ASHES ARE BURNING

Moving to the city and going to college in 1975 introduced me to a lot of new flavors of everything. I was already a fan of Yes, Pink Floyd, and ELP, but there was a lot of prog I'd never even heard of. I was also a fan of female vocalists, especially Joni Mitchell. I was pleased to discover that there were some prog acts with female vocalists, and Renaissance was my first. More specifically, Ashes Are Burning was the first Renaissance record I bought. I love the whole album from start to finish, though I do not listen to it as much as I used to. I saw Renaissance for the first time in '76 or so, when they were touring with Al DiMeola. Not a good matchup really, but I enjoyed both shows. Annie Haslam, barefoot in a long flowing dress, looked beautiful and sang beautifully. 4* Excellent addition to any music collection.