NOVELLA

This album is probably the peak of the 'classical' era of Renaissance. Just six songs on the album. They all flow into each other quite nicely. It is quite different listening to it on CD. I suspect that the formatting was intended for the vinyl LP where one has to turn over the record after the third song. I notice that Jon Camp (Bass Guitar, Bass pedals, etc.) was credited with lyric (& music?) writing. The lyrics definintely show a change from Betty Thatcher Newsinger. I recommend listening to the whole album all the way through.

I wonder if anyone has noticed that on "The Sisters" Jon was playing a double bass for the first half of the song? I only noticed this on the CD with headphones on. It was quite nice to hear actually. For those of you who enjoy Renaissance I would strongly recommend this album for your collection. For those of you who are new to Renaissance I would not recommend this album as your first purchase. The musicianship and song construction is top quality with some ARP 2600 synthesizer work tastefully inserted by John Tout. The Moog Tarus Bass pedals are quite good too (Jon Camp). Their is more vocal backup by Jon Camp which I feel is better than the previous albums.

From "Ashes are Burning" to "Novella" would define the Mark II lineup of the band. The strong influence of Baroque/Folk/Jazz styles comes out promiently. It is quite enjoyable! This is a highly recommended choice for those who know Renaissance.