Track Listing

1. Quite rightly so
2. Shine on brightly
3. Skip softly (My moonbeams)
4. Wish me well
5. Rambling on
6. Magdalene (My regal Zonophone)
7. In Held twas in I (Glimpses of Nirvana)
8. In Held twas in I ( Twas teatime at the Circus)
9. In Held twas in I (In the Autumn of my Madness)
10. In Held twas in I (Look to your Soul)
11. In Held twas in I (Grande Finale)
12. Quite rightly so (single version)
13. In the wee small hours of Sixpence (single mix)
14. Monsieur Armand
15. Seem to have the Blues (Most all the time)
16. McGreggor
17. The Gospel according to...
18. Shine on brightly (early version)
19. Magdalene (My regal Zonophone) (early version)
20. A Robe of Silk (backing track)
21. Monsieur Armand (backing track)
22. In the wee small hours of Sixpence (backing track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8310 in Music
• Released on: 2009-04-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

CD Description
Salvo, in association with Fly Records, have enlisted the assistance of songwriters and band mainstays Gary Brooker and Keith Reid in presenting Procol Harum s early albums as a part of their meticulously produced 40th Anniversary Series. Procol s classic recordings are to be collated chronologically for the first time accompanied by copious bonus tracks - including previously unreleased masters - and highly detailed booklets. In 1968, with their reputation in the ascendant, and having just signed to Herb Alpert s A&M label in the USA, it was decided that the band s second album should be released in the States a good six months before the UK. It proved a good decision - and by the end of 1968, Shine On Brightly had reached No.24 on the US album charts. This would be the album that cemented Procol Harum s position as one of the most imaginative and forward-looking groups of the era - a band more than capable of emerging from the shadow of their debut single, A Whiter Shade Of Pale. With the success of Shine On Brightly, musical comparisons were being drawn between Procol Harum and The Band. Both groups relied on the same line-up of organ, piano, guitar, bass and drums. And with the release of their own Music From Big Pink in the summer of 1968, The Band were finally being recognised as more than just Bob Dylan s backing group. Some perceptive critics noted the influence of Procol Harum on Big Pink; while Shine On Brightly - a far more assured and confident sounding album than their debut - confirmed how much further Procol themselves had developed. Opening with Quite Rightly So (Procol s third single), Shine On Brightly displayed a band at the top of their game and determined to stay there. Keith Reid s lyrics, as inscrutable as ever, were particularly impressive on the title track, Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) , and Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) . But in hindsight, it was the 17 minute In Held Twas In I which would prove the album s most influential track. Divided into five movements , the song starts with Glimpses Of Nirvana , a wry spiritual quest; continues with the sprightly Twas Teatime At The Circus , which is at direct odds with the sombre In The Autumn Of My Madness , which in turn flows into Look To Your Soul before concluding with the triumphant Grand Finale . In later years Pete Townshend would cite In Held Twas In I as one of the building blocks which helped fashion Tommy; while Brian May maintained that the Procol suite had played a formative role in the Queen sound - indeed, there are distinct echoes of In Held Twas In I in the scene-shifting Bohemian Rhapsody.

Customer Reviews

Time for reappraisal of Procol Harum?
This is a masterpiece record. The suite In Held Twas in I was a landmark, but there are many fine tracks on this CD - especially Shine on Brightly with its wonderful performance and stereo panning (Denny Cordell and Tony Visconti) But Procol Harum are still most widely known for A Whiter Shade of Pale, a multimillion seller in most countries of the civilised world and still playing regularly on the radio everywhere. The band are still going strong too, with a CD and upcoming (May 09) DVD release of an orchestral event in Denmark. Every remastering bring clarity and new sounds emerging from the murk that was the 60s vinyl, even the 90s CDs. Enjoy and go on a voyage of Procol Harum discovery. Try Grand Hotel - the pinnacle of their achievement. It inspired celebrity fan Douglas Adams, who doted on this band. There's still time for today's music lovers to discover these masters and to elevate them to their rightful place in the history of rock.

Procol Harum revisited !
I used to have this album on vinyl many years ago and probably wore it out over time and lost it along the way somewhere. So I was delighted to find it re-issued and re-mastered on CD. I was slightly apprehensive playing it for the first time in case it didn't sound as good as I remembered it from 40 years ago, but I wasn't disappointed. It is even better than I remember - a classic re-issue and recommended for all PH fans and those who want to know what they were all about.

Definately definitive
The second of the 40th anniversary PH cds. Again the sound is faultless, the extras interesting. Unlike the Westwood box set the album is complete in order and sounding great.
If the cds had sounded like this when they first came out I think Procol Harum would have been up there with the other Proggers of the time