"Turn of the Cards" is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance, released in July 1974. It marked the last Renaissance album to include excerpts from existing classical pieces and was the first album recorded after Michael Dunford joined the band as an acoustic guitarist.
This album was the first release on Miles Copeland's BTM Records. The label eventually folded in 1977 after releasing a total of 10 albums, including two more by Renaissance.
The cover art was designed by Hipgnosis, who had previously worked on the band's earlier albums. They created a storyboard, visited the recording studio to capture the music's essence, and produced the final artwork, featuring Warwick Castle in the background. The initial UK pressings of BTM included an alternate back cover with a close-up portrait of Annie Haslam.
For the recording, Renaissance returned to De Lane Lea Studios with co-producer/engineer Dick Plant. Richard Gottehrer, co-founder of the band's American label Sire Records, is credited as co-producer, but his involvement was limited to collaborating on the final remix of "Things I Don't Understand." This track faced challenges, as an initial recording was erased, requiring multiple mixes to achieve a satisfactory sound.
"Things I Don't Understand" was the last contribution from founding member Jim McCarty, though it had been part of the band's set list prior to his departure. Jimmy Horowitz handled the orchestral arrangements, bringing a professional touch that complemented the band's sound.
The track "Running Hard" quotes melodies from earlier works, while "Cold Is Being" draws from the "Adagio in G minor," often misattributed to Albinoni but actually composed by Remo Giazotto. "Mother Russia" features lyrics by Betty Thatcher, inspired by the novel "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," written before any music was composed for it.
The album's title was inspired by the cover art, and some original credits were later cropped in subsequent releases.
In 2019, Esoteric Recordings announced a remastered and expanded edition of the album, which was released on 20 March 2020.
