After spending the first half of the '70s crafting complex symphonic-rock epics, Renaissance took a more accessible turn on 1977's Novella. Though the band continued to blend folk, classical, and progressive rock flavors for their rich, mostly acoustic sound, the compositions on the 1978 followup, A Song for All Seasons, are shorter and the song forms more concise, tapping more consistently into the pop sensibilities that had always played at least a small part in Renaissance's stylistic mix. Of course, singer Annie Haslam's bell-like tones remain at the center of the songs, and plenty of big, bold orchestral arrangements frame the band's interplay. "Closer Than Yesterday" is downright Beatle-esque, and "The Northern Lights" (the only hit single the band ever had) is a straight-up pop song, with a fetchingly hooky chorus. Renaissance's longtime (nonperforming) lyricist, Betty Thatcher, has a diminished role here, but she straddled both sides of the album's pop-prog divide: she penned both the aforementioned hit and the 11-minute title track, a prog-rock extravaganza more in keeping with the band's signature sound.