Jim McCarty made his name as drummer – and songwriter and backing vocalist – in The Yardbirds, but when they split in 1968, McCarty and singer Keith Relf formed Renaissance, with Relf’s sister Jane on vocals. Their self-titled 1969 debut was one of the earliest progressive rock albums – but here it gets complicated. They disintegrated when recording its 1971 follow-up, Illusion, but reformed – minus Keith Relf, who died in 1976 – as Illusion, recording Out Of The Mist (1977) and Illusion (1978). A compilation of unreleased material, Enchanted Caress, was released in 1989 and in 2001 McCarty reunited with Jane Relf and Louis Cennamo (bass), releasing Through The Fire as Renaissance Illusion. Renaissance was reissued in 2022 and a four-CD Illusion box set, Everywhere You Go, is due at the end of February.
Renaissance were very different in style from The Yardbirds. How did you and Keith Relf make the transition?