Another look: The Time-Line VCD

[This is another repost from the Renaissance Fanbase group over at Yahoo. The address is here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/renaissance-fanbase/?yguid=132801527

While it may seem that I am focusing only on Renaissance, there will be some other posts on other bands in this genre soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy!!]

For a while, many of us in this Yahoo group and in other places had been wishing, hoping, maybe even making sacrifices on altars with the wish that there would be a video available of Renaissance in performance. Yes, in addition to the appearances on The Midnight Special, Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, Mike Douglas and others there was a strong rumour that other live performances were recoreded and were floating around. As such when this one became available, I placed myself on the list to receive it and when this arrived, I told my cats they were in for a treat. After all, they have heard their mom rave about these folks for years...and at the time the only video concert I had available for us to view [limited funds at the time and other issues] was the Moody Blues at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra [not a bad show in itself and I am a hardcore fan of theirs as well]. So the first few airings of it on the PC's VCD player were nice....and a couple weeks back, I decided to look at it again.

If one were to skip the obligatory introduction by the hostess for the USA Network, this one opens with a rocking version of 'Northern Lights'. The beauty of this being shot in a smaller venue [the Park West] is that one not only sees Annie's emotional delivery but also see a clinic on how Jon is able to rip into the Great White with an ease that seems to be beyond regular human skill [Think of how Dwight Gooden's fastball used to be described and you will get the idea]. Granted this gets one hooked and ready for the rest of the disc.

'Flight' from Time-Line is up next and while not a bad song in concert [see a previous review of the 'Time-Line' concerts], it almost seemed as though the band was going through the motions on this evening. Mick Taylor, who along with Gavin Harrison were the new kids playing keyboards and drums respectively looked as though they were in the process of still becoming a part of the band and the solo he does on this song seemed a little reserved. Almost to the point of it being mechanical, vis a vis attacking it.

Interpsersed between the concert pieces are interviews with Jon, Annie and if I remember right, Gavin. When one listens to Jon, you do get a little bit of an insight into how and why the change in musical direction occured. This is a little different than the usual 'we have a good band, a good album a good tour' interview [think of how comics would parody how a baseball manager would speak about his team and their outlook for the season and one can see Ren did not follow this pattern]. Annie's portion shows she is still captivating, even when not singing and is quietly matter-of-fact with regard to how she got involved with the band all those years ago.

While the number of songs on the disc is short, 'Running Hard' being the last stand alone...it is the medley, or as Jon called it 'The Renaissance Collection' is where this all comes together. While this is a tad restrained from what was heard at some of the east coast venues, this still shows that fire that one comes to expect when the band just lets loose. Mickey shows that even though he is not known for being a tiger on the Strat, he can rip into it in his own way and then there is Jon. Again the master of the bass being played as lead, shows with lightening fast movements how he is able to take the bassline from 'Touching Once' and make that a solo to remember. This combined with Mick's counter-solo on keyboards and Annies soaring voice [I will say it here: there are very few then and even now who can match Annie when she is on her game. Period] and that is a great ending to the main portion of the concert.

What puzzled me and still does is why the encore was cut short in this production. As in: no 'America', no 'Prologue' and a truncated 'Ashes Are Burning' which does not include Jon's solo. Yes, we do get the final portion and the crowd gets into it, led by Annie. They took their cue from her and she could have carried this for several hours if need be.

The program does end with a taste of the opening song on the tour 'Can You Hear Me' which would have been nice to see in its full version. One has to hope that maybe at some point, someone will have the complete show from the Park West and distribute this with the interviews. Until then, with the further viewing from these eyes, it is not a bad way to introduce others to the band and for the hardcore fan to savor a 60 minute view of what was and is one of the masters of the form.

Coming up to bat...Renaissance's 'Time-Line'...the album and other material

[This is a repost, with some editing of a recent article I sent over to a Yahoo Group in re: 'Time-Line' the last Renaissance album prior to Jon Camp eventually leaving and 'Tuscany' being released in 2000 ]


To these ears, upon much further review, Time-Line is not really that bad an album, if the cheesiness factor is taken away. What I mean is that yes there are a few pieces on it which are way out of character, but by the same token one can imagine some person out there remixing a 'funkier' version of let's say 'Orient Express'. How did yours truly come to this? More or less it is repeated listening to the CD version on the walkman while shuttling between doctor's offices over the past 3-4months [no sympathy being elicited here, just stating the fact] and thinking 'gee if they had only released _______ at this time'. But that is just speculation...which is part of being a fan of any band. There were at least 3, maybe 4 tunes on the disc that, with a little improvement could have made air and not seem out of place ['Flight', 'Distant Horizons' , 'The Entertainer' and the above mentioned, 'Orient Express'].

Secondly, it is amazing how some of the concert discs, even though they were recorded close to 20 years ago still stand up and how fresh the memories of seeing Ren on Camera Camera or Time-Line were and are. For example, I put the Time-Line concert on and I am back in NYC...sitting at the Palladium watching them on that Saturday evening going through not just the new material, but also the pieces that had not been played in concert for years. Let alone the encore...one of the few times that there is an ovation for a line from a song that mentions the state of New Jersey [referring to the song 'America', '...counting the cars onthe New Jersey Turnpike...' which while part of the closing set...really SHOULD have been released as a single]. Considering what is now passing for music from other bands...hearing these just stands as a reminder of how special Annie, Jon, Mickey, John, Terry and the myriad others who worked alongside them were.

Finally a few weeks back, I was in the market doing my usual shopping and had the Time-Line 'My Father's Place' disc going on in the headphones. Depending on where I am, I may just start whistling along with the tunes and then ,when the spirit hits, start playing an air Rickenbacker bass [Ok...'Great White'] along with Jon's riffs. Which makes for a rather interesting picture when one is in the diary aisle, deciding on Cheddar, Swiss or Provolone and they see this person in a close state of near possession playing along with the bassline from the abbreviated version of 'Touching Once'. Anyhow, I moved onto one of the next aisle and one of the clerks there had noticed I was whistling and was wondering what it was. I then went into a Cliff-Notes version of who Renaissance was, what concert this was I had on and the fact that the last album that was released was 'Tuscany' and that they have since ceased recording. Now who knows, I may have turned another person onto one of the best bands there ever was and this may happen again if someone notices me in the store playing an air-Addamas 12 string and wonders 'what is she on?'