Still Life | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984-85 | |||
Genre | Symphonic rock | |||
Length | 39:05 | |||
Label | Spartan Music (UK) One Way Records (US) | |||
Producer | Louis Clark | |||
Annie Haslam chronology | ||||
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Still Life is the second solo album by Renaissance vocalist Annie Haslam, recorded with Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985. [1] The album consisted of popular classical tunes set to the lyrics of poet and Renaissance lyricist Betty Thatcher. A remastered two-disc edition was released on April 25, 2011, with the second disc offering an instrumental version of each song. [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [3] |
The Bolton News described Still Life as the marriage of classical and popular music at its very best. [4] Allmusic's Tomas Mureika retrospectively called it "one of Haslam's career highlights: a gorgeous, lyrical, and endlessly listenable collection of classical pop nuggets, topped off with brilliant—often profound—lyrics." [3]
Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, best known for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia", and "Ashes Are Burning". They developed a unique sound, combining a female lead vocal with a fusion of classical, folk, rock, and jazz influences. Characteristic elements of the Renaissance sound are Annie Haslam's wide vocal range, prominent piano accompaniment, orchestral arrangements, vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, synthesiser, and versatile drum work. The band created a significant following in the northeast United States in the 1970s, and that region remains their strongest fan base.
Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11.
Classical Baby is an American animated television series for young children and families directed by Amy Schatz and produced by HBO. The animation was created and designed by Maciek Albrecht and MaGiK World Animation. Classical Baby is designed to introduce young children to masterpieces from the worlds of music, art, dance, poetry, lullaby 1, lullaby 2, symphony, game, circus, safety, fairy tale, nursery rhyme, holiday 1, holiday 2, play, talent 1 and talent 2. This series first aired on HBO Family on May 14, 2005.
Emma Johnson is a British clarinettist, who was appointed MBE for services to music in 1996.
Annie Haslam is an English vocalist, songwriter and painter. She is best known as the lead singer of progressive rock band Renaissance since 1971, and for her long and diverse solo singing career. She has a five-octave vocal range. From 2002, Haslam has developed a parallel career as a visual artist, producing paintings on canvas, painted musical instruments and giclées.
Louis Clark was an English music arranger and keyboard player. He trained at Leeds College of Music. He is best known for his work with Electric Light Orchestra and Hooked on Classics. Clark started out as a bass guitarist for Birmingham band The Buccaneers, who later became Monopoly and eventually The Raymond Froggatt Band.
Scheherazade and Other Stories is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1975. Some critics consider it their best album, although others prefer earlier albums. This is the first album in which Renaissance did not use quotes from actual classical pieces and the first not to feature any songwriting credits from the original members. Contrary to popular belief, "Song of Scheherazade" is not based on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, but does have a brief recurring motif that alludes to that work.
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.
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. "Northern Lights" from the album reached the top ten on the UK Singles Chart and is the band's only UK chart single.
Annie in Wonderland is the first solo album by Annie Haslam, vocalist with the 1970s band Renaissance. It was produced by Roy Wood, who also wrote some of the material, arranged all the songs, played nearly all of the instruments, and illustrated the cover. The album features a range of musical styles enabling Haslam to experiment with vocal styles outside the ethos of Renaissance. The range for which Haslam is well-known is still apparent, however, especially in the showcase number "Rockalise". The album peaked at No. 167 on the Billboard "pop albums" chart.
Carol Rosenberger is a classical pianist. In 1976, Rosenberger was chosen to represent America's women concert artists by the President's National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. She has given performance workshops for young musicians on campuses nationwide. Rosenberger recorded over 30 albums on the Delos Productions, Inc. recording label. Rosenberger's memoir, To Play Again: A Memoir of Musical Survival was published in 2018 by She Writes Press.
Betty Thatcher was an English lyricist who wrote many of the lyrics for the progressive rock band Renaissance.
The Best Classics... Ever! is a compilation album released by EMI in late 2005. This compilation contains both short works and excerpts from longer works by renowned classical composers.
The Art of Julian Lloyd Webber is a 2011 album by Julian Lloyd Webber.
Greatest Love Classics is the thirty-eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in 1984 by EMI Records. Williams writes in the liner notes: "All through my life I have known and loved the great classic melodies and wished I could sing them. So when Tony Hiller and Nicky Graham contacted me with some of these melodies set to lyrics, they immediately caught my imagination."
The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music is a selection of classical works recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor David Parry. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Royal Festival Hall and Henry Wood Hall in London, the album was released in digital formats in November, 2009 and as a 4-CD set in 2011. The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music has sold over 200,000 copies and spent over three years as one of the top 10 classical albums on iTunes.
Opus is the eighth studio album of the music project Schiller created by the German electronic musician Christopher Von Deylen. The album was announced on July 1, 2013 and was released on August 30, 2013. On this album Schiller has collaborated with Russian operatic soprano Anna Netrebko, French pianist Hélène Grimaud and German classical oboist Albrecht Mayer. Opus is the first release of the new label "Panorama" by Deutsche Grammophon. The album reached in its first week number 1 of the German albums chart and number 6 in Switzerland and number 10 in Austria. These are the highest entries of Schiller in Austria and Switzerland and the fourth number-1-album of Schiller in Germany. Schiller has received a Gold award in Germany in December 2013 for 100.000 sold albums of Opus. In 2014 a reedition of the album was released: Opus - White Album.
"Northern Lights" is a song by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1978 from their album A Song for All Seasons. It was the band's only hit single, reaching No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Hooked on Classics, produced by Jeff Jarratt and Don Reedman, is a multi-million selling album recorded by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, published in 1981 by K-tel and distributed by RCA Records, part of the Hooked on Classics series.
Hooked on Classics 3: Journey Through the Classics is an album by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, published in 1983 by K-tel as part of the Hooked on Classics series.