Procol Harum

小简介
优雅的英伦文人复古摇滚─Procol Harum
本文作者／dionysos (林硕彦)
西洋乐坛这数十年来令人印象深刻的经典名曲，大多集中在六十年代中后到七十年代晚期。排除掉省视历史的角度，有可能是因为当时努力尝试的优秀人才较多，也或许是那份高亢的文人情怀现在早已不复见吧：在充斥着解构、拼贴、重组各式音乐的九十年代，标榜文学与艺术的音符能让我欣赏而不会感到虚矫造作的，不妨听听《A Whiter Shade Of Pale》 (Brooker / Reid 1967).....
音符是如此吸引人而诗意又隐讳难解，所以这几十年里探讨诗中涵义与旋律出处的文章到处可见。有人说它是出自Bach第三号管弦乐组曲(Suite No3 in D major)的第二乐章(Air)，那段虔诚祈祷般的G弦上之歌﹔有人说歌词中的故事是出自希腊神话，而且带有藉古讽今的用意。就算是对巴洛克时期的古典乐或希腊神话不了解的，还是可以听听荡气绕梁的管风琴独奏与苍凉凄美的歌声。那是一种令人忧郁而又无从宣泄的愁绪，不须震耳欲聋的重摇滚来释出，而是深沉凝重的蓝调摇滚就可悄悄地扫除了平日淤积在我们心底的琐碎与残渣。
原先出自The Paramounts乐团身兼钢琴与主唱的Gary Brooker，在英国R&B(节奏与蓝调)与灵魂乐界中被与当时的Elton John视为并驾齐驱的才子，但是都缺乏了一种写词的才能(后来Elton John也有了Bernie Taupin)。1966年有天在某个DJ家他碰到Keith Reid，在英国的文学圈子里被认为是年轻新秀的才子，两人一拍即合。Brooker解散了原先的乐团而另组Procol Harum，而Reid是关键的"看不见的那支手"负责营造乐曲的内涵与深意。此外重要团员还有Matthew Fisher演奏管风琴、B. J. Wilson负责敲击乐器、Robin Trower弹奏吉他。
1967年，英美都笼罩在反战运动的风潮里，所有乐团都弥漫着迷幻摇滚的气息。Procol Harum的首张专辑《A Whiter Shade Of Pale》(1967)由于发行商的策略问题，全面发行已经延到1968年了。在这之间也发生了一件影响音乐史的大事，就是同期The Beatle的经典《Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band》(1967)里的立体声录音与表现出的多重声道音场为之后的音乐产业带来无可估计的影响，加上Procol的求好心切，连带使其处女作面临重新录制的命运。但上述意外却不能丝毫湮盖这张专辑的价值，{A Whiter Shade of Pale}开头如神启、空灵般的管风琴旋律是最令人永难忘怀的，三十多年来有关它的传说不断，同时也是后代试图探讨或诠释六十年代精神的最佳曲目(注1)。当然不要忘了其它在这首恒久传唱的金曲之外同样优秀的好歌。如第二首石破天惊、电吉他摇滚为主的{Conquistador}。{She Wandered Through the Garden Fence}简单的旋律与歌词吟诵搭配得宜，organ同样扮演起独奏与伴奏要角。{Mabel}是明显的将迷幻摇滚元素大杂绘的小品，在{Keleidoscope}里玩地更疯狂。Brooker招牌中慢板的{Cerde}使人联想到黑人灵魂乐的影响。五分钟的演奏曲{Repent Walpurgis}，它结合了管风琴瑰丽的音色、纤细的钢琴独奏、鼓与电吉他完美紧密的搭配，是顶级的结尾。
第二张专辑《Shine On Brightly》(1968)的录制时间跨越了67与68年，曲风与上张类似，多了些摇滚的风味。{Shine On Brightly}与{Quite Rightly So}都是当时电台强力放送的热力摇滚。{Rambling On}有段神妙的小故事。{In Held Twas in I}是十七分钟令人印象深刻的长篇叙事曲，包含了所有Procol的音乐风格，五个完整的段落紧密结合而不突兀。由Brooker的口白开始，历经人声清唱、东方色彩浓厚的诗词内容，Trower的频临疯狂的吉他结尾。别忘了当时是1968年，所谓的前卫摇滚才刚启蒙而已。这首曲子与同年英伦入侵时期代表团The Pretty Things的短篇歌剧《S.E.Sorrow》(1968)共同被认为是The Who于次年发表的摇滚音乐剧Tommy(1969)的主要影响来源。
