Tull/Procol tour: mad about West Coast concerts 2010

tootull · Jun 11, 2010

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100611/LIFE07/6110313/1044/ENT
Procol Harum brings classical-rock sound to A.C.
By DAVID J. SPATZ • For the Courier-Post • June 11, 2010

It was the musical equivalent of a rookie baseball player smacking a grand-slam home run on the first pitch in his first at-bat in the major leagues.

Yet, recording a global hit that would become one of the most iconic songs in the history of popular music was the furthest thing on the minds of the newly formed band Procol Harum when it went into a studio and laid down its first tune in 1967.

"We believed what we were doing was different and good," group founder, pianist and composer Gary Brooker says. Brooker, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth several years ago, is the only original member still performing with Procol Harum. He'll lead the latest version of the band onto the stage of the Tropicana on Saturday with special guests Renaissance opening the show.

"We believed if we liked it, then everybody else would like it. But we certainly didn't think that just a few weeks after we put the record out it would be number one in England or number five in the United States."

The song was "A Whiter Shade of Pale," one of the earliest rock tunes that fused elements of classical and baroque music borrowed from Johann Sebastian Bach with soulful and mysterious lyrics that hinted of a sexual encounter. Over the decades, the song has been covered by dozens of artists, ranging from Willie Nelson and Annie Lennox to Southside Johnny and Riot.

"We were just thinking of (a hit in) England, really, and maybe Scotland," Brooker says with a laugh during a recent chat from his home outside of London. "It really wasn't a global world back then, if you know what I mean. The market just didn't flash like it does today."

From the moment the song was released, it seemed to take on a life of its own. In less than a month, it rocketed up the charts to capture the top position in Great Britain and France and crossed the ocean to become a top 10 hit in America.

Brooker, who co-wrote the song with Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid, acknowledges the song drew its musical influence from Bach compositions such as "Air On a G String" and "Sleepers Wake!" and even from the Percy Sledge classic "When a Man Loves a Woman."

J.S. Bach was the inspiration, of course, with the descending chords and all that," says Brooker, 65. "We had written some interesting words which fit in with my idea for the music and it all just kind of came together. The Hammond organ gave it a sort of haunting sound. I guess everyone must have been waiting for it, because it was so successful and it's lasted all this time."

With more than 900 recorded versions of the song over the past 43 years, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" ranks right up there with the Beatles songs "Yesterday" and "Michelle" as the most covered songs of all time.

Headlining the Tropicana show is a switch for Procol Harum. The group has just begun touring as the opening act for another legendary British rock band, Jethro Tull, which ironically is headlining at Caesars Atlantic City while Procol Harum is performing down the Boardwalk.

Procol Harum was one of the first bands from the progressive rock era to work with symphony orchestras when it toured. Brooker admits it was something of a risk to combine classical music with rock in live performance.

"I suppose it was a risk in that the rock fans could have said "We don't like violins' and classical musicians and audience could have said "We hate rock,' " he offers.

One of the first times the band performed live with an orchestra was in 1971, when the group shared a concert with the Edmonton Symphony in Canada. Brooker says he never had doubts that the combination of the rock band and the classical orchestra would sound great.

"We just didn't know what the effect on the audience would be," he recalls. "But in the auditorium on that night it was absolutely electric in there. People didn't just enjoy it; they were dumbfounded because a lot of those rock people had never heard anything that big and I don't suppose the classical people had ever heard anything that loud."
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Robertazimmerman · Jun 11, 2010

Joe N said: ↑

Apparently Gary Brooker is the only original member (I haven't even heard of the other people in the band now.) Too bad he and Matthew Fisher can't put aside their differences, and then get Robin Trower for one more go-round. So think of it as a Gary Brooker show, with him playing PH tunes - still should be pretty good.
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Brooker & Fisher "put aside their differences"? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is more likely to join B'nai Brith than Brooker is to ever talk to Fisher again!

IMO Geoff Whitehorn, who has been with Procol Harum for 19 years, is a superb guitarist and far more versatile than Robin Trower.

Robertazimmerman · Jun 11, 2010

Marvin said: ↑

Well, they have another organist now (Josh Phillips) as they did back when they had Chris Copping and Pete Solley.

