01	Kings And Queens						10:59
	02	Innocence						07:10
	03	Island						06:01
	04	Wanderer						04:05
	05	Bullet						11:27
	06	The Sea						03:05
	07	Island (edit)						03:36

Renaissance Records (RMED00167)
UK 1969

Keith Relf, vocals, guitar, harmonica;
Jim McCarty, drums, percussion, vocals;
John Hawken, piano, harpsichord;
Louis Cennamo, bass;
Jane Relf, vocals, percussion

Joe McGlinchey:
The Yardbirds go psychedelic, and with their exodus from 60s beatrock kick off the legacy of Renaissance, eventually one of the most successful of the 70s symphonic progressive rock groups. This is the first, lesser-known incarnation of the band that released two albums. Despite the entirely different line-up, the key signatures that made the band's name are already present and in place. Extended pop songs stirred with British folk and rampant classical music idioms make this debut (produced by fellow 'bird Paul Samwell-Smith), sound like a kind of blueprint for the later, more famous Renaissance personnel. Here, the vocals are shared by soprano Jane Relf and bandleaders Keith Relf (her brother) and Jim McCarty. Keyboardist John Hawken and bassist Lou Cennamo complete the line-up, providing keyboard and bass line flourishes with dexterity at every turn. Though the music is often more hallucinogen-friendly (e.g. "Kings and Queens," "Bullet") than later Renaissance efforts, it is also very enjoyable. "Island" might just be the ultimate anthem for hippies both in and out of the closet everywhere, with a stunning melody and gentle, glowing vibe. Jane's voice portrays both the court lady cool required to pull off "Wanderer" and the song hall warmth found on "The Sea." In short, do not discount this one because it doesn't have Annie & Co. A great album.


(p) 1970 except Tracks 6 & 7 taken from Island single WIP 6079 (p) 1969
Renaissance
(c) 1969 Island Records, Ltd.
(USA)
(c) 1969 Elektra Records, Inc.


Renaissance [UK]

Renaissance (69), Illusion (recorded 70,released 74), Prologue (72), Ashes Are Burning (73), Turn Of The Cards (74), Scheherezade and Other Stories (75), Live At Carnegie Hall (76), Novella (77), A Song For All Seasons (78), Azure D'Or (79), Camera Camera (81), Time Line (83), The Other Woman (94?(). Compilations: In The Beginning (includes all material from Prologue and Ashes), Tales Of 1001 Nights - Vol.1, Tales of 1001 Nights - Vol.2.

Great!!! The most classical of any of the prog groups that I've heard. Most of their songs are highly orchestrated, which give the classical feel to their songs. This is the only group I've ever heard with a female singer that I actually liked. I might even go as far to say that she's the best singer I've ever heard. Annie Haslam's got a tremendous voice. My favorite albums of theirs are Novella, A Song For All Seasons, and of course Scheherezade. I would suggest starting with either of the Tales of 1001 Nights compilations though.

Wonderful stuff. It's hard to really classify them as progressive rock. The quick description I usually give is they are sort of like the old Moody Blues with a an incredible female vocalist (Annie Haslam) Some of their music has a russian peasant kind of feel to it if you know what I mean. My favorite is Scheherezade which feature a fully orchestrated story of Scheherezade on one side. Much of what they do has a heavy classical influence. Everytime I listen to Annie's voice on the closing passage I get chills. The Live at Carnegie is a good album as an introduction but is a little down the list for being my Renaissance favorite. It does contain "Scheherazade" but the performance is much better on the studio album. It contains a very good version of "Ashes are Burning" and a good version of "Mother Russia."

Azure D'Or and A Song for All Seasons are both good. Annie Haslam's voice is great, even your mother would like it. The music on these two albums is good; largely acoustic, plenty of classical influences.

Classical influence - a lot of piano playing, full symphony orchestra backup. Annie Haslam (lead vocal) has a strong voice (she aspired to go into opera). Many pieces start with instrumentals (sounding like a classical piece) and then "melt" into a rock beat with electric bass and drums.

Very symphonic sounding group, the keyboard player is a great classical pianist. Female singer is also excellent. Kind of like a complex version of early (Days of Future Passed) Moody Blues. Some of their long pieces get a bit tedious though. Tales from 1001 Nights Vol. 1 and 2 seem to be good places to start, seem definative enough that I probably won't buy any of their regular studio albums.

