Jasper Wrath grabs you right away with crystal clear vocals and production, and a very melodic and accessible sound. It doesn't get too instrumentally adventurous, but stays very enjoyable throughout with well –crafted songs. "Look to the Sunrise" is an enthusiastic and upbeat opener. "Mysteries (You Can Find Out)" contains some nice guitar and great lyrics about ancient cities. "Autumn" contains some nice flute, which really comes to the fore in the excellent 7-minute "Odyssey" that closes out Side 1 - a very trippy and spacy track.
Side 2 opens with "Did You Know That," and has a very ‘70's good-timey feel. "Drift Through Our Cloud" contains some nice tribal percussion for a change of pace. The five-minute "Portrait: My Lady Angelina" is a beautiful track, and the eight-minute "Roland of Montevere" is a fitting complex and dramatic closer with a very baroque feel. This is a very solid and enjoyable effort by a band that was going places.
by Gary Bearman
Tracks
1. Look to the sunrise (Jeff Cannata, Phil Stoltie) - 2:58
2. Mysteries (you can find out) (Jeff Cannata) - 3:53
3. Autumn (Jeff Cannata, Michael Soldan) - 4:55
4. Odyssey (Jeff Cannata, Phil Stoltie) - 7:09
5. Did you know that (Jasper Wrath, Joey Levine) - 2:57
6. Drift through our cloud (Jasper Wrath, Phil Stoltie) - 3:36
7. Portrait: My Lady Angelina (Jeff Cannata, Michael Soldan) - 5:07
8. Roland of Monteverre (Jeff Cannata, Michael Soldan, Robert Gianotti) - 7:55
Brainchild of ex-Terry Reid members Peter Solley and Keith Webb, Paladin was born to fuse. But even with their wildly eclectic sound -- incorporating Cuban rhythms, jazz, rock, and psychedelia, the quintet aimed at a surprisingly accessible sound, and should have been a commercial monster. Paladin inked a deal with Bronze and released their eponymous debut album in 1971, a set that still quivers with creativity. Recorded live in the studio, the entire album has an immediacy to it, with even the downtempo numbers filled with energy.
The opening "Bad Times" shows they mean business, the Latin rhythms underpinning an organ melody and a rousing chorus Traffic would have ground to a halt for, but before the almost seven-minute song comes to the end, the band bounces into a Santana-esque jam led by the raging, psychedelic, acid-drenched organ, which gets an even bigger workout on the rocking "Fill Up Your Heart," a song which must have been absolutely lethal live. "Dance of the Cobra" slithers through so many genres it's hard to keep track -- Latin, funk, and jazz, for openers, and then guitarist Derek Foley strides in with a fiery solo before Webb launches into an extended big-band drum extravaganza, which he deftly transforms into rock, before the band goes out with a psychedelic flourish.
That number's breathtaking, "Third World" is groundbreaking. It's obviously inspired by the Last Poets, an exuberant drum and percussion piece in a Latin/Afro-beat mode, over which the vocalists chant/rap a series of () - sadly inaccurate) predictions for the years to come, ending with a sashay of jazzy R&B piano. That latter styling predominates across the bluesy, Southern tinged "Carry Me Home," another splendid number aimed straight at arena audiences. "Flying High" soars straight towards the airwaves, a luminescent pop number whose reggae undertones are so subtle they could almost go unnoticed. But there's no mistaking "The Fakir"'s ethnic origins, an exotic slice of Arabesque that swirls around the evocative melody like a dervish. As diverse as it is, Paladin's infectious rhythms and strong melodies pull the album together, and the excitement never lets up.
