01	Running Hard						09:37
	02	I Think Of You						03:08
	03	Things I Don't Understand						09:32
	04	Black Flame						06:29
	05	Cold Is Being						03:04
	06	Mother Russia						09:19

John Tout: keyboard, vocals
Annie Haslam: lead vocals
John Camp: bass, bass pedals, vocals
Terence Sullivan: drums, percussion, vocals
Michael Dunford: acoustic guitars, vocals


Renaissance - Turn of the Cards

Release Date: 1974

Track Listing
1) Running Hard 9:34
2) I Think of You 3:05
3) Things I Don't Understand 9:29
4) Black Flame 6:25
5) Cold is Being 3:01
6) Mother Russia 9:19

Member: Bilnisei

This came out in 1974. To me this was the perfect meshing of classical and acoustic progressive rock of its day. It shows how it should be played and presented. Of course when you have Annie Haslam most of the battle is already won. This CD has 3 or 4 of the songs that Renaissance are most remembered for and still play live to this day.

"Running Hard" starts off at a brisk tempo with the acoustic guitars and piano leading the way, then when Annie begins singing the tempo slows. The melody and orchestra build ups and such make for great music.
On "Things I Don't Understand" the music starts out with a semi jazz/classical melody...huh? What I mean is that the main parts are sort of fast with a jazzy syncopated beat and then the change occurs with Annie singing wordless melodies that at first sounded like a flute but quickly becomes her voice. All this is underpinned by the orchestra playing magnificent accompaniment. This is the best piece on this CD because it shows Annie's voice off most effectively and she shines mightily.

On "Mother Russia" the band incorporates Russian classical motifs into the story, telling about the repression of the people during the time of Solzhenitsyn.This is a concert regular as it is one of the most powerful pieces in their oeuvre.

The song "Black Flame" features acoustic guitar and harpsichord as main instruments.The melody and chorus seem similar to that of the tune "Mother Russia" with the very dramatic down shifting melody line.
The production has moved the bass and drums forward in the mix giving the band a more forceful rockier base.Much different than previous releases.

This is considered by many to be the very best of Renaissance's releases due to Annie's great singing. But for me the Novella ('77) and Scheherazade ('75) releases are on a par with this one. The entire band is excellent here, be it John Tout's spot on and tasteful keyboards or Michael Dunford's wonderful quietly subdued acoustic guitars. The rhythm section is great as well as they keep everything well anchored and never seem to miss any changes. The orchestration here is provided by a new outfit they have never worked with before. This group seems more out front and aggressive with the scoring of the horns and strings.

This is one of the great meldings of symphonic classical with rock music ever accomplished. Sounds fantastic? Well, yes it is but for some listeners it may not be to their liking. For those who approach with an open mind and aren't looking for 5/8 to 7/8 continuous time shifts and 64th note screaming guitar solo's this may be to your liking (and are open to some orchestral accompaniment).