Blackmore's Night - 'Village On The Sand' (Castles & Dreams DVD, 2005)

I saw three ships a-sailing in from across the sea
Strangers near were welcome but for curiosity
But come they did and when they did ready they did stand
And things would never be the same in our Village on the Sand...

When the ships pulled in to dock the villagers did hide
When trouble came it usually was brought upon the tide
When the pirates disembarked they were making plans
And from then on things were not the same in our Village on the Sand...

The smugglers came into our town and many sought to run
I stood my ground bravely and came face to face with one
Time and travel on the seas weathered face and hand
He was different than the others in my Village on the Sand...

He told me of the years he'd spent on the stormy seas
Then he spoke a poet's words of philosophy
And when he had to leave again he asked me for my hand
And I knew I'd never see again my Village on the Sand...

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. Προ τετραμήνου (10 Μαρτίου 2023) κυκλοφόρησε η "25th Anniversary Edition" του ντεμπούτου των Blackmore's Night.

Παρακολουθούμε το μουσικό βίντεο με την "ζωντανή" απόδοση του τραγουδιού "Village On The Sand", από την εμφάνιση των Blackmore's Night το 2004 στο Burg Veldenstein της Γερμανίας. Το εν λόγω βίντεο εποτελεί μέρος του DVD "Castles & Dreams" που "βγήκε" την επόμενη χρονιά (2005)...

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.»

Band: Blackmore's Night
Video: "Village On The Sand" (Castles & Dreams DVD, 2005)
Album: "Shadow Of The Moon" (25th Anniversary Edition)
Type: Full length (Reissue)
Release Date: March 10th, 2023

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Track listing

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CD:
01. Shadow Of The Moon (25th Anniversary New Mix)
02. The Clock Ticks On (25th Anniversary New Mix)
03. Be Mine Tonight (25th Anniversary New Mix)
04. Play Minstrel Play (25th Anniversary New Mix)
05. Ocean Gypsy (25th Anniversary New Mix)
06. Minstrel Hall (25th Anniversary New Mix)
07. Magical World (25th Anniversary New Mix)
08. Writing On The Wall (25th Anniversary New Mix)
09. Renaissance Faire (25th Anniversary New Mix)
10. Memmingen (25th Anniversary New Mix)
11. No Second Chance (25th Anniversary New Mix)
12. Mond Tanz (25th Anniversary New Mix)
13. Spirit Of The Sea (25th Anniversary New Mix)
14. Greensleeves (25th Anniversary New Mix)
15. Wish You Were Here (25th Anniversary New Mix)
16. Shadow Of The Moon (Ritchie & Candice Anniversary Home Session)
17. Spirit Of The Sea (Ritchie & Candice Anniversary Home Session)

Bonus-DVD:
- Documentary: The story of “Shadow Of The Moon” (30 min)
- Music Video Clips, “Shadow Of The Moon”, “No Second Chance”, “Renaissance Faire” (with optional audio commentary by Candice Night & Ritchie Blackmore)