by Jo-Ann Greene
Tracks
1. Bad Times (Peter Solley) - 6:50
2. Carry Me Home (Pete Beckett, Lou Stonebridge) - 3:23
3. Dance Of The Cobra (Keith Webb) - 7:39
4. Third World (Peter Solley) - 3:54
5. Fill Up Your Heart (Peter Solley) - 5:40
6. Flying High (Peter Solley) - 5:02
7. The Fakir (Lalo Schifrin) - 4:47
The Paladin
*Lou Stonebridge - Vocals, Electric Piano, Harmonica
*Peter Solley - Organ, Violin, Grand Piano
*Keith Webb - Drums, Percussion
*Derek Foley - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals
*Pete Beckett - Bass, Vocals
The early 1970's was a fertile period for the fusion of jazz and rock. Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea along with "The Prince of Darkness" Miles Davis himself were making ground breaking albums. Good God certainly fits that description even though it did not get much attention at the time.
Featuring the keyboards of Cotton Kent along with Zeno Sparkles, guitar and vocals, Greg Scott, saxophones, John Ransome, bass and Hank Ransome drums, this album really cooks with a selection of tracks that still sound fresh almost forty years later.
Mainly instrumental with some vocal accents and one actual song the tight arrangements are inventive and hold your interest after repeated listening. Good God has a sound all their own. Standout tracks include "Glaorna Gavorna", featuring the British tenor man from John Mayall's band Johnny Almond, "King Kong", the Frank Zappa Classic, and a killer version of John McLaughlin's "Dragon Song"
Formed in London in 1969, Help Yourself released four very fine albums which drew heavily on the sound of West Coast outfits like Buffalo Springfield and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
In 1973 they began recording their fifth album. However, these sessions were never completed, the album was never released, and the band split later that year.
That legendary 'lost 5th album' has been highly sought after by collectors ever since.
After the band split, Malcolm Morley joined 'Man', while the rest of his former colleagues teamed up with 'Deke Leonard's Iceberg'.
Eventually, in the winter of 2002, the original Help Yourself band members, augmented by drummer Kevin Spacey, gathered once more to finally complete their fifth album.
Tracks
1. Light Your Way (Malcolm Morley) - 3:49
2. Cowboy Song (Martin Ace) - 6:59
3. Monkey Wrench (Dave Charles, Ken Whaley, Malcolm Morley, Richard Treece, Sean Tyla) - 1:12
4. Romance In A Tin (Malcolm Morley) - 4:35
5. Grace (Malcolm Morley) - 3:43
6. Martha (Sean Tyla) - 3:24
7. Monkey Wrench (Reprise) (Dave Charles, Ken Whaley, Malcolm Morley, Richard Treece, Sean Tyla) - 1:46
8. The Rock (Malcolm Morley) - 6:00
9. Willow (Malcolm Morley) - 3:18
10.Alley Cat (Ken Whaley, Robert Catelinet) - 5:38
11.Duneburgers (Dave Charles, Ken Whaley, Richard Treece, Sean Tyla) - 4:37
1+1 was the second album from Grin, an LA based band fronted by Nils Lofgren (who originally hailed from Washington, DC). This lp followed their rock solid, self-titled debut album from 1971. 1+1 sounded stronger, more confident and clearly displayed Lofgren’s talent as a musician and songwriter.
Lofgren had always believed in straight ahead rock n roll though some of the songs on this lp veer towards roots rock and orchestrated pop rock. The first side of the original lp featured mid tempo rockers while side 2 was devoted to Emitt Rhodes/Paul McCartney-like ballads. It was yet another hard luck record from the era, and even though 1+1 had many shining moments, it still did not sell well. White Lies opened 1+1 on a firey note with sharp Lofgren vocals, Moody Blues-like harmonies and sparkling rustic accoustic guitars. The first half of this lp is really a record for classic rock fanatics and will surely appeal to fans of Todd Rundgren and Crazy Horse. Moon Tears, End Unkind and Please Don’t Hide are ballsy, hard hitting and tasteful, making it hard to believe that Lofgren is known for who he has played with (Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young) rather than that of his own music.
