Jana Reacts to Renaissance 'Ashes Are Burning'

[@Rickhorse1]

Renaissance always makes me remember a night in 1975 (I was 22). I got 4 tickets to their Carnegie Hall (NY) concert. When the other couple couldn't go, I dragged my parents along & to my surprise, they LOVED it. My dad died only months after, so that night is stamped on my old memory. :)

[@beds139]

The live version lasts 25 minutes . I first heard it at Uni in the 70s . It blew my mind. Amazing musicianship & of course Annie’s stunning vocals. This fade out version denies hearing Annie’s astonishing finale.

[@samsonau8205]

One of my favorite tunes, especially Live At Carnegie Hall version.

[@andylinton2798]

It's an astonishing performance. And what she does @15:50 is amazing. Her voice often moves me to tears.

[@kfleetwood]

Hi guys! Renaissance is indeed still active, they have a tour coming in Oct. 2022, along with a chamber orchestra. Annie is turning 75, her voice isn’t as smooth but she still has a good range. The band is exxcellent.

[@malekmo64]

Andy Powell nailed the solo in one take!!! Amazing guitarist!!! Practices before and after every performance!! It's my favourite all time guitar solo ever, he is superb alongside Ted Turner and Laurie Wisefield in the 70s line-up of WA Argus a must to hear!!!

[@peterf1]

Was lucky to see Renaissance back in the day, and I still have their albums. But the point I want to make most, is what a great couple you guys are. To me you're the heart of what KZbin is: everyday people making content on things that interest them. Keep it going!!

[@malekmo64]

The late Betty Thatcher-Newsinger wrote about it in the 70s about a near death experience, she lived in Cornwall, the band in London, Michael Dunford sent the music to Betty then Betty sent her lyrics back to the band!!! She originally worked with founding drummer Jim McCarty former drummer of The Yardbirds and of course formed Renaissance with vocalist and guitarist Keith Relf, Annie got the vocal position because she sang so beautifully Island originally sung by Keith's sister Jane in the 1969 line-up, obviously as Keith and Jim were with Jimmy Page in the line-up of the last stages of The Yardbirds, then Renaissance and Led Zeppelin are connected via the previous group!!!

[@sethrichardson9974]

I attended at least 7 Renaissance concerts in the 1970s, including one where they opened for Yes (Las Vegas, 1976). Annie is majorly impressive -- she can sing in 5 octaves.

[@markspooner1224]

Great reaction to one of my favourite songs. Normally they don't have a lead guitar being led by Jon Camp's brilliant bass but in this instance they had Andy Powell from Wishbone Ash guesting. Renaissance are indeed still going but are now based in the U.S. instead of England. You are correct, most of their lyrics were written by the late poetess Betty Thatcher. Again, great reaction.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Very cool! Thanks for that info! Glad you enjoyed our reaction!

[@chrisredlich7075]

Continue the renaissance journey....you wont be disappointed.

[@andredeboni7025]

A guitarra no final foi tocada por um ilustre convidado: o Andy Powell, da banda Wishbone Ash. 🇧🇷

[@greenacreshomestead8302]

An updated version of Renaissance is still playing , including the amazing vocalist Annie Halsam

[@Lightmane]

Love this piece. Hope you listen to the live performance at Carnegie Hall. It's something special. Hi Jana 🙂

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎

[@Lightmane]

@@jeffschielka7845 🙂

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Yes, I’ll be looking that one up for sure!

[@Lightmane]

@@NathanOnShuffle You'll love it.

[@janawaitman4592]

Hi!

[@paulrosenberg4227]

Saw them live in Red Rocks. A magical evening. And Annie's voice!

[@joecveteticccvetetic4068]

First heard them15 yr ago..serious addiction!!better than the rest

[@andrewhamer2512]

They're very much still active with Annie on vocals. Geoffrey Langley plays keyboards with them. Have you heard the album by his band The Twenty Committee? Also former band member Jason Hart put out an album under the name I And Thou. I think you would enjoy both of these.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

This is good to hear, I didn't know they were still active. I have not heard of The Twenty Committee, I'll have to look into that. But, I have heard of I And Thou, and if I remember right, I really loved that album at the time. I haven't heard it in a while though, might be time to bring it back out! Thanks!

