Raphael Rudd - The Awakening

[BarryL]

I had never heard of this guy, but I came across it at HMV, and it was produced by Pete Townsend, featuring drums by Phil Collins with Annie Haslam doing vocals on a few tracks. So I thought I'd give it a go.

And I'm glad I did. Rudd is a very talented and progressive piano player. The piano is featured very prominently on all tracks, with some keyboards, and some orchestration. One song features a chamber orchestra with Rudd's piano.

Rudd's piano style tends towards Keith Emerson's. It's choppy by technical. The recordings were done between 1978 and 1980, so Haslam is in fine form on the three songs that she sings. Very Renaissance-like performances. Townsend lends his vocals to one song. Collins kits on five of the ten tracks.

If you like your progressive rock centered around the piano with a classical orientation and fine perforamnces, with shorter song structures, then you might like this. That something like this was even recorded in 1980 and was able to attract Collins and Haslam is probably a tribute to their assessment of Rudd's talents.

I don't know if Rudd has done anything else in the music business, but I'm now curious to check into it.

[Hyfi]

Hey Barry,
Here is an interesting link from Annie Haslam's website. Nearfest last summer featured Mike Kenealy and the Strawbs. Did you know that John Hawkins from the Strawbs was the first keyboard player for Renaissance before she was part of the band. Also Roger Dean was there and they hung out together.

http://www.anniehaslam.com/ah_letter.html

[BarryL]

Hey Barry,
Here is an interesting link from Annie Haslam's website. Nearfest last summer featured Mike Kenealy a
???+??P?d you know that John Hawkins from the Strawbs was the first keyboard player for Renaissance before she was part of the band. Also Roger Dean was there and they hung out together.

http://www.anniehaslam.com/ah_letter.html

I have the pre-Haslam renaissance albums and know it was a different band, but I didn't realize that the keyboard player went to the Strawbs. Thanks for the family lineage trivia. Have you heard these Haslam tracks?

[Hyfi]

I have heard the two you turned me on to, Wonderland and one other I can't remember the name.