SONGS FROM RENAISSANCE DAYS

Songs From Renaissance Days is a compilation of unreleased outtakes and demos that the band had recorded around the time of the Camera Camera and Time Line album sessions. Except for a couple of songs, there was good reason not include these songs on the afore noted albums. They simply are not up to snuff as either new wave prog or straight pop songs. But this compilation does give one the ability to see clearly the two diametrically opposed musical avenues the group was deciding in the wake of poor sales of the Camera Camera album that was just released in 1981.

Dream Maker is a gorgeous emotive song that features some of Jon Camp's best lyrics that were placed together with Michael Dunford's hypnotic melody. Annie Haslam shines on this track but it would be only one the few where she does.

Africa and You are outtakes and demos, respectively, from the Camera Camera sessions and are good for a look at other musical ideas the band were playing with at that time. Unfortunately, these are failed experiments that involved tribal rhythms and chanting in a faux tribal language in the case of Africa, and long almost repetitive musical passages in the case of You.

This compilation also features two solo demos from Annie that are a stiffy electric slowed down version of the band's UK hit Northern Lights ,and the last song ever co-written by lyricist Betty Thatcher and Dunford for the band to record as a Renaissance album track titled No Beginning No End. No Beginning No End features another gorgeous Dunford melody and it is surprising that the song was not resurrected during any of the band's recent re-incarnations.

Only When I Laugh and The Body Machine are slick synth pop songs that are pleasant mostly due to Haslam's emotive vocals. Writer's Wronged is a song that doesn't know if it wants to be prog, pop or jazz and probably illustrates the confusion in musical direction that the band were experiencing at that of its recording.

The band's cover of Paul Simon's America seems redundant in that it was Yes' encore piece during their many US concerts, and the band do little to better Yes' version.

All in all, Songs From Renaissance Days was a postcard to old Renaissance fans that should have never been sent. 2 stars.