第三张专辑《A Salty Dog》(1969)，延续着以往风格，只是较为清淡了点。也有难忘的经典名曲，但这又不得不提到我的当兵生涯。漫漫役期伴随着我最久的就是海水的盐味与海洋的辽阔，然而在这段看海的日子里音乐是我的避风港。这首与专辑同名单曲描述的不是那伏特加与葡萄柚的调酒，而是一名水手在港边对汪洋大海的记忆。刚开始是海鸥叫声与海水拍打岸边的景象，伴随沙哑的嗓音续说着感伤的往事。曾在咱们船(役龄逾半世纪的阳字号驱逐舰)于台湾海峡高速航行时大声地用随身听放着这首曲子，让它不断刺激我脑海深处与泪腺分泌。其它的曲子也是不错的，{The Milk of Human Kindness}、{Juicy John Pink}有精湛的蓝调吉他演出。{Too Much Between Us}乍听下像John Lennon，美丽的抒情歌谣。{Devil Came From Kansas}诡异的合声与Wilson骇人的鼓击震撼着耳膜。{Wreck of the Hesperus}有钢琴与气势壮大的交响乐团衬底。
《Home》(1970)，有些低调阴沉的杰作，是早期concept album的先驱者之一。它触及了一般人避谈的，以节奏对比的方式、戏谑的封套插画与幽默的歌词来体现恶梦与死亡的概念。乐团的成员也有些为变动，核心团员Fisher离开，前Paramounts的Chris Copping成为贝斯手而作词者Reid则弹起管风琴起来了。{Whisky Train}是Trower最有名的吉他摇滚，有向猫王Elvis Presly的Mysterious Train致敬的味道。{Still There're be More}有着粗暴狂野的歌词。{Barnyard Story}却是忧伤自怜的ballad。{Whaling Stories}是总结前述的概念，一场超现实的海上噩梦。由慢至快，经由乐手们畅快淋漓的重力摇滚合奏后回归平淡。{Your Own Choice}作为专辑的结尾是很合适的，神经质的唱白与Larry Alder担任口琴独奏(不挂名)。
《Broken Barricades》(1971)，这是笔者唯一找不到的专辑，连Amazon.com也长期缺货。一般来说，它是还不错的作品，但是没有前四张来的精采。{Simple Sister}是Procol演唱会开场常拿来激起情绪的重节奏作品。Trower在结束本专辑的宣传后宣布离团，第一代的经典阵容到此宣告瓦解。《Live in Concert》(1972)与加拿大的Edmonton交响乐团合作，包括五十二名团员与二十四名的合唱团的大编制。{ A Salty Dog }保持着原曲忧愁的美感、{ In Held Twas in I}也持续着摄人的音乐张力。{Conquistador}或许是一大宝藏，加入管弦乐的伴奏效果出奇地好。
1973年Procol离开原来的东家转到Chrysalis，同年发表《Grand Hotel》(1973)。失去了创团两位大将的Procol并未使人失望，仍旧有Brooker殷实的男中音与Reid超现实主义启发的诗词，封套内页摄影与插画也颇有看头。{Grand Hotel}有华丽的交响乐编曲，与热力澎湃的电吉他相互辉映。{A Rum Tale}是招牌式的中慢板抒怀歌谣、{TV Caesar}是另外一首有美妙旋律与弦乐映衬的小品、{A Souvenir in London}里Wilson演奏着许多不知名的敲击乐器。{Fries}仍旧有默契极佳的演出与管弦乐配合，还有清澈秀异的女高音独唱。
《Exotic Birds and Fruit》(1974)是一张备受冷落而竟有此遭遇的好专辑，只能说是它宣传不够吧?它是一张从头摇滚到底的杰作，只不过在激昂之余还保有Procol式的气质。{Nothing But the Truth}开头便是Wilson强劲的鼓击，Brooker有较野性的表演，英国的名DJ John Peel便相当欣赏这支单曲。{As Strong As Samson}有流畅的旋律，B.J Cole有精采的串场演出。{Butterfly Boys}、{Monsieur}亦是标准的蓝调与硬式摇滚，只是比其它乐团多了管风琴的演出。封面绘画的作者是Jacob Bogdani(1670-1724)，内容颇符合专辑名称。
《Procol's Ninth》(1975)，顾名思义是Procol的第九张专辑。它不寻常的原因有两个。一在于它换了个制作人，由原先熟悉的班底转为曾为Elvis Presly制作许多热门单曲的Jerry Leiber与Mike Stoller，他两位老兄的风格着实不大像大家熟悉的Procol反而倾向草根性的美式节奏蓝调。另外有了首翻唱曲，The Beatles的{Eight Days a Week}，也是个很奇怪的决定。虽然这不能算是一张有创意的作品，至少{Fool's Gold}、{Typewriter Torment}还勉强保有了Procol的水准。
