SCHEHERAZADE AND OTHER STORIES

I. "Trip to the Fair": One of Renaissance's most triumphant albums (and songs) pulls into full gear with amazing grand piano work by John Tout. The influence of a thousand concert pianists, including Rachmaninov, Horowitz, and Rubinstein, all shine out. The first minute is a ragged fanfare of rapidly changing piano music, which adds bass and a slight drumming. Renaissance achieves a rapid accelerando, upon which bizarre sounds of laughter and female harmony vocals are added. A march picks up on the percussion section, leading the listener into another world with the consistently flashy-but-not-too-showy piano work. Acoustic guitar is added as a facilitation of timbre, but only very slightly; it is hardly noticeable, and it works perfectly. Wind chimes pick up a totally new melody after the first three minutes, and Haslam's superbly "distant" vocals set the mood of otherwordliness. A church organ picks up below the subdued bass and drums, which quickly become violent as Haslam's voice rises up into the clouds. The grand piano again reveals itself in the mist, being played perfectly in a jazz/classical combination that suits the wind chimes which accompany it. Odd effects simulating carnival organs start to surface as Haslam goes on about her mind, people laughing at her, and a deserted fairground. It is fairly disconcerting and eerie to listen to, considering the effects used. The song ends on a nice jam from the drums, bass, and piano.

II. "The Vultures Fly High": A tense and martial drum, bass, and piano trio comes out of nowhere, seeming to continue the vein of Shostakovich. Everything picks up once Haslam begins to sing of vindictiveness, money, and revenge. When one really listens to the lyrics, there is some potent societal commentary, adding to the musical effect. Our piano and bass guitar is very well played, adding a tad of funk until very spacey synthesizers enter from Mr. Tout. This is a very powerful piece with a message, and I love every minute of its short beauty.

III. "Ocean Gypsy": This is one of the better pieces in all of Symphonic Prog. There is not one flashy solo as the bass, piano, and especially drums all work together to create a whole. Tout is able to play the background synthesizer (akin to that on the previous track) while Haslam reminisces in a minor key. A very sombre song, it ends up with a powerful groove involving play between the drums and piano. It is hard to say how such a beautiful song is composed, and one is hard pressed to really describe the awe inspired by the piano and voice alone. One must listen to it to get the full effect!

IV. "Scheherazade": The most beautiful Symphonic Prog epic of all time. I believe that this twenty four minute rambling of orchestra, drums, bass, and ESPECIALLY grand piano, is the epitome of the genre. It is hard to truly describe this piece of music, as it is so varied and contains a huge array of instrumentation. Of course, this is an arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade Suite, and everything is really spot on. Haslam's vocal harmonies mix quite well with not-so superb male vocals. There are flutes, string ensembles, celeste, acoustic guitar, and keyboards of a few types. All of the interplay between the orchestra and keyboards is amazing to behold, and it can move one to tears. There is such a wall of sound during the huge fanfare that one might thing a romantic-era symphony or concerto is being played. Once the music slows down, the piano truly comes to the forefront, and Tout outshines Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, and really all other Symphonic Prog pianists. Eventually a beautiful harp, classical guitar, piano, and voice section develops and culminates half-way through the piece. One of the most beautiful crescendos constructs itself, then dies to sounds of crickets...

The second "half" opens with slight pizzicato (!) and distant synthesizer effects. Percussion adds a feeling of symphonic regression, back to the days of Brahms and Liszt... tremolo on the strings heralds something tense in the background. It explodes into an amazing set of piano arpeggios, smashing drum marches, and descending notes on all instruments. The strings are especially prominent, and the brass section rises out of nowhere to herald the return of the fanfare's theme. Once this re-statement of the theme fades away, piano again becomes the central instrument. Everything fades to a flute and piano ensemble, reflecting emerging ambient music as well as classical. Haslam comes back in the powerful new theme, singing of a city bedecked with flowers, food, cheering citizens, and musicians. As the piano, orchestra, and especially vocals reach a massive crescendo bordering on Beethoven-like symphonic power, a person might just be overwhelmed! As stated before, this is the essence of Symphonic Prog, and should be heard by all.

"Scheherazade and Other Stories" is an amazing piece of music, and this reviewer believes all people (at least on Progarchives) should listen to it. The grand piano is of epic proportions, and played more skilfully than many musicians of the mid-1970's could ever hope to match. When a Prog fan finds this, it should be considered a jewel. 5/5!!

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