Search - Russ Ballard :: Anthology

Nice

Mustang Rocker | 02/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit that I originally bought this CD for the song "Voices" which I've been wanting. After listening to the whole thing, I can say that there are many good tracks here. At times you feel a sense of classic Journey, other times you get a hint of Foreigner or Asia. Very diversified with even a Spanish guitar solo on one track. A good purchase for those interested in late 70's/early 80's rock."

Get Innocents and Illusions instead

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 02/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you don't already own the first Renaissance album, then get Innocents and Illusions instead. It is a great deal. It is the first two Renaissance albums plus 6 bonus tracks.



If you already own the albums, this is not worth buying for the bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are 2 to 5 minutes long. Some were demos recorded in a home studio. I don't think any of them feature the complete band. These bonus tracks have been released before on a number of different albums.



This album should only rate 4 stars, by itself. (I accidently put down 5 stars and Amazon won't let me change it). A couple of the tracks are not very good, especially the opening track which sounds like a very dated British pop tune. But, the 14 minute Orbits of Dust might be the best thing Renaissance has ever done.



The sound quality on Illusion is not very good. It has a loud tape hiss that is noticible between tracks and can be made out on some of the quieter passages.



This is the first Renaissance, which has a completely different personnel than the more famous Annie Haslam version. The band was a spin off from the Yardbirds. The band was a cohesive unit when it recorded the first album, which was released worldwide. Kings and Queens got mild FM radio play in the US. The second album, called Illusion, had a sordid history, with band members coming and going. It never got full release and was very hard to find at times.



The music on this CD is very similar to the newer version of Renaissance, but has even more art rock and classical music orientations. The harpsicord is featured a lot, but there are no synthesizers. At the same time, the sound is a little rougher and a little edgier than the newer Renaissance.



Renaissance was started by Keith Relf and Jim McCarthy from the Yardbirds. This is the band that gave Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Pages their starts. Dazed and Confused was originally done by the Yardbirds.



During the recording of Illusion, the band broke apart and some members of the newer Renaissance joined. Jim McCarthy continued doing projects under the name Illusion. In 2002, all the original members of Renaissance (except Keith Relf) got back together and recorded a CD under the name Renaissance Illusion.



Kieth Relf went on to form a band called Armageddon, which was famous for the song Silver Tightrope. They played a unique mixture of blues and hard rock with some progressive elements thrown in. Some of the bonus tracks on this CD set sound more like Armageddon than Renaissance. Armageddon disbanded after the first album because Relf was electrocuted while playing his guitar in the bathtube (no joke)."

Surprisingly good.

Robert Hanks | 12/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only ordered the CD because I am such a fan of Santana, and I loved their Zebop! album from 1981. And particulaly the song "Winning." I noticed it was originally a hit for Russ Ballard. So I got this CD, and was really amazed at how talened this guy is."