Most of the rock n roll heard on this record is much stronger than what you would hear on your local classic rock radio station. For pop obsessives side 2 had some lost gems. Hi, Hello Home has some pretty banjo and is a folk-rocker that strongly recalled the Buffalo Springfield classic A Child’s Claim to Fame. Other tracks such as Just A Poem, Sometimes and the excellent harpsichord/strings ballad Soft Fun have a lost romanticism that really penetrates the soul.
There are no weak moments on this lp and as solid as it is, Lost a Number is the one track that exists outside the box. It’s a timeless classic, a heartbreaking piece of lost love with beautiful accordian playing and a catchy melody. In a perfect world, had this wonderful power pop song been released as a single, it would have been a hit record. Lofgren went on to release a few more records with Grin and some fine critically acclaimed solo works throughout the 1970’s.
by Jason Nardelli
1+1 was recorded in an independent studio called Wally Heider’s in Los Angeles. “As the thing took shape, we realized that the batch of songs that we had were almost half and half — gentler and hard,” recalled Lofgren. “I don’t remember whose idea it was, but we all started batting around, ‘Well why don’t we just use it as a strength?’” The decision was made to have all the soft songs on one side and the up-tempo numbers on the other. This process also gave the new album its title: 1+1. “It was just a function of the Rockin’ Side and the Dreamy Side,” Lofgren said.
The cherry on the album’s icing is Briggs’ fabulous wide-screen production technique. 1+1 is described by the New Musical Express Encyclopedia Of Rockas “one of the lost classics of rock” because criminally, it failed to sell. “White Lies,” which opens the Rockin’ Side, became Grin’s only Top 40 chart entry.
By the time Grin released their third album, they had an additional guitarist. “My brother Tom Lofgren joined the band,” Lofgren said. “We just realized we had the rough, sparse thing covered as a trio, but now our music was getting a little more melodic and open and we really needed a fourth member.”
All Out (1973) is a thoroughly enjoyable record, if a little lightweight compared to its stunning predecessor. It was to be the band’s last record for Spindizzy, the controversial departure of Clive Davis making the band unhappy with the label. They ended up on A&M, but their final album, Gone Crazy (1974), is something of a damp squib, not just sales-wise but — for the first time — artistically. A&M pulled the plug.
Tracks
1. White Lies - 3:28
2. Please Don't Hide - 4:00
3. Slippery Fingers - 4:09
4. Moon Tears - 2:17
5. End Unkind - 4:01
6. Sometimes - 2:37
7. Lost a Number - 3:09
8. Hi, Hello Home - 2:28
9. Just a Poem - 2:40
10.Soft Fun - 5:39
11.Sad Letter - 3:11
12.Heavy Chevy - 3:34
13.Don't Be Long (Roger McGuinn, Harvey Gerst) - 2:20
14.Love Again - 4:06
15.She Ain't Right (Nils Lofgren, Bob Gordon) - 3:27
16.Love or Else - 3:42
17.Ain't Love Nice - 2:09
18.Heart On Fire - 4:58
19.All Out - 3:07
20.Rusty Gun - 2:20
21.Just To Have You - 2:18
All songs written by Nils Lofgren except where stated.
Julie Driscoll's (now Tippetts) first move away from the blues-oriented pop of the Brian Auger band turned out to be this prophetic slab of wax that revealed her penchant to transcend the trappings of rock and pop for something more adventurous. To this end, Driscoll employed the help of many of the Canterbury scene's best-known musicians, including Carl Jenkins, Elton Dean, future husband Keith Tippetts, and guitarist Chris Spedding.
The set opens with what would become an anthem for Driscoll, the horn-laden rocker "A New Awakening," in which she details the benefits of the search for new ground emotionally and mentally. In addition, with its knotty, arpeggio-laden horn lines and angular arrangement by Tippetts that puts the track on the left side of the standard rock and pop fence. "Those That We Love," a simple acoustic tune with Driscoll on acoustic guitar and Tippetts on piano and celeste with Jeff Clyne on bass is a striking treatise on how much we hurt the ones we love the most, and how those who love us forget us most. Beautifully textured vocal lines open up all over the body of the tune, soaring into darkened corners and illuminating them.
