Released July 1975 Length 45:39 Release date July 1975 Label Sire Records | Recorded May 1975 Artist Renaissance Producer Dave Hitchcock | |
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Studio Abbey Road Studios, London, UK Scheherazade and Other Stories
(1975) Live at Carnegie Hall
(1976) Genres Progressive rock, Symphonic rock Similar Renaissance albums, Progressive rock albums | ||
Scheherazade and Other Stories is the sixth studio album by the British progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1975. Some critics consider it their best album, although others prefer earlier albums. 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.
Contents
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.
Also, as has been admitted by the administrators of the official Renaissance site, Northern Lights, 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.
"Ocean Gypsy" has since been covered by Blackmore's Night.
Track listing
- "Trip to the Fair" (Michael Dunford, Betty Thatcher, John Tout) - 10:50
- "The Vultures Fly High" (Dunford, Thatcher) - 3:07
- "Ocean Gypsy" (Dunford, Thatcher) - 7:06
- "Song of Scheherazade"
Renaissance
Additional musicians
Production
Songs
1Trip to the Fair10:55
2The Vultures Fly High3:08
3Ocean Gypsy7:09