History Music / ProcolHarum

* IAmTheBand: With Keith Reid not participating in ''Novum''[[note]]his replacemenrt is Pete Brown, best known for his work with Music/{{Cream}}[[/note]], Gary Brooker is the only constant member of the band.

* RockMeAmadeus: The middle section of "Repent Walpurgis" comes from [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Bach]]'s ''Prelude No. 1 in C major'' (BWV 846).

* TitleConfusion: Their fourth album is titled ''Home''. Its front and back cover illustration has a sort of "board game" theme featuring portraits of the band members cut and pasted onto cartoon characters, including some speech balloons and {{written sound effect}}s such as "Whoosh!" and "Sploosh!". It just so happens that "Whoosh!" is printed on the front cover in a font size nearly as large as was used for the title. Because of this, [[http://www.procolharum.com/whoosh.htm some]] Benelux-market editions of the album state the album title as ''Whoosh'' on the center label/cassette label/sleeve spine.

* XMeetsY: Electric organ player Matthew Fisher's playing style has been described as something like Jimmy Smith meets Craetor/JohannSebastianBach.

Procol Harum is an English ProgressiveRock and BaroquePop band founded in 1967. The group's membership has changed frequently, the only constant members being singer/pianist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid. The group recorded 10 studio albums before disbanding in 1977, then reunited in the 1990s, having recorded two more studio albums since then and continuing to perform live up to the present.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The debut has several short "joke" songs. While some later albums do include humor, it is usually more subtle and is used in actual full-length songs.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: This band name gives rise to all sorts of misspellings, such as "Proul Haven", "Procyl Harom", "Parocial Harem", etc. What's more, the official spelling itself resulted from a mistake: manager Guy Stevens suggested the name "Procul Harun" to the band during a phone conversation with the band, and they misheard.

* WordSaladTitle: "In Held 'Twas in I" (This title comes from putting together the first word of the lyrics of each section of the song.)

* CoverVersion: Not common for them, but they did cover "I Keep Forgettin'" (by Chuck Jackson, written by Music/LeiberAndStoller) and Music/TheBeatles' "Eight Days a Week", both on ''Procol's Ninth''. There's also the CoverAlbum ''Ain't Nothin' to Get Excited About'', credited to the pseudonym Licorice John Death and not released until 27 years after it was recorded.

* DyingDream: "The Dead Man's Dream"

* EpicRocking: "In Held Twas In I"
* FakeOutFadeOut: "Rambling On"

* SeadogBeard: Depicted on the cover of ''A Salty Dog''.
** Parodying the packet design from a well-known brand of cigarettes.
* SlaveBrand: "Memorial Drive"

* TitleConfusion: Their fourth album is titled ''Home''. Its front and back cover illustration has a sort of "board game" theme featuring portraits of the band members cut and pasted onto cartoon characters, including some speech balloons and {{written sound effect}}s such as "Whoosh!" and "Sploosh!". It just so happens that "Whoosh!" is printed on the front cover in a font size nearly as large as was used for the title. Because of this, [[http://www.procolharum.com/whoosh.htm some]] Benelux-market editions of the album state the album title as ''Whoosh'' on the center label / cassette label / sleeve spine.

''We skipped the light fandango,\\

* ''Procol Harum Live In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra'' (1972)--one of the first instances of [[{{ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin}} a rock band playing live with a symphony]]

Members 1967-1977:
* Gary Brooker--piano, vocals (1967-1977, 1991-present)
* Keith Reid--lyrics (while he doesn't sing or play any instruments, he is still credited as a band member) (1967-1977, 1991-present)
* Matthew Fisher--organ, other keyboards, vocals (1967-1969, 1991-2003)
* Ray Royer--guitar (1967, appeared on the "Whiter Shade of Pale" single but left before recording the debut album)

* Robin Trower--lead guitar, vocals (1967-1971, 1991)
* B.J. Wilson--drums, percussion (1967-1977, his death in 1990 was the impetus for the 1991 reunion)
* Dave Knights--bass (1967-1969)
* Chris Copping--bass (1969-1972, 1976-1977), organ (1969-1976)
* Alan Cartwright--bass (1972-1976)
* Dave Ball--lead guitar (1971-1972, only appears on ''Edmonton'' live album)
* Mick Grabham--lead guitar (1972-1977)

* BreakupBreakout: Robin Trower, who left after ''Broken Baricades'', went on to great success in the '70s with his new eponymous band.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Gary Brooker has played on toured with and played on several albums for [[{{TheRollingStones}} Bill Wyman]]'s Rhythm Kings

* OneHitWonder: While they did get several singles onto the UK singles charts, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" utterly overshadowed all the rest of them.
** "Conquistador" did well in the U.S; and their album sales made up for any lack of success on the pop charts.

