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.

Sources for Album/CD versions of previous reviews

As a public service of this blog and also due to the fact that I have written about a few albums that may or may not be easy to find at yon, friendly record or CD shop, here are a few places to purchase or listen to those tracks:

http://www.amazon.com/Renaissance/e/B000APW40E/ref=ntt_mus_gen_pel

If these folks do not have any of the available, no one will. With regard to the two covers of 'Novella', this has to do with the fact that Renaissance's label at the time, Sire was in the process of being sold from ABC to Warner/Elektra/Asylum and a reissue was done after the switch. There is no difference in the recording by the way.

A few other notes:

- 'De Capo' - features a song which on disc 2 called 'Writers Wronged' . This song which was from the 'Time-Line' sessions is also on 'Songs From Renaissance Days', a compilation of material which did not make it onto any of the previous releases or were songs that were being used to possibly get another contract with a new company. An absolutely amazing piece with a flute solo which can remind one of Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues.

- 'Tales of 1001 Nights, Volumes 1 and 2' - Selected material from the vaults of Sire/Warner Brothers, with songs that were on the Sovereign [yes that is fancy for Sire] label, but are in their live versions here: 'Prologue', 'Can You Understand', 'Carpet of the Sun' and 'Ashes are Burning' from the first live album 'Live at Carnegie Hall' [the orchestral parts are done by the New York Philharmonic] as well as their later material from 'Novella', 'A Song For All Seasons' and the last on that label 'Azure d' Or'. Closing out with another from the Carnegie sessions....'Ashes are Burning'. This also has an amazing set of liner notes written by a good friend of the band [not to forget someone who is infinitely more knowledgeable about Renaissance than I], David Samuel Barr.

- 'Ocean Gypsy', 'The Other Woman', 'Trip to the Fair' - These were done by Mickey Dunford with under the aegis of 'Mickey Dunford's Renaissance' with Stephanie Adlington doing the vocals. On the first in the list, these are redone Ren classics with a couple new songs thrown in, including a version of 'At The Harbor' that with an orchestra is just as amazing as the original. Plus there is a reinterpretation of 'Trip to the Fair' with a pretty cool sax [or is that core anglais?] solo. 'The Other Woman' is material which features love songs and one could see the classic Ren playing these in this era. [The title track. 'Deja Vu' and 'Somewhere West of Here' are worth noting]. 'Trip to the Fair is a compliation of the first two, but oddly enough missing 'Trip to the Fair'.

I would be remiss at this point if I did not mention Annie Haslam's solo work here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Annie+Haslam

And a confession at this point: many years ago, I used to use the opening track from the second side of Annies first solo album 'Annie in Wonderland' as the opener for an old college radio show that I hosted [I am not that old folks!!]. The tune is called 'Rockalise' which is rock, classical...and even sounds like an opera aria, all at the same time.

With regard to the Moody Blues:

http://www.amazon.com/Moody-Blues-Lovely-See-You/dp/B000CSTKQ0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1219683547&sr=1-11

This is the complete version of what was mentioned in this space a few posts back. As was said before, it is worth listening to because even without an orchestra backing them, they can still rock out and be just as cool:)

In re: 'Symphonic Yes'

http://www.amazon.com/Symphonic-Music-of-Yes/dp/B000003FMN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1219683784&sr=1-1

This is a true find in that it has one of the best names in production and classical/progressive rock behind the boards. Alan Parsons. Need I say anymore.

And for 'Magnification':

http://www.amazon.com/Magnification-Yes/dp/B00069FKFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1219684007&sr=1-1

If you had downloaded this from other means, it may not have the extra tracks which are listed at this page. Even with or without the extra tracks, this is a fanstastic album from one of the longest, existing bands of the genre.

Stay tuned folks because there will be more reviews of material in future posts!!!

A double shot of Yes....'Symphonic Yes' and 'Magnification'

If there is one band in this genre that seems to get very little respect from those in the 'mainstream' [and the quotes are there because it seems that definition has changed as often as the Chicago White Sox have changed uniform colors and insignia down through the years...currently up to 95 times] music media, it is Yes. One has to wonder why, if due to the fact that they were one of those that crossed boundaries from what was called 'jam band' music [the early early days] to longform rock [starting with the 'Fragile' album] to shorter epics [see 'Going For The One' and 'Tormato'] to street smart pieces ['90125's 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' and 'Big Generator's 'Rythm of Love']. However, not many understand that they have attempted to incorporate orchestras into their sound...with varying degrees of success. Such as the use of strings on 'Time and A Word' or the smaller chamber orchestra that was featured on such songs like 'Onward' from 'Tormato' [sidebar-A remix of this album is available through Rhino records which includes an alternate version of 'Onward' sans vocals. From what has been gleaned through some sites dedicated to Yes, many of their fans like to use this as well as 'And You And I' at weddings....and those are good choices!]. Now if one wants to hear what Yes's music can really sound like when there is an orchestra dedicated to the project and not just brought in to play 'filler', 'Symphonic Yes' and 'Magnification' are excellent pieces.



