A Song for All Seasons
{{about|the album|the song|Volunteers (Jefferson Airplane album)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox album
| name = A Song for All Seasons
| type = Studio
| artist = Renaissance
| cover = RenSeason.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Cover design by Hipgnosis
| released = 3 March 1978 (UK){{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/|title=Brit Certifications for Renaissance}}
| recorded = November 1977 – January 1978
| studio=Advision, CTS and Trident Studios, London
| venue =
| genre = Progressive rock
| length = 44:31
| label = Warner Bros. (UK)
Sire (North America)
| producer = David Hentschel
| prev_title = Novella
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = Azure d'Or
| next_year = 1979
| misc = {{Singles
| name = A Song for All Seasons
| type = studio
| single1 = Back Home Once Again
| single1date = 16 September 1977{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Renaissance&titel=Back+Home+Once+Again+%28The+Paper+Lads%29&cat=s|title=Renaissance singles}}
| single2 = Northern Lights
| single2date = 26 May 1978{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1978/Music-Week-1978-05-27.pdf|title=Music Week|page=68}}
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-song-for-all-seasons-mw0001955087 |title=A Song for All Seasons |first=Bruce |last=Eder | work = AllMusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation |accessdate=19 December 2020}}
}}
A Song for All Seasons is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1978. It marked the return of electric guitars to the band's music after several years of absence.Liner notes from the Tales of 1001 Nights compilations "Northern Lights" from the album reached the top ten on the UK Singles Chart and is the band's only UK chart single.{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17041/renaissance/ |title=Renaissance Official Charts |publisher=Official Charts Company |accessdate=20 September 2015 }}
Overview
A shortened recording of "Back Home Once Again" was used as the theme song for the short-lived 1977 British TV series The Paper Lads.
"She Is Love", sung by Jon Camp, was meant to be sung by Annie Haslam, but the orchestral backing track turned out to have been recorded in the wrong key for her.{{cite web |url=http://renaissance-fanfare.net/forum/topics/jon-camp-interview-2012 |title=Jon Camp Interview 2012 |access-date=12 May 2015 |archive-date=29 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929192722/http://renaissance-fanfare.net/forum/topics/jon-camp-interview-2012 |url-status=dead }}
Drummer Terry Sullivan had his first songwriting credit with the band on the title track. He was responsible for the basic tune to the song's extended instrumental intro. This was based on a song he wrote on guitar in 1971.Discussion with Terry Sullivan on the (now retired) Northern Lights message board.
Expanded 2019 edition
In 2019 Esoteric Recordings announced a re-mastered and 3 CD expanded edition of the album which was released on 29 March 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/renaissance-a-song-for-all-seasons-3cd-remastered-expanded-clamshell-box-edition/ |title=Esoteric New Releases |accessdate=3 April 2019}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Opening Out
| writer1 = Jon Camp, Michael Dunford
| length1 = 4:14
| title2 = Day of the Dreamer
| writer2 = Camp, Dunford
| length2 = 9:43
| title3 = Closer than Yesterday
| writer3 = Camp, Dunford
| length3 = 3:18
| title4 = Kindness (At the End)
| writer4 = Camp
| length4 = 4:51
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title5 = Back Home Once Again
| writer5 = Camp, Dunford
| length5 = 3:15
| title6 = She Is Love
| writer6 = Dunford, Betty Thatcher
| length6 = 4:11
| title7 = Northern Lights
| writer7 = Dunford, Thatcher
| length7 = 4:06
| title8 = A Song for All Seasons
| writer8 = Camp, Dunford, Terence Sullivan, Thatcher, John Tout
| length8 = 10:53
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Bonus Tracks for 2019 re-mastered & expanded edition
| title9 = Northern Lights
| writer9 = Dunford, Thatcher
| length9 =
| note9 = Promotional single edit - previously unreleased on CD
| title10 = Day of the Dreamer
| writer10 = Camp, Dunford
| length10 =
| note10 = BBC Radio One session - 19 August 1978
| title11 = Midas Man
| writer11 =
| length11 =
| note11 = BBC Radio One session - 19 August 1978
| title12 = The Vultures Fly High
| writer12 =
| length12 =
| note12 = BBC Radio One session - 19 August 1978
| title13 = Northern Lights
| writer13 = Dunford, Thatcher
| length13 =
| note13 = Top of the Pops version - previously unreleased
}}
{{track listing
| headline = 2019 re-issue Disc two - Live at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, 12 April 1978
| title1 = Can You Hear Me
| writer1 =
| length1 =
| note1 =
| title2 = Carpet of the Sun
| writer2 =
| length2 =
| note2 =
| title3 = Things I Don't Understand
| writer3 =
| length3 =
| note3 =
| title4 = Opening Out
| writer4 =
| length4 =
| note4 = Previously unreleased
| title5 = Day of the Dreamer
| writer5 =
| length5 =
| note5 =
| title6 = Midas Man
| writer6 =
| length6 =
| note6 =
}}
{{track listing
| headline = 2019 re-issue Disc three - Live at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, 12 April 1978
| title1 = Northern Lights
| writer1 =
| length1 =
| note1 =
| title2 = A Song for All Seasons
| writer2 =
| length2 =
| note2 = Previously unreleased
| title3 = Touching Once is So Hard to Keep
| writer3 =
| length3 =
| note3 = Previously unreleased
| title4 = Ashes Are Burning
| writer4 =
| length4 =
| note4 = Previously unreleased
}}
Personnel
=Renaissance=
- Annie Haslam – lead vocals on tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 8
- Michael Dunford – 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar
- John Tout – keyboards
- Jon Camp – bass, bass pedals, electric guitar, lead vocals on tracks 4 and 6
- Terence Sullivan – drums, percussion
=Additional musicians=
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Harry Rabinowitz – conductor, arrangements on track 6
- Louis Clark – orchestral arrangements
=Production=
- David Hentschel – producer, engineer
- Barry Kidd, Declan O'Doherty, Dick Plant, Steve Short – assistant engineers
- Hipgnosis – album cover design
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
=Album=
| class="wikitable" width="330px"
!align="center"|Year !align="center"|Chart !align="center"|Position |
| align="center" rowspan="3"|1978
|align="center"|UK Albums Chart |align="center"|35 |
| align="center"|RPM100 Albums (Canada){{cite web | url = http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=3475&| title = Top Albums/CDs - Volume 29, No. 12, June 17 1978| accessdate = 20 September 2015 | date = 17 June 1978 | publisher = Library and Archives Canada}}
|align="center"|45 |
| align="center"|Billboard 200 (USA){{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-song-for-all-seasons-mw0001955087/awards |title=A Song for All Seasons Billboard Albums |work=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |accessdate=20 September 2015 }}
|align="center"|58 |
{{col-break}}
=Singles=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Single !Chart !Position |
| align="center"|1978
|align="center"|"Northern Lights" |align="center"|UK Singles Chart |align="center"|10 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Renaissance (band)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song For All Seasons, A}}
Category:Renaissance (band) albums
Category:Albums produced by David Hentschel