Song for All Seasons

Renaissance

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1978
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• ASIN: B00005A48J
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,383 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Originally released in 1978, this is the U.S. CD debut with the original album cover artwork. 8 tracks including, 'Opening Out', 'Closer Than Yesterday' and 'She Is Love'. Standardjewel case. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last great Renaissance album sure holds up today, May 25, 2002

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This 1978 album by the British progressive (nee classical) rock Renaissance represents some major changes that probably explain in part why I consider this the last really good album by the group. There are eight tracks on the album, a radical departure for a group that had averaged only five tracks per album on its previous three, understandable since the hallmark of Renaissance was always their length set pieces. On "Song For All Seasons" only the title track really qualifies as such. The group also regresses somewhat, reintroducing electric guitars as well as synthesizers into the production mix and actually hiring an outside producer to work on the album (David Hentschel had produced the early work of Elton John).

There are two tracks that make this album worth owning. The first is "Northern Lights," a "single" that represented the group's biggest success in terms of radio play in Britain and their most popular "short" song since "Carpet of the Sun." The song is marked by a final chorus wherein Annie Haslam harmonizes with herself, a sound of which I never get tired of hearing. Similarly the title song, which closes the album, concludes with Haslam's soaring voice holding strong against the thunderous final rush of the orchestra. It is perhaps Renaissance's most symphonic song and if the orchestrations seem somewhat different from previous Renaissance efforts and yet somehow hauntingly familiar, it may well be because they were done by Louis Clark, who did similar work for the Electric Light Orchestra before losing his soul and doing the infamous "Hooked on Classics" albums.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They turned to pop:instead theTITLETRACK+other pianostuff.., December 6, 2002

By	Lethe "lor68" (Milan, Italy) - See all my reviews

Well this was a controversial album as for the presence of a couple of pop hits (tasteful at least anyway), but the rest is more symphonic oriented and it can create a magical atmosphere, sometimes melancholic, but tasteful, above all by means of the fantastic voice and interpretation of Annie Haslam ... besides the TITLE TRACK is one of the finest prog efforts of all time, this jewel being enormous!!! There are also pieces of music art at the piano and touching/sensible stuff too ("Opening out" is a typical example) ...this work stands in the same place and it's almost equal to "Turn of the cards", "Scheherazade" ,"Ashes are burning" (the same consideration I have to do for almost the whole stuff by "Novella")

Highly recommended to all the people with good taste !!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not having heard this for over twenty years..., January 26, 2002

By	"thebigj" (Ilford, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I had forgotten just how good Renaissance were.

I had some albums on vinal and was really after the "Northern Lights" track when I purchased this album.

However all the tracks are strong and the music, production and vocals are all first class.Annie Haslam has one of the great voices and it is put to full advantage on this album.

It does not matter what you call this,"pop", "folk-rock" etc.

The current obsession with a category for all music is not that healthy for all sorts of reasons.
Just accept this is a graet album and enjoy it!!