Blackmore's Night - 'Shadow Of The Moon' (Yokohama, Japan, 1997)

In the shadow of the moon,
She danced in the starlight
Whispering a haunting tune
To the night...

Velvet skirts spun 'round and 'round
Fire in her stare
In the woods without a sound
No one cared...

Through the darkened fields entranced,
Music made her poor heart dance,
Thinking of a lost romance...
Long ago...

Feeling lonely, feeling sad,
She cried in the moonlight.
Driven by a world gone mad
She took flight...

"Feel no sorrow, feel no pain,
Feel no hurt, there's nothing gained...
Only love will then remain,"
She would say.

Shadow of the Moon...
Shadow of the Moon...
Somewhere just beyond the mist
Spirits were seen flying

As the lightning led her way
Through the dark...
Shadow of the Moon...

Στις αρχές του καλοκαιριού του 1997 ο Ritchie Blackmore σοκάρει τους φίλους της μουσικής του (και τους ακροατές του) κυκλοφορώντας το ντεμπούτο των Blackmore's Night υπό τον τίτλο "Shadow Of The Moon".

Ο Ritchie αφήνοντας στην άκρη (όχι τελείως πάντως) τον ηλεκτρισμό των Deep Purple και των Rainbow μας παρουσιάζει ένα (ημι)ακουστικό σχήμα μεσαιωνικού / αναγεννησιακού folk κατά βάση, απόλυτα εναρμονισμένο με το προσωπικό του μουσικό όραμα.

Υπό μία έννοια οι Blackmore's Night αποτελούν μία άλλη πτυχή της ίδιας μήτρας που γέννησε και τους Rainbow. Το νέο έτος (10 Μαρτίου 2023) θα κυκλοφορήσει η "25th Anniversary Edition" του ντεμπούτου των Blackmore's Night. Παρακολουθούμε το βίντεο με την "ζωντανή" απόδοση του ομότιτλου τραγουδιού στην Ιαπωνία στις 10 Νεομβρίου 1997..

Δελτίο τύπου: «Blackmore’s Night were founded in 1997 by legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and award-winning lyricist and singer Candice Night to stage and explore their love for traditional Medieval and Folk-Rock music. Together, they created a band that like very few others is a prime example of truthfulness and creative integrity.

The band’s debut album “Shadow Of The Moon” (1997) was not only Blackmore’s deliberate radical cut from his previous life as celebrated rockstar in Deep Purple and Rainbow; it was a ground-breaking statement of his artistic ideals: mainly acoustic music, influenced by the songs of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance with a touch of genius that made them sound contemporary.

“Shadow Of The Moon” was a milestone album. It encompasses everything that Blackmore’s Night stand for to this day: beautiful melodies and warm atmospheres that are able to reach the soul as well as joyful songs to dance to and to celebrate. The 25th Anniversary Edition of “Shadow Of The Moon” was converted in HD audio from the original recording, and it has been fully remixed, allowing the original performance to shine in its original glory.

The original iconic artwork has been refreshed and reworked to celebrate the anniversary. Two previously unreleased acoustic recordings will be part of this reissue: “Spirit Of The Sea” and “Shadow Of The Moon”, both recorded in an intimate home session by Candice and Ritchie in 2022. All physical first print editions will also carry an exclusive “Shadow Of The Moon” documentary on DVD as bonus.»

Candice Night & Ritchie Blackmore: «It’s hard to believe that 25 years have gone by since the snowy nights spent by the fireplace writing these songs. Much has changed since those early days, but the magic of the music still shines as brightly as it did back then.

We feel truly blessed to have been able to bring these songs to the world, and do so again, in this remixed reissue proving they truly do stand the test of time. For 25 years we have graced historical venues stages worldwide and now we are able to revisit again, with you, this beautiful version of “Shadow Of The Moon”. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed revisiting those early days. We find that the songs are still timeless...»