Folks...it looks as though this idea is starting to get a little in the way of thought. At least as far as the lineup is concerned and whatever oversights that did occur were explained. With that behind so to speak....how about an idea about what a sample playlist COULD [and I stress this...COULD] look like:
Prologue
Carpet of the Sun
Mr. Pine/Running Hard [which are basically the same piece and can be combined so fans understand the root of 'Running Hard']
Deja Vu
[these first 4 will introduce the crowd to all 2.5 generations of the bands material and sets the stage for the next 12. If one thinks about it in this context, it would be 4 each from Jane, Annie and Stephanie]
Jane:
Beautiful Country
Face of Yesterday
Everywhere You Go
Man Of Miracles
Annie:
At the Harbour
I Think of You
Ocean Gypsy
The Captive Heart
Stephanie:
The Other Woman
So Blase
Lock In On Love
May You Be Blessed
[Now the above shows a sample of the range of material from each era. The fans are shown the emotional and lyrical depth of each woman who is associated with the band...and this now brings about the main event, the classic Ren material done by all three, with the bandmembers mentioned in the last post]
Can You Understand [Full Version]
The Vultures Fly High
Can You Hear Me
Northern Lights
Mother Russia
Lady From Tuscany
Pearls of Wisdom
Trip to the Fair
A Song For All Seasons
And now the Denoument...the encore:
America
Ashes Are Burning [with multiple solos!!!]
With all of this said, please keep in mind that this is would could be. It is one heck of an idea, which would entice and the fans of all generations would be happy. Of course the standard disclaimer would apply as in 'lineup subject to change'...
BY the by to borrow a sports analogy here....if this sounds strange consider what happened when the city fathers in Pontiac, Michigan had a campaign to get the Super Bowl to be played at Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium - AKA the Silverdome, they went on a very strong, calculated campaign to get the game. And lo and behold, they did....granted if you know of the ballpark and the Detroit Lions, you know that they have since moved to downtown Detroit and Ford Field while the Silverdome has been sold and may be razed. The point being that, a well organized campaign among the fans can yield some type of result, even if it is a scaled back reunion.
Worth considering for a while....
And that is the news, sports and weather for now!!!!
Showing posts with label Stephanie Adlington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephanie Adlington. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
If Yes can do a 'Union' Tour, Renaissance can do same ...
Welcome back True Believers!!
If you have been reading the posts in two of the Yahoo groups dedicated to Renaissance fans, the odds are you have seen an idea being floated for a reunion tour of either the classic Ren lineup or a reformed one with a new vocalist. The idea is a good one, in fact one has to wonder...egos to the contrary...why this has not been done. Outside of 3 of the classic lineup [Annie, Mickey and Terry] playing on the Tuscany Tour and discussions [as mentioned on Terry Sullivan's site] about him, Jon Camp and John Tout playing in a revamped version but those talks have garnered little in the way of an announcement of the band hitting the stage.
With the above mentioned, here is a concept that could possibly...and I use the word cautiously....possibly work. This would be the Yes 'Union' approach which brought several generations of Yes together for what was a commercially successful tour. If one were to take into account that this meant multiple guitarists, keyboadists, percussion behind Jon Anderson. the fact that this came off at all is amazing. And if these folks can do it, Renaissance can do same and here is a way it could happen:
Vocals:
Annie Haslam
Jane Relf
Stephanie Adlington
Guitars:
Mickey Dunford
John Knightsbridge
Bass:
Jon Camp
David Keyes
Louis Cennamo
Keyboards:
John Tout
Mick Taylor
Mickey Simmonds
Rave Tesar
Drums:
Terry Sullivan
Gavin Harrison
If You are wondering how and why the above makes sense...here is the breakdown:
In the vocals, we not only have Annie'5 octave range but also the mellow Jane Refl as well as the emotional Stephanie Adlington. Considering the depth of the material that Renaissance is known for and has this mixture will showcase the overall balance of same. Guitars is a no brainer in that Mickey and John are from both sides of the house so to speak, as well as trade solos. Bass....three different styles but this works with the various different material. Yes Jon Camp does play it as a lead...however on some songs the blending of David and Louis can add a richer bottom to the songs [not to forget here one hell of a set of solos on 'Ashes are Burning']. Keyboards...this is a no brainer: John Tout knows the classic songs inside and out [seeing he was the original keyboardist] as do Mick, Mickey and Rave...however as can be heard on the Beacon Theatre show, as well as on Tuscany and the resultant live album Mickey Simmonds and Rave Tesar can add fill in ably the orchestral flourishes that Ren is known for [I should mention that it is possible that if none of those folks are available, John Hawken who was part of the Illusion lineup can come in as well...see previous reviews here as to why]. As for drums....Terry and Gavin are the ones that can handle the demands of such a concert.
