Can You Understand –
Carpet of the Sun –
Alright. This is it. My record player really has kicked the bucket by the sound of it.
R.I.P. Mr. Record Player 🙁
Just listening to these recordings kinda hurts my ears. I tried my best to sprinkle some editing magic on them, but to very little reward. I’m posting these as a kind of final note and partial example of how it’s fallen. Trust me, you really don’t wanna hear what these sound like before I did what little bit of editing I did do o_O NOTE: I have rerecorded these songs on a new record player.
The sounds these two recordings desperately try to imitate is that from the album Live at Carnegie Hall (1976), by the band Renaissance. Please, I would heavily encourage you to go hear these songs elsewhere like Spotify or YouTube in their full glory.
Renaissance was yet another band to come out of the English powerhouse that was The Yardbirds. Both the lead singer and drummer behind The Yardbirds founded the initially unsuccessful group and they would actually leave the band shortly after its incarnation. This all took place before what is known as the “classic” lineup was established, which would see Annie Haslam take on the role as the main lead singer with her iconic 5-octave vocal range. Renaissance’s sound from this period would often be compared to Yes or Emerson, Palmer, and Lake, but would contain notable differences (a female lead singer and significant bass parts for starters).
This album, recorded in concert in 1975, was during the height of their success as the “classic” lineup. It featured songs from their previous three albums, plus one track from their newest (as of then) unreleased album (which would actually hit stores before this live album was available). Frankly my favorite tune off of this album is “Ashes are Burning” which is a long, but gorgeous tune with a large amount of musical improv during this particular performance (especially from Jon Camp, the bass player!). Considering the shape my record player is in though, I decided not to ruin my favorite tune (well that and the fact that the song is around the 24 minute mark also factored in I suppose).
The songs I did choose are still extremely excellent in their own right though. The first one is “Can You Understand” which is one of their more popular tunes. It excellently weaves around the different “rock” instruments as they reveal a much more classical approach to their music. The other song is “Carpet of the Sun” which is a nice sweeping piece that makes full use of the accompanying orchestra. Lyrically it focuses on the beauty of the world around us and encouraging you to look closer at its majestic nature. Both are very mystical in their sound and lyrics, which would characterize most of Renaissance’s work over the years.
Well…this is Monday LPs calling it quits…
…or at least until I get a new record player >.<