FREEPROCOL HARUM: THE GHOSTS OF A WHITER SHADE OF PALE EBOOK Henry Scott Irvine | 340 pages | 15 Nov 2012 | OMNIBUS PRESS | 9781780382333 | English | London, United Kingdom A Whiter Shade of Pale - Wikipedia Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Home 1 Books 2. Read an excerpt of this book! Add to Wishlist. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Members save with free shipping everyday! See details. Overview Formed in the s, progressive rock band Procol Harum are best known for their multimillion-selling single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" which is the most played record by a British artist of the last 70 years. Procol Harum's extraordinary career now spans almost 50 years. Their insights illuminate what must surely be the gold standard biography of a unique and highly influential band. He has been writing, researching, and developing TV programming for over 25 years. This is his first book. Show More. Related Searches. The book includes a View Product. This incredible collection of photos, shot by Darren and Elliott Bloom between andThis incredible collection of photos, shot by Darren and Elliott Bloom between andchronicles the troubled career of a legendary singer who tragically died at the age of These images capture the highs and lows of a Bob Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale Lyrical Genius. This in-depth analysis of the reggae superstar's poetry in lyric form delves into the songwriter's This in-depth analysis of the reggae superstar's poetry in lyric form delves into Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale songwriter's intellect and spirituality with scholarly precision usually Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale associated with Bob Dylan or John Lennon. Thought of as the folk poet of the developing world, He was a musician with international credibility—and a disaster magnet whose serial Poly Styrene was a singer-songwriter, a free-thinker, a post-modern style pioneer, and a lifelong spiritual Poly Styrene was a singer-songwriter, a free-thinker, a post-modern style pioneer, and a lifelong spiritual seeker: a true punk icon. But this rebel queen with the cheeky grin was also a latter-day pop artist with a wickedly perceptive gift for The first in-depth biography of one of music's most fascinating, colourful and innovative characters. This book is the most comprehensive history yet of the life, music and cultural significance of the last of the great black music pioneers and the The definitive account of Jeff Beck's journey from his childhood in s South London to The definitive account of Jeff Beck's journey from his childhood in s South London to the worldwide success of 's album Emotion and Commotion and beyond. Omnibus Press. Henry Scott-Irvine: Procol Harum - The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade Of Pale by Henry Scott-Irvine With its Bach -derived instrumental melody, soulful vocals, and Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale lyrics — by the song's co- authors the music by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisherand the lyrics by Keith Reid [6] — "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached number 1 in many countries when released in In the years Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale, it has become an enduring classic. It was the most played song in the last 75 years in public places in the UK as of[7] and the United Kingdom performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited in recognised it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years. The original writing credits were for Brooker and Reid only. On 30 JulyMatthew Fisher won co-writing credit for the music in a unanimous ruling from the Law Lords. Keith Reid got the title and starting point for the song at a party. The third verse has been heard in live performances by Procol Harum, and more seldom the fourth. Contrary to the above interpretations, Reid was quoted in the February issue of Uncut magazine as saying:. I was trying to conjure a mood as much as tell a straightforward, girl-leaves-boy story. With the ceiling flying away and room humming harder, I wanted to paint an image of a scene. But I was too young to have experienced any decadence, then. I might have been smoking when I conceived it, but not when I wrote. It was influenced by books, not drugs. Structurally and thematically, the song is unusual. While the recorded version is long, it is composed of only two verses, each with chorus. The piece is also more instrument-driven than most songs of the period, and with a much looser rhyme scheme. Its unusually allusive and referential lyrics are much more complex Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale most lyrics of the time for example, the chorus focuses on Geoffrey Chaucer 's " The Miller's Tale ". Thus, this piece can be considered an early example of progressive rock. The phrase a whiter shade of pale has since gained widespread use in the English language, noticed by several dictionaries. The song is in moderate time in C major and is characterised by the bassline moving stepwise downwards in a repeated pattern throughout. In classical music this is known as a ground bass. The harmonic structure is identical for the organ melody, the verse and the chorus, except that the chorus finishes with a cadence. But it is also heard throughout, playing variations of its theme and counterpointing the vocal line. As the chorus commences "And so it was, that later The final instrumental fades out to silence — a common device in pop music of the time. Bach 's Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale from his Orchestral Suite No. Gary Brooker said of his composition in his interview with Uncut magazine:. If you trace the chordal element, it does a bar or two of Bach's 'Air on a G String' before it veers off. That spark was all it took. I wasn't consciously combining rock with classical, it's just that Bach's music was in me. The recording was produced by Denny Cordell. Because they did not have a regular drummer, the drums were played by Bill Eydena session musician. The track was completed in two takes, with no subsequent overdubbing. A few days after the session, the band re-recorded the song with their newly recruited drummer, Bobby Harrisonat Advision Studios. This version was discarded, and one of the original mono recordings was chosen for release as the band's debut single. Cordell was concerned that the sound of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" might prove problematic on the radio, due to the prominence of the drummer's cymbals. He therefore sent an acetate copy to Radio Londonand his worries were assuaged when the disc jockey played the disc on-air and announced: "That sounds like a massive hit. In two weeks it reached number 1, where it stayed for six weeks. Writing inJim Irvin of Mojo said that its arrival at Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale 1 on 8 Juneon the same day that the Beatles ' Sgt. According to music historian Harvey Kubernikin the context of the Summer of Love, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was the "one song [that] stood above all others, its Everest-like status conferred by no less than John Lennon and Paul McCartneywho were enthralled by the Chaucerian wordplay and heavenly Baroque accompaniment". In the United States, the single reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot and sold over 1 million copies. It also peaked at number 22 on the soul charts there. Due to concerns about overexposure, the song was removed from the band's repertoire in for a number Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale years. In the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Only the drummer in the video is not on the record: early band member Bobby Harrison is seen miming to session man Bill Eyden's drumming. Procol Harum subsequently made a second promotional clip, using " Scopitone " technology. By this time, Robin Trower and B. Wilson had replaced Royer and Harrison in the band, so only three of the five musicians on the recording are represented. No performance footage appears in this film — only scenes of the five musicians cavorting around London and running across fields. The same lineup, with Fisher wearing a monk's cowlmimed to the song on Top of the Popsalthough Brooker sang live. Black-and-white footage of the performance has been shown online. There was also a film shot as part of Joel Gallen 's Deja-View music video series. It has also aired on VH1 Classicand has recently surfaced online. Informer Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in the High Court against Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that he co-wrote the music for the song. Brooker and publisher Onward Music were granted leave to appeal, and a hearing on the matter was held before a panel of three judges during the week of 1 October The decision, on 4 Aprilby Lord Justice Mummeryin the Court of Appeal upheld Fisher's co-authorship [47] but ruled that he should receive no royalties as he had taken too long 38 years to bring his claim to litigation.