Fisher's absence is more likely to have an impact on future albums (one is supposed to be released this year). It remains to be seen, or heard, what, if anything, Phillips will contribute in the songwriting area. But he does fine as far as their live shows are concerned.
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Fisher did not play on Home, Broken Barricades, Grand Hotel, Exotic Birds and Fruit, Procol's Ninth, Something Magic and The Long Goodbye (one track only). The first four are great! I've seen Procol Harum with and without Mr. Fisher and, to be honest, I didn't miss him when he wasn't there.

Go out, see them, enjoy them!

seed_drill · Jun 11, 2010

I went to the '93 show in Raleigh, but only got there in time to hear Procol play A Whiter Shade of Pale. I can't remember if that was entirely my fault or if I had car troubles.

It was the only time I got to see Tull with Peggy on board.

tootull · Jun 11, 2010

seed_drill said: ↑

I went to the '93 show in Raleigh, but only got there in time to hear Procol play A Whiter Shade of Pale. I can't remember if that was entirely my fault or if I had car troubles.

It was the only time I got to see Tull with Peggy on board.
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I was actually at Dave Pegg's Tull debut.

http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/setlist/79.htm
5/10/79 Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Canada
Live In Toronto 1979
Dave Pegg's Tull debut.
Intro (incl. Warm Sporran (tape))/Dark Ages, Home, Orion, Flying Dutchman, Old Ghosts, Elegy, Dun Ringill, Something's On The Move, Aqualung, King Henry's Madrigal/Drum Solo, Heavy Horses, No Lullaby/Flute Solo (w. flute solo, incl. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Kelpie, Bourée), Keyboard Solo (Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier), Songs From The Wood, Jams O'Donnell's Jigs, Thick As A Brick, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll..., Cross-Eyed Mary, Guitar Solo, Minstrel In The Gallery/Locomotive Breath/Dambusters March/Minstrel In The Gallery (reprise), Orchestral Warchild (prerecorded (from 'A Classic Case'), played as audience left).

davmar77 · Jun 11, 2010

here is procol's set from tarrytown music hall last night. looks great. i wish they had a closer date to me.

An Old English Dream
Broken Barricades
Wall Street Blues
As Strong as Samson
TV Ceasar
Barnyard Story
Homburg
Shine on Brightly
Conquistador
Cerdes (Outside the Gates of)
The Blink of an Eye
One Eye on the Future
Whaling Stories
Piggy Pig Pig
Strangers in Space
The Devil Came from Kansas (prefaced with opening notes of Skip Softly)
Robert's Box (new organ solo before final verse)
A Salty Dog
Pandora's Box
War is not Healthy
A Whiter Shade of Pale

Todd E · Jun 11, 2010

zongo said: ↑

I agree 100%. The Procol in 1993 was great. Tull is OK but pretty overblown.
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And when you're calling the other act on a Harum show "overblown," that's saying something!

seed_drill · Jun 11, 2010

tootull said: ↑

I was actually at Dave Pegg's Tull debut.

http://www.ministry-of-information.co.uk/setlist/79.htm
5/10/79 Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Canada
Live In Toronto 1979
Dave Pegg's Tull debut.
Intro (incl. Warm Sporran (tape))/Dark Ages, Home, Orion, Flying Dutchman, Old Ghosts, Elegy, Dun Ringill, Something's On The Move, Aqualung, King Henry's Madrigal/Drum Solo, Heavy Horses, No Lullaby/Flute Solo (w. flute solo, incl. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Kelpie, Bourée), Keyboard Solo (Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier), Songs From The Wood, Jams O'Donnell's Jigs, Thick As A Brick, Too Old To Rock'N'Roll..., Cross-Eyed Mary, Guitar Solo, Minstrel In The Gallery/Locomotive Breath/Dambusters March/Minstrel In The Gallery (reprise), Orchestral Warchild (prerecorded (from 'A Classic Case'), played as audience left).
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It's cool that you were there, but that info is off. A Classic Case wasn't released until 1985, and wasn't Dave Palmer still a member of the band in '79? (I'm assuming this was after Glasgock's death but before Ian scrapped the rest of the band, save Martin).

tootull · Jun 11, 2010

seed_drill said: ↑

It's cool that you were there, but that info is off. A Classic Case wasn't released until 1985.
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1979 - My guess at this point is that it was "Warchild Waltz".

