FREE PROCOL HARUM: THE GHOSTS OF A WHITER SHADE OF PALE PDF Henry Scott Irvine | 340 pages | 15 Nov 2012 | OMNIBUS PRESS | 9781780382333 | English | London, United Kingdom This Day In Music Books | Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale Formed in the s, Prog Rock British group Procol Harum are best known for their multi million selling single A Whiter Shade of Pale which is the most played record by a British artist of the last 70 years. Tells the story of their formation in Essex in the s, their split on their tenth anniversary in and their reforming in Lead singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid always claimed credit for the hit, which became part of the soundtrack of But in his ruling, the judge decided that organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to both credit and royalties. Brings the story right up to date with detail of their album releases and tours over the last decade. Author Henry Scott-Irvine has a background in music and arts documentaries as well as presenting and producing a weekly radio show for Resonance Henry is now writing another book and is hoping to get some music documentaries funded. Join our mailing list for the latest news about our upcoming books, events and special offers:. Description Additional information Description Formed in the s, Prog Rock British group Procol Harum are best known for their multi million selling single A Whiter Shade of Pale which is the most played record by a British artist of the last 70 years. Additional information Weight 0. Procol Harum's ground-breaking concerts and recordings with Classical Orchestras and Choirs are Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale described in meticulous detail in this well researched offering. Henry Scott-Irvine must be congratulated on delivering the best musical biography which I have ever read. He doesn't shy away from covering the bitter court case concerning the composing rights to A Whiter Shade of Pale. There are too many musical gems to name them all. I have waited a long time to learn more about the band. This book met all of my expectations: from the birth of the Paramounts, through the court battle over song credits This was the first time I was able to get the full story Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale the sad end to B. Wilson"s life Read this book, break out the records and enjoy. This is a well-written and exhaustive account of the recording and touring history of Procol Harum. It takes us from the days of the Paramounts in the Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale of the early sixties right through to the draining four-year court case that pitted the band's original organist against his former employers over forty years later. The coverage is comprehensive and well organised and the early chapters on the Southend scene are especially engrossing. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all PH fans in addition to any music fans. Super book - definitely unputdownable! The story behind Procol Harums A White Shade Of Pale With its Bach -derived instrumental melody, soulful vocals, and unusual 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 since, 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 Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale 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 Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale 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 than 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 Air 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 Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale 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 Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale a massive Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale. In two weeks it reached number 1, where it stayed for six weeks. Writing inJim Irvin of Mojo said that its arrival at number 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 Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of A Whiter Shade of Pale about overexposure, the song was removed from the band's repertoire in for a number of 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.