Performances? Yes! Sound quality? Ehh...
R. Josef | New Haven, CT United States | 03/21/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"By 1985, Renaissance was in pretty rough shape. The loss of three crucial members, ill-advised forays into synth-pop and the termination of their record contract had certainly taken their toll. So, guitarist Mike Dunford and vocalist Annie Haslam decided to get back to basics. With keyboardist/harpist Raphael Rudd and bassist/lead guitarist Mark Lampariello(Lambert), the band began touring as an acoustic act.
"Unplugged", the band's fifth live release (and the 3rd within a one year span), is the only full length recorded documentation of this lineup. The big minus, as everyone here has pointed out, is the mediocre sound quality. My guess is that this wasn't ever intended for release, but probably was a tool for the band to use in trying to get another record contract. There's a fair amount if hiss and limited dynamic range. Even though the clarity improves as the CD progresses, fans used to the pristine sounds of other Renaissance releases may be disappointed.
But the performances are unique, sounding quite different from other live Renaissance albums. Wisely, 9 of the 12 songs come from the first three classic albums on which Annie and Mike appeared ("Ashes Are Burning", "Turn of the Cards", and "Scherhezade"), ensuring a good response from the crowd. A disadvantage is that some of the longer, epic songs ("Can You Understand?", "Mother Russia", "Running Hard") are truncated, maybe because these are more dependent on orchestration. Overall, though, the more intimate approach really suits the songs, especially giving prominence to Annie's always stunning vocals.
Several songs make their first live appearances: the addiction tale "Black Flame", with dramatic piano playing; surprisingly, the first live version of the hit single "Northern Lights"; "I Think of You";"A Trip to the Fair", radically changed without the keyboard intro, but with stunning harp and guitar solos by Rudd and Lampariello; and "Okichi-San", from the first synth-pop album, "Camera Camera". This is the one song that is tons better than the studio original, with delicate percussion and piano giving the proper flavor to the song.
Despite the sound, it's a real treat for fans to hear Renaissance classics performed this way. For non-fans who think progressive rock was big, bombastic and pretentious, "Unplugged" might be a less threatening way to start appreciating the beautiful melodies and vocals of Renaissance. But it's the least typical of just about any of the group's albums, so it might be better to start with the three studio albums mentioned above or an older live set first."
Annie, Michael, and ???
Ed Caramanico | Annapolis, MD USA | 10/25/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The material and Annie's voice get 5+ stars, but the bootleggish sound knocks the overall score back to 4. Overall very good, but nothing too revelatory. "Midas Man", "Okichi-San", "I Think Of You", and "Young Prince and Princess" are the highlights. The backing musicians are just kinda there. Definitely intended for Renaissance fanatics to fill out their collections."
Only for big fans and collectors
S. Silva | Boca Raton, FL United States | 04/17/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"You must be an absolute Renaissance fan to buy this CD. Its the only way you'll cope with the poor quality of the recording. The selection of songs is adequate and it is a novelty to hear them without the orchestra and few instruments, like an unplugged session should be. Don't expect an overall high quality, better think of it as if you took your own personal recorder to a Renaissance improvised session, and you taped the moment."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