The lineup of the first album features most members of the final Yardbirds lineup before they became Led Zeppelin. Keith Relf and Jim McCarty were set on doing something in the folk music vein, and formed the duo "Together" which released one single. Later Keith's sister Jane was brought in on vocals, and two classically trained musicians John Hawken (piano,keyboards) and Louis Cennamo (bass) were recruited in an effort to incorporate some classical elements into the sound, and former Yardbird Paul Samwell Smith would be the band's producer. The first album was released in 69 and stands even today as one of the finest fusions of folk, classical and rock that's ever been done; the band toured extensively, and a live document of this is available in the Off Shoots bootleg, recorded at the Fillmore West in 69, although the recording quality is fairly dreadful. In 70 the band began recording the follow-up album, but before recording was completed the band started falling apart - McCarty leaving to join the first lineup of Cactus, and Keith Relf leaving to form Armageddon, and the others left shortly after. Before the lineup had completely fallen apart, McCarty brought in guitarist/songwriter Mick Dunford to carry on and recruit new band members. He brought in vocalist Terry Crowe, drummer Terry Slade and bassist Neil Korner to finish up the second album. Illusion ranks overall as one of the band's less spectacular efforts, probably due to the internal turmoil (and probably the reason for its delayed release in '74). By late 71, Terry Sullivan had replaced Slade, John Camp had replaced Korner, and John Tout had been brought in on keyboards and vocals. Dunford even replaced himself with guitarist Mick Parsons, so he could concentrate on the songwriting and production. The most stunning change, though, was the recruitment of seamstress-turned-singer Annie Haslam. Work was started on a new album. Just before the album was to be recorded, Parsons was killed in a car crash, and guitarist Rob Hendry was brought in to replace him. Prologue showed a new direction for the band - the rock and piano based classical elements were still there, but the folk influences had been replaced by touches of jazz and a strong symphonic turn, becoming even more pronounced on the 1973 follow-up Ashes Are Burning. By this time Hendry was out and the band was again a four-piece. Turn Of The Cards, released in 74, may be the band's strongest effort, it received a considerable amount of FM airplay on the east coast, and would attract the loyal following that buoyed the band to near stardom in the mid-70's. For this and all subsequent albums, Dunford would be a regular member of the band, on acoustic guitar and vocals. Two more strong very progressive studio albums would follow (Scheherezade and Novella), plus a double live set recorded at Carnegie Hall in '76, before the band began to turn in a more poppy direction - first noticeable on Song For All Seasons, becoming more pronounced on Azure D'Or and then hitting an all time low on 1981's Camera Camera, a pathetic failure by either the progressive or the pop yardstick. By this time the band had gone through some significant lineup changes, and only Dunford, Haslam and Camp remained from the previous lineup. Surprisingly, though, the tour that followed that album was outstanding. The final album was 1983's Time Line, an fairly decent pop album that wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't a Renaissance album too. There was a significant effort here to create a solid album of good pop songs without trying to hang on to their old sound at the same time. This one worked. The band hung on a few more years until about 1987, but no new records were released in that final period. By far, the best introduction to the band would be the Tales of 1001 Nights Volumes 1 and 2, which together contain most of the band's best material from 72 through 80. Also the very first album from '69 is essential.

One of the best. Elegant arrangements, stunning vocals, if there is a heaven, they'll play Renaissance music there. One of the few bands technically capable of writing arrangements that approach classical music. Recommened: A Song for All Seasons, Novella.

Renaissance and Illusion are from the version of Renaissance that preceded the arrival of Annie Haslam, fronted by Keith (ex-Yardbirds) and Jane Relf. However, both these, the first two releases by the band (1969 and 1971 respectively), feature the dramatic piano and keyboard work of John Hawken, who had similar responsibilities in Haslam-era Renaissance. The music is also quite comparable to Curved Air and other similar bands, who incorporated classical music structures in their compositions.

My favorite is Scheherezade and Other Stories. A long convoluted story exists about the start of the band (involving ex-members of the Yardbirds, and an entire (!) band change between the first and second albums). The band with Annie Haslam on vox is very good, somewhat symphonic in feel.

I've only heard Tales Of 1001 Nights Vol. 1 and part of Vol. 2. I wouldn't call this progressive ROCK, because I have yet to find anything remotely rock-ish about it. Good points, Annie Haslam's voice--certainly! --the musicianship is top-notch and some tracks ("Mother Russia", "The Black Flame", "Ashes Are Burning") are certainly bewitching. Bad points, what I said before, not rock. I guess it's okay if you need something you can play around Grandma without offending her. One big gripe I have against them is that stylistically, they remind me of the Moody Blues, a band I dislike. Still, they are not a bad band, but many other bands have done the idea of "acoustic prog" better. -- Mike Ohman