Shine On Brightly
Shine On Brightly is the second studio album by English rock band Procol Harum, released in 1968 by record labels Regal Zonophone and A&M.
Shine On Brightly | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1967–68 | |||
Studio | Advision Studios, De Lane Lea Studios and Olympic Studios, London, England | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, art rock, psychedelic rock | |||
Length | 39:09 | |||
Label | Regal Zonophone, A&M | |||
Producer | Denny Cordell | |||
Procol Harum chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
US and European cover |
It is considered an early example of progressive rock.
Content
The title of the nearly side-long suite "In Held 'Twas in I" is an acrostic. It is formed by taking the first word of the lyrics in each of the first four movements as well as the first word of the sixth verse in the first movement:
"In the darkness of the night..." From movement 1, "Glimpses of Nirvana" "Held close by that which some despise..." From the sixth verse of movement 1 "′Twas tea-time at the circus..." From movement 2, "′Twas Teatime at the Circus" "In the autumn of my madness..." From movement 3, "In the Autumn of My Madness" "I know if I'd been wiser..." From movement 4, "Look to Your Soul"
Release
Shine On Brightly was released in September 1968 by record labels Regal Zonophone and A&M. The original British and North American versions of the opening two tracks ("Quite Rightly So" and "Shine On Brightly") are different versions.
The album was reissued several times, including a 2009 remaster using the original 2-track stereo masters and featuring bonus B-sides and alternate takes. However, many of the tracks are played at a higher speed.[1] Subsequent reissues have been at the correct speed.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Classic Rock | 8/10[3] |
MusicHound | 3/5[4] |
Rolling Stone | (unfavourable)[5] |
Upon its release, Jim Miller, writing for Rolling Stone, was unfavourable: "Procol Harum's first release was generally more satisfying, especially since this new album displays little in the way of startling growth – the group has apparently chosen to refine their old approach and the musical result, while usually listenable, is not consistently interesting."[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, except as noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Quite Rightly So" | Brooker, Fisher, Reid | 3:40 |
2. | "Shine On Brightly" | 3:32 | |
3. | "Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)" | 3:47 | |
4. | "Wish Me Well" | 3:18 | |
5. | "Rambling On" | 4:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)" | 2:50 | |
2. | "In Held 'Twas in I":
| Brooker, Fisher, Reid | 17:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Quite Rightly So (Mono single version)" | Brooker, Fisher, Reid | 3:42 |
2. | "In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence (Mono single mix)" | 3:02 | |
3. | "Monsieur Armand (Mono)" | 2:39 | |
4. | "Seem to Have the Blues (Most All the Time) (Mono)" | 2:48 | |
5. | "McGreggor" | 2:47 | |
6. | "The Gospel According To..." | 3:28 | |
7. | "Shine On Brightly (Early version)" | 3:23 | |
8. | "Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) (Early version)" | 2:25 | |
9. | "A Robe of Silk (Backing track)" | Brooker | 1:59 |
10. | "Monsieur Armand (Backing track)" | Brooker | 2:42 |
11. | "In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence (Backing track)" | Brooker | 3:00 |
Personnel
- Gary Brooker – lead vocals (1-7b, 7d), piano (all but 7e)
- Robin Trower – guitar, co-lead vocals (4)
- Matthew Fisher – organ, lead vocals (7c), piano (7e)
- Dave Knights – bass guitar
- B. J. Wilson – drums
- Keith Reid – lyrics
- Technical
- Tony Visconti - assistant producer
- Tom Wilkes - art direction
- George Underwood – front cover art design
References
- Procolharum.com
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Shine On Brightly – Procol Harum | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Hughes, Rob (August 2015). "Procul Harum Reissues". Classic Rock. pp. 104–05.
- Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 902. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- Miller, Jim (7 December 1968). "[Shine On Brightly review]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 March 2015.