[@mjneighbor7179]

The poet betty Thatcher who wrote the lyrics said, in a 1985 interview, that the song is about her near death experience which she could not talk about so wrote a song about it. In Annie Haslam's 1997 concert she says she knows angels are real then sings "Summon the Angles". Renaissance lyrics are about deep serious ideas. 1970's was post Vietnam, new thinking.

[@shyshift]

Renaissance was formed in 1969 with Keith Relf lead singer for The Yardbirds along with his sister Jane. They would leave after 2 albums and Annie came aboard for Prologue.

[@alanbrown7412]

Hi Nathan. Hi Jana..Thank you so much for reacting to Renaissance..I am a 64 yr old rock and metal head...but I have always loved Renaissance...a definite favourite band of mine ...( different to my normal bands .. Purple, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Floyd, Free and that's before the prog bands..then Metallica Opeth Dream Theater AIC etc) They are certainly more classical based ..some tracks to check out our Mother Russia, Running Hard, Can You Understand, Ocean Gypsy. The band recorded a Live album at Carnegie Hall...which is absolutely brilliant. I'm so made up that Jana liked this track. Take care, stay safe. Peace and love from Liverpool UK 👍✌️🤘☮️

[@78yestor93]

Renaissance are very classical, I mean Annie with her 5 octave range and Johns classical piano taking the lead. In fact on a lot of their recordings and live they were accompanied by an Orchestra so, this band were in their own genre, Symphonic Rock.

[@IllumeEltanin]

Nathan, if you haven't seen it, see Dr. Doug Helvering's interview with Annie done a couple of weeks ago. I'm also new to Renaissance, and it was cool to hear some stories from the source. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/inS9q6eXqZZ-m7s

[@Lightmane]

Jon Anderson is the male version of Annie Haslam 🙂

[@tobytanzer]

Jon is the male version of Annie.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Jon is the male version of Jon. Jon Anderson THE VOICE. THE MASTER. FOREVER YES!!!🎤🎤🎤

[@Lightmane]

@@jeffschielka7845 Hah. Jon is the male version of Annie and Annie is the male version of Jon. Their voices are kind of similar. If only they had sung together sometimes.

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@Lightmane Duet would be heavenly. 😇😇

[@stevenmcgowan8344]

On the Tales from Yesterday tribute album Annie Haslem teamed up with Steve Howe for Turn of the Century.

[@stephanevilleneuve9450]

If you like the cinematic style of their songs, listen to Mother Russia from them. It’s awesome.

[@PJprog]

For female fronted prog lovers , give Curved Air a go. So good. Loved that. Thank you Jana and Nathan. 😍

[@merrillhess5626]

I always thought their bassist was highly underrated. As much as I like this lineup, my favorite album is by the original lineup, which included former members of The Yardbirds - Jim McCarty and Keith Relf. Keith's sister Jane was the singer. That lineup formed right after Keith left The Yardbirds (the remaining members of which became Led Zeppelin). That lineup's approach was a bit jazzy with snippets of Beethoven and other classical composers mixed in. It was a very experimental and a completely different sound. A bit more jam rock sounding but I love it. They did two albums, then broke up. McCarty put together this lineup. Then the original lineup reformed but could not use the same name, so they called themselves Illusion, after the title of their second Renaissance album. That lineup did two albums and broke up. There was an effort to reform for a third album but lead singer and guitarist Keith Relf died from electocution while practicing guitar in his basement. Following the pattern of their two albums as Renaissance, the the first Illusion album was brilliant while the second was good but inconsistent. All ar well worth a listen. As Renaissance I recommend Kings and Queens or Island. As Illusion, I recommend Beautiful Country (luscious and chilling vocals and refrains), Isadora (excellent), Face of Yesterday (very pretty), or if you want to hard driving progressive rock with jazz elements Solo Flight, or from the Renaissance Illision album (I know it's confusing.) Past Orbits of Dust.

[@shyshift]

Running Hard is my favorite.

[@beds139]

Live At Carnegie Hall is one of the best prog albums ever made.

[@shyshift]

Renaissance just released Ashes Are Burning 50th anniversary blu ray and it’s an absolute video treasure of the current band.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

That sounds great, I'll have to check that out, if it is still available. They are fast becoming one of my favorite Prog bands of the classic era.