有不少乐评对《Something Magic》(1977)感到失望，我觉得它是ok的﹔能以那样的专辑内容放在当时热门的Disco与Punk风潮来看是些许过时，但是它的固执在老乐迷耳中或许是欣慰的。{Something Magic}还是Procol Harum，不变的中慢板歌谣。{Wizard Man}有典型英国佬的幽默与讥讽、{Stranger in Space}也是不为人注意的佳作，好听的抒情歌。{The Worm and the Tree}久违的十七分钟长曲，若单就音乐部分可说是相当细腻精采，不过Brooker在这里以念白方式反而削弱了其音乐张力。若以歌唱方式来演出也许会更好。分三段叙述着一株大树被虫侵蚀由盛转衰，最后被人类解救的历程。
前张专辑市场与乐评上的失利使他们消失了好一阵子，在这段期间团员们各自发展自己的音乐事业，Brooker组成以自己名字为名的五重奏，发表数张个人专辑不脱早期Procol的框架。九十年代初期Brooker与Fisher、Trower终于重新聚首，发表了当年算是重大回归的作品《Prodigal Stranger》(1991)，但是鼓手BJ Wilson稍早已不幸逝世，这张就提献给他。整张专辑一路听下来，歌词不再具有Reid时期的诗意与想象力。早期的古典乐编曲影响也已不再，接替的是八十年代摩登气息的摇滚风味。最令人满意的是Brooker的嗓音仍维持在极佳状态，{The Truth Won't Fade Away}、{Learn to Fly}仍是不错的摇滚佳构﹔{Perpetual Motion}、{The Pursuit of Happiness}依旧有着Brooker深邃优美的声音表情。
《The Long Goodbye》(1995)其实不能算是Procol的正规作品，充其量只是Brooker挂名与伦敦交响乐团与伦敦爱乐合作把Procol的代表性作品重新编曲录制的专辑，制作人之一是前Curved Air的Darryl Way。{Repent Walpurgis}是唯一有老团员参与的曲子，庄严肃穆的管风琴演出为一大卖点。其它的乐曲大都是守成有余创意不足，{Grand Hotel}找来男高音独唱我就不觉得是好主意、{Simple Sister}更莫名其妙地找来Tom Jones。我应该是为了搜集齐{A Whiter Shade of Pale}不同版本才买下来的。
也许是Keith Reid对于海的迷恋或是源于他本身经验，Procol Harum在他
的影响下有好几张专辑内容与封面都是以海洋或船舶的神秘与玄幻为主题，对于我这个当过海军的小兵而言当然就有其致命的吸引力了(注2)。现代巴洛克、古典蓝调、艺术摇滚，都可以用来形容Procol Harum的音乐风格。看似复古幽情的摇滚乐团到处都是，但听听那优美隽永的管风琴声响、浑厚婉转的歌声、时而伴随过往记忆的动人旋律，我的选择或许只有Procol Harum。
注1：提到{A Whiter Shade of Pale}或以本曲为讨论主轴的如雅痞怀旧电影大寒(Big Chills)、Alan Parker的追梦者(The Commitments)、Martin Scorsese其中第一小段的大都会故事(NewYork Stories)。笔者手边翻唱过这首歌的有灵魂乐的Percy Sledge、蓝调摇滚的Joe Cocker、德裔女子金属偶像Doro Pesch(前Warlock主唱)、国内早期pub唱将苏芮、新浪潮音乐女伶Annie Lennox及最近在平面媒体上密集强打、令人直起鸡皮疙瘩的Sarah Brightman。
注2：如A Salty Dog与Something Magic的封面绘图及数首令人印象深刻的单曲，不过它们大都是偏重黑暗与梦境式的描述。
注3：参考资料--
所有重新再版的专辑内页简介，由Henry Scott-Irvine撰写。
内容详尽的乐迷网站 - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/2202/proc_albums.html
注4：专辑列表与推荐
Procol Harum (1967又名Whiter Shade Of Pale) *****
Shine On Brightly (1968) ****
A Salty Dog (1969) ****(an extra * for the title track)
Home (1970) ****
Broken Barricades (1971) ?
