Turn of the Cards

Turn of the Cards is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1974. It was the last Renaissance studio album to include excerpts from existing classical pieces.[2]

Not to be confused with Turn cards or A Turn of the Cards.
Turn of the Cards
Cover design by Hipgnosis, tarot cards by Joe Petagno
Studio album by
Renaissance
ReleasedMay 1974 (1974-05)
Recorded1974
StudioDe Lane Lea Music Center, Wembley, UK
GenreProgressive rock
Length40:55
Label
Producer
Renaissance chronology
Ashes Are Burning
(1973)		 Turn of the Cards
(1974)		 Scheherazade and Other Stories
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

In the UK, this was the very first release (BTM 1000) on Miles Copeland's fledgling label, BTM Records (British Talent Managers). In 1977, after releasing a total of 10 albums, including 2 more by Renaissance (BTM 1006: Scheherazade and Other Stories, and the double LP, BTM 2001, Live at Carnegie Hall), the label folded due to bankruptcy.[3]

The cover picture features Warwick Castle. The first BTM UK pressings had an alternate back cover, with a moody close-up portrait of Annie Haslam framed in one of the 'cards'. Later pressings, and in the US, a rather bland picture consistent in style and size with the other members portraits were added.

"Things I Don't Understand" was founder member Jim McCarty's last contribution to the band. "Running Hard" quotes a melodic phrase first used in "Mr. Pine" from the Illusion album, as well as the piece "Litanies" by French composer Jehan Alain. The music to "Cold Is Being" is taken entirely from "Adagio in G minor" (attributed to Tomaso Albinoni, but actually composed by Remo Giazotto) and, contrary to the album credits, was not composed by Michael Dunford; it was, however, credited in the back notes ("Thanks to Jehan Alain for the opening piece of RUNNING HARD and Albinoni for COLD IS BEING").[4] "Mother Russia" is cited by Jon Camp as being a case where he made major compositional contributions without being credited for them.[5]

Some credits on the original album were later inexplicably cropped: "Many thanks to Miles Copeland, Julian, Shirley" had originally read, "Many thanks to Miles Copeland, Julian, Shirley, Richard and Natalie Halem."

Expanded 2020 edition

In 2019 Esoteric Recordings announced a re-mastered and 4 disc (3 CD plus 1 DVD-audio) expanded edition of the album which was released on 20 March 2020.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Dunford and Betty Thatcher, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Running Hard"Dunford, Thatcher[nb 1]9:36
2."I Think of You" 3:08
3."Things I Don't Understand"Dunford, Jim McCarty9:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Black Flame" 6:25
5."Cold Is Being"Dunford, Thatcher[nb 2]3:02
6."Mother Russia" 9:18

Expanded edition
Bonus Tracks for 2020 re-mastered & expanded edition
No.TitleLength
7."Everybody Needs A Friend" (Previously unreleased - recorded De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley - 23rd March 1974) 
8."Mother Russia" (Single edit - Previously unreleased on CD) 
9."Things I Don't Understand" (New stereo mix) 
10."Black Flame" (New stereo mix) 
11."Mother Russia" (New stereo mix) 
2020 re-issue Disc two - Live at the Academy of Music, 17 May 1974
No.TitleLength
1."Can You Understand" 
2."Black Flame" 
3."Carpet of the Sun" 
4."Cold is Being" 
5."Things I Don't Understand" 
6."Running Hard" 
2020 re-issue Disc three - Live at the Academy of Music, 17 May 1974
No.TitleLength
1."Ashes Are Burning" 
2."Mother Russia" 
3."Prologue" 
2020 re-issue Disc four - "Turn of the Cards" 5.1 Surround sound & High-resolution stereo mixes
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Running Hard"Dunford, Thatcher[nb 3] 
2."I Think of You"Michael Dunford and Betty Thatcher 
3."Things I Don't Understand"Dunford, Jim McCarty 
4."Black Flame"Michael Dunford and Betty Thatcher 
5."Cold Is Being"Dunford, Thatcher[nb 4] 
6."Mother Russia"Michael Dunford and Betty Thatcher 

Personnel

Renaissance
  • Annie Haslam – lead and backing vocals
  • Michael Dunford – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Jon Camp (listed as "John Camp") – bass, co-lead vocals on track 3, backing vocals
  • John Tout – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Terence Sullivan – drums, backing vocals, percussion

Additional musicians
  • Jimmy Horowitz – orchestral arrangements

Production
  • Dick Plant - producer, engineer
  • Richard Gottehrer - producer
  • Douglas Bogie, Mike Pela - assistant engineers
  • Jeffrey Lesser - remix engineer at Mediasound Studios, New York
  • Hipgnosis - cover design

References
  1. Eder, Bruce. "Renaissance - Turn of the Cards review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. Liner notes from the Tales of 1001 Nights compilations
  3. Liner notes from CD reissue.
  4. Turn of the Cards Lyrics
  5. "Jon Camp Interview 2012".
  6. "Esoteric New Releases". Retrieved 3 April 2020.

Notes
  1. The introduction to the song is borrowed from "Litanies" by Jehan Alain.
  2. The music to this song taken from Adagio in G minor" by Remo Giazotto.
  3. The introduction to the song is borrowed from "Litanies" by Jehan Alain.
  4. The music to this song taken from Adagio in G minor" by Remo Giazotto.
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