Camera Camera

Camera Camera
Studio album by Renaissance
Released 1981
Recorded 1980-81
Genre Progressive rock, new wave
Length 45:50
Label I.R.S. Records (original US release)
Illegal Records (original UK release)
RCA Records (original Italain release)
Line Records (original German release)
Repertoire Records (1996 German CD reissue)
Air Mail Archive (2009 Japanese CD reissue)
Producer Renaissance
Renaissance chronology

Azure d'Or
(1979)		 Camera Camera
(1981)		 Time-Line
(1983)
Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic [1]

Camera Camera was a 1981 album by progressive rock band Renaissance.

Information about the album

After losing two of their five members and being dropped from their label, Renaissance signed on to I.R.S. Records. The departed members were replaced by keyboardist/singer Peter Gosling and drummer Peter Barron. Given that the new members were not pictured on the album at all, it's unclear just how official their membership was.

Between the previous Renaissance album and this one, Haslam and Dunford had worked with Gosling as a trio called Nevada, releasing two singles and recording several demos. Nevada's somewhat new wave sound strongly influenced Camera Camera. One of the Camera Camera songs, "Faeries", had previously been recorded (but not released) by Nevada.[2]

This album's attempt to blend Renaissance's signature sound with synthpop is largely considered unsuccessful—due at least in part to the prominence of harsh synthesiser sounds—but its songs are said to have worked very well in concert.[3]

The original 1981 release of Camera Camera did not include the single "Bonjour Swansong"; but the song has been included on all releases of the album since 1982.[4]

This was the last Renaissance studio album to include lyrics by the band's longtime lyricist Betty Thatcher. She wrote the words to "Bonjour Swansong" as "a private goodbye to the group."[5]

Track listing

  1. "Camera Camera" (Camp-Dunford) - 6:05
  2. "Faeries (Living at the Bottom of the Garden)" (Dunford-Gosling) - 4:02
  3. "Remember" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 4:36
  4. "Bonjour Swansong" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 3:40
  5. "Tyrant-Tula" (Camp-Dunford) - 6:00
  6. "Okichi-San" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 6:00
  7. "Jigsaw" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 5:07
  8. "Running Away from You" (Camp) - 3:54
  9. "Ukraine Ways" (Camp-Dunford) - 6:26

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Mason, Stewart (2011). "Camera Camera - Renaissance | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Liner notes from the Nevada compilation Pictures In The Fire, released in 2000
  3. ↑ Liner notes from the Tales Of 1001 Nights compilations
  4. ↑ Renaissance Discography
  5. ↑ Liner notes from the CD reissue of Camera Camera