Leading off the album is probably the best-known track, the strong rocker “Nothing But The Truth”, showing that Procol could deliver a harder edged (though still melodic) track when the fancy took them. After the second track, the pleasant if unremarkable “Beyond The Pale”, we get a couple of bona fide Procol Harum classics. “As Strong As Samson” is a contender in my book for the best track the band ever recorded, and certainly the most underrated. A hard hitting lyric which still carries relevance to the state of the world today, some 30 years later, married to an achingly beautiful melody, especially in the soaring chorus, makes this an absolutely marvellous song. Following up well, and closing the original vinyl side one, is the lengthy slow-burning “The Idol”, building steadily to a strong anthemic fade-out. Great.

From there, things start to unravel a little bit. “The Thin End Of The Wedge” gets credit for being rather edgy and experimental, but ultimately doesn't deliver much, and “Monsieur R. Monde”, while being an enjoyably spooky ghost-story track, is merely a re-recording of the earlier unreleased though subsequently oft-comiled track “Monsieur Armande”. Still much much better than the travesty which follows though – “Fresh Fruit” may well be the worst thing Procol ever committed to tape. Horrendous jolly 'barrow-boy' accompaniment to dreadfully banal lyrics about, yes, fruit ('Here's another point of view/ Fruit is good for doggies too'), it doesn't even work as a joke. I was never keen on the following dull rocker “Butterfly Boys” either, though it does at least have an interesting lyric, taking a pop at the record company. Things really get back on track, though, with the closing track “New Lamps For Old”, which is a wistful ballad in the classic Procol tradition, and just the right note on which to close the album.

So, a far from perfect album then, but the pick of the tracks here stand up to the very best of the band's output over the years, and there's always the CD Skip button for Fresh Fruit!