The Renaissance Zone

Man, I have The Winter Tree playing now and I forgot how much I loved this song. Should have charted better. I mean, it's just a folk pop song but the bass is so good and the chorus is inescapable really. As much as I love the output from 72-79, I feel like had they tried a more commercial approach earlier in the decade they might have made it big. By 1979 though an album like Azure d'Or appealed to very few listeners.

Edited by fudgenuts64 - January 27 2016 at 20:54

the studio version doesn't hold a candle to the live versions, especially the searing guitar part, just not a fit with the Renaissance sound. Even on ASFAS the electric guitar parts were more "symphonic".  I love the extended keyboard parts, and did love the bass parts in their day.  That's not something that has worn well with time, but there are some really great parts in it where you could almost imagine the same riff on banjo working quite well

I was just listening to Ashes are Burning today (Carnegie Hall version), along a few other Renaissance songs and... well, I was wondering what you people think about the studio and the live versions of this song, given the long jamming segments on the live versions, and the absence of the guitar solo at the end... replaced by Annies vocalizations, etc.

Amazing that Renaissance put together their best music video after all their years, with limited resources compared to the days when they were on Warner Bros rolls.  

rogerthat wrote: micky wrote: pfff.. amateurs.. a Renaissance appreciation thread... 3 pages now.. and not ONE picture of Annies feet. For shame.. You are talking to a bunch of people (like Ken or Meltdowner) who have seen her in person and hence don't need photographs.

pfff..  I'm not a name dropper but we've met twice. She knows how I feel about her feet. Trust me

Awww.   Too bad, here you go then! 

micky wrote: pfff.. amateurs.. a Renaissance appreciation thread... 3 pages now.. and not ONE picture of Annies feet. For shame..

haha we have to be careful about your over zealous genuflection Micky

It's a nice one though Annie's age kind of shows.  Jon Anderson was still singing that song better in live shows at around the same time as she recorded her version.  She should have attempted a few of those in the 70s maybe, when her voice was brighter and stronger in the fourth/fifth octaves.  Now, it's darker and stronger in the lower keys but Anderson sings in a female singer's range  so that is useless.  Reaching Out, which she recorded in 77 for the short lived Intergalactic Touring Band, is a dead ringer for Jon Anderson - at least the verse.

Edited by rogerthat - January 15 2016 at 22:43

Annie Haslam showing up on the most recent Yes tribute album performing Wondrous Stories (I believe) with Steve Howe. On second thought, it was Turn of the Century.

Edited by Rednight - January 15 2016 at 12:19