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Camera Camera (Renaissance album)

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Camera Camera
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1981 [1]
RecordedJune 1981
StudioHerne Place Studios, Sunningdale, Berkshire, England
GenreProgressive rock, new wave
Length45:01
LabelIllegal (UK)
I.R.S. (US)
RCA (Italy)
Line (Germany)
ProducerRenaissance
Renaissance chronology
Azure d'Or
(1979)
Camera Camera
(1981)
Time-Line
(1983)
Singles from Camera Camera
  1. "Faeries (Living at the Bottom of the Garden)"
    Released: 2 October 1981 [2]
  2. "Bonjour Swansong"
    Released: 12 February 1982 (UK) [3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

Camera Camera is the tenth studio album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1981.

After losing two of their five members and being dropped from their label, Renaissance signed on to Miles Copeland's I.R.S. Records. The departed members were replaced by keyboardist/singer Peter Gosling and drummer Peter Barron (neither of whom is included in the album's band photos). Between the previous Renaissance album and Camera Camera, Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford had worked with Gosling as a trio called Nevada, releasing two singles and recording several demos. Nevada's somewhat new wave sound strongly influenced Camera Camera. One of the Camera Camera songs, "Faeries", had previously been recorded (but not released) by Nevada.[5]

The original 1981 UK release of Camera Camera did not include the single "Bonjour Swansong"; but the song has been included on all releases of the album since 1982.[6]

This was the last Renaissance studio album to include lyrics by the band's longtime lyricist Betty Thatcher. She wrote the words to "Bonjour Swansong" as "a private goodbye to the group."[7]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Camera Camera"Jon Camp, Michael Dunford6:01
2."Faeries (Living at the Bottom of the Garden)"Dunford, Peter Gosling3:45
3."Remember"Dunford, Betty Thatcher4:33
4."Bonjour Swansong" (not included in the British 1981 release)Dunford, Thatcher3:32
5."Tyrant-Tula"Camp, Dunford5:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Okichi-San"Dunford, Thatcher6:00
7."Jigsaw"Dunford, Thatcher5:00
8."Running Away from You"Camp3:35
9."Ukraine Ways"Camp, Dunford6:37

Personnel

[edit]
Renaissance
  • Annie Haslam - lead and backing vocals
  • Michael Dunford - guitars, backing vocals
  • Peter Gosling - keyboards, backing vocals
  • Jon Camp - bass, backing vocals, guitars
  • Peter Barron - drums, backing vocals, percussion
Production
  • John Acock - engineer

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Releases" (PDF). FMQB Album Report. 16 October 1981. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Renaissance singles". Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Renaissance singles". Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  4. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Camera Camera - Renaissance | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  5. ^ Liner notes from the Nevada compilation Pictures in the Fire, released in 2000
  6. ^ "Renaissance Discography". Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  7. ^ Liner notes from the CD reissue of Camera Camera