Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Procol Harum
Label: Repertoire Records
Release: 1968
Length: 39:09
Rating: 5/5
“Shine on Brightly” was the second studio outing from the legendary progressive rock pioneers Procol Harum. After the cult self-titled debut, which rode the hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and rocketed them into the stratosphere of the most exciting bands of the late sixties, they were determined to build on their outstanding talent and deliver their first real studio masterpiece. The legendary partnership of singer/keyboardist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid ran like a well-oiled machine back then, producing some of the most beautiful evergreen melodies in the history of pioneering prog rock and classic rock. Organ maestro Matthew Fisher and guitar grandmaster Robin Trower added their own touches to that partnership, with Trower’s bluesy guitar phrases giving the symphonic-psychedelic arrangements a proper kick.
The cheerful mood, which the pairing of Brooker’s melancholic vocals and the pompous yet warm sound of Fisher’s Hammond organ pulls off so well, is the greatest strength of the opening evergreen “Quite Rightly So”. The old-timey atmosphere, cut through by Trower’s blues-spiced guitar phrases, calls up memories of some long-lost romantic era, just like on plenty of other Procol Harum classics. The title track, once again showing off Brooker’s remarkable emotional expression and dressed in a layer of ‘hammond’, has by now almost become a folk standard. Fisher’s classical-leaning organ arrangements are once again masterfully executed, while Trower faithfully looks after the blues-rooted melancholy.
On the playful “Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)”, Brooker shows off his inexhaustible piano talent, while Trower prowls between the symphonic passages with his biting guitar phrases. In the second half, his furious solo, backed by fiery layers of Hammond organ, brings a melodramatic shift in mood. Trower always breathed blues, so it’s no surprise he really comes alive on “Wish Me Well”, by far the bluesiest piece on the album, where he shares lead vocals with Brooker. “Rambling On” is a much more characteristic Procol Harum classic, with a strong melodramatic ambience courtesy of Brooker’s heart-wrenching vocals, a tender piano melody, and stormy passages on guitar and Hammond organ.
The melancholic “Magdalene( My Regal Zenophone)” is the moment where Reid’s lyrics playfully poke fun at the hugely popular hippie/new age movements that obsessed the youth of the time in the second half of the sixties. It’s another piece that takes an unexpected, intriguing turn in style and atmosphere in its second half, shifting into an almost sacral mood. But all of that was just a warm-up for the biggest achievement on the whole album, and one of the best, maybe even the most important, pieces of their career. This is the granddaddy of all progressive rock epics – the seventeen-minute evergreen masterpiece “In Held ‘Twas I”. With it, Procol Harum radically broke every rock and pop standard up to that point and laid the cornerstone for one of the key forms of progressive rock songwriting that would define the seventies – epic suites twenty minutes long or more. The special thing about “In Held ‘Twas in I'” is that the title is actually an acronym made up of the initials of the titles of all the parts of this monumental suite:
|
In |
“Glimpses of Nirvana”, part 1 (a mystical opening section with a philosophical mantra) |
|
Held |
“Glimpses of Nirvana”, part 2 (a dramatic turn into a raging fusion section, then a gradual calming of the stormy mood with the help of gentle piano) |
|
′Twas |
“′Twas Teatime at the Circus” (a comic section with a circus ambience and a generous dose of British black humor) |
|
In |
“In the Autumn of My Madness” (a psychedelic, contemplative section with a majestic Hammond organ solo) |
|
I |
“Look to Your Soul” (the longest, strongly experimental and symphonic section, followed by the final ‘revelation’ in the “Grand Finale” section, thanks to a monumental guitar solo, one of the best vocal performances of Brooker’s career, and choral vocal harmonies) |
“Shine on Brightly” was another step forward from the cult debut for this legendary band, and it’s also one of the key albums for understanding the embryonic forms of progressive rock. This classic still has priceless artistic value today, because it easily takes us back to a wonderful musical era that was boiling over with artistic creativity and unbridled musical adventurousness. The layered arrangements and atmospheric breadth of a masterpiece like “Shine on Brightly” keep pulling us back into the arms of these often-overlooked musical giants and pioneers of progressive rock.
Lineup
Gary Brooker – piano and vocals
Keith Reid – lyrics
Robin Trower – guitar, co-lead vocals with Gary Brooker on Wish Me Well
Matthew Fisher – organ, vocals on In The Autumn of My Madness, piano on Grand Finale
Dave Knights – bass guitar
B.J. Wilson – drums
Production
Denny Cordell
Track Listing
1. Quite Rightly So
2. Shine on Brightly
3. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
4. Wishing Well
5. Rambling On
6. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)
7. In Held ‘Twas in I
a) Glimpses of Nirvana
b) ‘Twas Teatime at the Circus
c) In the Autumn of My Madness
d) Look to Your Soul
e) Grand Finale