Let's take Symphonic on first. If you look at who produced and had their hands on the engineering console, you know that this is not going to be just a throwaway. Alan Parsons. As in The Alan Parsons Project, as in the man who produced Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Plus the orchestra [in this case, the London Philharmonic] was conducted by David Palmer. Those of you who may not remember, he was the one who wrote the string and horn charts for Jethro Tull, as well as filled in on keyboards. With all of this power, plus some members of Yes sitting in: Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe and even after repeated listenings, it is still special



Leading off is 'Roundabout' which comes off as a very very powerful piece. Much like the rest of the album, this is not some half-hearted attempt to add some orchestral punch to old material. No True Believers, this is a direct combination of the two forces and when this has Jon's vocals added, it can also make one wonder why did Yes did not do this more often.



The rest of the album is no different: 'Close to The Edge', 'Wonderous Stories' . 'I've Seen All Good People' all show an orchestra or even a small chamber same can not only enhance, but bring out nuances in these songs that were not present initially. For me the topper of this album is 'Owner of A Lonely Heart'. While it could almost seem to some this may come off as let's say Mantovanni and the 101 Strings does Yes, 'Owner' still sounds as fresh as the original to these ears. Still as hip, still as street-smart [which is what the original was called by some critics, as in they could not believe that this was Yes] and just as clean.

'Survival', 'Heart of the Sunrise' and 'Soon' are played with an artistry that not only is clsoe to the spirit of the originals, but just enhances the beauty of them. This in turn sets up the finale, 'Starship Trooper' which shows that Yes may have had an idea this would be turned into a full orchestral piece at a later date. It would not be out of place to hear this on let's say a classical music radio station or one that is into classic rock.

This leads into what I have learned from several playings of the last Yes studio album, 'Magnfication'. According to various sources, Yes did not have an official keyboardist for this project and with one thing leading to another, they decided to fill in those parts with a full orchestra. To these ears that was the right call. Right from the title, opening track, this is a major treat. When one does listen to this you hear a more relaxed Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White playing all their parts with an ease and expertise one does expect from Yes. The credit for how the orchestra adds to the mix goes to Larry Goupe'. While not known to rock fans as let's say, Lewis Clark [of ELO fame] he makes his mark with Yes here.

While there are other tunes on here that impress, when I have listened to this over the past few months, there are 3 others aside from the title track that stand out. 'Don't Go', 'Give Love Each Day' and what can be called the masterwork of the album, 'In The Precence Of'. Each of these left an impression that this is what Yes at their best can do. Contrast this with what some bands after many years of being together and multiple albums have done, i.e. recycling ideas and concepts to try to make a new sound and it puts this breath of fresh air from Yes in a different light.

Something else to consider: if you wanted to introduce someone to what Yes is about [and spare them the stories about the infighting, the multiple lawsuits, the number of people who at one time actually owned the Yes copyright or how many people have played keyboards for them down through the years], these two albums mentioned in this post, as well as 'Tormato', 'Going For The One', 'Fragile' , 'Close To The Edge' are the best representatives of what Yes's sound is. The orchestral work...that is just the frosting on the cake.

Just another blog about music...well not exactly

Hello True Believers!!!

Before it is said 'what another blog about music?' let me explain. This one is going to be dedicated to reviewing some older songs, albums, live concert discs dealing with one of the more missunderstood forms of rock music, that being classically influenced rock.

What exactly is classically influenced rock you may ask? Well this is rock music that uitilizes the construction and form much like the classical pieces many of us grew up with. Bach, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Debussy, Chopin, Copland, etc are some of the influences given a new look and flair by adding this to the form of rock music. Throw in some jazz figures [think Parker, Brubeck, Bill Evans] a symphonic or philharmonic orchestra and you have what classical rock is. Not the illegitimate child of this mixture, more of a logical extension.

For the most part you will see here postings about some of my favorite bands who were and are the masters of this form. Renaissance, The Moody Blues, ELP, The Alan Parsons Project, Yes and others. And of course everyone who sees this is more than welcome to chime in and post their views as well. After all...many folks out there have albums by these bands in their collections.

So with the Prologue done, let's make this A Song For All Seasons, even if we publish Novellas about a Turn Of The Cards.