Post by SAT-I need more room!! on Jan 24, 2006 16:36:15 GMT -5
Well Kitty did the first album review in a LONG time awhile back and it's time we get these back on track!
I've been checking out A LOT of CD's from the library since Christmas, so I thought I'd review one that was completely unknown to me when I checked it out.
Renaissance
Illusion
1971
Renaissance, if they are known for anything, it's being a spin off from the Yardbirds. After the band finally disbanded, drummer Jim McCarty and vocalist Keith Relf joined up with Nashville Teens keyboardist John Hawken a bass player named Louis Cennamo and Keith's sister Jane on vocals to make music much lighter and folkier than the heavy blues of the Yardbirds.
Their first album was produced by another Yardbirds alum, Paul Samwell Smith. The album I am reviewing here is their second, although it was only released in Germany originally. It took the CD age to bring it here to America.
1. Love Goes On-As you can tell from the title, this was the "hippiest-trippiest" song of the album. It is also the shortest and most commercial sounding on the album. Jane's vocals are featured more prominently on this track than any other. Her voice is very much like fellow Brit Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention. Sandy has been called the English Joni Mitchell but her voice really more readily recalls Judy Collins. Anyway, Jane has a really pretty voice. The chorus is all the guys singing like a hippie chant with Jane's part a bit more driving. On the chorus, you can hear the Yardbirds sound as their is almost a For Your Love sound to the singing. No surprise this is my fave track on the album.
2. Golden Thread-Although not completely an instrumental, this is the closest they come on this album with extended instrumental parts. It begins with a big piano part which keeps building until where it sounds like Jane's voice is almost double tracked in this haunting wordless sound. The piano builds some more and you hear the same haunting sound, but this time from the whole band. Like I said, there is some regular singing on this song, but it occurs much later in the 8 minute plus song. The song really has a Funeral For a Friend type feel to it.
3. Love is All-Probably my second fave on the album thus far. I suppose this would be another canidate for most commercial. At just under 4 minutes, it is also the second shortest. Lots of pretty piano on this. Whereas track one was almost a throwback, this sounds a bit more "of the times" for 1971.
4. Mr. Pine-This song apparently was recorded by an almost completely different lineup of the band. I guess at the point this song was recorded, Keith, Jim & Louis all left before the record was finished and before the ensuing tour. So John Hawken and Jane recorded this song and took out a new lineup on the road. This is a very prog-rock song. Lots of keyboards and pianos of different types on this one.
5. Faces of Yesterday-This track was recorded along with the first three songs, as part of the original lineup. Once again the piano dominates this slower track and it's here where Jane sounds more like Joni Mitchell with her voice reaching up very high at the end of each line.
6. Past Orbits of Dust-From what I just read, while Hawken, Jane and the new lineup were out touring, the band still had an album to finish. So Keith gathered up the remaining members and a different keyboardist and recorded this near 15 minute epic. There is a constant beat going on in the background, and this is probably the most rockin' song on here, although it never gets too heavy, too loud or too fast. But this is the only song where the guitar is used as a rock instrument. There is definately a female voice on here, but unless Jane dubbed it when she got back, it couldn't be her.
This is the last album with this lineup-or anyone in it! I guess McCarty actually had some sort of writing contribution to the next album, but the only other person in that next lineup at ALL from this one is Michael Dunford, who was in the lineup that Hawken had play on Mr. Pine and took on the road. Everyone else was different, including a new female vocalist. This became the lineup that developed a large following over the years.
So, whattya think?
I've been checking out A LOT of CD's from the library since Christmas, so I thought I'd review one that was completely unknown to me when I checked it out.
Renaissance
Illusion
1971
Renaissance, if they are known for anything, it's being a spin off from the Yardbirds. After the band finally disbanded, drummer Jim McCarty and vocalist Keith Relf joined up with Nashville Teens keyboardist John Hawken a bass player named Louis Cennamo and Keith's sister Jane on vocals to make music much lighter and folkier than the heavy blues of the Yardbirds.
Their first album was produced by another Yardbirds alum, Paul Samwell Smith. The album I am reviewing here is their second, although it was only released in Germany originally. It took the CD age to bring it here to America.
1. Love Goes On-As you can tell from the title, this was the "hippiest-trippiest" song of the album. It is also the shortest and most commercial sounding on the album. Jane's vocals are featured more prominently on this track than any other. Her voice is very much like fellow Brit Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention. Sandy has been called the English Joni Mitchell but her voice really more readily recalls Judy Collins. Anyway, Jane has a really pretty voice. The chorus is all the guys singing like a hippie chant with Jane's part a bit more driving. On the chorus, you can hear the Yardbirds sound as their is almost a For Your Love sound to the singing. No surprise this is my fave track on the album.
2. Golden Thread-Although not completely an instrumental, this is the closest they come on this album with extended instrumental parts. It begins with a big piano part which keeps building until where it sounds like Jane's voice is almost double tracked in this haunting wordless sound. The piano builds some more and you hear the same haunting sound, but this time from the whole band. Like I said, there is some regular singing on this song, but it occurs much later in the 8 minute plus song. The song really has a Funeral For a Friend type feel to it.
3. Love is All-Probably my second fave on the album thus far. I suppose this would be another canidate for most commercial. At just under 4 minutes, it is also the second shortest. Lots of pretty piano on this. Whereas track one was almost a throwback, this sounds a bit more "of the times" for 1971.
4. Mr. Pine-This song apparently was recorded by an almost completely different lineup of the band. I guess at the point this song was recorded, Keith, Jim & Louis all left before the record was finished and before the ensuing tour. So John Hawken and Jane recorded this song and took out a new lineup on the road. This is a very prog-rock song. Lots of keyboards and pianos of different types on this one.
5. Faces of Yesterday-This track was recorded along with the first three songs, as part of the original lineup. Once again the piano dominates this slower track and it's here where Jane sounds more like Joni Mitchell with her voice reaching up very high at the end of each line.
6. Past Orbits of Dust-From what I just read, while Hawken, Jane and the new lineup were out touring, the band still had an album to finish. So Keith gathered up the remaining members and a different keyboardist and recorded this near 15 minute epic. There is a constant beat going on in the background, and this is probably the most rockin' song on here, although it never gets too heavy, too loud or too fast. But this is the only song where the guitar is used as a rock instrument. There is definately a female voice on here, but unless Jane dubbed it when she got back, it couldn't be her.
This is the last album with this lineup-or anyone in it! I guess McCarty actually had some sort of writing contribution to the next album, but the only other person in that next lineup at ALL from this one is Michael Dunford, who was in the lineup that Hawken had play on Mr. Pine and took on the road. Everyone else was different, including a new female vocalist. This became the lineup that developed a large following over the years.
So, whattya think?
