You don’t need to know the meaning of the lyrics to feel the emotion (even if you’re not sure why you do). From the melancholic organ, to the lyrics (which have always seemed despondently nostalgic), the vibe of the song is like no other. “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” is as emotionally stirring as any other song that I can recall. Interestingly, the song is not featured on the UK version of the band’s self-titled album. However, the version that was released ended up being one of the original mono recordings. Originally recorded using a session drummer, it was re-recorded a few days later when a permanent drummer was in place. Written by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid and Matthew Fisher, the song was recorded at Olympic Studios in London, England. In addition to receiving numerous other awards, the song has been covered over 1000 times, and has appeared on the soundtrack of some major films (including The Big Chill). In the UK in 2004, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” was recognized as the song most played by British broadcasters for the 70 years prior. To this day, it is one of less than 30 singles to have sold over 10 million copies worldwide. It went on to reach #1 in many other countries as well. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that the song received very little promotion. Less than a month after its release, the song reached #1 on the UK chart and remained there for six weeks. It didn’t take long for “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” to gain traction. Still, five decades later, the band has endured, having just released their 12 th studio album, Novum. To say that an artist peaked before even releasing their first full album is a bit unfair, but this song is inarguably the most memorable moment of Procol Harum’s career. On (50 years ago today), Procol Harum was introduced to the world with their first single, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale.” However, there is one that comes to mind. It’s hard to think of a debut song that has done the same. In 1997, Repertoire Records reissued this album - retitled A Whiter Shade of Pale - in remastered state of the art sound, with four bonus tracks, including a pair of harder blues-based numbers by the band from 1967.Throughout the course of rock and roll history, there have been numerous debut albums that have left their mark on the world. Originally released under the title "Procol Harum," the British version of the LP didn't contain the hit. In between those are pub songs, novelty tunes, and one Matthew Fisher instrumental excursion, "Repent Walpurgis," that became the finale for the group's shows for years to come. "Conquistador" was the "lost" single off the album, finally released years later in its live orchestrated version, but much more intense in this original version, which has never gotten the respect it deserves. The range of sounds here is the widest ever heard on one of the group's albums - "A Christmas Camel" isn't that far from the old Paramounts, the group tackling a sound inspired by Bob Dylan (and derived specifically from his "Ballad of a Thin Man"), while "Salad Days" and "Kaleidoscope" are hard-driven psychedelic rockers, stripped down to the basics, with no pretensions. The material was all already written (before the hit, in fact), but the group recorded the LP in just two days, simply to get a long-player out, and came up with one of the more pleasingly straightforward releases in their history. Procol Harum's debut album is amazingly engaging, considering that it was rushed out to capitalize on the hit title track.
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