One of the most striking things about this slab is how the listener can hear Driscoll's voice begin to open up to the possibilities of life after pop, that there was an entire universe waiting to be explored in song, nuance, and technique. The band provides not only sympathetic, but inspired support in her stead. Other notables here include the guitar freakout orgy of "Break-Out," the chamber/salon song of "The Choice," and the jazzed out balladry (in Canterbury style) of "Leaving It All Behind." Despite its age, 1969 holds up shockingly well, and is still very forward thinking in its musical approaches. Driscoll's/Tippetts' rugged, open-heart emotionalism is truly transcendent here, and this aspect of her wonderful voice has aged not one bit in over 40 years.
by Thom Jurek
Recorded in '69 but shelved by Polydor until January of 1971, Julie Driscoll's 1969 is truly a lost classic. Recorded following the disbanding of Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity, who scored a worldwide hit with their highly imaginative cover of Dylan's This Wheel's on Fire. The sessions featured a stellar cast of guest musicians from the worlds of jazz and rock.
Tracks
1. A New Awakening - 3:50
2. Those That We Love - 4:48
3. Leaving It All Behind - 4:50
4. Break-Out - 5:22
5. The Choice - 5:59
6. Lullaby - 4:22
7. Walk Down - 4:15
8. I Nearly Forgot – But I Went Back - 5:10
All compositions written by Julie Driscoll
Recorded live the weekend of December 5 & 6, 1969 at Jerry Milam‘s Golden Voice Sound Studio in South Pekin, Illinois. Mary & I played guitar & sang, but this time we incorporated a rhythm section. A few months earlier, I facilitated & produced a recording @ Golden Voice for a Notre Dame band called First Friday. This was an amazingly talented ensemble that featured fleet & talented rock guitarist Norm Zeller, & bassist Andy Wallace (who is now one of the most successful mixing engineers in the music business, having mixed Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, as well as projects for Sheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine, Jeff Buckley, Smashing Pumpkins, etc). At any rate, Norm & Andy joined us on most of the tracks, as did Peoria Shag drummer Dave Porter.
Bruce Brown handled the cover photographic effects, which included making a Chuck & Mary framed photo appear to be hanging on the wall of an old tintype photo I had found at a garage sale. Remember this was in the days before computers & such things as Photoshop.
This was our second album, & we were determined to get out & share our musical vision. We would drive up to Chicago almost every weekend to perform, mostly at an intimate little spot called the Barbarossa in the Rush Street/Gold Coast area.
And summers we’d take off in my old ’53 International Harverster travelall (with orange plexiglas windows!) to sing at places like the Raven Gallery in Detroit, The Bitter End, Cafe Au Go Go, & the Gaslight in New York’s Village, The Unicorn & the Turk’s Head in Boston. While in NYC, we signed on with the College Coffee house circuit, which sent us on a tour, spending a week @ each college or university where we would perform 3-4 nights in the local coffee house or student center. We toured Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, & Tennessee, always gravitating back to Chicago where we were developing a strong support base.
Tracks
1. The Beginning - 0:40
2. Here Comes The Weekend Again - 2:21
3. Run Away With Me (Mary Perrin) - 0:59
4. Sundance (Mary Perrin) - 3:13
5. Bye Bye Billy - 2:21
6. Fugacity (Pat Garvey, Victoria Garvey) - 2:23
7. Reprise - 1:42
8. Dedication (Mary Perrin) - 3:44
9. This Is Just To Say (William Carlos Williams) - 0:20
10.Dealer - 2:41
11.Flying (Mary Perrin) - 2:27
12.This Is A Happy Song - 1:38
13.Statement - 0:53
14.The Beginning Again - 0:36
All songs by Chuck Perrin except where stated
Yes, that is indeed a naked female breast on the cover of this compilation of the underrated British rock act Cochise, taken from their 1970 self-titled debut and done by none other than the famed Hipgnosis. Probably pretty shocking for the time, but by today's standards we've seen much worse. Back to the music and band, Cochise released three albums from 1970-1972, Cochise, Swallow Tales, and So Far, and Velvet Mountain contains all three releases in one 2CD set. The band unfortunately became more well known for what their members did after Cochise broke up; guitarist Mick Grabham joined Procol Harum, pedal steel player B.J. Cole went on to work with Elton John, Joan Armatrading, and many others as well as a solo career, bassist Rick Wills hooked up with Foreigner, and both he and drummer John "Willie" Wilson recorded with Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.
