Renaissance – Azur D’Or (Esoteric Recordings/Cherry Red, 2022 reissue)
Esoteric Recordings has released an enhanced version of Renaissance‘s 1979 album “Azure D’Or.” Like other progressive rock bands, Renaissance changed their music style in the late 1970s. “Azure D’Or” took the band into a more commercial direction, focusing on shorter tracks, some toe tapping rhythms and pop-style catchy hooks.
The band still featured the superb vocals of Annie Haslam, although the lengthy symphonic rock explorations of earlier albums were gone. Nevertheless, the album includes a couple of tracks that should appeal to fans of the band’s progressive side: ‘Kalynda’ and ‘The Flood At Lyons.’
This reissue is a 3-disc set with the original audio, a new stereo mix and a region-free Blu-ray disc that includes a newly remastered original stereo mix from the original master tapes and also contains 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo mixes by Stephen W. Tayler plus additional unreleased bonus material from the album sessions.
The lineup included Annie Haslam on vocals; Michael Dunford on acoustic and electric guitars; John Tout on keyboards, vocals; Jon Camp on bass, acoustic and electric guitars, vocals; and Terry Sullivan on drums, percussion.
In later years, Renaissance returned to its beloved progressive rock style.
Buy the album from www.cherryred.co.uk