[@shyshift]

@@NathanOnShuffle It’s brand new about 2 months old.

[@mikehale6235]

Hey I added 1 more subscription. I'd like to suggest 3 Renaissance selections for your review. First is "Opening Out" and 'Day of the Dreamer' from 1978 Song for all Seasons album. They are separate tracks adjacent on the album (if memory serves); but they almost work together as a theme. Also, an earlier album, Scheherazade and other stories where the song of Scheherazade takes one side of the LP. This can almost be considered semi-classical but received high critical praise when it was published. It might not make a good reaction video due to it's length, but it is definitely worth a listen. Renaissance is really hard to classify to a single genre. A number of their songs lean into jazz also (check out Trip to the Fair from the Scheherazade album). Thanks for your review and keep at it.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Thanks! There will be more Renaissance coming soon!

[@MrRandyv]

They were active 2018

[@sethrichardson9974]

If I was going to be stranded on a desert island, the three bands whose music I would want to take with me are Yes, Renaissance and Focus.

[@tobytanzer]

Running to this song? LOL. Try Running Hard from their next album - Turn of the Cards. Seriously, this band is severely under exposed and underappreciated. You're right about Annie's vocal control and range. Exceptional. Those were the days before Auto tune. My favourite Ren song is the one I am listening to at the moment. It's impossible for me to pick a favourite. Spine tingles and eyes leak for many. Since 1972. Great reaction. Spread the word.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

I’m a fairly big Prog fan and I hadn’t heard of them really until a few years ago- I don’t understand why they aren’t as big as the other Prog bands like Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, etc. My dad introduced me to Prog and I just don’t think this is a band he was aware of. Annie is an amazing singer. Certainly one of the best out there. Glad you enjoyed the reaction!

[@williampeachey6057]

Renaissance wasn't any bigger than they are or were because of they didn't get airplay their songs were all too long to get on the radio all these other groups that you named all had smaller songs that made hit songs on the radio Renaissance never did

[@Grithron2]

Normally no-one mentions that the "burning embers" section is melodically somewhat similar to Mothers by Albert Ayler.

[@Grithron2]

Idea - Not strictly "prog", but I think these folks would dig ALL ABOUT EVE - another irresistible female voice backed up by (in this case) bold guitarwork. I recommend the entire albums Touched By Jesus (don't panic, this sure ain't no gospel) and Scarlet & Other Stories...and also a great deal of their best work was hidden on b-sides, EPs, cassette-only releases and various-artist projects...but that's another story.

[@simonangel871]

Lyrics were by Betty Thatcher, no longer with us sadly😪

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey now! Only 11 more to 1K subs!😎

[@NathanOnShuffle]

So close!

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@NathanOnShuffle 👍

[@stephaniethurmer5370]

You cheated her by not playing the 28 minute live version from the Live At Carnegie Hall album where Annie's voice takes the place of the guitar solo. I am glad she liked it.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Good recommendation! I’m less familiar with their live performances- I tend to stick with studio albums, but I’ll have to seek that out. 👍

[@stephaniethurmer5370]

@@NathanOnShuffle treat yourselves and listen to the entire concert . It even includes Scheherazade plus Mother Russia and so many others. That of course is just my humble opinion. I look forward to seeing how you two feel about the live vs studio renditions of all of their magic.

[@shyshift]

Live at Carnegie Hall is quintessential.

[@Grithron2]

You're probably thinking of the Albert Hall version - Carnegie Hall is Ok, but the Albert Hall version (28 mins as opposed to 20) has the brilliant and - so far as I know - unique section where Annie takes a wordless vocal solo in the first half just before the bass solo section. It's not on KZbin but - adjust your VPN until you get to a country that hosts Gybka...and you'll soon find it

[@shyshift]

@@Grithron2 I own both and I saw Renaissance on the Azure d Ohr tour and Annie signed my ticket stub and hugged me.

[@baconsandwichbaconsandwich727]

you should have used the Carnigie Hall version

[@malekmo64]

Annie has a nodule in her throat and had to cancel her recent Christmas show, hope Annie you get better soon!!! 😔 5 octaves her Opera Teacher told her age 20!!! Sybil Knight was her vocal coach!!!