Renaissance-Ashes Are Burning (1973)

On Renaissance's fourth album, released in 1973, the band, led by Annie Haslam's unmistakable voice, Jon Camp's sinuous bass, and John Tout's magnificent Renaissance-inspired keyboards, demonstrates a clear and solid shift towards symphonic folk rock. 

In this work, the band achieved the necessary maturity to showcase the perfect balance between folk, rock, and classical music. 

From the opening track, "Can You Understand", Renaissance perfectly demonstrates the appealing synthesis of folk music and symphonic rock, emulating the philosophy of classical music with a powerful emphasis. 

This track shows influences from Russian classical composers such as Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. The sweet ballad "Let It Grow" showcases Annie Haslam's vocal excellence in a state of grace, while the arranged and acoustic "On the Frontier" leaves us with that lingering taste that the band has for Renaissance music. 

The melodic and orchestral "Carpet of the Sun" gives way to the more ambitious "At The Harbour", which together with the closing "Ashes Are Burning", in which Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell participates with a superb guitar solo, are the most progressive moments of one of the most brilliant albums of the British group, which would culminate with the later and outstanding "Turn of the Cards" and "Scheherazade and Other Stories".

Renaissance-Scheherazade and other stories (1975)

This concept album is part of the glory of Renaissance stage, (and partly unknown to new generations addicted to progressive rock) and is truly extraordinary from start to finish. The dumbbell who managed John Tout (keyboards, vocals), Annie Haslam (lead vocals ), Jon Camp (bass, pedals, vocals), Terrence Sullivan (drums, percussion, vocals) and Michael Dunford (acoustic guitar, vocals), managed to this one of those that are unique and essential discs, valued for their fabulous design and implementation . Instead of using electric guitar or electric keyboard , this work goes down the more symphonic side and also with the participation of the London Symphony Orchestra , giving much originality and great instrumentation. There are very good orchestral arrangements that are perfectly matched with the smooth voice of Annie Haslam feature in fact goes far beyond the common progressive rock , standing even among the albums of the 70's that were the golden age of the genre.
An album where you can hear tales beautifully told Scheherezade King Shahriar, supposedly compiled by the Arab writer Abu abd -Allah Muhammed el Gahshigar became the Western tradition in the early eighteenth century, with all her adulteries and murders properly filtered by European translators.
Definitely an album of delicate melodies , tender arrangements, perfect voices, harmonious music and amazing ... a legend epic prog rock .

Renaissance-Turn Of The Cards (1974)

After Renaissance's 1971 album "Illusion", several founding members, including Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, left the band to pursue other projects. Relf would go on to found Steamhammer, and McCarty to form Shoot. The group then reformed with Annie Haslam on lead vocals, Michael Dunford on acoustic guitars, John Tout on keyboards, Jon Cap on bass, and Terence Sullivan on drums. With this lineup, they released "Turn of the Cards" in 1974, an album that confirmed Renaissance's stylistic maturity. Tracks like the expansive "Running Hard" showcase a Renaissance formula with more orchestral arrangements and elegant sounds, but above all, it highlights the voice of Annie Haslam, one of the most important female vocalists in the history of British progressive rock. The powerful melodic lines of "Cold Is Being" and "Mother Russia", the latter an undisputed classic for the band, are a clear example of their musicality, achieving perfect cohesion with Tout's keyboard work, Dansford's guitar style, and Haslam's refined vocals. Meanwhile, the tense "Black Flame" and the lyrical "Things I Don't Understand" conclude an unforgettable album that would serve as a prelude to their magnum opus, the following "Scheherazade and Other Stories" (1975).