Customer Reviews

Illusion

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Although "Illusion" is billed as the second album by the original lineup of Renaissance (guitarist/vocalist Keith Relf, his sister Jane on vocals, drummer/vocalist Jim McCarty, bassist Louis Cennamo and keyboardist John Hawken), it's actually more complicated than that. The founding members
did complete the first three songs and "Face of Yesterday". But then the band began to fall apart, with McCarty,
then Keith Relf, and then Cennamo, leaving in rapid succession. But the band had begun to develop a following in Europe, so Hawken made what would turn out to be a key personnel change, guitarist Michael Dunford. Dunford in turn brought in Terry Crowe on male vocals, Neil Korner on bass and Terry Slade on drums. This lineup recorded "Mr. Pine" and hit the road with Jane. However, the original band was still under contract, so while Hawken toured, Keith Relf assembled the rest of the originals (with Cennamo bringing in pianist Don Schinn) to record "Past Orbits of Dust".

With all this internal turmoil, one would expect "Illusion" to be very uneven. As it turns out, though, in many ways, it's a better album than their debut. The band cuts down on the winding jams and concentrates more on melody. Keith's two contributions, "Love is All" and "Love Goes On" are delightfully catchy pop songs, with nice vocal harmonies and rather dated hippy-dippy lyrics, but that's OK.

Jim, on the other hand, sticks more to the original vision of the band -- classical/rock hybrids. "Golden Thread" is a forerunner of what the band would do in the 70's, with an extended piano intro, vocalese by Jane Relf, apocalyptic harmonies. Plus, words by another key addition to the team, lyricist Betty Thatcher. Jim's high, thin lead vocal leaves a lot to be desired. His other contribution, "Face of Yesterday", is a highlight. Hawken's gentle piano compliments Jane Relf's soothing alto lead voice singing a sad lyric of regret.

"Mr. Pine", written by Dunford, is the most sophisticated but least cohesive of the songs. Hawken's harpsichord leads the verses, but then it changes into an extended electric organ jam based on Jehan Alain's piece "Littanies", followed by a folky guitar buildup. Finally, Keith and Jim come up with the 14-minute "Past Orbits of Dust", a space-rocker similar to Pink Floyd songs of the era, with more far our lyrics by Thatcher and nice three part harmonies. Unfortunately, they make the same mistake here as with the first album's "Bullet", with the driving rock trailing off into ambient, directionless noodling on bass and electric piano -- filler, and the album's low point.

Keith's production sounds echoey and distant, which might sound disconcerting to those used to the fuller arrangements of 70's Renaissance. Still, it will appeal to people who like melodic progressive rock, with Jane Relf's vocals worth the price. By the time this was released in 1971,(in Germany only!),she and Hawken had also left. They, and the new Renaissance, would move on to bigger things. For those interested in the band's roots, "Illusion" is probably a more accessible introduction than the first album. New fans, though, should try the fourth album, "Ashes are Burning" before working their way backwards to here.

1971's Illusion was originally only released in Germany and unobtainable for many years. This album is by the FIRST Renaissance lineup, founded by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty (ex-Yardbirds) and featuring his sister Jane on vocals. Less accomplished than the later masterpieces produced by the Annie Haslam led incarnation, this is still an interesting archive item. It has a much more folky and dreamlike atmosphere than the first Renaissance album. Jane's voice has become a little stronger and she harmonizes well with her brother on the opening cut "Love Goes On". John Hawken (who later joined the Strawbs) plays some beautiful piano on "Golden Thread" which is a nice amalgam of folk and classical music with delicate vocals from Keith, quite different from his Yardbirds days. This preludes the vocal style he would use later on the classic Armageddon track "Silver Tightrope". The masterpiece of this album is the sedate and wistful "Face of Yesterday", with more lovely piano and Jane's vocals at their best. This song was also later performed by Illusion (an almost complete reformation of this original Renaissance lineup) in 1977, after Keith had sadly passed away. The long, meandering "Orbits of Dust" features some great electric piano, jazzy percussion and a more psychedelic vibe. Michael Dunford performs on "Mr. Pine", a song he wrote. When the band dissolved, he was left to carry on the name and recruited Annie Haslam and the other musicians who were to form the definitive lineup. "Illusion" has several moments of great musical virtuosity and atmospheric strength. Fans of either RENAISSANCE lineup and of the later band ILLUSION should enjoy this.

THIS FEATURES THE ORIGINAL LINE UP.IT WAS ONLY RELEASED IN GERMANY.THIS IS MORE FOLKY THAN THE FIRST ALBUM.LOVE GOES ON IS A CATCHY SONG WITH NICE HARMONIES BY KEITH AND JANE.JANES VOCALS ON FACE OF YESTERDAY ARE MAGNIFICENT.ALSO VERY GOOD VOCALS BY KEITH ON LOVE IS ALL,THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRACKS.PAST ORBITS OF DUST IS A LONG TRACK WITH A PSYCHEDELIC SOUND AND ECHOEY VOCALS FROM JANE.MR.PINE IS A VERY GOOD SONG THAT FEATURES HARPSICHORD BY JOHN HAWKEN.KEITH ISNT ON THIS TRACK.FANS OF RENAISSANCE AND ILLUSION WILL ENJOY THIS CD,I DO.