Cochise are a hard band to describe; on one hand, they do a great job playing US styled country rock made famous by acts such as The Eagles, Poco, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, much in part thanks to Cole's nimble pedal steel licks and the smooth vocals of both Stewart Brown (who appears on the debut) and John Gilbert (who sings on the final two albums). However, and this is probably due to the presence of Grabham, the band also unleashes some fine British hard rock on their albums as well. So, there's this constant battle brewing on all three of their albums between the hard rock side and the country rock side, but it all makes for an intriguing listen with plenty of variety.
The debut is filled with some really enjoyable fare, like the emotional "Past Loves", complete with yearning pedal steel from Cole, Grabham's Clapton inspired licks, and a great vocal from Brown. "Velvet Mountain" and "Trafalgar Day" are catchy rootsy rock tunes, and "Moment and the End" is a powerful rocker highlighted by Grabham's tasty riffs. The band pull off a real fun take on the Simon & Garfunkle hit "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" , and "Painted Lover" is possibly the most metallic hard rock tune on the album, featuring some great riffs and blistering tradeoffs between Grabham & Cole. Swallow Tales continued on with the same trends, though it's more consistently in the country rock vein along the lines of The Eagles On the Border, so there's a lot of meaty rock guitar playing alongside the soaring pedal steel and groove laden rhythms. "Love's Made a Fool of You", "Jed Collder" and "Why I Sing the Blues" (featuring backing vocals and piano from none other than Humble Pie/Small Faces legend Steve Marriott) are some of the albums highlights, with Gilbert's vocals really standing out. "Axiom of Maria" is another solid number, a lengthy, jammy track complete with plenty of sizzling axe work from both Cole and Grabham, and "Can I Break Your Heart" is a hook laden, country rock/pop tune that probably could have had radio potential back in the day.
1972's So Far basically was the result of a band that was on its last legs, but the music is actually a bit looser and funkier in spots, with "Cajun Girl", "Dance, Dance, Dance" mixing rock & funk, while "So Many Times" is a soaring country rocker that will appeal to any fan of the Flying Burrito Brothers or early Neil Young. "Diamond" evokes images of The James Gang with its hard rocking guitars and funky rhythms, "Wishing Well" is a quirky country rocker with some nimble fretwork, and closer "Midnight Moonshine" has some Southern Rock tendencies along the lines of Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
All three albums have been gloriously remastered by the folks at Esoteric Recordings, so the sound quality is spectacular, and the 2CDs come housed in a great digipack adorned with original artwork from all three albums and a lengthy booklet with photos and history of the band. Though Cochise worked their asses off on the live circuit opening up for many of the top acts of the day, by 1972 their time ended and the members all moved on to bigger and better things. It's a shame that they never broke through the mainstream, as there is plenty of great material on these three albums that should have been better received than it was. Thankfully it's now been made available once again, so if you missed out on Cochise the first time around, now's the time to make that initial discovery.