Seeing there is more than enough material for the fans to enjoy, the above lineup if everyone were to work as Yes did would prove to be a joy for the fans. And this would not necessarily be a commercial venture per se [if anyone who has that type of bend, yes it could be made into one...but let's not get greedy here :)], but it would show that there is still some interest in this band, all of its generations, incarnations [well maybe excluding the 'Time-Line' material] and songs that have made this band one that still has a loyal base to this day.
If you have been reading the posts in two of the Yahoo groups dedicated to Renaissance fans, the odds are you have seen an idea being floated for a reunion tour of either the classic Ren lineup or a reformed one with a new vocalist. The idea is a good one, in fact one has to wonder...egos to the contrary...why this has not been done. Outside of 3 of the classic lineup [Annie, Mickey and Terry] playing on the Tuscany Tour and discussions [as mentioned on Terry Sullivan's site] about him, Jon Camp and John Tout playing in a revamped version but those talks have garnered little in the way of an announcement of the band hitting the stage.
With the above mentioned, here is a concept that could possibly...and I use the word cautiously....possibly work. This would be the Yes 'Union' approach which brought several generations of Yes together for what was a commercially successful tour. If one were to take into account that this meant multiple guitarists, keyboadists, percussion behind Jon Anderson. the fact that this came off at all is amazing. And if these folks can do it, Renaissance can do same and here is a way it could happen:
Vocals:
Annie Haslam
Jane Relf
Stephanie Adlington
Guitars:
Mickey Dunford
John Knightsbridge
Bass:
Jon Camp
David Keyes
Louis Cennamo
Keyboards:
John Tout
Mick Taylor
Mickey Simmonds
Rave Tesar
Drums:
Terry Sullivan
Gavin Harrison
If You are wondering how and why the above makes sense...here is the breakdown:
In the vocals, we not only have Annie'5 octave range but also the mellow Jane Refl as well as the emotional Stephanie Adlington. Considering the depth of the material that Renaissance is known for and has this mixture will showcase the overall balance of same. Guitars is a no brainer in that Mickey and John are from both sides of the house so to speak, as well as trade solos. Bass....three different styles but this works with the various different material. Yes Jon Camp does play it as a lead...however on some songs the blending of David and Louis can add a richer bottom to the songs [not to forget here one hell of a set of solos on 'Ashes are Burning']. Keyboards...this is a no brainer: John Tout knows the classic songs inside and out [seeing he was the original keyboardist] as do Mick, Mickey and Rave...however as can be heard on the Beacon Theatre show, as well as on Tuscany and the resultant live album Mickey Simmonds and Rave Tesar can add fill in ably the orchestral flourishes that Ren is known for [I should mention that it is possible that if none of those folks are available, John Hawken who was part of the Illusion lineup can come in as well...see previous reviews here as to why]. As for drums....Terry and Gavin are the ones that can handle the demands of such a concert.
Seeing there is more than enough material for the fans to enjoy, the above lineup if everyone were to work as Yes did would prove to be a joy for the fans. And this would not necessarily be a commercial venture per se [if anyone who has that type of bend, yes it could be made into one...but let's not get greedy here :)], but it would show that there is still some interest in this band, all of its generations, incarnations [well maybe excluding the 'Time-Line' material] and songs that have made this band one that still has a loyal base to this day.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A double review: 'Ocean Gypsy' and 'Trip To The Fair'
The two albums mentioned in the title were those done under the aegis of Michael Dunford, with the name of 'Michael Dunford's Renaissance'. As such they could be considered to be in-between projects while Renaissance was 'on hiatus'. Keep this in mind: if this was a hiatus, then these set up what one hears on the latest and last studio album 'Tuscany'
Now as mentioned in the header and to quote baseball great-Mr Cub, Ernie Banks....'LET'S PLAY TWO!!!!'
Some of you may be asking: 'Why review Ocean Gypsy? After all this was an offshoot or even what would be called 'stretching the brand'. Ok, that may be a valid thought...and the band is called 'Michael Dunford's Renaissance', so this may actually be a brand extension. However, it is apparent that once you hear the opening measures of 'Ocean Gypsy', this was a little more than just a stretch.
Let's start out with the fact that Annie is not on vocals, but a young woman named Stephanie Adlington. From what I remember reading of her bio, she had done some work with various different pop groups as backup and was also involved with Mickey during the days he was writing the score for a musical version of 'Sheherazade' [which has been tabled due to a lack of investors and other items]. Whichever way that she had become associated with Mickey, this was a coup. In that her vocals now adds a different slant to some old Renaissance classics.
