# Renaissance (band) Appreciation Thread



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I haven't found an existing thread about this, so thought I'd start one.

One of my favorite bands, surely attractive to any lover of romantic period large orchestral music, is Renaissance.











In their heyday in the 70s they toured with a full orchestra and each album (until the late 70s) featured full orchestra and complex progressive arrangements of exquisitely beautiful music.

Some of my acquaintances have argued that their sound is horribly dated (as if Mozart somehow isn't), mired in 1970s cheese -- a dash of ABBA mixed with The Carpenters that tried to elevate itself with orchestral backing -- but needless to say I strongly disagree. Annie Haslam can sing like an angel and when required the band could rock your socks off.

I will never forget the night I first saw them on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. The next day I met with all my prog rock buddies. We were next to speechless.

"Did you see . . ?"
"Yeah. Awesome!"
"She could to sing to me forever." 
"Holy ****!"

We didn't even have to use complete sentences or mention what we were excited about. Everyone just knew. Those were the days.

Sadly the band got caught up in the punk/new wave zeitgeist of the 80s and tried not so successfully to adapt. They should have just stayed with what was already successful for them. They have since reformed in the 21st century and released some very well done albums in their previous progressive style -- too late of course to reclaim whatever level of popularity they had, but still very good.

Stand out albums include the three middle 70s albums: 
Scheherazade and Other Stories (_the last note Annie sings on "Song of Scheherazade" has to be heard to be believed, worth the entire 24 minutes for that one note alone._)
Novella
A Song for All Seasons

But all the albums have at least something tasty to offer. With the death of a couple of key members, their future seems uncertain.

What are your Renaissance stories?


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

What a wonderful band! I just love that 70s cheese that you mentioned. If it's aged, it's aged very well indeed. I picked up a newly remastered version of Renaissance - Scheherazade about a year ago and fell in love with their music all over again. To be honest, I had lost track of their work in the 80s and... Your discussion was enlightening. I'll try to check out more of their recent work. But for now I'm still enchanted by...


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

It's not by Renaissance but some other 70s cheese that I've been getting into again is Anthony Phillips - The Geese and the Ghost. (I hope don't mind me diverging a little.)


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Love the band. Best album for me is Scheherazade and other stories, best song _Northern lights_.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Biwa said:


> It's not by Renaissance but some other 70s cheese that I've been getting into again is Anthony Phillips - The Geese and the Ghost. (I hope don't mind me diverging a little.)


Great album. I like the Portrait from Tudor Times suite.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

70's cheese. _Cheese_?? It's not cheese, it's superb music from it's time. 
I like Renaissance and consider their best album to be 'Novella' - there's not a duff moment on the whole album.
Thanks for posting 'The Geese and the Ghost' by Anthony Phillips too, I have the original album on vinyl and the 2008 remaster 2-CD set, signed by the man himself. < boasting a bit I know...sorry.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

What I like about these threads is that posters can feel good and unapologetic about their various enthusiasms. Everyone differs on what their overall musical tastes are, but it's marvelous to know that someone else somewhere out there likes a particular song or artist or group just as you do. We can all experience a Renaissance of appreciation. I was not familiar with their work, and am enjoying finding out about it.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I love this band!

I actually don't really get the 'cheese' reference, until they tried to incorporate the 80's into their music.

Everything from "Prologue" through "Song for All Seasons" are great. My only minor complaint with Renaissance, is that they did not continue with a lead guitarist after "Prologue".

Annie had a wonderful voice, with top notch intonation, power and range. I've seen them live quite a few times, and there were no lack of chill inducing moments from her.

Even though they were mostly influenced by late Romantic period classical music, which I am not really a fan of, I love them nonetheless.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I'm old enough now not to require others to like the same music I enjoy -- but, dang! It *is* still gratifying when it happens! Bless you all.


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

Even though I'm a prog fan, Renaissance had escaped my ears until recently. I heard a song on the radio and immediately went to Google play and streamed every album available. It is so nice to make a discovery such as this especially since it is rooted in the old 70's progressive rock sensibility that I grew up on.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

Some other tasty 'fromage' that I've been partaking of is Rick Wakeman's "King Arthur" and "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". The Quad recordings are a lot of fun, too!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I saw them at NEARfest 2012. They were ok.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

starthrower said:


> I saw them at NEARfest 2012. They were ok.


No wonder.

Annie was 65 at the time, and not really that involved in music to a great extent. Most of the last couple of decades she has spent doing visual art. Her voice, while still great, is not what it was.

The only other original member was Michael Dunford (unfortunately he died only 4 months later), and although he is a great writer, is not very important (IMO) to their live performances.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Love Renaissance, Novella is my fave LP though "Can you hear me?" is epic but for me the whole lp is. Turn of the Cards lp is another fave.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Crikey, I thought I was the only person who liked this band. I remember being blown away by Annie Haslam on TOTP singing Northern Lights back in the day, and once again when they did a rerun a year or two ago.

I only have Novella, Azor d'Or & ASFAS. It would appear that I have missed out on SAOSS. What were they like in 1969 when they were formed by ex-Yardbird Keith Relf, has anyone heard the debut album?

Jon Camp put me off the band a bit, I thought that he was a cr#p singer, if you'll excuse the technical expression.

If you haven't seen it for a while, check out 'The Paper Lads' on YT, complete with Renaissance theme tune.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Love them. This band has been in my life since my early teens, since the NY radio played Northern Lights and Carpet of the Sun many, many times. I was into Prog big time then but just never bought any of their albums, since I didn't hear enough synths, lol.


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## acitak 7 (Jun 26, 2016)

*renaissance*

I have only just read your thread on Renaissance, yesterday I replied to a post about folk music saying I loved Northern lights and Annie Haslem and received 3 likes


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