From: ptt00@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (  179  Peter Thelen)
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc,alt.music.progressive
Subject: Re: Renaissance's first album?
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:48:52 GMT
Reply-To: ptt00@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <1992Sep14.140951.13262@cbnewsk.cb.att.com> kalang@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (kenneth.lang) writes:
>In article <1992Sep14.032551.977@bradley.bradley.edu> pwh@bradley.bradley.edu (Pete Hartman) writes:
>>In <92091111615@zone4.ocunix.on.ca> peter@zone4.ocunix.on.ca (Peter Dubiel) writes:
>>>With all this talk about Renaissance (the big, fat Renaissance reissue thread,
>>>to be more specific), I went to find some Renaissance, and found nothing
>>>except a very old-looking self-titled album on Elektra at a used record store.
>>>Is this Renaissance's first album? If so, could someone give me the year it
>>>was released in? And how does it compare to subsequent Renaissance records
>>>(for future buying reference...)? I like this record a lot, actually...
>>
>>Um, that's a dicey question.
>>
>>See, there are two bands called "Renaissance", and they both have a lot of
>>similarities.  To my knowledge, the first incarnation only has one album,
>>called "Renaissance", and the cover depicts some city on a peninsula with
>>clouds overhead.  The general color scheme is very yellow.  My copy is on
>>Island records.  The lineup includes Keith Relf, who I have been told had
>>some connection with the Yardbirds (sorry, I don't know anything about them,
>>so forgive if this is a really obvious or stupid thing to say).
>
>That's right. The band also include Jane Relf who, IMHO as an outstanding voice.
>The album they recorded which is available on CD [ Line is the company;I haven't
>heard the CD] is incredible, and is very similar to the next version of [early]
>Renaissance with Annie Haslam. The lineup on the first album later reformed
>as Illusion. I have found "Out of the Mist" on vinyl but haven't seen it on CD.
>This album is fantastic and if you come across it, I recommend picking it up.
>Its also classically oriented with a lot of piano solos and Jane's beautiful 
>vocals. There is another Illusion album but I have yet to find it. The band
>also resurfaced as Stairway and again, I have yet to locate a copy.

Back to peter's original question for a moment. YES, the one on Elektra is
the US release of Renaissance's first album. The cover is sort of grayish
with a artists picture of the band and a rose bush in the foreground, and
sort of a rainbow in the background. It contains all the same music as the
one described with the yellowish cover with a city on a peninsula w/clouds
in the background. The (US) Elektra version is very hard to find, often
commanding upwards to $ 70.00 at record auctions (assuming you've still
got the lyric sheet and everything is in good shape), so hang onto it !

Musically, I have no trouble saying this is one of my top twenty albums
of all time, the musicianship is very strong, the ideas and execution
are unparalelled for albums released in the same relative time period.
I rank this one up there with It's A Beautiful Day's first album for pure
musical brilliance. One of those rare albums where every track is a 100%er
I don't think the second Renaissance lineup was able to equal this album
until _Turn of the Cards_, and then a few years later with _Novella_.
I've got the US Elektra album, The UK album on Island, and the CD version
on Line records. I'd heard somewhere that it was now available as a
two-fer with the second album _Illusion_ on one disc.

Stairway (essentially the core of the original renaissance lineup) has
released two cassettes to my knowledge: _Aquamarine_ and _Moonstone_.
All of the _Moonstone_ cassette and the best tracks from _Aquamarine_ were
released as a CD a few years ago on the New World Company label in the UK.
Eurock carried this one, as well as a third ILLUSION CD of outtakes and
demos titled _Enchanted Caress_.
Yes, I too am looking for the second ILLUSION (self titled) album, have
been for years. I've never even seen it, let alone heard it. Anyone want
to send me a cassette....naah, better not, then I'd really go crazy trying
to find the original LP.

OK, here's the Jane Relf instant discography (May not be complete...)

RENAISSANCE - first album  1969    (US-LP, UK-LP, Ger-CD)
RENAISSANCE - _Illusion_  1970     (UK-LP, Ger-CD)
ILLUSION - _Out Of The Mist_ 1977  (UK-LP)
ILLUSION - _Illusion_  1978        (UK-LP)
ILLUSION - _Enchanted Caress_ (recorded: 1979, released: 1990)  (UK-CD)
STAIRWAY - _Aquamarine_  1986      (UK-Cassette)
STAIRWAY - _Moonstone_  1988       (UK-Cassette)
STAIRWAY - _Moonstone_ (CD) (includes bonus tracks from _Aquamarine_)

Hope this helps


peter (ptt00@duts.ccc.amdahl.com)  "The Lighthouse Keeper"