Prologue Music Cd

Renaissance - Prologue

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Prologue      Artist : Renaissance      List Price : $19.98 USD        Your Price : $19.98 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 1995-06-20      Studio : Repertoire      Label : Repertoire      Avg. Customer Rating : (6 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Prologue      Melodic, enchanting, gorgeous!      Rating:      Renaissance is the rare progressive rock band that sounds just as good some 35+ years after its heyday ... but then, Renaissance was never the typical prog rock band. By concentrating on strong & catchy songs as the foundation of their often lengthy tracks, there was never a sense of filler or mindless jamming for jamming's sake. No, before all else, these were songs that immediately stuck in your memory, songs that you could sing yourself -- though with nothing near the soaring beauty of Annie Haslam's incredible voice! The music always came first with Renaissance. Even the extended high concepts of individual songs & entire albums were relatively simple -- no esoteric explanations of the universe, no grandiose ambitions. Lyrically they took a "less is more" approach, reminiscent of the best short poems of the English Romantics, and that paid off every time for them. Just listen to the standout track, "Sounds of the Sea." The words are notable for their clarity & pure simplicity ... but coupled with the sweeping melody of the piano, and carried into cold, salt-tinged expanse of endless blue sky by Annie Haslam's pure vocals, the song possesses a heartbreaking richness that other prog bands could only dream about. Even on a more experimental track like "Rajah Khan," they trust the music to convey the ethereal, droning, vaguely Eastern tone -- as another reviewer so aptly noted, very much like Coleridge. It isn't trying to impress you with its evocation of a mystical journey; it simply lets you feel that for yourself. Rather than lecturing to the listener, it opens itself up & invites the listener in. And then there are shorter pieces, such as "Bound for Infinity." Again, here's a song that can use a word like "infinity" without sounding the least bit pretentious. If anything, it's almost matter-of-fact! And because of that, it's convincing in a way that similar songs by other bands could never be. Renaissance would go on to make several wonderful albums before the changing times shunted them aside. But this is where the magic really begins for them. Even if the idea of progressive rock in general puts you off, this is really something quite different. Give it a try -- most highly recommended!     Customer Reviews for Prologue Cd      I would wait before buying this...      Rating:      Repertoire Records, of Gemany have remastered, in STUNNING sound, AAB, TOTC and SAOS in 2006. (REP 5078, 5079, 5080) I m certain this will get the same deluxe treatment soon, listed as REP 50 or 51xx, 2007. They come in a LP mini sleeve with a very nice insert. No FBI logo, no UPC code on cover-they put love into the above listed remasterings, and instead used a sticker on the outer cellophane wrapper instead. Editorial Reviews for Prologue Audio Cd      Album Details      First Album to Be Released in the 70's with Annie Haslam.