ASHES ARE BURNING

This album contains three of my Top 10 Renaissance songs in "Can You Understand" (9:49) (10/10), "At the Harbour" (6:50) (10/10) and the title song, "Ashes Are Burning" (11:24) (9/10). The other songs are only okay. Something about the playing in the title song is a little loose and not as well recorded as it could/should be, but the climax and guest Andy POWELL (WISHBONE ASH)'s guitar solo are awesome! The spaciousness and simplicity of "At the Harbour" have made it probably my favorite Annie Haslam and John Tout song. And what a song to start of an album with in the Russian-tinged "Can You Understand." Jon CAMP's bass play throughout this and "Ashes" amaze and astound me. I find it interesting that Michael Dunford is listed as a guest and not fully in the fold as a full band member. Good thing they let him (back) in: he is amazing and his contributions are key though they are often overlooked. What more can be said about Annie HASLAM that hasn't already been said. And to think that she had no intentions of becoming a rock singer--and had no formal training (at least, that's what I've heard her say). A voice from heaven. All in all Ashes is a very good album--made so by the three amazing songs I've highlighted above--all three of which deserve to belong in the Hall of Fame of Classic Era Progressive Rock Songs.