RENAISSANCE : AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Disc One (63:31)

1. Prologue
2. Can You Understand ?
3. Carpet of the Sun
4. Can You Hear Me
5. Song of Scheherazade

Disc Two (78:08)

1. Running Hard
2. Midas Man
3. Mother Russia
4. Touching Once (Is So Hard to Keep)
5. Ashes Are Burning
6. Prologue
7. You (Parts 1 and 2)

Label : King Biscuit Flower Hour Records

Release Year : 1997

Venue : Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

Recording Date : October 14, 1977

Review (AllMusic) : A legendary concert for so many years, the final installment of Renaissance's three night stand at the Royal Albert Hall in October 1977 has now become one of those gigs that the collector positively tires of finding on the shelves. Two volumes of Greatest Hits Live, two more of At the Albert Hall with the RPO, two more of King Biscuit Flower Hour - the thing is all over the place, it seems, and only once has the entire concert been put together in one single package. The show caught Renaissance teaming up with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Harry Rabinowitz at a time when their commercial stock was probably at its peak. Novella was fresh onto the racks, A Song for All Seasons was percolating, and the group's ambition seemed endless. The new album's "Can You Hear Me" and "Midas Man" were already blossoming far beyond their studio counterparts, while older jewels "Carpet of the Sun" and "Can You Understand" likewise streak ahead of their earlier incarnations. But the highlights lay in the set's true epics. First up is the 25 minute "Song of Scheherazade," a performance which always impressed in concert, but which is here utterly spellbinding, a reminder of just how magical Renaissance could be. Then comes almost half an hour of "Ashes Are Burning," the title track from the band's still astonishing 1974 album, again driving towards whole new plateau of excellence. The interplay between band and orchestra is breathtaking, while Annie Haslam's vocals ring out with such depth and purity that it's hard to believe that this is a live recording. Of course it is, however; unlike so many traditional live albums, KBFH broadcasts allowed for no subsequent tinkering with the tapes - what you heard on the radio was what you got on the night, which is why so many classic bootlegs were lifted from the show. It was warts and all recording. And still Renaissance was unblemished.

Review (Wikipedia) : Renaissance Live at the Royal Albert Hall is een livealbum van de Britse muziekgroep Renaissance. Renaissance beleefde toptijden met de muziekalbums Scheherazade and other stories en Novella. Nadat ze al eerder hadden gespeeld met het London Symphony Orchestra (Scheherazade) en het New York Philharmonic Orchestra op Live at Carnegie Hall, troffen ze op 14 oktober 1977 het Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Het album werd opgenomen en uitgezonden in het kader van de King Biscuit Flower Hour-uitzendingen. Het werd pas in 1997 commercieel uitgegeven, maar past veel beter in een chronologische reeks, aangezien de band ten tijde van uitgifte al lang uit elkaar was. Het album verscheen in een aantal versies; een dubbel-cd of twee enkele cd’s. De geluidskwaliteit is af en toe matig, maar over het algemeen goed te noemen.

