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Turn of the Cards

 
Album Review: Turn of the Cards
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Turn of the Cards

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  • Artist: Renaissance
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1974
  • Total Time: 40:53
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The third album by this incarnation of Renaissance was a match for their previous success, Ashes Are Burning, with equally impressive performances and songwriting and a few new musical twists added. The songs here fit more easily into a rock vein, and the prior album's folk influences are gone. Turn of the Cards rocks a bit harder, albeit always in a progressive rock manner, and Jon Camp's bass and Terence Sullivan's drums are both harder and heavier here, the bass (the group's only amplified instrument) in particular much more forward in the mix. This change works in giving the band a harder sound that leaves room for Jimmy Horowitz's orchestral accompaniments, which are somewhat more prominent than those of Richard Hewson on the prior album, with the horns and strings, in particular, more exposed. Annie Haslam is in excellent voice throughout, and finds ideal accompaniment in Michael Dunford's acoustic guitar and John Tout's piano. The writing team of Dunford and Betty Thatcher also adds some new wrinkles to the group's range -- in addition to progressive rock ballads like "I Think of You," they delivered "Black Flame," a great dramatic canvas for Haslam and Tout, in particular; and "Mother Russia" is a surprising (and effective) move into topical songwriting, dealing with the plight of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and other victims of Soviet repression (you had to be there in the 1970s to realize what a burning issue this was). And then there were the soaring, pounding group virtuoso numbers like "Things I Don't Understand," which managed to hold audience interest across nine or ten minutes of running time. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Running Hard (Lyrics) Michael Dunford, Betty Thatcher Renaissance (9:36)
I Think of You (Lyrics) Michael Dunford, Betty Thatcher Renaissance (3:08)
Things I Don't Understand Betty Thatcher, Michael Dunford Renaissance (9:28)
Black Flame (Lyrics) Michael Dunford, Betty Thatcher Renaissance (6:25)
Cold Is Being Betty Thatcher, Michael Dunford Renaissance (3:02)
Mother Russia Betty Thatcher, Michael Dunford Renaissance (9:18)

Credits

John Camp (Guitar (Bass)), Betty Thatcher Newsinger (Composer), Mike Pela (Assistant Engineer), John Camp (Vocals), Jeffrey Lesser (Engineer), Annie Haslam (Guitar (Bass)), Michael Dunford (Guitar), Terence Sullivan (Percussion), Jim McCarty (?), Annie Haslam (Vocals), Jimmy Horowitz (Orchestral Arrangements), Dick Plant (Producer), Keith Relf (?), Michael Dunford (Vocals), Jon Camp (Guitar), Jon Camp (Bass), John Tout (Vocals), Terence Sullivan (Drums), Michael Dunford (Guitar (Acoustic)), Renaissance (Producer), Dick Plant (Engineer), John Tout (Keyboards), Richard Gottehrer (Producer), Jon Camp (Vocals), Annie Haslam (Percussion), Renaissance (Arranger), Terence Sullivan (Vocals)
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Wikipedia: Turn of the Cards
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Turn Of The Cards
Studio album by Renaissance
Released 1974
Recorded 1974
Genre Progressive rock
Length 40:55
Label BTM Records (UK)
Sire Records (US)
Producer Dick Plant
Renaissance
Richard Gottehrer
Professional reviews
Renaissance chronology
Ashes are Burning
(1973)		 Turn Of The Cards
(1974)		 Scheherazade and Other Stories
(1975)

Turn Of The Cards is a 1974 album by progressive rock band Renaissance.

Contents

Information about the album

  • "Things I Don't Understand" was founder member Jim McCarty's last contribution to the band.
  • "Running Hard" quotes a melodic phrase first used in "Mr. Pine" from the Illusion album.
  • "Mother Russia" quotes a melodic phrase from the second movement of "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo.
  • Richard Gottehrer, one of the albums three producers, is still at it-having produced the latest album by The Raveonettes' Lust, Lust, Lust.
  • The music to "Cold Is Being" is taken entirely from a piece by Tomaso Albinoni and, contrary to the album credits, was not actually contributed to by Michael Dunford. It was, however credited in the back notes: "Thanks to Jehan Alain (for the opening piece of RUNNING HARD) and Albinoni for COLD IS BEING." [1]
  • The first BTM UK pressings had an alternate back cover, with a moody close-up portrait of Annie Haslam framed in one of the 'cards'. Later pressings, and in the US, a rather bland picture consistent in style and size with the other members portraits were added.
  • Some credits on the original album were later inexplicably cropped: "Many thanks to Miles Copeland, Julian, Shirley" had originally read, "Many thanks to Miles Copeland, Julian, Shirley, Richard and Natalie Halem."
  • This was the last Renaissance studio album to include excerpts from existing classical pieces.[2]
  • In the U.K., this was the very first release (BTM 1000) on Miles Copeland's fledgling label, BTM Records (British Talent Managers). In 1977, after releasing a total of 10 albums, including 2 more by Renaissance (BTM 1006: Scheherazade and Other Stories, and a 2 LP, BTM 2001, Live At Carnegie Hall), the label folded due to bankruptcy.[3]
  • The cover picture features Warwick Castle.

Track listing

All songs credited to Dunford/Thatcher except where noted.

  1. "Running Hard" - 9:36
  2. "I Think of You" - 3:08
  3. "Things I Don't Understand" (Dunford/McCarty) - 9:28
  4. "Black Flame" - 6:25
  5. "Cold Is Being" - 3:02
  6. "Mother Russia" - 9:18

Personnel

  • Annie Haslam - lead & backing vocals
  • Jon Camp (listed as "John Camp") - bass, backing vocals
  • John Tout - keyboards, backing vocals
  • Terence Sullivan - drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Michael Dunford - acoustic guitar, backing vocals

References

  1. ^ Turn Of The Cards Lyrics
  2. ^ Liner notes from the Tales Of 1001 Nights compilations
  3. ^ Liner notes from CD reissue.
v • d • e
Renaissance
Annie Haslam · Jon Camp · Michael Dunford · John Tout · Terence Sullivan
Keith Relf · Jim McCarty · Jane Relf · John Hawken · Louis Cennamo
Studio albums
Live albums
Live at Carnegie Hall · Live in Japan 2001: In the Land of the Rising Sun · Mother Russia · Live and Direct · In the Land of the Rising Sun: Live in Concert · British Tour '76 · Dreams & Omens: "Live" at the Tower Theatre

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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