This was a concert filmed for Danish TV and they threw everything at it. 8 cameramen and over 100 sound channels to mix down. Every instrument was close miked. There were two concerts filmed on successive days but they only used footage from the second one. There were no overdubs or studio trickery used such as pitch correction.
The original studio version from 1967 was great but this live version is stupendous as the orchestra and choir give it more depth. Gary Brooker's voice aged like a fine wine. R.I.P. Gary. You can watch the orchestra (which is the Danish National Orchestra) perform 'The Good Bad & The Ugly' theme tune which is also great.
I grew up to this music, brings back sooooo many memories!!!! This is even a more satisfying rendition to listen to than the original sound track. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Absolutely beautifully done!!!!
Each line of this song meant something to Gary. I saw an interview of his a few years ago. I can’t remember all of it, but wandered through his playing cards = he was in a pub, playing cards, and there was a girl there that he liked. She wasn’t interested, and as ‘i wandered through my playing cards, I would not let her be’ so, although she wasn’t interested, he didn’t give up. First 45rpm that I ever bought. I was 9/10 years old, a Londoner growing up in a magnificent era of English/British music. I went to many concerts all over London, from the age of 11. Saw Procul Harum at the Empire Pool Wembley. They were magnificent. RIP beautiful Gary ❤️🏴🇬🇧
The crowd was there for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Choir which held outdoor summer concerts for the Copenhagen populace, it was enhanced by having Gary there as guest artist.
People struggle with the lyrics because they make "no sense". The reason is that this is a rock equivalent of a surrealist painting with several views of faces turning pale through the ages, the central theme being the Miller circa 1385. His face is ghostly because his face would have been covered in flour dust, his face turned pale when he realised what his wife had done, and why he was to blame. Others, other than him being sea sick are less obvious. This was John Lennon's favorite song for many years. He played it over and over.
@@markhorton8578 appreciate your description of this artistry. So, making no sense, can I guess, be sometimes sensible. Leaving the interpretation open perhaps.
@@tazzznphilly Yes I have watched different people read "love/breakup" and "death/dying" and even "lover cheating" into it. It does have a very enigmatic quality to it. As for being a Masterpiece; if after 50 years people are still calling it a masterpiece, then it is a masterpiece. Not just something which hit a sweet spot in trend and fashion.
"The Miller's Tale" is the second of Geoffrey Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales (1380s-1390s). The song reached #1 on the CHUM (Toronto, Ontario) charts in '67. Their song "Conquistador' was a hit as well: ruclips.net/video/t-zti_qAHsA/видео.htmlsi=pBSJobxUJCFBIXoq.
He's recapping a date between a couple on a ship in which there was a miller telling an unrelated story of the tragic death of some young party chick, that's one interpretation at least from the melancholy notes- the woman (on date) listening was shocked hence "⁰whiter shade of pale"
Some people think it is a song about the Miller's tale, a poem that is part of the Canterbury Tales written in the late 1300's, guess it could have several meanings.
A lot of the references and allusions are Chaucer and Milton, concepts and expressions that have seeped into British English without people being conscious of it, the way Shakespearean phrases often do. For example, “skipped the light fandango”, as well as a pun, is a nod to a phrase Milton uses in a couple of poems - “trip the light fantastic” - that is, to dance (“light” in its old fashioned sense of airheaded or hedonistic). So in the UK, tripping the light fantastic is a tongue in cheek or self-deprecating way of talking about (probably drunken) dancing. And the fandango is a lively Spanish dance - but also a byword for a big fuss, a quarrel or incident.
This is the second reaction video on this particular version of this classic song. You really need to listen to the original version, which is my all-time favorite from the rock era. Part of my attraction to it is the fact that the harmony was based on Bach's famous Air in G from his Suite #3 in D.
I was surprised when the reaction to this song popped up. For me, the recording of A Whiter Shade Of Pale from 1967 is one of my absolute favorite pieces in music history. The original's sound is characterized by probably the most beautiful use of the Hammond organ in rock music. Compositionally, the piece is influenced by Air from Suite No. 3 in D major by Johann Sebastian Bach (for me, Bach is the greatest musician who ever lived). The different melodies of the singing voice and the accompaniment are beautifully used as counterpoint. Another influence is the cantata "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", also by Bach. Along with the Beatles and Moody Blues, one of my biggest musical influences from that time, even though I discovered the pieces much later. Gary Brooker died in early 2022.
