# In 1967, Procol Harum compared their music to “mass suicide”. Ringo Starr went even further

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1967-procol-harum-compared-their-music-to-mass-suicide-ringo-starr-went-even-further/
- Published: 2026-11-01T19:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T23:38:49+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1967-procol-harum-sound-mass-suicide/

## Key points

- Procol Harum had played just four shows when their hit took off.
- “A Whiter Shade of Pale” spent six weeks at number one in the UK.
- Ringo Starr called it “the ultimate ‘60s record”.

## Summary

Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” became a major hit in 1967, even though the newly formed band had played only four shows. Its rapid success drew attention to both the song and the group’s unusual, stark description of their music.

Lyricist Keith Reid called the band “full of melancholy and despair”, while singer Gary Brooker said some of its music was “like mass suicide”, though he added that it could make listeners reject suicide. The song spent six weeks at number one in the UK and won praise from John Lennon; Ringo Starr called it “the ultimate ‘60s record”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.