The original Renaissance under another name
R. Lindeboom | Paso Robles, CA USA | 08/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Illusion's "Out of the Mist" album from 1977 (which marks the first half of this two-fer reissue of both of Illusion's two albums for Island Records) is one of the most beautiful art-rock albums of all-time. Born from a line-up that includes all of the remaining members of the original line-up of Renaissance (minus Keith Relf who died during the early stages of the reformation of this band), the group includes John Hawken (Strawbs, Renaissance, Nashville Teens, et al), Jane Relf (Renaissance), Jim McCarty (Renaissance, The Yardbirds), Louis Cennamo (Renaissance, Colisseum, James Taylor, et al), John Knightsbridge (Third World War, et al) and Eddie McNeil. Together, the line-up of Illusion marked a band that, who for me, were a near-perfect blend of power, melody and lyrical imagery. To say that they were one of the most beautiful Mellotron and synthesizer-laced classical rock bands ever, is simply an understatement. They created and crafted music that even today, over 25 years later, holds up extremely well -- there is little either before or after, that exceeded the quality heard on "Out of the Mist." There is also some wonderful material found on the later self-titled "Illusion" album (included as the 2nd half of this two-fer). You can't go wrong adding these great projects to your collection. Music like this is very rare -- but aren't all things that are truly beautiful?"
The great lost prog group
R. Josef | New Haven, CT United States | 01/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the mid-70's, the original lineup of Renaissance -- Keith Relf, his sister Jane (vocals), Louis Cennamo (bass), John Hawken (keyboards) and Jim McCarty decided to regroup. Unfortunately, Keith died before the group could sign a record contract. Undaunted, McCarty became the chief songwriter and moved to acoustic guitar and vocals, recruiting lead guitarist John Knightsbridge and drummer Eddie MacNeil to fill out the band. Renaissance had carried on with new people after the original lineup had dissolved, so the band took the name Illusion.
The sound of Illusion was the culmination of what the original Renaissance had started out trying to do. The early Renaissance was highly experimental in trying to merge several different musical styles, but they never really gelled. On their first album, 1977's "Out of the Mist" , Illusion finally came up with a perfect classical/folk/pop hybrid. McCarty wrote songs that were catchy and accessible, based around acoustic folk patterns, with beautiful lyrics that weren't too obtuse. The center of the band's arrangements, however, was John Hawken's keyboard playing. Unlike a lot of prog groups, he doesn't overdo it (tasteful strings appear on a couple of tracks), pretty much sticking to piano, but filling things out with mellotron and Moog Synthesizer when appropriate. Knightbridge's guitar lends a more rocky element to things on occasion (especially on "Solo Flight"). McCarty's voice is rather thin, but the lovely alto of Jane Relf more than compensates. The songs range from the outgoing "Everywhere You Go" and "Roads to Freedom" to the romance of "Isadora", the anthemic "Candles Are Burning" and the introspective "Face of Yesterday", (a remake of a Renaissance track), maybe their most classically oriented composition.
The 1978 followup, "Illusion", showed growing diversity in the band. There were a couple of folk/pop ballads along the lines of the first album ("Wings Across the Sea" and "Never Be The Same"), but also an attempt at hard synth-pop ("Cruising Nowhere") as well as a track which juxtaposed classical bombast and ambient sounds ("The Revolutionary").
"Louis' Theme" was a proto-New Age waltz which was a showcase for both Cennamo's bass playing and Jane Relf's beautiful voice and lyric. However,
the rock ballad "Madonna Blue" is, arguably, the ultimate Illusion track, with all the elements of the band perfectly on view.
Unfortunately, despite "Out of the Mist" getting some US FM airplay and making the charts, Illusion's timing was off. The second album did not get an American release, and the group was trampled by the rising punk movement in the UK. This is too bad, since even many prog rock fans were unaware of their existence.
This CD corrects that, since both of their albums are avilable here. People who like the both lineups of Renaissance will definitely enjoy this, as well as fans of the Moody Blues, the Strawbs and Yes. Even people who find prog rock overblown could enjoy the more low-key, acoustically oriented sound of Illusion. If you missed out in the 70's, don't miss out now."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1