ASHES ARE BURNING

After a long weekend of festival fun and madness at Boomtown Fair, where there was as much progressive rock to be found as in Justin Bieber's phlegm, a return to the world of prog with a lesser known 70s classic was much welcomed.

Renaissance originally started in 1969 as a prog reincarnation of the Yardbirds following the departures of guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton (who by the way was, and probably still is, a fascist). By the time of this release, the band was completely unrecognisable in its lineup, yet retained the blend of classical and prog of the first few albums.

However it was only from 1972 till 1977 that Renaissance really made their mark on British rock and saw them release some of the best albums of the genre. This classic period for the band was in no small part linked to Michael Dunford"s compositions and Annie Haslam's arrival. One of the few prog-rock babes perhaps alongside Stacia Blake the naked Hawkwind dancer, her voice is undoubtedly one of the best in serious rock music and shines throughout Ashes Are Burning.

The opening track Can You Understand opens with some impressive piano playing, before introducing a more folk-tinged passage. Because of my extreme aversion to folk I am usually careful to stay clear of the genre, but despite a few samplings of folk Renaissance's progressive/classical formulas and powerful songs override any of the blandness associated with folk. The driving bass provided by Jon Camp is a highlight of this track or indeed the entire album, and will tickle the fancy of any rock fan.

The second track Let It Grow is much less ambitious in its composition but nonetheless remains a beautiful song, with Annie's soprano voice reaching some incredible heights.

Similarly, On The Frontier, is a great tune with many harmonies and twists and turns. Built around a simple structure the song retains the classical influences for which Renaissance are so famed.

Carpet Of The Sun is a short song heavily reliant on Annie's always impressive range, backed with a beautiful melodic string arrangement.It serves well as an introduction to the strong penultimate track, but despite the catchy nature of the tune, listeners are not advised to try and mimic the window-shattering vocal range!

Classical music buffs may recognise the beginning of 'At The Harbour' from Debussy's La Cathédrale engloutie, but importantly the track is not dominated by this extract and weaves in and out of it at ease.

I could write at length on the incredible track Ashes Are Burning, which clocking in at 11+ minutes is truly one of Renaissance's symphonic epics, yet I still wouldn't do the track the justice it deserves. Starting with ambiental soundscapes and a soft introductory acoustic passage, it is testament to the quality of Renaissance that some of the most rocking few minutes are backed by fast harpsichord work and organ playing. The obvious baroque influences give way to a rare guitar solo provided by Andy Powell of heavy-prog masters Wishbone Ash. Although many prefer the live version of this track (heard on Live At Carnegie Hall) for its extensive free instrumental passages, the album version is perhaps more coherent.

In all, Ashes Are Burning is an album perfect for all those approaching Renaissance for the first time and is not overly classical- which may or may not be a good thing. Although Renaissance embody many of the traits for which prog is criticised, such as pomposity, grandiose lyricism and self-indulgence, there is an undeniable and breathtaking beauty in their symphonic prog-rock of this album. Undoubtedly it does not reach the dizzying heights of Songs of Scheherazade, a personal favourite of mine, yet this is a great album from a criminally underrated band.

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