Renaissance- Turn of The Cards

Growing out of the ashes of the Yardbirds, Renaissance began as a psychedelic band. Then, but the end of album #2, the entire original lineup was long gone. Left instead was a medieval music influenced symphonic prog band. Most notable was the 5 octave vocal range of Annie Haslam, and the other members were Michael Dunford (guitar [acoustic only]), John Tout (piano), Jon Camp (bass), and Terry Sullivan (drums). This is the 5th Renaissance album, sent to shelves in 1974.

The first song is called "Running Hard", which features a 2 minute grand piano introduction before spending the rest of then 9:20 with a melodramatic, symphonic ballad/epic, displaying Haslam's vocals in all of their glory. They also make use of violins, and the fast tempo creates a chivalrous feel. Next up is "I Think of You", a guitar ballad and, although, brief, one of the best prog rock love songs out there. From there, they go into "Things I don't Understand", which uses strained vocals, drums and jarred piano to suggest Claustrophobia. A very strange piece, and the least symphonic-prog one on here. At the end, it resembles "Running Hard", though. With that, Side A ends.

"Black Flame" is a slower than the songs on side A. It offers more of the minstrel ballad fare, but even goes for the harpsichord! Lots of medieval cred there. Afterwards comes "Cold is Being", which is a haunting piece with just Haslam's ghoulish vocal and a church organ. Creepy. To wrap it up is the epic centerpiece "Mother Russia." While the time it lasts is a difference of just 1 second, it feels like a drawn out version of "Running Hard". The lyrics have to due with the supression of the arts in the Soviet Union.

There's a lot to offer here. The medieval feel is attempted often in prog, but rarely executed with such definitive presence. Renaissance sounds fresh and vibrant. However, there is a distinct lack of variety here. I'm also not quite sure why they have a bassist, because he's buried so low in the mix you can't even hear him with headphones. Also, without him they'd be 100% acoustic, which is pretty cool for the electronic heavy progressive rock.

An energetic and distinctive record, I'd give this one thumbs up and a recomenation. Grade: B+