains faithful to a telluric rock, simple and basic. Their albums are evenly divided between these two sources of inspiration, alternating danceable and immediate tracks with refined pieces with more complex structures.

The album has certainly aged and its vintage tone has the same old-fashioned charm as the sepia photos. A perfume of psychedelia, lightness, typical of the late 60s / early 70s ('Mabel', 'Good Captain Clack'), rubs shoulders with music for nightclubs during the hippie period ('Kaleidoscope'). But the other titles have stood the test of time and 'Conquistador', 'She Wandered Throught The Garden Fence', 'Something Following Me' or 'Salad Days (Are Here Again)' make more than honourable companions to the flagship title. 'A Christmas Camel' succeeds in making piano, organ and guitar cohabit peacefully, bringing together the three influences that will lead a few years later to the dissensions known by the band. The instrumental 'Repent Walpurgis' sumptuously concludes the album as it began, with a title with classical influences, this time unambiguously quoting a prelude by Bach.

For a first album, Procol Harum strikes hard and displays ambitions that are worthy of its means. In addition to Gary Brooker's magic piano and Matthew Fisher's celestial organ, he has a high-flying lyricist/poet in Keith Reid. As for B.J. Wilson, if he still confines himself to a very basic rhythmic role, he will soon demonstrate the extent of his talent. - Official website

PROCOL HARUM

PROCOL HARUM (A WHITER SHADE OF PALE)

AUTRE LABEL

ROCK