* XMeetsY: Electric organ player Matthew Fisher's playing style has been described as something like Jimmy Smith meets Music/JohannSebastianBach.

* RockMeAmadeus: The middle section of "Repent Walpurgis" comes from [[JohannSebastianBach Bach]]'s ''Prelude No. 1 in C major'' (BWV 846).

* XMeetsY: Electric organ player Matthew Fisher's playing style has been described as something like Jimmy Smith meets JohannSebastianBach.

* FiveManBand:
** The early years:

** BigGood: Keith Reid
** TheHero: Gary Brooker
** TheLancer: Matthew Fisher
** TheSmartGuy: Robin Trower
** TheBigGuy: BJ Wilson
** TheChick: Dave Knights

** The hard-rocking period

** BigGood: Keith Reid
** TheHero: Gary Brooker
** TheLancer: Robin Trower
** TheSmartGuy: Chris Copping
** TheBigGuy: BJ Wilson

** The symph-rock period

** BigGood: Keith Reid
** TheHero: Gary Brooker
** TheLancer: Chris Copping
** TheSmartGuy: Mick Grabham
** TheBigGuy: BJ Wilson
** TheChick: Alan Cartwright

Discography:

* ''[[{{LiveAlbum}} Procol Harum Live In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra]]'' (1972)--one of the first instances of [[{{ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin}} a rock band playing live with a symphony]]

* ''[[{{SelfTitledAlbum}} Procol Harum'' (1967)

* ''[[{{LiveAlbum}} Procol Harum Live In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra'' (1972)--one of the first instances of [[{{ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin}} a rock band playing live with a symphony]]

* ''Exotic Birds and Fruit" (1974)

** StepUpToTheMicrophone: Fisher on "In the Autumn of My Madness", "Boredom", "Wreck of the Hesperus", and "Pilgrim's Progress", Trower on "Crucifiction Lane", "Song For a Dreamer", and "Poor Mohammed". Interestingly, Trower rarely if ever sang in his solo band.

* HeyItsThatGuy: later famous as a solo artist, Robin Trower was the guitarist for the band's first several albums.

!!ProcolHarum provides examples of:

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Their popularity in the United Kingdom faded quickly after their first single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", and from then on they toured mostly in the United States (in the late 1960s) and continental Europe (from the 1970s onward).

* AGoodNameForARockBand: According to [[http://www.procolharum.com/young_cat-claude1.htm this page]], the band's first manager, Guy Stevens, happened to look at a pedigree certificate for a cat named "Procul Harun", and immediately suggested it as the band's name. (The cat's owners actually called him "Claude"; "Procul Harun" was only a name chosen by the cat breeder. The "Procul" part was the breeder's registered prefix, and "Harun" is an Arabic equivalent of "Aaron".)

** TheBigGood: Keith Reid

* DownerEnding: DownerBeginning, middle, and ending, really..."Broken Barricades".

* CoverVersion: Not common for them, but they did cover "I Keep Forgettin'" (by Chuck Jackson, written by Music/LeiberAndStoller) and Music/TheBeatles' "Eight Days a Week", both on ''Procol's Ninth''. There's also the CoverAlbum ''Ain't Nothin' to Get Excited About'', credited to a pseudonym and not released until 27 years after it was recorded.

* CoverVersion: Not common for them, but they did cover "I Keep Forgettin'" (by Chuck Jackson, written by Music/LeiberAndStoller) and "[[TheBeatles Eight Days a Week]]", both on ''Procol's Ninth''. There's also the ''Ain't Nothin' to Get Excited About'' album of covers, credited to a pseudonym and not released until 27 years after it was recorded.

* DownerEnding: DownerBeginning, middle, and ending, really..."Broken Barricades"

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Disgustingly, "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean A Souvenir of London]]".