Top 10 Renaissance Songs

Photo:By Esa Ahola (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Renaissance Songs looks at a favorite band among progressive rock fans in the 1970’s. When listening to this music, it’s unbelievable that the band is not known to music fans under the age of 50. It’s a sad commentary on music education and society in general that artists like Renaissance, who released music of such depth and substance, are too easily forgotten.

The band was first formed in the late 1960s by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty. Relf and McCarty were former members of The Yardbirds. Additional musicians were added, and the band released their first album, entitled Renaissance, in 1969. In 1971, Annie Haslam joined the band. Anni Halsam’s first recording with the band was the group’s third release, entitled Prologue.

From 1969 to 1983, the band released eleven studio albums. There were a few releases in the 2000s, but most of their recorded output stemmed from the 1970s. Their Live at Carnegie Hall album, released in 1976, has been hailed as one of the greatest live albums ever released. The band went through major lineup changes throughout their career.

Every track on this top 10 Renaissance Songs list is so powerful, beautiful, and brilliant. The magnitude of all of these Renaissance Songs makes an argument that the order of the songs listed really is not essential. Whether a track is listed as number six, two, or one is really insignificant. These are all great pieces of music, and our point is just to add another avenue to showcase these great Renaissance Songs.

# 10 – Running Hard

Starting our Top 10 Renaissance Songs List is the live version of the Renaissance song Running Hard. The song was released on the Turn Of The Cards album in 1974. The song “Running Hard” was the album’s opening track. The version below was taken from the excellent live album Renaissance LIVE. The album was recorded at New York’s Carnegie Hall and released in 1976.

# 9 – A Song For All Seasons

The epic musical journey and composition “A Song For All Seasons” was the title track from the band’s A Song For All Seasons album. The LP was released in 1978. It’s impossible to describe this music. The depth of the composition, arrangements, production, and performances on this one is stunning. The fact that we have to endure the pop music of 2018, given society’s history of producing music like this, is hard to bear.

The musical piece “A Song For All Seasons” featured the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece was written by Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, Terence Sullivan, John Tout, and Thatcher. “A Song For All Seasons” was the closing piece on the album.

# 8 – Bonjour Swansong

“Bonjour Swansong” is an outlier in this list of Renaissance songs. The album and music style reflect the musical era in which it was released. The early 1980s were a turning point in music. The industry had not yet erupted into the big-hair band sounds of Bon Jovi. Bands like U2 were emerging on the scene, creating an attractive new sound landscape. There was no orchestra on the Camera Camera LP. This was a different sound for the band, and they still pulled it off brilliantly.

# 7 – Prologue

Prologue was the third album released by the band Renaissance. It was, in essence, a brand new band, as the lineup had dramatically changed from the band’s first two records. It was also the first album to feature Anni Haslam. This is the album’s title track

# 6 – Can You Hear Me

The Renaissance song “Can You Hear Me” was released on the band’s LP Novella. The Novella album was issued in 1977. It was the follow-up album to their successful Live at Carnegie Hall album.

# 5 – Mother Russia

There are many great versions of the classic Renaissance song “Mother Russia.” Choosing which one we wanted to showcase on our top 10 Renaissance songs list was tough. This version is from the Academy of Music CD, recorded in 1974. The original “Mother Russia” track appeared on the Turn of the Cards album, also released in 1974.

# 4 – Song of Scheherazade

Well, if there ever were a Renaissance song we should not call a song, it would be the “Song Of Scheherazade.” Although the band titled the piece with the song in the description, it is, in fact, an epic piece of music. The piece “Song Of Scheherazade” clocked in at 24 minutes and filled up an entire album side. This was 1970s progressive rock music at its best.

# 3 – Northern Lights

The Renaissance song “Northern Lights” was one of the most popular pieces in the band’s catalog. The song was released on the Songs for All Seasons album. It was, in essence, the band’s hit single. The average Renaissance song ran close to 10 minutes in multiple parts, so hit singles were challenging for the band to come by.

# 2 – Can You Understand

The fantastic musical piece “Can You Understand” was released on the band’s Ashes Are Burning album. The Ashes Are Burning album was released in 1973. The composition “Can You Understand” serves as the album’s opening track. Many Renaissance fans, including this one, have claimed the Ashes Are Burning LP as their favorite Renaissance album. The album featured Anni Haslam on lead vocals, Jon Camp on bass and backing vocals, John Tout on keyboards and backing vocals, and Terence Sullivan on drums, percussion, and backing vocals.

# 1 – Carpet of the Sun

Renaissance fans will never forget the soaring melody of the chorus of the classic Renaissance song “Carpet of the Son.” This incredible piece of music perfectly defines the sound of 1970s progressive music, blending classical and rock genres. The song “Carpet of the Sun” opened the second side of our favorite Renaissance album, Ashes Are Burning.

In the end, Renaissance was one of the most unique bands of the progressive rock music era. While Annie Halsam’s vocal delivery lay at the center of the band’s sound, one can not ignore the incredible piano skills of John Tout. Most critics always point to Keith Emerson of ELP and Rick Wakeman of Yes as the classic rock era’s dominant pianist and keyboard player. However, listening to any John Tout performance would convince anyone that he was in the same league as those legends.