Nothing but the True Harum

THERE WERE THE NAMES Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Robin Trower, David Knights, B.J. Wilson on the cover of that first, eponymous Procol Harum album, reading so English and looking so captivating in a typeface that telegraphed both mystery and humor. The names were of the players who would years later collectively and affectionately be referred to as the classic Procol Harum lineup.

Then there was the cover art of the spooky, Beardsleyesque lady, whose face was modeled on Franky Brooker’s, Gary’s wife, and rendered by Dickinson, the poet Keith Reid’s wife. Reid was Procol’s silent sixth member.

The album package included a poster of the cover art on good paper, the kind where you could smell the ink. And there was an instruction to seal the deal: To be listened to in the spirit in which it was made.

This array was enough to blow my 13-year-old mind before I even fitted the record on the turntable.

Then, 54 years later, through the magic of Zoom, Gary Brooker’s face materialized on my computer screen. He looked good, and his six-month-old Schnauzer puppy, Ruby, was doing her best to keep his attention.

GOLDMINE: I wanted to speak to you about the creation of Procol Harum music. What do you hope people get when they hear your music? You have a lot of different songs with different music in Procol Harum.

I think some of it is we don’t do a lot of grooves, but we do a good bit of rock. I think down in the core, though, there’s the music where I’m trying to reach the people and