In 1972, the rock world was introduced to a group of artists who would become internationally admired and appreciated for a sound that remains unique to this day.

Prologue was the product of an entirely different "Renaissance" than the world had previously known. The original group was born in 1969 from the ashes of the legendary Yardbirds, when Keith Relf and Jim McCarty chose a very different and ambitious path for their new project. They released two albums of this amalgam of electric rock with classical and jazz influences before they handed the keys over to other players who would not only inherit the legacy, but fashion their own and surpass anyone’s expectations.

At the center of the "new" Renaissance were John Tout and Annie Haslam. An accomplished keyboard player, Tout was a member of the latter edition of the "old" Renaissance. It’s his piano work that gives Prologue its classical and jazz elements. Haslam’s stunning voice became the band’s focal point. She stepped to the microphone and exuded a power and passion that truly became the "soul" of Renaissance.

Michael Dunford had also performed with the band during the latter portion of its initial incarnation, and with Prologue he remained behind the scenes in a non-performing role. One of the three tracks he penned for the album, the simple-yet-soaring "Spare Some Love," was co-written by Cornish poetess Betty Thatcher. Dunford would eventually return to full time status with the group and become one of its guiding forces, and Thatcher would become Dunford’s longtime collaborator and Renaissance’s resident lyricist.

On the eve of the band’s entering the studio to record this album, electric guitar player Mick Parsons passed away and Rob Hendry was asked to take his place. This is the only "classic" Renaissance release where the electric guitar is so prominent. The band chose an acoustic approach on future releases. Jon Camp’s bass and Terry Sullivan’s percussion rounded out the rhythm section.

While the band were still developing the "orchestral" sound for which they were to become renowned, Prologue shows us the beginning of that journey. Their use of classical excerpts for the title track and "Kiev" was not only keeping in the original spirit of the band, but the new songs contained an overall focus and an intensity that was missing in Renaissance’s earlier incarnation.

The album’s gentler and melodic moments, "Sounds of the Sea" and "Bound For Infinity," carry the promise of the sentimental moments that were to come. The Eastern-influenced acid-rocker "Rajah Khan" proves that Renaissance could indeed hold their own in a traditional rock mode.

Prologue was the first many of us heard from Renaissance, and thanks to their passion for the music, we listeners found ourselves on a journey that would last for many years.