March 4, 2021 sees the release of John Holden’s “Together Apart” charity album which aims to raise funds for vital research into a rare type of ovarian cancer.
The lead single from the album is an extended version of Renaissance’s “Northern Lights.” The track features original bassist Jon Camp, Gavin Harrison on drums, Oliver Wakeman and Vikram Shankar on keyboards, Michel St Pere and Oliver Day on guitar. Vocals are performed by Anneke Van Giersbergen, Marc Atkinson, Peter Jones, Sally Minnear and That Joe Payne.
“I always loved the song and thought it would be a perfect choice to reach as many people as possible. It pays homage to the original but there are some surprises!” says Holden “I approached the musicians and they all instantly agreed to perform for free, everyone has done a magnificent job. All the artists involved have also been so generous to let us choose songs from their repertoire, I am sure people will love the selection”.
The album includes the original track “Circles,” taken from Holden’s forthcoming album “Circles in Time.” The video of the song features Sally Minnear with lyrics by John’s wife Elizabeth who tells us: “The track is based on my experience of living with recurrent ovarian cancer, so it is very personal, and Sally’s beautiful voice was perfect for it.” Watch the video below:
Aware that research into new treatments is seriously underfunded and with a huge drop in donations due to the pandemic, the couple decided to do a charity release with the funds going to Edinburgh University’s Cancer Research Centre.
Elizabeth says: “People tell me to keep fighting, but without the weapon of more effective treatments I can’t do that – only research can give women like me hope.“
“Together Apart” is available as a digital albumon Bandcamp, with a minimum price, but people can pay more if they wish to make a larger donation to the research:
Tracklist
| 01. | Northern Lights | 07:02 | |
| 02. | John Holden. – Circles | 05:46 | |
| 03. | Tiger Moth Tales – Taking the Dawn | 05:23 | |
| 04. | Mystery – How do you Feel | 04:53 | |
| 05. | Marc Atkinson – Brave the Storm | 03:16 | |
| 06. | That Joe Payne – Love (not the same) | 06:35 | |
| 07. | Oliver Day – Chasing the Sun | 02:27 | |
| 08. | Band of Rain – Larkspur | 07:53 | |
| 09. | Lux Terminus – Epilogue: Fly | 04:35 | |
| 10. | Northern Lights radio mix | 04:05 |
