A Song For All Seasons

Day Of The Dreamer - love Tout's synth solo over the 7/8 rhythm, Camp's bass, and the exquisite mellow mid-section which makes my eyes tear up. Just an outstanding track on a very strong album.

A Song For All Seasons The last of their truly epic high drama pomp/symphonic prog rock as well as the last prog song on their last great prog album. At last.

Edited by SteveG - July 29 2014 at 15:12

Both great songs. Voted for A Song For All Seasons, but Dreamer has more progressive qualities. 

Dislike/hatred, pretty strong words.  I think it's just that people have a pre conceived bias against late 1970s albums, especially those released by the biggies.  I mean, not that they automatically assume anything from late 70s has to be bad (though some seem to) but they think the real booty has to be in the early 70s/mid 70s albums.  I don't think that is necessarily the case for ALL bands and Renaissance did take some time to find their feet and settle down.  So those who believe there's nothing beyond Ashes/Cards worth checking out are missing out, period.  

Well, in the case of those three bands, there was a perceptible drop in quality compared to the masterpieces they produced earlier in their career.  But what people forget is those bands were from the first wave of prog.  Now Renaissance may have debuted in 1969 but that was a different band from MKII which only debuted in 1972.  Just as it took time for Yes to get from the debut s/t to the Fragile/CTTE level, it took time for Renaissance also to get going.  And like many other second wave bands, they peaked earlier and did not get beyond a particular level.  

Edited by rogerthat - July 29 2014 at 04:23

Tom Ozric wrote: Don't understand the dislike, even hatred, towards the albums after this great one

My saying that A Song for all Seasons was the band's last true prog album doesn't mean that I dislike Azure D'or or Camera Camera as I think these two albums are great in a folk rock way with Azure D'or and an in an eighties keyboard sounding way with a new wave twist in Annie's vocals on Camera Camera, which I felt was the right way to go in the eighties in order for 70's prog acts to stay alive. Gosling's synths sounded thick and cheesy at the time and still do now but the album has great highlights like the title track and Ukraine Ways. I realized at the time what this group was up against and I think they gave it their best shot to sound somewhat like themselves and also modern, so my hat was off too them. Unfortunately the Time Line album that followed was entirely pop and appealed to nobody so their time was done but at least I was treated to a few good parting shots from one of my favorite bands. I even liked the Tuscany album and the new Grandine Il Vento. I hope this post puts the smile back on your face Tom.

Edited by SteveG - July 29 2014 at 15:20

fudgenuts64 wrote:  Azure D'or is really good, bits of Camera Camera are pretty good too but the album as a whole is sorta meh.

I'm a bit older than you, naturally, so I may see Camera Camera in a different light and give it more leeway as the transition period between the late seventies and early eighties was incredibly tough and awkward for all 70's prog acts and that's why I feel that they gave it a good shot where others failed worse or went into a too easy pop/prog mode but I respect your feelings about the album as many things in the music are awkward.

Edited by SteveG - July 29 2014 at 16:05

They could never really adapt to a set up without orchestra; that was the problem Azure D' Or and onwards.  It's strange because in their early albums, there were songs built around just guitar and/or piano, including some of their best tracks like Things I Don't Understand and Trip to the Fair.  And in most concerts even in the 70s, they were performing dense material like Mother Russia without an orchestra and got by pretty well.  But somewhere they got so dependent on orchestra that when it was taken away from them, their music began to sound kind of flat and lacklustre.  Frankly, I think the problem persists even on the most recent Grandine Il Vento.  They are able to reproduce the orchestral layers in their old compositions very well with modern keyboards now, but they haven't yet (will they ever?) figured out how to adapt keyboards to imitate that orchestral effect in a way that evokes their quintessential lush, rich sound.

^ I like what Gosling did on Camera Camera. And Camp on the bass, what a great style of playing for an 80's album, almost like 'lead bass'.
I even think that Time Line has its moments.

^Jon Camp   +1A

Edited by SteveG - July 30 2014 at 09:22