Customer Reviews

Novella

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As often as I've tried to sum up the sound of Renaissance, the above description is the simplest I can give. Their classical influences manifest themselves in lush, elaborate orchestral arrangements. Their melodic sensibility covers the range between haunting and serene. The complexity of their compositions could give Yes a run for their money. The lyrics are poetry as well-written as that of Leonard Cohen.. and of course, it doesn't hurt that Annie Haslam has the most gorgeous singing voice on this planet. Though the first Renaissance album with this lineup (Prologue) and its last two (Camera Camera and Time Line) are mired by their weak spots, it's hard to find serious fault with any of their releases in between. Novella is the next-to-last in their string of near-perfect albums, and it's got plenty to recommend it. "Can You Hear Me" is a captivating 14-minute journey flitting through night-lit city streets, its strings setting just the right note of alienation. "Touching Once" combines slow moody verses with a beautifully soaring chorus, tossing in a little free jazz along the way. Perhaps the most beautiful highlight is the simple "Captive Heart," a romantic lyric carried with lovely alternating vocal harmonies and a dreamy piano. (I actually prefer Annie's solo version on Under Brazilian Skies, but I'm only nitpicking here.)

This music combines classical stylings with prog's technical skill while remaining true to both. I'll just mention that although this group is often labeled as progressive rock, they can make early Genesis sound hard-rocking by comparison (hence my title above). As Renaissance fare goes - no pun intended - Novella and the stunning Ashes Are Burning are usually the first ones I recommend to anyone curious. You could look up Tales of 1001 Nights for a compilation, but you'd be missing out on the overlooked gems, such as "Captive Heart," that are just as worthy. This catalogue is too rich just to settle for the highlights.

This 1977 album is a little bit more "rocking" than previous efforts (Scheherezade and other Stories 1975), although it is still very delicate and classically oriented. Unfortunately, following Novella the band started to yield to commercial interests (not to mention losing their way following the dissolution and fragmentation of progressive rock) and their approach was diluted somewhat on the follow-up album Song for all Seasons (1978). Novella however, is a fantastic album and marks the end of the band's creative peak (1973-1977).

The musicians on Novella constitute the classic incarnation of Renaissance and includes the incredible bassist John Camp (Rickenbacker bass; bass pedals; acoustic guitar; vocals); lead alto Annie Haslam; excellent keyboardist John Tout (piano; synthesizers; vocals); Michael Dunford (acoustic guitar; vocals); and Terrence Sullivan (drums; percussion; and vocals). Like a lot of English progressive rock bands, Renaissance was comprised of excellent musicians, with Annie, Jon Camp, and John Tout being the best. Although a lot of folks have complained about Michael Dunford's strummed and picked acoustic guitar parts, I personally appreciate the lack of electric guitar and feel that his approach works perfectly in this context. Besides, Michael contributes some exquisite acoustic textures to the melancholic The Sisters, not to mention a very tasteful solo on the acoustic. Apart from excellent individual playing, there is also some impressive ensemble work on this album.

Musically, this is a very strong album and shows the band going back to the format on albums including Ashes are Burning (1973). That means there is no massive multi-movement suite like Scheherazade and other Stories (1975) on Novella - the tracks range in length from 4'17" to 13'39". In terms of the pieces themselves, they are quintessentially Renaissance: Annie Haslams' delicate and soaring alto; haunting and beautiful melodies (The Sisters); dense ensemble work; Jon Camp's aggressive bass playing (on a trebly Rickenbacker); sweeping symphonic flourishes; sophisticated arrangements; and fantastic vocal harmonies. In short, everything that I love about this band.

This reissue by Wounded Bird Records is OK and features great sound quality and lyrics. There are no helpful tidbits about the band in the liner notes however.

In the final analysis, this is a fantastic album and is certainly their last "full blown" prog album. Very highly recommended along with Ashes are Burning (1973); Turn of the Cards (1974); and Scheherazade and other Stories.

I rated another album of Renaissance, "Ashes are burning" a five star. In this review I will compare the two. So this review is of most benefit to those whom have heard "Ashes are Burning" and/or are deciding between the two albums.

The albums "Novella" and "Ashes are Burning" (AAB) are quite different. Novella uses an orchestra; AAB does not.

I think the strengths of Novella are:
1) Annie Haslam's voice! As hard as it is for me to believe -
she is yet even better than in AAB - where she was fabulous. So many Prog bands really let us down on vocals - Renaissance does not. Annie seems to have more harmonics/ more depth than pure crystal breaking soprano on this album.
2) Well engineered and produced. This is a "fire and forget" album - that is, you do not have to constantly be twiddling with the volumne or boost bass in one section and back off in another. it is better than AAB in that regard.
3) Not a weak track - very consistent.
4) Orchestra is effective - not as effective as the Moody Blues "Days of Future Past" nor Yes' "Magnification" nor any of Rick Wakeman's epics. The band gets a little drowned out by the orchestra.

So why do I personally like AAB better? The title track, "Ashes are Burning" is an awesome Progressive Rock masterpiece. There is nothing like it on Novella. Novella does not rock! The band is overwhelmed by the orchestra - bass lines are subdued. Even the keyboardist/pianoist, John Tout, is really not showcased like he was on AAB. Only in the title "Touching Once" is he highlighted.

