BLIGHTED FADE OF AILED
Gary Brooker, the voice behind one of the most enduring 60s tunes, has died aged 76. He first figured his health was awry after skipping the light fandango, with concerns furthered after feeling kind of seasick. And so it waaaas cancer, which has now led to him… hmm, how the fuck am I going to incorporate the “whiter shade of pale” bit into this?
Brooker’s first musical venture was with group the Paramounts, which had a minor UK chart hit with a cover of Coasters classic “Poison Ivy”. They failed to gain much traction despite backing from the Rolling Stones. Prepared to retire as a performer after the Paramounts broke up in 1966, meeting up with lyricist Keith Reid reenergised him. They formed Procol Harum, which borrowed its name from someone’s pet cat, and promptly landed a smash success with “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, a UK #1 and their only major US hit. It’s easy to see the staying power. The solemn, Bach-inspired Hammond organ melody set the stage for the atmosphere that Reid’s mystical lyrics and Brooker’s moody vocals completed, a unique feel that made the listener feel like they were going on a sombre journey into the unknown. It would be a great finishing song for the year-end review in most years…
He knew AWSoP was lightning in a bottle and didn’t attempt to replicate its sound. Procol Harum’s second biggest hit, “Conquistador”, was a catchy uptempo rocker that sounded nothing like AWSoP. Procol Harum split up in 1977 and Brooker continued to record and perform, and he reformed the group in 1991. In the aughts he was in a legal tussle with bandmate Matthew Fisher, who played the Hammond organ on AWSoP and successfully seeked co-writing credits and a share of royalties. With his death, this year’s DDP is now on 2/4 on Gary Bs. Gary Busey is still here somehow, while Gary U.S. Bonds sounded in fine form in a countdown he co-hosted that I listened to last week.
Gary Brooker was the joker and hit #1 for UK charttoppers theme #1 Hits, who looks to have astutely observed a chronicle of his health issues on Procol Harum’s official website. A website that, besides from adjusting part of its home page background to black in memory of Brooker, hasn’t changed its layout since the turn of the millennium!
Gary Brooker
29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022, aged 76
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 + 👻, 🃏 = 22 POINTS