Annie: Unfortunately by doing that we really screwed ourselves up. Instead of progressing with the music that we made that was so unique, we went in a completely different direction and we lost our style. That was the downfall of the band.

PCM: Did the record company put pressure on you?

Annie: A little bit. Jon wanted to take the band direction in a different way. We all followed. I am such a strong person now. That would never happen now! It was meant to be. If everything didn’t happen I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing and I am very happy doing what I’m doing.

PCM: Do you think that the band was growing? If you kept doing the same stuff as Renaissance..

Annie: We could have carried on doing the same thing but we needed to take it into the future. We needn’t have gone so radical. We took away all the classical feel of that lovely lush orchestral feel. It was gone. The five of us in the band at the time had a way of making magic doing that kind of thing. Once we changed it we sounded like anybody. They were ok songs but they weren’t great like the old stuff. Anybody could have sung those songs.

PCM: When Jon sang the song Only Angels Have Wings was there a lot of arguing in the band about having it on the record?

Annie: I was suppose to sing that but I was ill and couldn’t get to the studio. I had the flu so Jon did it. I though it was dreadful. As much as Jon was a great bass player he wasn’t a singer. I was very upset, I wish I wasn’t sick but there was nothing I do about it.

PCM: Were you on that tight of a schedule?

Annie: Yes, but it was something that was going to take weeks to get my voice back.

PCM: I was surprised to learn that you started singing at twenty-two. How did you develop your voice?

Annie: I think it was always there. My brother was a brilliant singer. He was a cross between Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. There’s a song on this new album with him. It is the only song we ever recorded together. I had a boyfriend who realized I could sing because I would sing at parties after I had a few ciders. Then I went to voice lessons with an opera trainer and that is when I learned I had five octaves.

PCM: Did you consider a classical career?

Annie: My teacher wanted me to. I didn’t know what I wanted at the time.

PCM: Who are some of the singers you listed too?

Annie: I listed to Anna Moffo and Maria Callas. I use to listen to Barbara Streisand, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.

PCM: Have you met Joni?

Annie: No, but I have met Joan Baez and I was shaking when I met her. She knew who I was. I was thrilled.

PCM: How about Joan Armatrading?

Annie: I like her. We were managed by Miles Copeland at the same time. We did a European tour together in 1973, early days as a band.

PCM: Did you expect to make a career with music?

Annie: I was hoping to. The first job I had was in a cabaret group in a dinner theater in London for six months. The guitarist said, "Annie you’re wasted here". We were a cover band. He saw an ad in Melody Maker for a girl singer for an international rock band. They didn’t say the name but when I called them I found out it was Renaissance so I went out and bought the album and learned the songs. I went for the audition.

PCM: Were you still taking vocal lesson at the time?

Annie: No.

PCM: Did you have concerns about damaging your voice?

Annie: No, because it wasn’t rock. My voice isn’t delicate. It’s not like I felt it was a delicate instrument. It is a strong powerful instrument that I developed by going to a proper trainer and learning how to breath correctly. I think you can damage your voice if you don’t know proper training.

PCM: Are there any singers that make you cringe when you hear them because their technique is so bad?

Annie: There’s a lot out. Do you remember Paul Young?

PCM: Yes, I liked him.

Annie: He has a fantastic voice. From what I was told he sang from his throat and strained his voice. Rod Steward sounds like somebody who completely abused his voice to me. That's not my kind of voice. I like voice with melody in them.

PCM: Who do you listen to now?

Annie: I haven’t bought any cd’s for a long time. I love Mary Fahl she was in a band called October Project. She has the most incredible voice. You should pick up their first album its fabulous. Kate Bush was always a big favorite of mine. Tori Amos is a copy of her, I don’t listen to her.

PCM: I don’t get the Tori Amos thing either. Weren’t you also a fashion designer?

Annie: I did fashion sketching. I wanted to be a designer. I went to a company in London  called *******. I was taken on temporarily and I was there for a couple of weeks. The man who owned the company was there and saw my work.  They gave me a sketch book and asked me to sketch outfits they brought into the room. The guy who owned the company said," I like your style. I look forward to seeing you when I get back from my holiday". Basically saying I got the job on a permanent basis. He went away and his girlfriend was left in charge. They gave me a book and said we want you to come up with as many ideas/ designs as you can in your style. So I came up with whole wad of ideas and then they took the book from me for two hours and then they fired me.

What they wanted was new ideas and they stole my ideas and then got rid of me. That absolutely broke my heart. I’d already done many thing to work my way up to be a designer, I worked for Saville Row Taylor, Jeager Clothing who is a big company in England and then I got the job at ******** . I remember I called my parents and they said, "As you know we are going to Canada for a month, we will take you with us". I went with them and while we were there we went to a pub in Toronto and they were having a talent competition and I got up and sang Those Were the Days who Mary Hopkins made famous. Her husband is Tony Visconti who later went on to produce some of my albums. Then I started to go into more competitions and then I got my job with the show boat.

PCM: So you never had starving days as an artist.

Annie: I didn’t. I have been very very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of upsets, a lot of tragedy in a short space of time. Renaissance was already touring they didn’t have a record deal. We had a sort of manager but then we got an agent with the John Sherry Agency. The band changed, different members came in and out then Miles Copeland came on the scene. That’s when we got the record deal with Sire Records and Seymour Stein and the rest is history.

PCM: That was such a different time and it was all new. Do you think that exists now for artists?

Annie: I’d like to think it was. It’s very different now. The music business is very different now. There’s very few record labels. The ones that there are, are big. There are many brilliant musicians out there, where do they get played? It’s not the same anymore. It’s wonderful having (((XM))) radio. (((XM))) still plays Renaissance. It’s not the same, that’s for sure.

Who knows how much longer they will be around they stick with the big artist who they know will sell. And with the advent of bootlegs which is another thing that is so heart breaking, its so wrong. It make a lot of artist feel why should we bother, somebody is going to steal it.

PCM: I remember in one of your newsletter’s you wrote about a bootleg  DVD. That was on ebay from one of your shows.

Annie: It’s not there’s to sell. Its poor quality, people are ripped off and they take the money and run. I don’t know about you but I am a heavy believer in karma. In this life time!

Annie: The yahoo groups?

Annie: They do it within themselves? I have heard about them but how do you know they’re not selling it down the road.

PCM: I have a lot of stuff from the tree’s. These are dedicated fans who share your feeling. I think there is a difference with that and ebay.

Annie: I guess I am jaded. People will send me emails about stuff and there is nothing I can do. There’s a bootleg out of Still Life. It has a white cover. I don’t know why but I was searching the other day and I though why should I look there’s nothing I can do. It would cost me a lot of money.