Reply #42: Renaissance/Annie Haslam [View All]

[carpetbagger]

I've heard it described as "Yes with a female lead singer". They're somewhat different, putting out most of their stuff a bit later, more in line with an Alan Parsons-type sound, but you get the point that I'm splitting hairs to a degree. Around the late 70's the band started to degenerate, with the artistic lead being taken over by different band members, but some of the early stuff is incredible.(e.g. Prologue, Ashes are Burning, Scheherezade, Turn of the Cards. The earliest stuff is an entirely different lineup, consisting of the half of the Yardbirds that were into psychedelia-good stuff, but different)

Here's a few of the 30-sec clips from Amazon.com, that probably best characterize the band's sound from about 1972-78

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000002LKN001005/0/104-2495469-3934335 tracks 5 and 4

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000002LKT001001/0/104-2495469-3934335 track 1