As a longtime Renaissance fan, I didn't even know this album existed until I stumbled across a badly taken care of UK LP copy in a used record store. I didn't know that there were Renaissance lineups where some members of Mark I & Mark II (the mutually exclusive lineups of 1969-70 & 1972-80) played together. I didn't know that most Mark I members were not directly replaced by their Mark II counterparts, but by transitional members (of which some lasted longer than the originals did).

Most of this album was made by Mark I before it fell apart, but it also features the only released music from the turbulent "lost" period (1970-72) between Mark I & Mark II. The rather un-Renaissance-like "Mr. Pine" features Mark I members John Hawken & Jane Relf, Mark II member Mick Dunford (himself technically a transitional member prior to his return in 1973), and transitional members Neil Korner (previously of the New Vaudeville Band), Terry Crowe & Terry Slade. "Past Orbits Of Dust" was recorded around the same time, mostly by departed Mark I members reuiniting to finish the album. Like most Mark II albums, but unlike the one fully Mark I album, ILLUSION has some lyrics by poetess Betty Thatcher.

Besides its historical significance, this is overall a better album than Renaissance's 1969 debut. "Love Goes On" is a nice bit of post-`60s pop. "Golden Thread" (brought down a little by Jim McCarty's shaky lead vocal - his only full lead with the band) points forward to what the band would be doing later in the `70s. The almost 15-minute "Past Orbits Of Dust" may be overextended filler, but it's a good song in its own right; think of it as "Renaissance meets Traffic."

The indisputable highlight here, though, is "Face Of Yesterday" (later re-recorded by the Renaissance Mark I reunion band named Illusion after this album). Besides showing (along with other songs here) that Jane Relf has finally come into her own as a vocalist, it is simply a beautiful song -- better, in fact, than most of what Renaissance ever did before or since. Where did the drummer for the Yardbirds learn to write like this?

A must for Renaissance fans.

ONE OF ILLUSION'S BEST ALBUMS, EVERY TRACK IS GREAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AWESOME SHM AUDIO FORMAT. MUST HAVE FOR ANY CD COLLECTION, BUT DON'T PAY THESE RIDICULOUS OVER-INFLATED PRICES, I BOUGHT MINE FROM THE MUSIC SPECIALIST ON E BAY, THEY ALSO HAVE A STORE IN GEMM, ANTEATERMUSIC. SAVE YOURSELF A TON OF CASH.

CHEERS!

i recommend Renaisanne illusuion if you liked the later classic Renaissance or the first original Renassiance lp by this band or the spin off Illusion. However be warned the song samples are not from that CD. I have the CD! Also look at the song list given on the CD photo back it shows a different set of songs.

Before acquiring the classic lineup of vocalist Annie Haslam, keyboardist John Tout, bass guitarist Jon Camp, guitarist Michael Dunford and drummer Terrence Sullivan, Renaissance existed as a completely different band that was gradually changed by the replacement of all five members during and after the period following the recording and release of "Illusion". (To confuse matters, "Illusion" was also the name of the band Jane Relf formed after leaving Renaissance).

Those looking for the unique sound that Renaissance developed in the 1970s will be disappointed by "Illusion". John Hawken, though a highly competent keyboardist, showed none of the amazing skill that Tout displayed right from the beginning on Prologue. More than that, Jane Relf is inaudible during most of the album, with the vocals mainly coming from her brother Keith. It is true, though, that Keith is not nearly so bad a singer as many during the psychedelic era. Whilst he carries "Love Is All" and "Love Goes On" adequately, they are as generic as psychedelia became during the late 1960s. The longer tracks, "Golden Thread" and "Past Orbits of Dust" are much more interesting and feature something much closer to the classic Renaissance grooves. Although it does not sustain its interest, the bit where Jane Relf chants like Lisa Gerrard early in the former song is especially notable. The groove on "Past Orbits of Dust" recalls Can and Popol Vuh at their peak.

"Mr. Pine" is even closer to the dark atmospheres perfected by DCD in the late 1980s and Hawken's harpsichord is really beautiful and at times passionate. The drumming of Terence Slade, too, is very good. "Face of Yesterday" is a dreamy piano pop song that lacks the amazing sensuality of "I Think of You" but is still not bad. One can actually hear Jane Relf through headphones, too.

All in all, though, "Illusion" only shows traces of the masterful band that was one fo the best of the 1970s. If you want to know where not only this band, but also many in the 1980s and 1990s, came from, it is still worth buying.