Procol Harum Matthew Fisher

fisher s use of hammond m102 organ distinctive part of procol harum sound.

fisher joined procol harum @ start of 1967 though kept touring sutch brief while. while band had experience in other groups, fisher 1 formal music training. recalls whiter shade of pale 4 verses , ten minutes long, solos improvised in between fisher , booker. when came recording song cut 2 verses , decided fisher should solos.

furthermore, felt, after seeing sheet music whiter shade of pale , deserved co-composition credit coming well-known introduction , solo passages throughout song. brooker , reid, had composed basic structure of song before recruiting fisher, refused.

while whiter shade of pale immediate success, reaching number 1 in uk charts several weeks, fisher doesn t recall time being happy 1 band. intending underground band not accustomed having hit single, , unimpressed band s gigs.

matthew fisher on days of procol harum

the arrival of guitarist robin trower , drummer b.j. wilson procol harum in mid-1967 seemed bring stability band. fisher s first official songwriting credit instrumental repent walpurgis on band s debut album, transformed trower playing blues-influenced solo on top of fisher s classically influenced organ lines. nevertheless, in response lack of co-writing credits (particularly on whiter shade of pale ), being @ odds brooker, trower , wilson (who had grown in southend on sea , played in paramounts), , still suffering death of father in 1965, fisher wanted leave procol harum. despite being talked out of it, continue attempt leave band on several occasions on next 2 , half years until departing @ end of 1969.

although no longer involved directly in recording , touring, fisher continued producer group. after trower left in 1971 solo career, briefly rejoined band, bandmate chris copping moving full-time onto bass. unhappy financial situation of band, , trower s replacement, dave ball, , left again, time acrimoniously, become full-time producer cbs.