Tuscany marked a big return for Renaissance in 2001. Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, and Terence Sullivan came back together and created this wonderful album. Mickey Simmonds of Fish fame was featured on keyboards. There were also guest appearances from John Tout, and the legendary Roy Wood.
All was good in the Renaissance camp. The album was strong, and the response to it was rather favorable. It was a little bit of an underground affair, but the long-time fans were certainly pleased with the outcome. In 2001, it was a bit difficult to sell symphonic rock, but as the years went by, the band was able to attract many new fans.
Renaissance was always a very unique group, it was an acquired taste, but once you understood what this band was all about, it was difficult not to enjoy what they do. Tuscany is a very carefully put together record. The attention to detail here is simply incredible. Annie Haslam still sang beautifully, and Michael Dunford wrote great material. It’s definitely an album that connects Renaissance with their best moments from the 1970s.
In addition to Tuscany, this box includes a live album titled In the Land of the Rising Sun-Live in Japan 2001. It’s a live recording from the Tuscany tour during s small Japanese venture, after which the group once again disbanded. The live album documents a moment in time, as this reunion was great, but short lived. Also, Land of the Rising Sun went out of print, and is no longer available.
The idea of this box is a great one. It sums up the Tuscany project and subsequent tour in one location. Of course, there is an illustrated booklet that goes into details about the time in which this music was created and recorded. If you missed out on either release, this is the time to get up to date. This is beautifully done, and goes well with other Renaissance releases from Esoteric Recordings.
Mark Kadzielawa
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