@@tinkpotty He is awesome! If he ever leaves show it would crush me. I was saddened when Grant left. Lol, i don't care about Samantha tho. She comes and goes, and I never care. 🤣
@@tazzznphilly Hahahaha Sam is a Cow. But I'm with you I Love evreyone mostly except bernie's Mom . There is a rumor going around that Phil will be the next murder victim ? Bro if Phil goes I go
@@tinkpotty 😳. Omg, I cant even think straight of Phil going. I like Bernies Mom - when she isnt crying. I like her happy times. I guess one of my least favorites at the moment is, Nugget and Denzel. They bore me. 🤷♂️
I respect YOUR opinion. The fact that I am saying positive things about your country should be the focus, and be appreciated. I would imagine IF I said I didn't like your country, based on the show, then that would be worth defending. Friendly advice - accept compliments without defending. 😏. ~ Tazzz ~
Why not ?? Remember how snobby Brit s used to sneer at American television..?? And look at what depths British television has sunk to today....Unbelievable..!!
There are but as far as I know it's never been officially released, which is insane because it's incredibly beautiful and makes the meaning much clearer. In fact, until this version was posted two years ago, I never saw video of them playing it, just audio with some random pictures: PROCOL HARUM: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, (ALL FOUR VERSES !!), HARLEQUIN THEATRE, REDHILL,19 JULY 1997 ruclips.net/video/iDioqrKEbEA/видео.html
😳😏. Too funny! Im watching it NOW. Had to catch up on past episodes. I cant wait for Jay to find out that woman is faking her pregnancy. Lexie just told him she saw her drinking.
Any particular reason why you went for this version rather than the original? Procul Harum did in fact record other tracks with an orchestra, but not with this one. Brooker's voice held up well, but is not the voice we loved so dearly in his and our youth. PH were one of the biggest names in an era full of massive British rock bands. The band always declined to say what the lyrics mean. British rock music at the time seemed to run entirely on whisky and acid, so lyrics like these were hardly unusual. It seems to recall a drunken encounter with an unknown woman, which today we would say involved rape or very nearly. For more enigmatic PH, A Salty Dog is stunning, and the weirdness is much more sneaky.
@@tazzznphilly The original is one of the best selling singles ever, but this was even better, is just brilliant.And by the way his voice got better as he aged.
the song is about coming to terms with the realization that there is no god, no reason, just a fight to the end and nothingness. That's a lighter shade of pale...
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks to Anonymous for your Paypal donation to this song. 😏.
~ Tazzz n Philly ~
Yes, this is truly a musical masterpiece. It was when it was released and has always been.
Thanks, Laurel. 😏
Rest in Peace Mr Gary Brooker. Love you and miss you so much.❤❤❤❤
Probably one of the best things anyones ears well ever be treated to.
This was a concert filmed for Danish TV and they threw everything at it. 8 cameramen and over 100 sound channels to mix down. Every instrument was close miked. There were two concerts filmed on successive days but they only used footage from the second one. There were no overdubs or studio trickery used such as pitch correction.
Oh wow, very cool to read this comment. That's fascinating. Appreciate the time you took to educate. 😏. ~ Tazzz ~
I still live in Southend-on-sea and saw Procol Harum several times back in the 70's.
The original studio version from 1967 was great but this live version is stupendous as the orchestra and choir give it more depth. Gary Brooker's voice aged like a fine wine. R.I.P. Gary. You can watch the orchestra (which is the Danish National Orchestra) perform 'The Good Bad & The Ugly' theme tune which is also great.
I grew up to this music, brings back sooooo many memories!!!! This is even a more satisfying rendition to listen to than the original sound track. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Absolutely beautifully done!!!!
Awwww. I am very happy this version made you happy, Ellie. 😏. Happy I brought back some memories for you, musically.
~ Tazzz ~
Each line of this song meant something to Gary. I saw an interview of his a few years ago. I can’t remember all of it, but wandered through his playing cards = he was in a pub, playing cards, and there was a girl there that he liked. She wasn’t interested, and as ‘i wandered through my playing cards, I would not let her be’ so, although she wasn’t interested, he didn’t give up.