by Pete Pardo
Tracks Disc 1 Cochise 1970
1. Velvet Mountain (Mick Grabham) - 03:25
2. China (Mick Grabham) - 03:52
3. Trafalgar Day (B.J.Cole) - 05:08
4. Moment And The End (B.J.Cole) - 05:53
5. Watch This Space (Stewart Brown) - 03:54
6. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Paul Simon) - 03:38
7. Past Loves (Stewart Brown) - 03:38
8. Painted Lady (Mick Grabham) - 07:01
9. Black Is The Color (Traditional) - 00:57 A-Side Of Single
10.Love's Made A Fool Of You (Buddy Holly) - 02:50 Swallow Tales 1971
11.Jed Collder (Mick Grabham) - 03:18
12.Down Country Girls (Mick Grabham) - 01:48
13.Home Again (Mick Grabham) - 03:40
14.Lost Hearts (B.J.Cole) - 03:25
15.Strange Images (B.J.Cole) - 02:01
16.Why I Sing The Blues (Mick Grabham) - 04:07
Disc 2 Swallow Tales 1971
1. Another Day (Mick Grabham) - 05:13
2. Axiom Of Maria (B.J.Cole) - 06:59
3. Can I Break Your Heart (Mick Grabham) - 04:59
4. O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional) - 01:15 B-Side Single
5. Words Of A Dying Man (Mick Grabham) - 04:21 So Far 1972
6. Cajun Girl (Roy O’Temro) - 03:27
7. Blind Love (Dave Elliott) - 04:39
8. Dance, Dance, Dance (Neil Young) - 03:57
9. So Many Times (Rick Wills) - 03:15
10.Diamonds (Mick Grabham) - 03:23
11.Thunder In The Crib (B.J.Cole) - 03:56
12.Up And Down (Roy O’Temro) - 05:39
13.Wishing Well (Mick Grabham) - 03:01
14.Midnight Moonshine (Mick Grabham) - 06:12
The Cochise
*Mick Grabham – Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Organ, Vocals
*B.J Cole – Pedal Steel Guitar, Resonator Dobro Guitar, Cello
*Ricky Wills – Bass, Percussion, Vocals
*John Gilbert – Lead Vocals
*Stewart Brown – Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Roy O'Temro – Drums, Percussion
*Willie Wilson – Drums, Percussion, Vocals With
*Caleb Quaye - Piano, Guitar
*Steve Marriott - Piano, Vocals
*Nigel Olsson - Vocals
*Tim Renwick - Guitar
*Robert Kirby - Cello, Woodwind
The history of Renaissance is essentially the history of two separate groups, rather similar to the two phases of the Moody Blues or the Drifters. The original group was founded in 1969 by ex-Yardbirds members Keith Relf and Jim McCarty as a sort of progressive folk-rock band, who recorded two albums (of which only the first, self-titled LP came out in America, on Elektra Records) but never quite made it, despite some success on England's campus circuit.
The band went through several membership changes, with Relf and his sister Jane (who later fronted the very Renaissance-like Illusion) exiting and McCarty all but gone after 1971. The new lineup formed around the core of bassist Jon Camp, keyboard player John Tout, and Terry Sullivan on drums, with Annie Haslam, an aspiring singer with operatic training and a three-octave range.
The original group's debut album was a then-groundbreaking meld of progressive rock with classical and jazz influences. Vocalist Jane Relf had a striking individual style, and the classical influence was unique for its time.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Kings And Queens (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 10:59
2. Innocence (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 7:10
3. Island (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 6:01
4. Wanderer (John Hawken, Jim McCarty) - 4:05
5. Bullet (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 11:27
6. The Sea (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 3:06
7. Island (Single Version) (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty) - 3:37
Bonus Tracks 6-7
In 1975 Keith Relf, the singer and former colleague of mine in the Yardbirds, called me up for a 'get-together' with his sister Jane, and Louis Cennamo. We had all been in Renaissance a few years earlier and were still getting royalty payments. Since the Renaissance days, Keith had been successful as a producer and had been in a band with Louis, Armageddon, who had made an album for A&M Records. I had made an album of my own songs on EMI under the band name Shoot, and Jane had sung on various TV advertisements.
