Secrets of the Hive: The Best of Procol Harum [Import, Limited Edition]

Procol Harum | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 3, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: SALVO
• ASIN: B000TJ6C68
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,767 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Whiter Shade Of Pale

2. Christmas Camel

3. Quite Rightly So

4. Long Gone Geek

5. All This And More

6. Whisky Train

7. Broken Barricades

8. Simple Sister

9. Salty Dog (Live)

10. Fires (Which Burn Brightly)

11. Bringing Home The Bacon

12. Beyond The Pale

13. Nothing But The Truth

14. Something Magic

15. Holding On

16. Into The Flood (Live)

17. An Old English Dream

18. Repent Walpurgis

19. Homburg

20. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence

See all 35 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

The ultimate 2CD document of one of the UK's most distinguished bands, including all their classic hits - A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Homburg, A Salty Dog, Conquistador, Pandora's Box - alongside their most celebrated album cuts and previously unreleased live recording of Into The Flood Remastered by Rob Keyloch at Church Walk Sound Studio for the finest sound quality. Stylish double digipack with 32 page booklet containing rare and previously unseen photographs plus detailed essays by respected author Patrick Humphries and Procol Harum authority Roland Clare. Salvo 2007

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grand Overview, September 20, 2007

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets of the Hive: The Best of Procol Harum (Audio CD)

At a time when the music industry seems to be flooding the market with compilations of major artists that contain just a tidbit of something new to snare "completeist" fans, those same fans may be understandably wary of adding yet another "essential" compilation to their collections. There are already many Procol Harum "best of" and "greatest hits" compilations on the market, so why should anyone buy this one?
There are several good reasons. First, this is the first compilation that spans their career to date. So if you are going on a road trip and can't decide which of your Procol Harum CDs to bring with you, Secrets of the Hive makes perfect sense. Secondly, there is the quality of the remastering to consider. It is superb! Finally, there is the attractive and informative booklet that accompanies the CD. It is filled with all sorts of pictures and interesting facts about the band that make the overall Procol Harum experience that much more enjoyable.
Fans may argue about which songs should have been included that weren't and those that should have been left off. I have my list. But overall, Salvo Records did a fine job of offering fans a balanced sampling of Procol Harum's oeuvre. All the essentials are here, its just the electives one may quibble about.
The gimmick here is a live recording of the previously unreleased Into The Flood. Its an excellent song, but this set didn't need a gimmick to sell me on its merits. I'd have bought it regardless. Whether you are a long-time fan of Procol Harum or a new listener, the grand overview of the band's career as presented on Secrets of the Hive is one you will be proud to own and one you will play over and over.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A reasonably great collection of Harum material, December 31, 2007

By 

William Merrill "eclecticist" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of the Hive: The Best of Procol Harum (Audio CD)

I'm glad I bought this 2-CD set of Procol Harum songs, even at the mildly steep import price. It's kind of a 40th anniversary thing (their first single, "Whiter Shade of Pale," came out in 1967), and many of the songs are so memorable. I've been going around with "Homburg" and even "the Idol" running in my head! At first I thought that the band's mid- to late-'70s period was under-represented on these two discs, but I counted and there are 10 songs out of 35 from those albums. (Fans seeking a more complete overview of the period should seek out the fine but now deleted "Chrysalis Years" PH CD.) What worked less well for me are the newer songs tacked on at the end of each CD, from Procol's '91 and '03 "reunion" releases. Those six tunes are generally not at the level of the rest of the stuff, leading to a sharp dropoff in quality. It's not a good way to wrap things up. (The lone exception to the substandard newer material is the stately instrumental that closes the 2nd disc, "Weisselklenzenacht," from the '03 Wheel's on Fire CD.)
One less important but still nice aspect of this set is the excellent and informative liner notes, 28 pages of info!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic Salvo release, November 16, 2009

By 

Kevin D. Rathert (Carbondale, IL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of the Hive: The Best of Procol Harum (Audio CD)

As a band who has any number of best of sets in and out of print, Procol Harum is one of the toughest bands to compile. There are the classic singles "A Whiter Shade of Pale" "Homburg" and others which must be included in any collection. Salvo is the first label to undertake the careful release of the Procol catalog, and with it, this double disc anthology, and a 3 cd, 1 dvd box set. While one can argue that some singles are omitted here, they can all be obtained easily enough on Repertoire's 3 cd set "The Singles A B" which remains in print. This double disc set does a great job of mixing the classic 60s and 70s Procol with a smattering of releases from the 1990s and 2000s. A full 156 minutes of run time, and gorgeous 32 page booklet fill out this nicely representative 35 track Salvo release. I regret that I was so tough on the Salvo box set when it was released. While I still think it dwells unnecessarily on more recent works, I am now convinced that it is a much better representation of the band than when I first heard and reviewed the box set. I cannot undue my harsh critique, but can say that this double set, available quite inexpensively from drop shippers, is a wonderfully sounding overview of Procol's career. I think three Procol sets are must have's, first the 3 cd Repertoire singles set, second this double set, and third the 3 cd 1 dvd Salvo box. If you read this review please ignore my harsh words of the Salvo box set and purchase it. We are fortunate to have a label like Salvo releasing classic music such as the Move catalog and the Peter Green Anthology. Buy this set, support Salvo, and long live Procol Harum.