Από το μακρινό (;) 1968 έρχεται η δεύτερη κυκλοφορία των Procol Harum και το ομώνυμο κομμάτι της, μια από τις μνημειώδεις συνθέσεις των Brooker – Reid. Το ακούμε μαζί με το υπέροχο επίσης ‘Not Rightly So’ – single του άλμπουμ που συνυπογράφει ο οργανίστας Matthew Fisher.
From the distant (;) 1968 comes the second Procol Harum release and its title track, one of the monumental compositions of Brooker – Reid. We hear it along with the wonderful also ‘Not Rightly So’ – single of the album, co-written by organist Matthew Fisher.
00:00 NOT RIGHTLY SO
For you, whose eyes were opened wide
Whilst mine refused to see
I’m sore in need of saving grace
Be kind and humour me
I’m lost amidst a sea of wheat
Where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry
An ode by any other name, yeah
I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine
Upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
For those too sick, yeah, too sick to see
Though not it shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me
Though not it shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that someone was me
03:40 SHINE ON BRIGHTLY
My Prussian blue electric clock
Alarm bell rings, it will not stop
And I can see no end in sight
And search in vain by candlelight
For some long road that goes nowhere
For some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
Is shining brightly, quite insane
The chandelier is in full swing
As gifts for me, the three kings bring
Of myrrh and frankincense, I’m told
And fat old Buddhas, carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
And watch as my befuddled brain
Shines on brightly, quite insane
Above all else, confusion reigns
And though I ask, no one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris Wheel spins round
My tongue, it seems, has run the ground
And croaks as my befuddled brain
Shines on brightly, quite insane
Shine on
Shine on, hey
Shine on, shine on
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Terrific songs.
“Shine On Brightly” is an interesting title, ironic, as it seems nothing they did could ever outshine “Whiter Shade Of Pale”. I speak, of course, in the purview of a massive commercial success.
Never liked ‘A Whiter Shade…’ that much, to tell the truth. Procol’s masterpiece album, and that goes for almost all of the tracks, is A Salty Dog, imho. ‘A Whiter Shade…’ belongs to a category of songs “with featured classical references” – very few of them I happen to like.
A Salty Dog is their masterpiece, 100%.