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Renaissance (band)

Renaissance
Singer Annie Haslam
Background information
Origin Flag of England London, England
Genre(s) progressive rock, folk rock
Years active 1969-1987, 2000-2002
Label(s) Island Records
Associated
acts		 The Yardbirds, Illusion

Renaissance were an English progressive rock band popular in the 1970s.

Contents

  • 1 History
  • 2 Personnel
  • 3 Discography
    • 3.1 Regular Albums
    • 3.2 Compilations & Archival Releases
    • 3.3 Michael Dunford's Renaissance
    • 3.4 Annie Haslam's Renaissance
    • 3.5 Renaissant
    • 3.6 Major Television Appearances
    • 3.7 Illusion
    • 3.8 Renaissance Illusion
  • 4 Miscellany
  • 5 References
  • 6 External links

History

Former Yardbirds members Paul Samwell-Smith, Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty organised a new group devoted to experimentation between rock, folk, and classical forms. This quintet (Relf on guitar & vocals, McCarty on drums, plus bassist Louis Cennamo, pianist John Hawken, and Relf's sister Jane Relf as an additional vocalist) released a pair of albums on Elektra (US) and Island (UK), the first one being produced by Samwell-Smith, but dissolved quickly, leaving McCarty to reform the band into a very different lineup, though McCarty also soon departed.

The reconstituted lineup that was eventually settled on was the best-known of the band's history, and consisted of Annie Haslam (vocals), Michael Dunford (acoustic guitar), John Tout (piano), Jon Camp (bass/vocals) and Terence Sullivan (drums). This new Renaissance -- with Dunford in a composer-only role for the time being, and Rob Hendry (electric guitar) filling the guitarist's chair -- released Prologue in 1972. The music was written by Dunford and McCarty, with lyrics by poet Betty Thatcher. Hendry departed (to be ultimately replaced by Dunford) as the group turned away from the electric guitar in their music.

In the 1970s, Renaissance had a commercially successful career, their sound similar in many ways to folk rock with classical overtones. Renaissance included in their songs quotations and allusions from such composers as Bach, Chopin, Albinoni, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev and others. Renaissance's records, especially Ashes Are Burning, were frequently played on American progressive rock radio stations, such as WNEW-FM, WHFS-FM and WVBR. However, Renaissance's live performances were normally faithful reproductions of the studio recordings, and this was not taken well by fans.

Renaissance scored a hit single in England 1978 with Northern Lights,which reached #10 there during the summer of 1978. The single was taken from the album A Song for All Seasons, but the band floundered following 1979's Azure D'or, as fans were unhappy with the band's turn towards synthesizers, a path followed by most progressive rock bands at one time or another. Camp had assumed more of the band's songwriting, and Tout and Sullivan left. Haslam, Dunford and Camp released a pair of albums in the 1980s and then broke up. Their albums were not available on CD for some time, though a pair of compilations were issued in 1990. During the 1990s, though, much of their catalog was reissued.

In the late 1990s, both Haslam and Dunford formed their own bands using the name Renaissance, and have released albums with different line-ups.

The band reformed in 2000 to record the Tuscany album and played one concert at the Astoria in London before embarking on a short Japanese tour. Haslam subsequently announced that the reunion would not be continuing, and Terry Sullivan later recorded an album in the Renaissance style with lyrics by Betty Thatcher Newsinger and keyboard contributions by John Tout.

In 2005 Annie Haslam announced that Renaissance would no longer be getting back together for good.

Personnel

The original 1969 line-up comprised Keith Relf (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Jim McCarty (drums, vocals), John Hawken (keyboards), Louis Cennamo (bass) and Jane Relf (vocals). This lineup released Renaissance (1969) and appeared on most of Illusion (1971). (Note: The following list includes temporary replacements & sidemen.)

Discography

Regular Albums

Compilations & Archival Releases

Michael Dunford's Renaissance

These albums were essentially collaborations between Dunford and singer Stephanie Adlington.

Annie Haslam's Renaissance

This album was essentially an Annie Haslam solo release (one of several).

Renaissant

This album was essentially a Terry Sullivan solo release, with lyrics by Betty Thatcher-Newsinger and keyboards by John Tout. Terry's wife Christine did most of the vocals, with Terry himself taking lead on two songs.

Major Television Appearances

Multi-artist television program with Renaissance performing "Can You Understand" and "Black Flame." Syndicated (USA), 1974. 11 minutes, original running time unknown.

Multi-artist television program with Renaissance performing "Carpet of the Sun" and "Midas Man." NBC (USA), 1976. 5 minutes, original running time unknown.

First in a series of programs consisting of artists performing live, with the performance broadcast simultaneously on TV and FM radio, hosted by DJ Alan Black. Songs performed were: "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia", "Can You Hear Me", "Ocean Gypsy", "Running Hard", "Touching Once" and "Prologue". Originally broadcast on 8 January 1977. BBC (UK), 1977. Approximately 50-55 minutes.

Television talk show features Renaissance performing "Northern Lights" on 4 May 1978.

Interview by J.J. Jackson with Annie Haslam and Jon Camp. MTV (USA), April, 1983. 10 minutes.

Illusion

Shortly prior to his untimely death, Keith Relf wanted to try to reform the original Renaissance. Since the name Renaissance was now firmly in the hands of the Haslam lineup, he chose the tentative band name "Now". Jim McCarty was not involved at this point. After Keith's death, all of the surviving four formed a new band (along with two new musicians) and named it Illusion after Renaissance's second album. Illusion released two albums for Island Records before splitting, while a third made up of unreleased demos appeared years later. The original four reformed again for the production of Through the Fire which was released under the bandname of Renaissance Illusion. (Note that there are two second albums entitled "Illusion": the 2nd album of the original Renaissance (1971); and the eponymous 2nd album of their reunion band, Illusion (1978).)

Renaissance Illusion

Miscellany

References

  1. Liner notes from Live + Direct.

External links


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