''Camera Camera'' is the tenth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the English

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, released in 1981. After losing two of their five members and being dropped from their label, Renaissance signed on to Miles Copeland's

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

. The departed members were replaced by keyboardist/singer Peter Gosling and drummer Peter Barron (neither of whom is included in the album's band photos). Between the previous Renaissance album and ''Camera Camera'', Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford had worked with Gosling as a trio called

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, releasing two singles and recording several demos. Nevada's somewhat new wave sound strongly influenced ''Camera Camera''. One of the ''Camera Camera'' songs, "Faeries", had previously been recorded (but not released) by Nevada. The original 1981 UK release of ''Camera Camera'' did not include the single "Bonjour Swansong"; but the song has been included on all releases of the album since 1982. This was the last Renaissance studio album to include lyrics by the band's longtime lyricist Betty Thatcher. She wrote the words to "Bonjour Swansong" as "a private goodbye to the group."Liner notes from the CD reissue of ''Camera Camera''

Track listing

Personnel

;Renaissance * Annie Haslam - lead and backing vocals * Michael Dunford - guitars, backing vocals *Peter Gosling - keyboards, backing vocals *Jon Camp - bass, backing vocals, guitars *Peter Barron - drums, backing vocals, percussion ;Production *John Acock - engineer

References

{{Authority control 1981 albums Renaissance (band) albums I.R.S. Records albums Illegal Records albums RCA Records albums Repertoire Records albums