ILLUSION

Writing about this album is not easy for me. It alternates good moments and weaknesses and an opener like "Life Goes On" doesn't help. This song is based on a trivial and repetitive sentence (its title) with just a short interlude of Jane Relf in the middle.

"Golden Thread" takes about two minutes to start after a piano intro, what follows has initially a classical mood. I don't understand why a voice not very nice, probably Jim McCarty, sings instead of Jane Relf. The song itself is not bad but I really don't like this voice.

A mellow piano intro for a short love song. Very far from the Renaissance's heights. "Love Is All" is nothing more than a 4-chords song with a hippy flavour.

"Mr. Pine" is folky. Two minutes of harpsichord, a sudden silence followed by a theme that will reappear exactly in this form on "Running Hard". Then it turns back to the harpsichord beginning. This is the first Renaissance song written by Michael Dunford.

"Face Of Yesterday" is a slow piano based song. Nothing special, just two open chords followed by an ascending sequence. Good vocals from Jane Relf.

"Past Orbits Of Dust" is the longest track. Quite complex as composition with a jazzy mood and largerly driven by the bass while the acoustic guitar plays chords on a funky rhythm. The vocals are flat, no reverb or other effects, probably a production choice to enhance the jazzy flavour. The live version of Ashes Are Burning before the bass solo can give an idea. The bongos and drums solo in the middle is very hippy, but all the song is hippy. The final minutes are very jazzy. this is the best track of the album but it's far from the standard Renaissance. It makes me think to Richard Sinclair, also in the coda on which the bass is the first instrument.

A transition album before the total change in the lineup, very interesting for Renaissance fans but not good for a first approach to the band, so I'd leave it to fans and rate it with two stars even if the last track could deserve 3.