David Palmer finally parted company with Tull on a regular basis at least, in 1980, along with Evans and Barlow, forming first, a new group with John, called Tallis.
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LeeS · Jun 11, 2010

Saw Tull at Chastain this past Sunday night and really enjoyed it. He still moves like he did when I saw him at the Hollywood Sportatorium in 81 or 82. A great show. Martin Barre is terrific. The whole band sounded good to me.

Marvin · Jun 13, 2010

seed_drill said: ↑

I went to the '93 show in Raleigh, but only got there in time to hear Procol play A Whiter Shade of Pale. I can't remember if that was entirely my fault or if I had car troubles.

It was the only time I got to see Tull with Peggy on board.
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His son, Matt, has been Procol Harum's bassist since 1993.

Marvin · Jun 13, 2010

davmar77 said: ↑

here is procol's set from tarrytown music hall last night. looks great. i wish they had a closer date to me.
...
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Someone posted videos of 6 songs from that show on youtube. Search for "Procol" and "Tarrytown".

Paul W · Jun 13, 2010

Marvin said: ↑

His son, Matt, has been Procol Harum's bassist since 1993.
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Are we getting old, or what?????

bRETT · Jun 13, 2010

Marvin said: ↑

His son, Matt, has been Procol Harum's bassist since 1993.
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Also played briefly with Tull when Dave was ill in the early 90's.

houston · Jun 15, 2010

LeeS said: ↑

Saw Tull at Chastain this past Sunday night and really enjoyed it. He still moves like he did when I saw him at the Hollywood Sportatorium in 81 or 82. A great show. Martin Barre is terrific. The whole band sounded good to me.
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"he" still moves....you do mean Ian Anderson, I hope

sharedon · Jun 15, 2010

I thought those Tarrytown clips were really good!!! Thanks for posting the link.

tootull · Jun 15, 2010

Jethro Tull 2004 - A Whiter Shade Of Pale video
http://www.tmrzoo.com/?p=12373
Jethro Tull and Procol Harum – A Perfect Pairing in Boston June 15th - by Steve Tomassetti June - 14 - 2010

The Bank Of America Pavilion will host Jethro Tull and Procol Harum on Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). Both British musical groups have strong followings in the Boston area and the combination of the two is something both fan bases will find inviting. Ian Anderson of Tull and Gary Brooker, the voice of Procol Harum, both spoke with the Winchester Star about the upcoming show and their current and past work.

Back in Arlington High School in the early 1970s the “buzz” was on the bands coming over from the U.K., Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull garnering the chatter, that word-of-mouth – as did Black Sabbath, the groups all viewed as if from different genres but with blues as the base for their now very classic rock. It was very hip
to have gone to a Jethro Tull concert in those early days, which is how I opened my conversation with one of the great figures of British rock, Ian Anderson.

“Well, that’s very nice of you to share that with me. What was hip back when you were in high school is probably – I don’t know – a curse from the past today if you are a youn man or lady growing up in North America and you’re having to suffer the endless blue comfort blanket of Classic Rock that makes your parents
happy and sleep well at night. It could be a curse today, couldn’t it? Who knows?”

But this writer’s concern was that today’s kids don’t understand the thrill of going and finding a record before its release in America, those parallel imports which often contained different tracks but got the music to the hardcore fans in the days before the internet. So I asked Mr. Anderson his thoughts on this evolution.

“I think there’s a different way of reaching out these days and I certainly take advantage of it, which is that when I find an interest in a particular artist or a particular piece of record product or a new song I go along and buy it on Itunes or whatever. It’s an enormously accessible world of music these days of all kinds of music from classical music to jass and pop and rock and world music. It’s all out there and it’s relatively easy to find. I think, perhaps, the fact that it is so easy makes it less of a challenge and I think I would trade off that sense of achievement that I might have had finding a particular record in some hard to reach record store in a suburb of a big town somewhere…I would trade that off anytime for being able to sit in my own home and access the world of music and buy what I choose to buy without having to get in a motorcar and burn up a lot of gasoline to get to a record store. So, yeah, I think on balance I prefer the way they are now, really.”

The Living With The Past DVD (a play on the album and hit single Living In The Past) on the always excellent Eagle Vision line of products contains a four page booklet, an audio CD of the event and the DVD. It is an extraordinary work which Anderson says sold approximately 100,000 units…the flute mixing so perfectly
with the progressive pop that is the band’s trademark.