Live in Concert (1972) **
Grand Hotel (1973) ***
Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974) ***
Procol's Ninth (1975) **
Something Magic (1977) ***
Prodigal Stranger (1991) ***
The Long Goodbye (1995) *
by Bruce Eder
Procol Harum is arguably the most successful accidental group creation — that is, a band originally assembled to take advantage of the success of a record created in the studio — in the history of progressive rock. With A Whiter Shade of Pale a monster hit right out of the box, the band evolved from a studio ensemble into a successful live act, their music built around an eclectic mix of blues-based rock riffs and grand classical themes. With singer/pianist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid providing the bands entire repertory, their music evolved in decidedly linear fashion, the only major surprises coming from the periodic lineup changes that added a new instrumental voice to the proceedings. At their most accessible, as on A Whiter Shade of Pale and Conquistador, they were one of the most popular of progressive rock bands, their singles outselling all rivals, and their most ambitious album tracks still have a strong following.
Procol Harums roots and origins are as convoluted as its success — especially between 1967 and 1973 — was pronounced. Pianist Gary Brooker (b. May 29, 1945, Southend, Essex, England) had formed a group at school called the Paramounts at age 14, with guitarist Robin Trower (b. Mar. 9, 1945, Southend, Essex) and bassist Chris Copping (b. Aug. 29, 1945 Southend, Essex), with singer Bob Scott and drummer Mick Brownlee. After achieving a certain degree of success at local youth clubs and dances, covering established rock & roll hits, Brooker took over the vocalist spot from the departed Scott, and the group continued working after its members graduated — by 1962, they were doing formidable (by British standards) covers of American R&B, and got a residency at the Shades Club in Southend.
Brownlee exited the band in early 1963 and was replaced by Barry J. (B.J.) Wilson (b. Mar. 18, 1947, Southend, Essex), who auditioned after answering an ad in Melody Maker. Nine months later, in September of 1963, bassist Chris Copping opted out of the professional musicians corps to attend Leicester University, and he was replaced by Diz Derrick. The following month, the Paramounts demo record, consisting of covers of the Coasters Poison Ivy and Bobby Blands Farther on up the Road, got them an audition at EMI. This resulted in their being signed to the Parlophone label, with their producer, Ron Richards, the recording manager best-known for his many years of work with the Hollies.
The Paramounts first single, Poison Ivy, released in January of 1964, reached number 35 on the British charts. The group also got an important endorsement from the Rolling Stones, with whom theyd worked on the television show Thank Your Lucky Stars, who called the Paramounts their favorite British R&B band. Unfortunately, none of the groups subsequent Parlophone singles over the next 18 months found any chart success, and by mid-66, the Paramounts had been reduced to serving as a backing band for popsters Sandy Shaw and Chris Andrews. In September of 1966, the Paramounts went their separate ways; Derrick out of the business, Trower and Wilson to gigs with other bands, and, most fortuitously, Gary Brooker decided to develop his career as a songwriter.
This led Brooker into a partnership with lyricist Keith Reid (b. Oct. 19, 1945), whom he met through a mutual acquaintance, R&B impresario Guy Stevens. By the spring of 1967, they had a considerable body of songs prepared and began looking for a band to play them. An advertisement in Melody Maker led to the formation of a band initially called the Pinewoods, with Brooker as pianist/singer, Matthew Fisher (b. Mar. 7, 1946, Croydon, Surrey) on organ, Ray Royer (b. Oct. 8, 1945) on guitar, Dave Knights (b. June 28, 1945, London) on bass, and Bobby Harrison (b. June 28, 1943, London) on drums. Their first recording, produced by Denny Cordell, was of a piece of surreal Reid poetry called A Whiter Shade Of Pale, which Brooker set to music loosely derived from Johann Sebastian Bachs Air on a G String from the Suite No. 3 in D Major.
By the time this recording was ready for release, the Pinewoods had been rechristened Procol Harum, a name derived, as alternate stories tell it, either from Stevens cats birth certificate, Procol Harun, or the Latin procul for far from these things (hey, it was the mid-60s, and either is possible). In early May of 1967, the group performed A Whiter Shade of Pale at the Speakeasy Club in London, while Cordell arranged for a release of the single on English Decca (London Records in America), on the companies Deram label. Ironically, Cordells one-time clients the Moody Blues were about to break out of a long commercial tail-spin on the very same label with a similar, classically-tinged pair of recordings, Nights in White Satin and Days of Future Passed, and between the two groups and their breakthrough hits, Deram Records would be permanently characterized as a progressive rock imprint.
