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sykokiller11 t1_je5ldb4 wrote

When I was a kid I told my mom how much I liked “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and that it made me happy somehow. She told me it was her favorite song when she was pregnant with me and listened to it all the time. I am sad now. Rest in peace.

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MostExaltedLoaf t1_je5vl85 wrote

RIP. I listen to Procol Harum on a regular basis - they were heavy rotation in my house when I was very little, Procol Harum is comfort music to me.

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3Dirt4Worm t1_je60irc wrote

Whiter shade of pale was a ripoff of Bach

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kevnmartin t1_je63n90 wrote

The only band I can think of that was named after a cat.

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bigedthebad t1_je66s9k wrote

Procol Harum was one of those bands that never got the acclaim they deserved.

RIP

Edit: CHEESE!!

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Sixtyoneandfortynine t1_je6c6xz wrote

I always thought he was just as skilled at writing gritty English blues songs as he was the more well-known "softer" stuff like "Whiter Shade".

Here, enjoy a very fine ditty that should have been as "popular" as anything by Cream, Bluesbreakers, Animals, etc. (and should have made Robin Trower at least as famous as Clapton, lol.)

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thermos15 t1_je6fadv wrote

RIp underrated and deeply felt by all🫡

We sailed for parts unknown to man, Where ships come home to die No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, Could match our captain's eye.

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DjMeMissDay t1_je6gixl wrote

🎶”We skipped the light fandango…”🎶🥲🥰

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foresyte t1_je7k7ag wrote

I love Whiter Shade of Pale so much, it was a huge part of my musical experience while growing up. But, and I'm sorry to be that guy, but Matthew Fisher was forced to fight for decades against Gary Brooker and Keith Reid to get his fair share of recognition for his absolutely definitive Hammond Organ part of this song. He didn't even win past royalties, only future ones. But they always insisted that he didn't write those parts at all.

I just can't be an 'rip' person for Keith when he screwed over Matthew for most of their lives.

Again, I'm sorry, but I love this song too much to ignore the history and the harm Keith and Gary selfishly caused.

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vch01 OP t1_je7m0g6 wrote

Replying to foresyte (#2,466,319)

For better or worse, it’s actually a very common practice in songwriting. The riff, however crucial to the song it is, was merely part of the arrangement. In a band setting the person who mapped out the basic song structure is the one getting the songwriting credit.

For instance, Freddie Mercury is credited as the sole writer of Bohemian Rhapsody even though the legendary guitar solo was entirely composed by Brian May.

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hjvkjvkjvg t1_je7zeqx wrote

I hope more people listen to In Held ‘Twas in I - their progressive epic of 17:31 long.

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LoneRangersBand t1_je8afaf wrote

Replying to HarryT_CVN75_A4W1 (#2,465,533)

Not really, the band that did Whiter Shade of Pale mostly left after it came out, but the lineup that reconvened and did the debut album put out Conquistador and A Salty Dog, and still had the one/two/three punch of Brooker/Trower/Fisher with Reid writing the lyrics.

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TheSonofDon t1_je8fjb2 wrote

Very sad, first Booker now Reid. Procul Harum, yeah. Geez, Oakland Pop Fest ‘68. The summer after the Summer of Love. Stooges, MC5, SRC also. Pink Floyd didn’t show so they sent Frijid Pink onto the stage. I guess they thought nobody would care. They were correct.

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