Anderson also noted how he was happy to have performed with Gary Brooker of Procol Harum on a rendition of A Whiter Shade of Pale, the song that launched Procol Harum worldwide.

The Procol Harum In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra and Choir DVD is a good way for the fans to experience something similar to the 1972 release of the audio-only recording, Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Wikipedia notes that it was “recorded at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on 18 November 1971. It is the band’s best selling album, certified Gold by the RIAA.”

It was also the album that introduced David Ball, replacing Robin Trower on guitar. Trower went on to have a successful solo career with dreamy, Hendrix-styled textures moving his sound away from the Procol Harum approach, and we asked Gary Brooker if that was Ball’s first show, as rumored in rock circles. Brooker dispelled that noting that Ball had performed on shows prior to what would be this major recording in the band’s repertoire, and Dave Ball proved to be a great complement to what the band was communicating.

When asked about “the demo that got the deal” for Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”, Brooker noted that their manager, Guy Stevens (who was the producer of Mott The Hoople on Island Records) did bring the tape to Island A & R man Jimmy Miller (later producer of The Rolling Stones). Miller told me he loved the song
and that Chris Blackwell said it would either be a total flop or a spectacular success, nothing in between. Blackwell passed on the band, to Brooker’s dismay. Gary said he would have liked to have been on Island Records, but that A & M in America did treat the band very well.

The Procol Harum DVD comes with a gorgeous twelve page booklet and an insert showing the grand castle (shades of their song Grand Hotel, which opens the disc) where Brooker tells us he at least “had drinks” with the owners…I had asked if the band got to stay in the spacious and impressive fortress. “Simple Sister”, “Whaling Stories” and “A Salty Dog”, classic Harum essays, are represented wonderfully on the set, as are the two key signature songs, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Conquistador”.

That they’ll collide in sublime fashion with Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” and “Aqualung” songs on Tuesday, June 15th, in Boston goes without saying.
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June 2010 Jethro Tull North American Tour (video)
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=218334

acdc7369 · Jun 15, 2010

ParloFax said: ↑

Don't cry too hard. I have missed a Tull gig in '96 where Emerson, Lake & Palmer were opening... and that outdoor, summer gig was on a friggin' fairground... and my wife and kids could have attended!! As if that weren't enough: I don't even remember the reason why I missed it...
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You don't remember it because it was probably a very terrible reason and you were so traumatized that you blocked it out of your memory.

seacliffe301 · Jun 15, 2010

I am really bummed. Tull plays here (Windsor/Detroit) on the 19th WITHOUT Procul Harum. What the...

Marvin · Jun 15, 2010

seacliffe301 said: ↑

I am really bummed. Tull plays here (Windsor/Detroit) on the 19th WITHOUT Procol Harum. What the...
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Both groups will be in Toronto on Friday (6/18) and Chicago on Sunday (6/20), if that's not too far (or even if it is...).

ModernDayWarrior · Jun 15, 2010

I saw the show this past sunday night in Holmdel, NJ . Great show. My first time seeing both bands (I actually saw Ian Anderson solo a few years ago)

Radiotron · Aug 10, 2010

I just read that Procul Harum will once again do a show in Edmonton, AB with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, on Nov 9th. They will reunite with both the orchestra and Da Camera Singers for the first time since the original 1971 concert. Is this old news?

http://www.edmontonsymphony.com/sym...l-harum-with-the-edmonton-symphony-orchestra/

Marvin · Aug 11, 2010

Radiotron said: ↑

I just read that Procul Harum will once again do a show in Edmonton, AB with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, on Nov 9th. They will reunite with both the orchestra and Da Camera Singers for the first time since the original 1971 concert. Is this old news?

http://www.edmontonsymphony.com/sym...l-harum-with-the-edmonton-symphony-orchestra/
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It's been mentioned (I think Gary Brooker said something about it on stage at their Toronto show in June) but this is the first official notice I've seen. Thanks!

They've already announced a show in Harrisburg PA on 11/4 and one in Washington state on 11/12. Presumably more west coast dates will be added.

chewy · Aug 13, 2010

!!!!!!!!!!
I
AM
SO
EXCITED
!!!!!!!!!!!

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