Artist: RENAISSANCE
Album: ASHES ARE BURNING RE-RELEASE (CD)

Year: 1973/ 1995
Media type: CD

Ashes Are Burning is an album by progressive rock band Renaissance, released in 1973. It was the first of several Renaissance albums to feature an orchestra playing along with the band on some songs.

Michael Dunford, who had been working with Renaissance in a composer-only role, had rejoined the band by the time this album was released. However, he wasn't officially part of the band when the album package was designed, so he doesn't appear in the cover photos and is listed as a guest musician.

The song "Can You Understand?" uses a quote from "Tonya and Yuri Arrive at Varykino", a theme from Maurice Jarre's score for Doctor Zhivago. It is unclear whether this quote was intentional, given that Jarre's piece was under copyright and used without permission. Because of confusion over the Jarre quote, some live collections (including Live at the Royal Albert Hall : King Biscuit Flower Hour Vol. 1 and some unauthorized releases) mistakenly credit "Can You Understand?" entirely to Jarre.

The song "On the Frontier" was previously released (also in 1973) by former Renaissance member Jim McCarty's band Shoot. It was the title track of their only album.

The lyrics for "Carpet of the Sun" printed on the LP's inner sleeve included an extra verse which is not sung on the recording. The verse begins with "Come along and try, looking into ways of giving. Maybe we will try, find a dream that we will live in".

All songs by Dunford-Thatcher except where noted.

TRACKLIST:

"Can You Understand?" - 9:51
"Let It Grow" - 4:14
"On the Frontier" (McCarty-Thatcher) - 4:55
"Carpet of the Sun" - 3:31
"At the Harbour" - 6:48
"Ashes Are Burning" - 11:20

LINE-UP:

Annie Haslam - lead & backing vocals
Jon Camp (listed as "John Camp") - bass, backing vocals, co-lead vocal on "On the Frontier"
John Tout - keyboards, backing vocals
Terence Sullivan - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Michael Dunford - acoustic guitar

Guitar solo on "Ashes Are Burning": Andy Powell