| Azure d'Or | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Renaissance | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | at Maison Rouge Studios, London Nov 78 - Feb 79[1] | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 42:55 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Sire Records (US) Warner Bros. Records (UK) |
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| Producer | David Hentschel | |||
| Renaissance chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
Azure d'Or was a 1979 album by progressive rock band Renaissance.[3]
Contents |
With this album the band stopped using an orchestra, choosing instead to overdub multiple instruments themselves in an (unsuccessful) attempt to emulate an orchestral sound.[4] It was also the band's first album to exclusively feature short songs with no long "epic" pieces.
"Forever Changing" was the only Renaissance song on which drummer Terry Sullivan wrote all the music. His only other writing credit with the band was on the title track of the preceding album, A Song for All Seasons.
"The Discovery" was the only fully instrumental song ever released by the band (not including certain sections of "Song of Scheherazade", from the 1975 Scheherazade and Other Stories album).
A pre-release track listing, published in the Renaissance Appreciation Society newsletter, included the song "Island of Avalon." This song ended up being omitted from the album; the band members weren't sufficiently pleased with it, having not invested their usual amount of time in it. It was ultimately used as the non-album B-side to "The Winter Tree" in April 1979[5]; it was the only such B-side of the Haslam era of the band. It was released on CD in 1997 on the compilation Songs from Renaissance Days.
Following this album's release, Renaissance underwent major changes that left it with a very uncertain future. In 1980, following a short tour of Israel, both John Tout and Terry Sullivan left the band. Tout (who was dealing with some personal stress due to the death of his sister) had made a major mistake during a concert and walked offstage. After this it was mutually decided that he should leave the band. Terry Sullivan, a longtime friend of Tout's, then left the band as well on principle. On top of all this, the band's label, Warner Brothers/Sire, dropped the group due to disappointing sales of Azure d'Or.[5]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jekyll and Hyde" | Thatcher | Dunford | 4:39 |
| 2. | "The Winter Tree" | Thatcher | Dunford | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Only Angels Have Wings" | Camp | Camp | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Golden Key" | Thatcher | Dunford | 5:12 |
| 5. | "Forever Changing" | Thatcher | Sullivan | 4:48 |
| 6. | "Secret Mission" | Camp | Camp | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Kalynda (A Magical Isle)" | Camp | Camp | 3:42 |
| 8. | "The Discovery" | n/a | Camp | 4:24 |
| 9. | "Friends" | Thatcher | Dunford | 3:31 |
| 10. | "The Flood at Lyons" | Camp | Dunford | 4:55 |
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