'Ocean Gypsy' leads off the disc and it is more direct so to speak than the original [or the version from the Carnegie Hall sessions]. The orchestra helps this become a more dramatic reading, which to these ears was nice in that this version, as well as the original are two sides of the same coin. And keep in mind...this is the opening track...
[Thinking about] 'Things I Don't Undertand' is on here in a shortened form. That being part 2, and Stephanie's voice shows more of her range here.You could see both her and Annie harmonizing on this...and even though the lyrics may sound like something from a post Woodstock era, it is still breathtaking [want this to be even more so? Turn up the volume on the headphones and you will hear what I mean]
The next track 'The Young Prince and the Princess' is another excerpt from Sherherazade and while it sounds different with different vocals, the spirit of the original is the same. Same attention to the details.
Another Ren classic that benefits from a new interpretation is 'Carpet of The Sun'. A slightly different orchestra chart and the new vocals compliment Betty's lyrics. This is one of two from 'Ashes are Buring'....the second of which is one that I sometimes cry over.
'At The Harbor' , the second from the 'Ashes' set, has never sounded better, which is not to say that they original or any live version is bad by comparison. Far from it...this one with a full orchestra and flourishes of flutes has brought tears to my eyes, if due to the overall beauty of the song. Stephanie again shows how her voice works with material that is not as well known in a live setting or not in rotation airplay wise...which is to say this is fantastic.
'I Think Of You' on this disc plays as just a very simple lovesong. An amazingly pretty lovesong. [Think about playing this at a wedding alongside 'And You and I' by Yes and you would get the idea]. Plus these lyrics would make for a rather interesting love poem as well.
We now come to the last three songs on this CD, two of which seem to be from sessions related to Sheherazade: 'Star of the Show' and 'The Great Highway'. They bookend 'Trip to The Fair', which in this collection sounds just as jazzy as the original. The bridge/solo on this is not done on percussion but with a reed instrument, probably a sax or cor anglais. As for the bookend pieces previously mentioned, those two show that in a post 'Camera Camera' era, Betty's lyrics have a little more of a romantic urgency. Which leads by that little segue to.......'Trip To The Fair' a compilation CD.
Yes this is a combination of the best material from not just 'Ocean Gypsy' but also ' The Other Woman'. It should be noted that the latter of the two was more commercial in its sound, however this does not diminish the quality or the musicianship. Far from it...
The highlights in addition to several of the songs from 'Ocean Gypsy' are a reworking of 'Dreammaker' called 'Love Lies, Love Dies'. same tune, just different lyrics which distance it from the original...'Deja Vu' which rocks. Close your eyes and imagine this being played during the tours of the 'Camera Camera' days or even 'Time-Line'. The lyrics are amazing plus there one hears what seems to be Mickey taking another rare electric guitar solo.
Another one to give a good listen to is 'The Other Woman' which is the title track of that aforementioned disc. This one is just stirring...Stephanie's vocals over electric piano, piano, drums, bass and guitar. But it it those lyrics that are just amazing. There may be some commercial comparisons that can be made [think Sade at her best and you will see what I mean], but not many would be in the same ballpark.
'Don't Talk' rocks as well....and it would not be out of place on the air these days. 'So Blase' is cool too and would seem to be the other side of the coin for 'Deja Vu'...'Lock in On Love' as well. Why no one had picked up on any of these for airplay is beyond me.
Now we come to a bonus of sorts...a reinterpretation of 'Northern Lights'...with an orchestra. Yes, you read that right. While there are several versions which do exist, this one is refershing in that now we can hear how this would work with additional musicans playing along. [Imagine here too, if you will this being done on 'A Song For All Seasons' with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra].
The album closes out with 'Star of The Show' and 'Somewhere West of Here' The latter of this has a little of everything: lyrics that speak of romantic longing and urgency, Stephanie's soaring vocals and a bridge/solo that can bring back memories of the one from 'Raja Khan' from 'Prologue'. Yours truly has been seen rocking out to this in the store because it is well, just incredibly cool.
Now if one wants to introduce their friends to a different take on Ren's classic material or show them what Mickey can do as a bandleader with a different vocalist or even show them a relatively unknown singer in Stephanie Adlington give them these to listen to. Tell that person to just give a listen, close the eyes and open the ears to some music, that is as amazing in its complexity and diversity as what Renaissance would do on album and in concert.
Now as mentioned in the header and to quote baseball great-Mr Cub, Ernie Banks....'LET'S PLAY TWO!!!!'
Some of you may be asking: 'Why review Ocean Gypsy? After all this was an offshoot or even what would be called 'stretching the brand'. Ok, that may be a valid thought...and the band is called 'Michael Dunford's Renaissance', so this may actually be a brand extension. However, it is apparent that once you hear the opening measures of 'Ocean Gypsy', this was a little more than just a stretch.
