Procol Harum - 1971-04-12 - A&R Studios, New York, NY (Gary Brooker - R.I.P.:1945-2022)

Procol Harum

April 12, 1971
A&R Studios, New York for WPLJ-FM (NYC) radio broadcast.
aka "The Elusive Procol Harum" and "Shine on Live"
Pre-FM Soundboard Recording, Very Good Quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Well, here we are, another week, another legendary rock musician has passed away. A couple weeks ago it was British multi-instrumentalist (keyboards, sax, flute, clarinet, vibraphone, etc) and founding member of King Crimson and Foreigner, Ian MacDonald, who died of colon cancer (Feb.9, 2022) at the age of 75. And most recently, the sad news that legendary vocalist-pianist-composer Gary Brooker of Procol Harum has died of cancer at his home (Feb. 19, 2022) at the age of 76. Gary was one of the great rock vocalists, with his clear and powerful voice that came through on every song, and Procol Harum was one of the pioneers of progressive rock, combining classical influences with blues, rock, and powerful storytelling. Procol Harum was, of course, most famous for the classic 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', but the band produced many memorable songs and albums over the years, and Gary Brooker was the driving force, with his stirring lead vocals and piano, writing most of the songs, and Gary was the only constant member throughout the band's more than 50-year history. Gary formed his first band in the early '60's at age 17, with his guitarist friend Robin Trower, called The Paramounts. But by 1966, the band broke up, and Gary planned to concentrate on songwriting. Shortly thereafter, Gary met Keith Reid, a talented lyricist, and they began to write songs together. After completing numerous songs, they decided to form a band to play them, thus forming Procol Harum in 1967, with Brooker, Reid, organist Matthew Fisher, guitarist Ray Royer, and bassist David Knights. Their first single was 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', which went on to become one of the most legendary and iconic rock songs of all time, as well as a defining moment of 1967 and the 'Summer of Love'. And this before even making their first album. That first album, Procol Harum (1967) followed soon after, but featured some personnel changes, with former Paramounts players Robin Trower, and drummer BJ Wilson now joining the band. Their next two albums, Shine On Brightly (1968) and A Salty Dog (1969) featured the same lineup, and although did not match the commercial success of 'Whiter Shade', solidified their reputation, acclaim, and cult appeal as  progressive rockers. By their fourth album, Home (1970), Fisher had left and was replaced by former Paramounts organist CJ Copping, thus completing the full conversion of The Paramounts into Procol Harum. However, the clash in styles between guitarist Robin Trower and Brooker became too much, and Trower left after their next album, Broken Barricades (1971) to pursue his own solo career. Later that year, the band teamed up with a symphony orchestra for a concert that became Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (1972) released to much acclaim, and a big hit with the new orchestral version of 'Conquistador'.  More about the rest of the band's history in a subsequent post. Today I have a radio show from 1971, which was one of the last for the band with guitarist Robin Trower. It is a Pre-FM recording of a show recorded for broadcast on WPLJ-FM New York. It is of very high quality and features many of their earlier songs. However, it did not feature either 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' or 'Conquistador', so I have added a couple bonus tracks from a later 1972 show (audience recording).  A fine showing of early Procol Harum and Gary Brooker. 

   
Tracklist:
1. Memorial Drive
2. Still There'll be more
3. Nothing that I didn't know
4. Simple Sister
5. Luskus Delph
6. Shine On Brightly
7. Whaling Stories
8. Broken Barricades
9. Juicy John Pink
10. A Salty Dog
11. Whisky Train
12. Power Failure
Bonus Tracks (1972-04-20 - Chicago):
13. Conquistador
14. A Whiter Shade of Pale

Robin Trower: guitar, bass
Gary Brooker: vocals, piano
Chris Copping: Hammond organ, bass
BJ Wilson: drums    


 mp3 - Procol Harum_1971-04-12_New York_mp3.rar

FLAC - Procol Harum_1971-04-12_New York_FLAC.rar

 

 

“Gary’s voice and piano were the single defining constant of Procol’s fifty-year international concert career. Without any stage antics or other gimmicks he was invariably the most watchable musician in the show.” Part of a statement from Procol Harum band after death of Gary Brooker.