SCHEHERAZADE AND OTHER STORIES

While not quite my favorite offering from Renaissance, I have to concede that contained in this four-opus affair are some of my most cherished moments from the group. The shortest three songs (one of which is still quite lengthy) are quite enjoyable, full of memorable melodies, bright piano, dutiful bass, competent drumming, and soaring vocals from one of progressive rock's most talent female vocalists. The titular epic has excellent moments but also yields a few dull ones, as though the wearisome piece is meandering through the Persian desert in search of the next oasis.

"Trip to the Fair" I tend to consider John Tout as one of the great overlooked progressive rock pianists of the 1970s. One thing that's always impressed me is how compatible his classically-inspired piano is with Jon Camp's dynamic bass playing. Annie Haslam's rendering of the melody and lyrics of this whimsical, wandering song is such that I can't imagine it any other way. After the first vocal segment, the band delights with a jazzy excursion.

"The Vultures Fly High" While relatively brief, I think this hastily-paced song is one of my favorite from Renaissance, because the melody and performance of the chorus is excellent.

"Ocean Gypsy" Renaissance offers a hauntingly beautiful melody, again backed up by light piano and acoustic guitar. The piano is graceful as ever, with some light organ, chunky bass, and inspired drumming adding to the work.

"Song of Scheherazade" The side-long centerpiece of this album is in nine-parts and is based on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's 1888 symphonic suite, which in turn is based on the Arabic Kitāb 'alf layla wa-layla, or One Thousand and One Nights. It opens majestically, bolstered by numerous flourishes from the London Symphony Orchestra. A gentle masculine voice offers the lyrics, providing a pleasant contrast to Haslam's soprano soaring the background. Delicate piano allows a soothing respite to the mellow yet more forceful vocal sections. The rest of the piece is very orchestral, moving quite suddenly between loud and soft passages. As a whole, it is a nomadic piece and my least favorite on the album to be quite honest, yet it still radiates grandeur.