Let's start out with the fact that Annie is not on vocals, but a young woman named Stephanie Adlington. From what I remember reading of her bio, she had done some work with various different pop groups as backup and was also involved with Mickey during the days he was writing the score for a musical version of 'Sheherazade' [which has been tabled due to a lack of investors and other items]. Whichever way that she had become associated with Mickey, this was a coup. In that her vocals now adds a different slant to some old Renaissance classics.
'Ocean Gypsy' leads off the disc and it is more direct so to speak than the original [or the version from the Carnegie Hall sessions]. The orchestra helps this become a more dramatic reading, which to these ears was nice in that this version, as well as the original are two sides of the same coin. And keep in mind...this is the opening track...
[Thinking about] 'Things I Don't Undertand' is on here in a shortened form. That being part 2, and Stephanie's voice shows more of her range here.You could see both her and Annie harmonizing on this...and even though the lyrics may sound like something from a post Woodstock era, it is still breathtaking [want this to be even more so? Turn up the volume on the headphones and you will hear what I mean]
The next track 'The Young Prince and the Princess' is another excerpt from Sherherazade and while it sounds different with different vocals, the spirit of the original is the same. Same attention to the details.
Another Ren classic that benefits from a new interpretation is 'Carpet of The Sun'. A slightly different orchestra chart and the new vocals compliment Betty's lyrics. This is one of two from 'Ashes are Buring'....the second of which is one that I sometimes cry over.
'At The Harbor' , the second from the 'Ashes' set, has never sounded better, which is not to say that they original or any live version is bad by comparison. Far from it...this one with a full orchestra and flourishes of flutes has brought tears to my eyes, if due to the overall beauty of the song. Stephanie again shows how her voice works with material that is not as well known in a live setting or not in rotation airplay wise...which is to say this is fantastic.
'I Think Of You' on this disc plays as just a very simple lovesong. An amazingly pretty lovesong. [Think about playing this at a wedding alongside 'And You and I' by Yes and you would get the idea]. Plus these lyrics would make for a rather interesting love poem as well.
We now come to the last three songs on this CD, two of which seem to be from sessions related to Sheherazade: 'Star of the Show' and 'The Great Highway'. They bookend 'Trip to The Fair', which in this collection sounds just as jazzy as the original. The bridge/solo on this is not done on percussion but with a reed instrument, probably a sax or cor anglais. As for the bookend pieces previously mentioned, those two show that in a post 'Camera Camera' era, Betty's lyrics have a little more of a romantic urgency. Which leads by that little segue to.......'Trip To The Fair' a compilation CD.
Yes this is a combination of the best material from not just 'Ocean Gypsy' but also ' The Other Woman'. It should be noted that the latter of the two was more commercial in its sound, however this does not diminish the quality or the musicianship. Far from it...
The highlights in addition to several of the songs from 'Ocean Gypsy' are a reworking of 'Dreammaker' called 'Love Lies, Love Dies'. same tune, just different lyrics which distance it from the original...'Deja Vu' which rocks. Close your eyes and imagine this being played during the tours of the 'Camera Camera' days or even 'Time-Line'. The lyrics are amazing plus there one hears what seems to be Mickey taking another rare electric guitar solo.
Another one to give a good listen to is 'The Other Woman' which is the title track of that aforementioned disc. This one is just stirring...Stephanie's vocals over electric piano, piano, drums, bass and guitar. But it it those lyrics that are just amazing. There may be some commercial comparisons that can be made [think Sade at her best and you will see what I mean], but not many would be in the same ballpark.
'Don't Talk' rocks as well....and it would not be out of place on the air these days. 'So Blase' is cool too and would seem to be the other side of the coin for 'Deja Vu'...'Lock in On Love' as well. Why no one had picked up on any of these for airplay is beyond me.
Now we come to a bonus of sorts...a reinterpretation of 'Northern Lights'...with an orchestra. Yes, you read that right. While there are several versions which do exist, this one is refershing in that now we can hear how this would work with additional musicans playing along. [Imagine here too, if you will this being done on 'A Song For All Seasons' with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra].
The album closes out with 'Star of The Show' and 'Somewhere West of Here' The latter of this has a little of everything: lyrics that speak of romantic longing and urgency, Stephanie's soaring vocals and a bridge/solo that can bring back memories of the one from 'Raja Khan' from 'Prologue'. Yours truly has been seen rocking out to this in the store because it is well, just incredibly cool.
Now if one wants to introduce their friends to a different take on Ren's classic material or show them what Mickey can do as a bandleader with a different vocalist or even show them a relatively unknown singer in Stephanie Adlington give them these to listen to. Tell that person to just give a listen, close the eyes and open the ears to some music, that is as amazing in its complexity and diversity as what Renaissance would do on album and in concert.
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