I
had been eagerly awaiting the first Salvo from Salvo and am very pleased with
the result (apart from a couple of anorakesque niggles!)Firstly the packaging. I don't know whether it's because I'm from that era but a CD in a cardboard gatefold cover seems more precious, something to cherish. Both albums have been lovingly put together with pictures, sleeve notes etc.
Procol Harum being in pink is a majestic touch. Given the album is in mono a great job has been done in tidying it up. The stereo versions are excellent and vastly superior to the ones that turned up on the Westside Pandora's Box CD. It would have been nice to have the stereo AWSoP, Cerdes and extended Walpurgis but overall this re-issue is wonderful. Perhaps one day the four-verse AWSoP will appear.
Shine on Brightly is similarly brilliantly put together. Just a couple of
things that puzzle me. the 'single' of Quite Rightly So doesn't appear
what it seems. Anyone expecting to hear the version with different words is
going to be disappointed. It sounds like a mono version of the album track to
me! The other thing is that most of us are familiar with the two versions of
Sixpence. You only get one here. You do however get a cracking backing track
version. Perhaps the other slower 'more stately' one will turn up on A Salty
Dog.