Cordell had also sent a copy of A Whiter Shade of Pale to Radio London, one of Englands legendary off-shore pirate radio stations (they competed with the staid BBC, which had the official broadcast monopoly, and were infinitely more beloved by the teenagers and most bands), which played the record. Not only was Radio London deluged with listener requests for more plays, but Deram suddenly found itself with orders for a record not scheduled for release for another month — before May was half over, it was pushed up on the schedule and rushed into shops.
Meanwhile, the prototypal Procol Harum made its concert debut in London opening for Jimi Hendrix at the Saville Theater on June 4, 1967. Four days later, A Whiter Shade of Pale reached the top of the British charts for the first of a six-week run in the top spot, making Procol Harum only the sixth recording act in the history of British popular music to reach the number one spot on its first release (not even the Beatles did that). The following month, the record reached number five on the American charts, with sales in the United States rising to over a million copies (and six million copies worldwide).
All of this seemed to bode well for the band, except for the fact that it had only a single song in its repertory and no real stage act — literal one-hit wonders. The same month that the record peaked in the United States, Royer and Harrison were sacked and replaced by Brookers former Paramounts bandmates Robin Trower and B.J. Wilson on guitar and drums, respectively.
The real Procol Harum band was now in place and a second single, Homburg, was duly recorded. Reminiscent of Whiter Shade of Pale in its tone of dark grandeur, this single, released in October of 1967 on EMIs Regal Zonophone label, got to number six on the British charts. The groups debut album, entitled Procol Harum, managed to reach number 47 in America during October of 1967, based on A Whiter Shade of Pale being among its tracks (which included the first version of Conquistador) — but a British version of the LP, issued over there without the hit, failed to attract any significant sales. The single Homburg, however, got no higher than number 34 in America a month later.
On March 26, 1968, A Whiter Shade of Pale won the International Song of the Year award at the 13th Annual Ivor Novello Awards (sort of the British equivalent of the Grammys). The groups newest single, Quite Rightly So, however, only reached the number 50 spot in England in April of that year. A new contract for the group was secured with A&M Records in America (they remained on Regal Zonophone in England), and by November, a second album, Shine on Brightly, highlighted by an 18-minute epic entitled In Held Twas I, was finished and in the stores, and rose to number 24 in America but failed to chart in England. The next month, they were playing the Miami Pop Festival in front of 100,000 people, on a bill that included Chuck Berry, Canned Heat, the blues version of Fleetwood Mac, and the Turtles, among others.
In March of 1969, David Knights and Matthew Fisher exited the lineup shortly after finishing work on the groups new album, A Salty Dog, preferring management and production to the performing side of the music business. Knights departure opened the way for bassist Chris Copping to join Procol Harum (thus re-creating the lineup of the Paramounts), playing bass and organ. Another American tour followed the next month, and in June of 1969 A Salty Dog was issued. This record, considered by many to be the original groups best work, combined high-energy blues and classical influences on a grand scale, and returned the band to the U.S. charts at number 32, while the title song ascended the British charts to number 44. The album subsequently reached number 27 in England, the groups first long-player to chart in their own country.
Despite the groups moderate sales in England and America, they remained among the more popular progressive rock bands, capable of reaching more middle-brow listeners who didnt have the patience for Emerson, Lake & Palmer or King Crimson. Robin Trowers flashy guitar quickly made him the star of the group, as much as singer/pianist Brooker, and he was considered in the same league with Alvin Lee and any number of late-60s/early-70s British blues axemen. Matthew Fishers stately, cathedral-like organ had been a seminal part of the bands sound, juxtaposed with Trowers blues-based riffing and Reids unusual, darkly witty lyrics as voiced by Brooker. Following Fishers departure, the group took on a more straightforward rock sound, but Trowers playing remained a major attraction to the majority of fans.
Whaling Stories was an example of quintessential Procol Harum, a mix of 19th century oratorio that sounds like it came out of a Victorian-era cathedral, with fiery blues riffs blazing at its center. And being soaked in Reids dark, eerie, regret-filled lyrics didnt stop A Salty Dog from becoming one of the groups most popular songs.
