Scheherazade and Other Stories is a 1975 album by progressive rock band Renaissance

Renaissance (band)

Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...

. It has often been considered their overall best album.
This album marked the first time that Renaissance (Annie Haslam

Annie Haslam

Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...

's version) did not use quotes from actual classical pieces in their songs. Contrary to popular belief, "Song of Scheherazade" is not based on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...

's Scheherazade

Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)

Sheherazade , Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. Based on One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights, this orchestral work combines two features common to Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colourful...

, but does have a recurring six-note motif that alludes to that work.

Information about the album

There has been some confusion over just where the sections of "Song of Scheherazade" begin and end. This was caused by the fact that "Fanfare" and "The Betrayal" together sound like a single section, while "Festival Preparations" has two distinct parts of its own (4:00 and 1:11 in length). This confusion was reflected in the packaging and labels of original LP copies of this album, and in the mistitling of "Festival Preparations" (part 1) as "The Young Prince and Princess" on the 1990 Tales Of 1001 Nights, Volume I compilation.

Also, as has been admitted by the administrators of the official Renaissance site, Northern Lights, it is difficult to assign exact composing credits to the individual sections since the composers clearly borrowed themes from each other. For example, based on the official credits (which differ slightly between the actual album package and the official Renaissance site), a particular melodic phrase ends up being attributed to both Dunford ("The Sultan") and Tout ("Fugue for the Sultan"); and lyricist Betty Thatcher

Betty Thatcher

Betty Thatcher was an English lyricist, who wrote most of the lyrics for the UK progressive rock band Renaissance.-Early life:...

 is, for some reason, not credited for her lyrics on "Finale" (which are repeated from "The Sultan").

"Trip to the Fair" was about Annie Haslam's first date with Roy Wood

Roy Wood

Roy Adrian Wood is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands.-Career:Wood...

.

"Ocean Gypsy" has since been covered by Blackmore's Night

Blackmore's Night

Blackmore's Night is an English-American traditional folk rock duo led by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night .-Early:...

.

Track listing

1. "Trip to the Fair" (Dunford-Thatcher-Tout) - 10:51
2. "The Vultures Fly High" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 3:04
3. "Ocean Gypsy" (Dunford-Thatcher) - 7:05
4. "Song of Scheherazade" (Camp-Dunford-Thatcher-Tout) - 24:39
   1. i. Fanfare - :38 (instrumental)
   2. ii. The Betrayal - 2:05 (instrumental)
   3. iii. The Sultan - 4:45
   4. iv. Love Theme - 2:42 (instrumental)
   5. v. The Young Prince and Princess as told by Scheherazade - 2:29
   6. vi. Festival Preparations - 5:11 (instrumental)
   7. vii. Fugue for the Sultan - 2:10 (instrumental)
   8. viii. The Festival - 2:10
   9. ix. Finale - 2:29

Personnel

• Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
  
  - lead & backing vocals
• Jon Camp - bass, bass pedals, backing vocals, lead vocal on "The Sultan"
• Michael Dunford - acoustic guitars, backing vocals
• John Tout - keyboards, backing vocals
• Terence Sullivan - drums, percussion, backing vocals

orchestral arrangements: Tony Cox