LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL

An excellent double-live offering, 'Live At The Carnegie Hall' captures Renaissance at their very peak, playing to a large, enthusiastic audience just a few months before the release of their seminal 'Scheherazade And Other Stories' album in 1975. Featuring the group's classic line-up of Annie Haslam(vocals), Jon Camp(bass), Michael Dunford(guitar), Terry Sullivan(drums) and Jon Tout(keyboards, piano), Renaissance present a virtually faultless set, with Haslam's beautiful five-octave voice and Tout's vibrant keyboards illuminating great tracks such as 'Ocean Gypsy' and 'Mother Russia'. However, it is on the album's second-half that the group truly come alive, with the lengthy 'Ashes Are Burning'(from the album of the same name) topping things off nicely after a sparkling rendition of the 23-minute-long 'Scheherazade' which, once again, proves just how well Renaissance's brand of classically-infused symphonic rock(just imagine Mozart jamming with Italy's PFM) works in the live arena. Possibly their best release, 'Live At The Carnegie Hall' is a hugely-impressive album. Those with a taste for Yes, Greenslade, Rare Bird, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and ELP's calmer moments should be more than satisfied. Fans of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath may not. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010