First 45rpm that I ever bought. I was 9/10 years old, a Londoner growing up in a magnificent era of English/British music. I went to many concerts all over London, from the age of 11. Saw Procul Harum at the Empire Pool Wembley. They were magnificent. RIP beautiful Gary ❤️🏴🇬🇧
@@karencrookshank4971 a reminiscent and beautiful comment. Thanks for checking out our channel, Karen. Keep those fond memories. 😏
~ Tazzz ~
Gary didn't write the lyrics to this song !
But ....apart from that.....
The crowd was there for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Choir which held outdoor summer concerts for the Copenhagen populace, it was enhanced by having Gary there as guest artist.
That really is wonderful. Thank you for the intel and overall comment.
There are less than 50 songs that have ever sold more than 10 million Physical copies. this is one of them.
People struggle with the lyrics because they make "no sense". The reason is that this is a rock equivalent of a surrealist painting with several views of faces turning pale through the ages, the central theme being the Miller circa 1385. His face is ghostly because his face would have been covered in flour dust, his face turned pale when he realised what his wife had done, and why he was to blame. Others, other than him being sea sick are less obvious.
This was John Lennon's favorite song for many years. He played it over and over.
@@markhorton8578 appreciate your description of this artistry. So, making no sense, can I guess, be sometimes sensible. Leaving the interpretation open perhaps.
@@tazzznphilly Yes I have watched different people read "love/breakup" and "death/dying" and even "lover cheating" into it.
It does have a very enigmatic quality to it.
As for being a Masterpiece; if after 50 years people are still calling it a masterpiece, then it is a masterpiece. Not just something which hit a sweet spot in trend and fashion.
It’s HER face that is “at first just ghostly” and turns a whiter shade of pale.
I think the seasick bit might just be a way of describing that certain stage of drunkenness.
@@eh1702 So it is. Thanks for the correction. I guess as his wife, she would be covered in flur dust too. 🙂
"The Miller's Tale" is the second of Geoffrey Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales (1380s-1390s). The song reached #1 on the CHUM (Toronto, Ontario) charts in '67. Their song "Conquistador' was a hit as well: ruclips.net/video/t-zti_qAHsA/видео.htmlsi=pBSJobxUJCFBIXoq.
Tried to find this concert on Bluray but it's out of print and sellers are asking a fortune for it, not surprised.
I grew up with this song and I never did understand the lyrics, but I have loved the song for almost 60 years now. ❤🎉❤
He's recapping a date between a couple on a ship in which there was a miller telling an unrelated story of the tragic death of some young party chick, that's one interpretation at least from the melancholy notes- the woman (on date) listening was shocked hence "⁰whiter shade of pale"
Some people think it is a song about the Miller's tale, a poem that is part of the Canterbury Tales written in the late 1300's, guess it could have several meanings.
@ thank you
Great song! Thanks Tazzz.
Welcome, Clint.
A lot of the references and allusions are Chaucer and Milton, concepts and expressions that have seeped into British English without people being conscious of it, the way Shakespearean phrases often do.
For example, “skipped the light fandango”, as well as a pun, is a nod to a phrase Milton uses in a couple of poems - “trip the light fantastic” - that is, to dance (“light” in its old fashioned sense of airheaded or hedonistic). So in the UK, tripping the light fantastic is a tongue in cheek or self-deprecating way of talking about (probably drunken) dancing.
And the fandango is a lively Spanish dance - but also a byword for a big fuss, a quarrel or incident.
This is the second reaction video on this particular version of this classic song. You really need to listen to the original version, which is my all-time favorite from the rock era. Part of my attraction to it is the fact that the harmony was based on Bach's famous Air in G from his Suite #3 in D.
The piece is actually called "Air on a G string." Ironically though, it was actually in the key of "E".
I was surprised when the reaction to this song popped up. For me, the recording of A Whiter Shade Of Pale from 1967 is one of my absolute favorite pieces in music history. The original's sound is characterized by probably the most beautiful use of the Hammond organ in rock music. Compositionally, the piece is influenced by Air from Suite No. 3 in D major by Johann Sebastian Bach (for me, Bach is the greatest musician who ever lived). The different melodies of the singing voice and the accompaniment are beautifully used as counterpoint. Another influence is the cantata "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", also by Bach. Along with the Beatles and Moody Blues, one of my biggest musical influences from that time, even though I discovered the pieces much later.
Gary Brooker died in early 2022.