The remaining member of Renaissance, John Hawken, the keyboard player, was invited to join us and we spoke about reforming the old band as none of us were involved with any other projects at the time, and the fact that we were still getting royalties meant the music was still popular. John was a versatile pianist, having played with more rocky bands such as Spooky Tooth and Vinegar Joe, and he was responsible for the dominance of the keyboards in the band's sound. We organised some rehearsals at my house in Molesey and things seemed to go well. Having played together before, it didn't take long to recreate our old distinctive sound. We decided to give it a go again, and after recording some demo tapes tried to get record company interest. We were still seeking this when Keith was tragically electrocuted in his flat in Whitton in May 1976.
Rather than making us abandon the idea, this event seemed to spur us on, and we decided to take on two more people: John Knightsbridge on guitar, and Eddie McNeil on drums, which left me free to sing lead vocal along with Jane. More songs came quickly and in July we recorded half a dozen more demos, including "Isadora" and "Solo Flight". Someone had once told me to take demo tapes to companies for whom you were earning money, so I contacted Island Records who were still selling the original Renaissance recordings. After a live audition we were promptly signed up, and recorded the album "Out Of The Mist" at Island Studios in Hammersmith. We needed a new name at that time as Renaissance had been transformed into a band of new members (Annie Haslam, Mick Dunford, etc.) We finally settled on Illusion, the title of our second Renaissance album, and went off on tour supporting Bryan Ferry in the UK and Europe.
We were received well, though sales were only moderate. After another nationwide tour, supporting Dory Previn, we were pressed by the record company to start another album which was to 'break' us as a band. The first album had charted in the States, and it was generally thought that the production could be improved upon, so for the second album Paul Samwell-Smith, another former Yardbird, was brought in as producer. Paul was highly thought of by Island as he had produced a succession of Cat Stevens albums and of course the first Renaissance album. The consequent album ("Illusion") was fun to make, collaborating with Paul again, but due to the pressure of time and touring the material was not as strong as on the first album, in my opinion, although it did contain the classic track "Madonna Blue" which brought out the very best of everyone in the band.
The album was released in the UK and Europe, but not in the States, for some unknown reason, and this was a big blow to us. The new wave of punk music was becoming more and more popular, and the overall trend at the time (the late 70's) was far away from what we were doing. Our only hope had lain in the States, but after the non-release of the second album we were dropped by Island in 1979.
by Jim McCarty, February 1994
On Illusion the band had grown music wise. Also the help of old pal Paul Samwell-Smith, who had played with Jim McCarty in the Yardbirds, provided for a better production and a better sound. Highlights on their second release are the opening tune Madonna Blue and the final piece The Revolutionary. Especially on these tracks you hear the same kind of music Renaissance would record later on with vocalist Annie Haslam and keyboard player John Tout. The interaction between Jane Relf and Jim McCarty and the harmony vocals are much better than on Out Of The Mist.
The music on both albums very much resembles the music of the first two Renaissance-albums mainly due to the fact that the key members of both Illusion and Renaissance were the same. That also applied for the compositions mainly written by McCarty and Hawken. Unfortunately both releases lack some additional tracks. Maybe they could have used some of the recorded demos for the upcoming third album, but they didn't. These songs later on appeared on the album Enchanted Caress (1990). Illusion disbanded in 1979. Punk rock and new wave regrettably pushed aside many great progressive bands at the end of the seventies. Who knows how many more fantastic albums Illusion would have recorded..?
by Henri Strik
Tracks
1. Madonna Blue (Jim McCarty) - 6:47
2. Never Be The Same (Jim McCarty) - 3:17
3. Louis' Theme (Louis Cennamo) - 7:42
4. Wings Across The Sea (Jim McCarty) - 4:50
5. Cruising Nowhere (Jim McCarty) - 4:59
6. Man Of Miracles (Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, John Hawken) - 3:28
7. The Revolutionary (John Hawken, Jim McCarty) - 6:16
