The title's a bit of a misnomer, as
Procol Harum were never a singles-oriented band after "A Whiter Shade of Pale" had finished its massive chart run. And even though this has their other late-'60s high and (usually) low single chart entries -- "Homburg," "Quite Rightly So," and "A Salty Dog" -- it lacks the early-'70s hit remake of "Conquistador" (though the original's here), as well as the British Top Twenty hit "Pandora's Box." If you're not fussy about designations, this is a good and lengthy (75-minute) survey of the highlights of the earliest and most interesting part of their career, with songs from their first four albums, all released in 1967-1970. It's expectedly heavy on the self-titled debut album, including all but three songs from
Procol Harum, and then five songs from
Shine on Brightly (the hugely popular title track among them), drawing lightly on
A Salty Dog and
Home. Song- and pop-oriented listeners may find this collection, with its focus on the shorter and more accessible tracks, shows the band to be a more listenable and enjoyable proposition than they remember.
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Richie Unterberger, Rovi