Review (ProgArchives) for Part 1 : The material on this album was recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, London, for later transmission in USA on the weekly King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. The concert was the last of three performed in October 1977 with famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz. Twenty years later this album was put together, remixed from the original 24-track master tapes by Michael Dunford. There are two volumes deriving from this concert, but the bulk - and best - of it is on this first volume. Comparisons with the earlier classic Carnegie Hall set are inevitable as four of the five tracks are common to both, but performance issues are outweighed by concerns of a more technical nature. On the positive side, it has to be said the orchestra has been recorded brilliantly, each instrument sounding clear and vibrant, the texture of the cellos especially well presented. Overall the sound is crisp, bright and detailed, presumably a result of digital mastering. But beneath the surface all is far from satisfactory: background hiss and general hum is apparent on the quietest passages, but they pale into insignificance compared to a continuous buzz emanating from one or more equipment jacks or earth loops. The problems are exacerbated by some indifferent mixing. For example, during Can You Understand the orchestra doesn't come in on its regular cue point but creeps up on you a few bars later, and Annie is faded up a couple of beats too late after a cue during Song Of Scheherazade. Perhaps in themselves not earth shattering [the tracks on Vol 2 are worse], but there are many such niggles that begin to add up after a while. The sound of Tout's piano is another major flaw - it sounds false, synthetic and, well, awful. Which is not good for such an important component of the band's sound. Performances are, on the whole, very good. Certainly up to scratch with a few reservations. Opener Prologue is rather like those orchestral tribute albums, the entire track played as an 'overture' by the orchestra. While recognisable, it has been arranged, rearranged and twisted into an entirely new and exciting shape quite different from any other version. Can You Undestand, despite a spirited performance from the band, sadly sinks under a barrage of technical faults which conspire to mar what would have been an excellent rendition. Carpet Of The Sun is fine, though the dense string section seems to hold back the energy at times. Can You Hear Me? begins with a slightly ponderous opening flourish with an overweight arrangement, but picks up nicely when Dunford's 12 string acoustic accompanies Annie into the first verse. At times the band sounds a little soft when they should be forceful, and the central instrumental section is spoiled by some off-key bass work. Later, the song builds to an excellent crescendo, but again there is the suggestion that the orchestra is dragging slightly. Song Of Scheherazade is good but again not faultless. The opening orchestral introductory passages sound a little uncontrolled, as do Festival Preparations, and there seems to be a vicious mixing edit cutting the orchestra from the background of Love Theme. The final Scheherazade theme is fine but disappointingly Annie fails to build tension towards her final high climax. Add in the already mentioned problems and they all add up to a frustrating experience. That really sums up this album. In general the band and orchestra play well, as you would expect from a bunch of talented professionals, but there are simply too many technical problems to ignore. The result is clearly no match for the Carnegie Hall set which must be first choice for anyone looking for a Renaissance live album, but can still be enjoyed if you can see past the buzz.

Review (PHRock Blog) for Part 1 : The present album is the first part of a concert recorded live on October 14, 1977 in the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz. This "King Biscuit" album is a real treat. Recorded in 1977 on the tour promoting the "Novella" album, it must have been a real thrill to see Renaissance performing live with an orchestra. The band had tried this once before, in 1975, with the "Live at Carnegie Hall" album. But even though the sound isn't quite as good, the performance is superior. The group was at the peak of its powers, and they seem far more comfortable working with the orchestra live than they do on "Carnegie". In particular, the suite "Song of Scheherezade" comes across much better, despite Jon Camp's vocal on "The Sultan" being a bit off. In terms of material, between the two discs, you're missing only one track that was also on "Carnegie", "Ocean Gypsy" (no loss as far as I'm concerned). You also get material from "Novella" (which had yet to be recorded in 1975) and an exciting arrangement of the title track of the "Prologue" album performed exclusively by the orchestra. This is the only place that you can find the latter. Yes, the sound quality is a bit off. A buzz from bad grounding that couldn't be entirely eliminated is indeed audible during the quiet passages. But this is easily overlooked in the light of the superior performances. Both fans and newcomers should love this album. (R. Josef) This recording has received bad reviews in regard to sound quality, but I have no problem overlooking a few minor technical glitches, because the performance is nothing less than phenomenal. This is a very mature Renaissance at their peak and a true fan would do well to give it a listen. The musicians are inspired and the group's cohesion as well as individual musicianship has never come across better. Annie's duo with Tout's keyboards in 'Can You Understand' is clear as a bell, unlike its more subdued version at Carnegie, and Camp's bass is much more effectual. This performance of the 'Song of Scheherazade' is the best on record. Renaissance is always a good listen, but this recording will make you feel the music. To pass on it because of sound quality issues is simply a mistake, especially for a true Renaissance fan.