Bro, Iv'e Been Watching East Enders for 30 Years ! Cheers !
@@tinkpotty WAHOO! YESSSS! Omg, that show is addictive. Thanks for commenting. I cant even pick a favorite character...I love soooooo many. 😏
@@tazzznphilly Phil Mitchell 100% Hahahahahaha !
@@tinkpotty He is awesome! If he ever leaves show it would crush me. I was saddened when Grant left. Lol, i don't care about Samantha tho. She comes and goes, and I never care. 🤣
@@tazzznphilly Hahahaha Sam is a Cow. But I'm with you I Love evreyone mostly except bernie's Mom . There is a rumor going around that Phil will be the next murder victim ? Bro if Phil goes I go
@@tinkpotty 😳. Omg, I cant even think straight of Phil going. I like Bernies Mom - when she isnt crying. I like her happy times. I guess one of my least favorites at the moment is, Nugget and Denzel. They bore me. 🤷♂️
I knew this song in the 70s on the radio and records
❤😊
Everybody's is on his her own. The world is great but àlways be careful.
I apologise in advance, but EASTENDERS?, give me strength, I'm UK born and bred, PLEASE don't judge us (the UK that is) based on that garbage.
I respect YOUR opinion. The fact that I am saying positive things about your country should be the focus, and be appreciated. I would imagine IF I said I didn't like your country, based on the show, then that would be worth defending. Friendly advice - accept compliments without defending. 😏. ~ Tazzz ~
Why not ?? Remember how snobby Brit s used to sneer at American television..??
And look at what depths British television
has sunk to today....Unbelievable..!!
There are supposedly 2 more verses to this song.
There are but as far as I know it's never been officially released, which is insane because it's incredibly beautiful and makes the meaning much clearer. In fact, until this version was posted two years ago, I never saw video of them playing it, just audio with some random pictures: PROCOL HARUM: A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, (ALL FOUR VERSES !!), HARLEQUIN THEATRE, REDHILL,19 JULY 1997 ruclips.net/video/iDioqrKEbEA/видео.html
@@prakaklef Thanks so much for posting that link. I grew up loving the song and never knew there were 4 verses!
There's only one more verse. The song is perfect without it.
Greatest song of the 60's..... and more.
This is my comment post
Lol, ummmm ok. Thank you. 😏
I watch Eastenders! 😂
😳😏. Too funny! Im watching it NOW. Had to catch up on past episodes. I cant wait for Jay to find out that woman is faking her pregnancy. Lexie just told him she saw her drinking.
@@tazzznphilly you do need to catch up! 🤣 I love a good binge watch! ❤️✌️
Not sure who you kidding at the start but you would lose all your subs if you didn't like this classic 😂
Don't try and explain it, The song is supposed to not make sense.It was abstract .
Not more abstract than a person with a cheating partner ... seems pretty concrete to me ...
@@jakobm.tilsted5333 Not so I shall explain above.
If I lived there I'd probably go to see it but not near that water way feature (aligators!)
TRANSLATION - you like this too! 😏. WAHOO! I guessed right with you, Sir.
~ Tazzz ~
You tend to not get alligators in Denmark...
They do not have aligators in Denmark.
@@spacefanatic Well aware.
@@spacefanatic crocodiles
Any particular reason why you went for this version rather than the original? Procul Harum did in fact record other tracks with an orchestra, but not with this one. Brooker's voice held up well, but is not the voice we loved so dearly in his and our youth. PH were one of the biggest names in an era full of massive British rock bands.
The band always declined to say what the lyrics mean. British rock music at the time seemed to run entirely on whisky and acid, so lyrics like these were hardly unusual. It seems to recall a drunken encounter with an unknown woman, which today we would say involved rape or very nearly. For more enigmatic PH, A Salty Dog is stunning, and the weirdness is much more sneaky.
The reason I chose this one is 2:00
@@tazzznphilly The original is one of the best selling singles ever, but this was even better, is just brilliant.And by the way his voice got better as he aged.
I think he sings much better here. His phrasing, for one thing.
the song is about coming to terms with the realization that there is no god, no reason, just a fight to the end and nothingness. That's a lighter shade of pale...
No… cocaine according to Gary Brooker.
@@Grammichal Absolutely untrue.
According to Brooker it’s a love song.
Maybe a bit too white?probably needs a bit black or brown?