Shine on Brightly

Procol Harum: Gary Brooker (vocals, piano); Robin Trower (guitar); Matthew Fisher (organ); Dave Knights (bass); B.J. Wilson (drums).
Producers: Denny Cordell, Tony Visconti.
Reissue producer: Tony Rounce.
Includes liner notes by Henry-Scott Irvine.
Lyricist: Keith Reid.
Personnel: Gary Brooker (vocals, piano); Robin Trower (guitar); David Knights (bass guitar); B.J. Wilson (percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Ben Wiseman.
Recording information: Advision Studios, London; De Lane Lea Studios, London, UK; Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, UK.
Procol Harum's second album garnered high expectations, as it arrived on the heels of the overwhelming success of the single "A Whiter Shade of Pale." By the time of SHINE ON BRIGHTLY, the classic lineup of the band was fully in place. Gary Brooker's blues-based singing was the perfect foil for the majestic sweep of Procol Harum's two-keyboard attack (an approach employed by Dylan in the mid-'60s, and then fully explored by the Band) and Robin Trower's stinging guitar. The title number has retained its staggering beauty and power, undiminished over the decades. Symphonic in scope, the first six songs are all in the three-to-four minute range and mix the earthiness of R&B with the clean lines of classical music. "In Held Twas in I" is an ambitious sidelong piece that clocks in at nearly 18 minutes. Where other progressive outfits of the era following the Beatles' SGT. PEPPER'S album succumbed to music as fashion, Procol Harum backed up its inclinations with solid content.