It was a year before their next album, Home, was released, in June of 1970, ascending to the American number 34 and the British 49 spot. This marked the end of the groups contract with Regal Zonophone/EMI, and on the release of their next LP in July of 1971, they were now on Chrysalis in England. Broken Barricades reached number 32 in America and 41 in England, but it also marked the departure of Robin Trower. The founding guitarist left that month and subsequently organized his own group, with a sound modeled along lines similar to Jimi Hendrix, which had great success in America throughout the 1970s.
Trowers replacement, Dave Ball (b. Mar. 30, 1950), joined the same month, and the lineup expanded by one with the addition of Alan Cartwright on bass, which freed Chris Copping to concentrate full-time on the organ. The group returned to something of the sound it had before Fishers departure, although Trower was a tough act to follow. It was this version of the band that performed on August 6, 1971 in a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the DaCamera Singers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — the concert was a bold and expansive, richly orchestrated re-consideration of earlier material (though not A Whiter Shade of Pale) from the groups repertory, and, released as an official live album in 1972, proved to be the groups most successful LP release, peaking at number five and drawing in thousands of new fans.
In England, Procol Harum Live: In Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra only rose to number 48 in May of 1972, but it was competing with a reissue of the groups debut album (retitled A Whiter Shade of Pale, with the single added) paired with A Salty Dog, which outperformed it considerably, reaching number 26. A single lifted from the live record, Conquistador, redone in a rich and dramatic version, shot to number 16 in America and 22 in England that summer. Soon after, the U.S. distributor of the debut album, London Records, got further play from that record by re-releasing it with a sticker announcing the presence of the original version of Conquistador.
Amid all of this success, the groups lineup again was thrown into turmoil in September when Dave Ball left Procol Harum to join Long John Baldrys band. He was replaced by Mick Grabham, formerly of the bands Plastic Penny and Cochise. The bands next album, Grand Hotel, was a delightfully melodic and decadent collection (anticipating Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music in some respects) that featured guest backing vocals by Christianne Legrand of the a cappella singing group the Swingle Singers. That record, their first released on Chrysalis in America as well as England, peaked at number 21. Six months later, A&M released the first compilation of the bands material, Best of Procol Harum, which only made it to number 131 on the charts.
The groups next two albums, Exotic Birds and Fruit (May 1974) and Procols Ninth (September 1975), the latter produced by rock & roll songsmiths Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, performed moderately well, and Pandoras Box from Procols Ninth became one of their bigger hits in England, rising to number 16. July of 1976 saw a departure and a lateral shift in the groups lineup, as Alan Cartwright left the band and Chris Copping took over on bass, while Pete Solley joined as keyboard player.
By this time, the bands string had run out, as everyone seemed to know. A new album, Something Magic, barely scraped the U.S. charts in April of 1977, and the band split up following a final tour and a farewell concert at New Yorks Academy of Music on May 15, 1977. Only five months later, the band was back together for a one-off performance of A Whiter Shade of Pale, which had taken on a life of its own separate from the group — the song was named joint winner (along with Bohemian Rhapsody) of the Best British Pop Single 1952-1977, at the Britannia Awards to mark Queen Elizabeth IIs Silver Jubilee, and the band performed it live at the awards ceremony.
Apart from Trower, Gary Brooker was the most successful and visible of all ex-Procol Harum members, releasing three solo albums between 1979 and 1985. Fear of Flying (1979) on Chrysalis, produced by George Martin, attracted the most attention, but Lead Me to the Water (1982) on Mercury had some notable guest artists, including Eric Clapton and Phil Collins, while Echoes in the Night (1985) was co-produced by Brookers former bandmate Matthew Fisher. During the late 80s, however, Brooker had turned to writing orchestral music, principally ballet material, but this didnt stop him from turning up as a guest at one of the annual Fairport Convention reunions (Procol Harum and Fairport had played some important early gigs together) at Cropredy, Oxfordshire, in August of 1990 to sing A Whiter Shade of Pale.
Still, Procol Harum had faded from the consciousness of the music world by the end of the 1980s. The death of B.J. Wilson in 1990 went largely unreported, to the chagrin of many fans, and it seemed as though the group was a closed book.
Then, in August of 1991, Brooker re-formed Procol Harum with Trower, Fisher, Reid, and drummer Mark Brzezicki. An album, Prodigal Stranger, was recorded and released, and an 11-city tour of North America took place in September of 1991. Although this lineup didnt last — Trower and company, after all, were pushing 50 at the time — Brooker has kept a new version of Procol Harum together, in the guise of himself, guitarist Geoffrey Whitehorn, keyboardman Don Snow, and Brzezicki on drums, which toured the United States in 1992.