If you are looking for more of a rock sound, I reccomend AAB over this one. If you like Haslam's great voice and want an orchestral accompaniment - this is a great album. This is an album that, like mentioned above, you can put on and play and at most adjust to taste once and listen to the whole thing. I think both albums are excellent - my tastes lean towards more of a Yes like sound - Prog that is. So I like AAB better. But this album is pleasent to listen to.

This has been for the last 20 years my all-time favorite album. It just brings me so many memories of my childhood, it really transports me somewhere else. It was my first Renaissance album, so I regard a special place for it in my collection. The arrangements, the angelical-but-powerful voice of Annie Haslam and the incredible music makes this a must-have. There's absolutely no music today that has such strength, creativity and musicality.
Every time I listen to Novella, I find something new, some hidden detail. I disagree with some reviews that make sound this record as a 2nd class one. The orchestral arrangements sometimes eclipse the band, but who cares? You must listen the music as a whole.

Renaissance's 1977 album "Novella" represents some rather interesting changes in the career of the British progressive (nee classical) rock group in the wake of their most ambitious effort with the Scheherazade cantata. This album is clearly there most collaborative effort. "Midas Man" is the only song on the album by Michael Dunford and Betty Thatcher, the pair who usually wrote everything except one song on the group's albums. Dunford teamed up with Jon Camp to write "The Captive Heart" and "Touching Once (Is So Hard To Keep)," with Thatcher and keyboard player John Tout on "The Sisters," and Dunford, Thatcher and Camp worked together for the 14-minute "Can You Hear Me?" that opens the album. Again, a much more collaborative effort from the group.

For me the high points of the album involve the glorious singing voice of Annie Haslam. I love hearing her harmonize with herself in "The Captive Heart," while the closing of "Touching Once..." gives the singer another one of those awesome high notes she powers through from time to time. That particular piece is also interesting because it represents so many diverse musical styles, from the band's traditional fascination with Russian composers to the incorporation of jazz. The orchestrations by Richard Hewson are centrainly another step closer to the classical tradition than on previous albums, but are impressively integrated into the band's music. Again, Renaissance kept producing lengthy works that would make their music impossible to get into rotation on the radio but keep their hardcore following happy and content. Plus, there is just something classy about the cover art that seem so perfectly suited to the group and its music

My favourite albums by Renaissance are "Turn of the cards" and "Scheherazade", but I regard also "NOVELLA" and "Ashes are burning" as memorable and very close to that grandeur too, !!

The start of Novella is simply superb and incredible, as for the fantastic crescendo in dynamics and its musicality too ... the clear voice of Annie and the superb orchestration complete this magical "fairy-tale"..."The second track is a bit inferior, but it could be a right interlude before playing the classic "Midas Man" and the amazing "Captive heart" as well, whose sensibility and romanticism too, make this CD well worth checking out. The last track is a fantastic piece of music-art once again, by means of the support of the other musicians, in a magical progressive interplay, sometimes more jazzy.

Despite of a few weak moments, this CD is highly recommended!!

Although I don't have the "classical background" (or maybe, so they think) that the other reviewers seem to have, I can tell you without a doubt that this album would please virtually ALL WHO LISTEN... Music like this, written with such incredible creativity and performed with even more skill, is almost certain to never be heard again. It is truly a masterpiece. I must admit that at this writing, I have not listened to any other Renaissance than that on Tales and Novella, but I need to obviously GET WITH THE PROGRAM and buy the other albums I don't have. I first heard this album in like 1984 over at a friend's house and I was hooked... Unbelievably beautiful melodies. Absolutely stunning vocals from Ms. Haslam. The woman is truly possessed. I bought her first solo album and (of course) was disappointed. Wrong music (late 80's/early 90's pop) for her voice. Nothing like what Renaissance achieved on albums like this. I was just getting on Amazon tonight to "catch up" on the band and see if there were any other people into them and Wow! Found that Novella was FINALLY available on CD. Great. Was just about to try to interface my turntable with the computer so I could dig out my Novella LP and try to burn it to CD. Glad I don't have to do that any more...
JUST LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM. It rocks.

This album, while good, marked the gradual decline of RENAISSANCE.

A change from the prog indie BTM label to WARNER BROS may have signalled this. I like it but only better than A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS, which is the last RENAISSANCE album I can stand to listen to-after that-rubbish.

You would be well advised to seek out the German Warner Bros CD, as it is sonically superior to the Wounded Bird disc (word is is that it IS NOT remastered-as stated) and further, you get a much nicer cover on the German disc-the SIRE US cover was rather pathetic and ghoulish.

This was Renaissance's masterpiece. After a truly great live album, "Live At Carnegie Hall", perhaps the best live album ever by a rock group, they followed it with this dark-humored, but nonetheless beautiful album with such haunting songs as "Midas Man", "Can You Hear Me Call Your Name" and "Touching Once Is So Hard To Keep". Twenty seven years after its release, I STILL can't get anough of "Midas Man" and "Can You Hear Me"! Halsam's voice and the gorgeous orchestrations on this album really should have cemented the group's national popularity, but for some reason, they were only big in the Northeastern Seaboard, specifically Philadelphia and New York. After hearing this album, you'll also wonder why!

You may be wondering if this release is a significant audio upgrade. If that's been holding you back from buying this remastered edition don't worry, the answer is yes.

As for the content, people have differing opinions. I happen to think it is one of their best. Listen to it and decide for yourself.

The only bone i have to pick with this reissue is that the original ABC/Sire artwork was used instead of the WB/Sire artwork. I think the original artwork was rather ugly, but that's just my opinion. What really counts is the music, right?