In essence, the story of two acts with similar line-ups, different names. Mk1 Renaissance gave up the ghost enabling an entirely new membership fronted by the redoubtable Annie Haslam to win the plaudits, score the sales. But this was not to stem the ambitions of the former band, albeit tragically now without leader Keith Relf electrocuted in 1976, which taped these two quality releases for Island Records in 1977 and 1978.

Sour grapes and bandwagon-jumping can be safely swept aside as both are worthy additions to the canon of melodic English progressive rock doing the rounds even then (punk lurked). Relf's sister Jane's low, folk-trained voice is calm, controlled, almost glacial: at its best on slower numbers such as Illusion's atmospheric 'Louis' Theme', it's proven to be one of this genre's great losses over successive years. ***

Debut Out Of The Mist has its moments ('Candles Are Burning') but its self-titled successor is stronger, notably on closer 'The Revolutionary' which is up with the best of The Strawbs' material of the day. Curiously, it proved the poorer payer and the band bellyed-up, yet overall was not as illusory as it's name suggested on the strength of these. ***

Review by Peter Muir

Peter Muir presents 'Progressive Fusion', Sundays at 19:00 on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio