Scheherazade and Other Stories

Scheherazade and Other Stories
Studio album by Renaissance
Released	July 1975
Recorded	at Abbey Road Studios during May 1975.
Genre	Progressive rock, symphonic rock
Length	45:39
Label	Sire Records (US) BTM Records (UK)
Producer	David Hitchcock Renaissance
Renaissance chronology
Turn of the Cards (1974) Scheherazade and Other Stories (1975) Live at Carnegie Hall (1976)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Scheherazade and Other Stories is a 1975 album by progressive rock band Renaissance. Some critics consider it their best album, although others prefer earlier albums.^[2][3] This is the first album in which Renaissance (Annie Haslam's version) did not use quotes from actual classical pieces. Contrary to popular belief, "Song of Scheherazade" is not based on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, but does have a recurring six-note motif that alludes to that work.^[2]

History

There is confusion over where the sections of "Song of Scheherazade" begin and end. This was caused by the fact that "Fanfare" and "The Betrayal" together sound like a single section, while "Festival Preparations" has two distinct parts of its own (4:00 and 1:11 in length). This confusion was reflected in the packaging and labels of original LP copies of this album, and in the mis-titling of "Festival Preparations" (part 1) as "The Young Prince and Princess" on the 1990 Tales Of 1001 Nights, Volume I compilation.^[4]

Also, as has been admitted by the administrators of the official Renaissance site, Northern Lights,^[5] assigning exact composing credits to the individual sections is difficult, since the composers borrowed themes from each other. For example, based on the official credits, which differ slightly between the actual album package and the official Renaissance site, a particular melodic phrase ends up being attributed to both Dunford ("The Sultan") and Tout ("Fugue for the Sultan"); lyricist Betty Thatcher is not credited for her lyrics on "Finale" (which are repeated from "The Sultan").

"Trip to the Fair" was about Annie Haslam's first date with Roy Wood.^[6]

"Ocean Gypsy" has since been covered by Blackmore's Night.

Track listing

1. "Trip to the Fair" (Dunford-Thatcher-Tout) - 10:51
2. "The Vultures Fly High" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 3:04
3. "Ocean Gypsy" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 7:05
4. "Song of Scheherazade" (Camp-Dunford-Thatcher-Tout) - 24:39

   i. Fanfare - :38 (instrumental)

   ii. The Betrayal - 2:05 (instrumental)

   iii. The Sultan - 4:45

   iv. Love Theme - 2:42 (instrumental)

   v. The Young Prince and Princess as told by Scheherazade - 2:29

   vi. Festival Preparations - 5:11 (instrumental)

   vii. Fugue for the Sultan - 2:10 (instrumental)

   viii. The Festival - 2:10

   ix. Finale - 2:29

Personnel

• Annie Haslam – lead and backing vocals
• Jon Camp – bass, bass pedals, backing vocals, lead vocal on "The Sultan"
• Michael Dunford – acoustic guitars, backing vocals
• John Tout – keyboards, backing vocals
• Terence Sullivan – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additonal personnel

• Tony Cox – orchestral arrangements

References