1998 CD Edeltone 3755
1998 CD Import 29501
2000 CD Intersound 3766
2001 CD Steamhammer/SPV 7240
Shadow of the Moon is the first album by Ritchie Blackmore's beloved
Blackmore's Night project. The former Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist
and his fiancée, vocalist Candice Night, created a
Renaissance-inspired work with elements of folk, new age, and
occasional bits of electric guitar. Blackmore even plays bass,
mandolin, drum (yes, singular), and tambourine. Night's voice isn't
powerful, but it's bright and sweet, making it perfect for this style
of music. Other musicians include co-producer Pat Regan on keyboards
and the Minstrel Hall Consort; Gerald Flashman on recorder, trumpet,
and French horn; Tom Brown on cello; and Lady Green on violin and
viola. Most songs are original compositions but some are based on
traditional melodies. "Shadow of the Moon" is a marvelous opener; it's
catchy, haunting, and propulsive. Blackmore shreds on acoustic guitar
and lets the electric guitar slip into the background for faint power
chords. Regal, majestic horns lend an elegance to "The Clock Ticks On,"
which addresses the passage of time and a yearning to live in the past.
"Play Minstrel Play" features Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, one of
Blackmore's favorite musicians. The song moves along pleasantly until
about halfway through when it explodes into a frantic, handclaps-led
pace with Anderson's wild flute solo. The warmth of "Ocean Gypsy" makes
it the song most easily classified as new age here; Blackmore plays a
gentle but swift acoustic guitar melody under Night's softly yearning
vocals. "Writing on the Wall" is quite fast and has a danceable beat,
and there's even a blowout jam at the end. Blackmore's electric guitar
work is the most prominent on "No Second Chance" and "Wish You Were
Here." The instrumental "Possum's Last Dance" is a U.S.-only bonus
track.
Bret Adams, All-Music Guide
Der Ex-Deep Purple-Gitarrist Ritchie Blackmore gab seinem Hang zum
Mittelalter nach: für Folk-Pop mit Renaissance-Anklängen -
und mit der Minne-Stimme von Candice Night und Jethro Tulls Ian
Anderson. Ein Balanceakt am Rand des Kitsches, für Fans des
Hardrock-Recken ein Schock. ** Klang.: 04-03
Mit Fanfaren, Flöten und Folkigem à la Mike Oldfield und
mit orientalischen Klängen im Stil von Mike Batt führt
Ritchie Blackmore auf seinem neuesten Projekt Regie. "Shadow Of The
Moon" steht ganz in der Tradition des irisch-englischen Folk,
Hardrock-Fans werden diesmal enttäuscht sein. Blackmore spielt
überwiegend akustische Gitarre und Mandoline. Als Gast bläst
Ian Anderson die Querflöte auf "Play Minstrtel Plays", und als
Sängerin flötet Candice Night, die stark an Maggie Riley
erinnert. Blackmores neues Opus ist einerseits wohltuend entspannend,
auf Dauer jedoch auch ermüdend.
Hossa! Hartwurstgitarrenkönig Richard Schwarzmeer und seine
singende Lebensabschnittsgefährtin Candice Night haben in diesem
Monat ein Scheibchen abgeschossen, das sicherlich so manchen
Testkandidaten von hinten durch die Brust ins Auge getroffen hat. Rock,
Metal oder ähnlich schwer verbleiter Stoff bleibt völlig
außen vor. Die Devise lautet: Zurück ins Mittelalter!
Ritchie frönt einem musikalischen Seitenstrang, den er erstmals zu
frühen Rainbow-Zeiten (´Sixteenth Century
Greensleeves´) eingeschlagen hat. "Shadow Of The Moon" ist purer
Edel-Folk, auf neudeutsch auch Ethno-Mucke genannt. Integriert sind
sämtliche Sounds und Stilmittel, die man sich unter opulent
orchestriertem Minnegesang vorstellen kann. Die 15 Songs (darunter drei
Instrumentals) werden u.a. von Trompete, Mandoline, Cello, Geige und
Flöte (furioser Einsatz von Jethro Tull-Boss Ian Anderson)
untermalt, und mit Candice hat Ritchie die perfekte Ergänzung
für seine mittelalterlich anmutenden Gitarrenweisen gefunden. Das
Goldkehlchen erinnert stimmlich ein wenig an die Girls von Abba -
nachdem sie sich zu Sally Oldfield ins Studio verirrt haben. Der eine
oder andere wird sich jetzt schon eins grinsen, das Ding von der
Einkaufsliste streichen - und damit eventuell einen Fehler begehen:
"Shadow Of The Moon" ist ein gelungenes Experiment mit einer ganzen
Reihe erstklassiger Songs geworden, die vor allem für die immer
größer werdende Gemeinde der Theatre Of Tragedy- oder The
Gathering-Fans eine nette Komplettierung der Sammlung darstellen
dürfte. Einziger echter Ausfall ist ´Writing On The
Wall´: Dank der elefantösen Bum-Bum-Bum-Drumcomputerbeats
fühlt man sich auf einmal mitten in eine Plastikpopperdisco der
übelsten Sorte versetzt. Sorry, aber im direkten Vergleich hatten
selbst Rainbows dämliche Klatschklatsch-Samples auf "Difficult To
Cure" (´No Release´) Streetcredibility bis zum Abwinken.
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...
The Clock Ticks On
As the wind chimes play along the breeze
Singing songs to stir the soul,
Rainbow colours entwined in fairytales
On the maypole...
Sing the songs of lands from far away,
Other times and another place,
The wind can carry us all away from here
Charmed in her embrace...
Leaves turn to red, the nights are getting colder,
Seasons will change, the clock ticks on...
Leaves fill the trees as the days are getting warmer,
Days turn to years, the clock ticks on....
A cloak and dagger, no fear of freedom
When hearts beat in another time,
Ever changing, the clock ticks on,
If only in your mind...
The wind has died and the chimes are still again
The trees stand tall as they cover me in shade
In the mirror a maiden stares at me
As the secret fades...
And though the clock ticks on to the future
It's in the past my heart will stay
In a time so far from me
I'll return someday...
Be Mine Tonight
Be mine tonight,
We'll travel through all our memories,
In our own little space in time,
You've always been mine...
Through the years,
I feel your love beside me
Through the laughter and the tears,
You've conquered all my fears...
So many stories,
So many treasures,
So much our lives have shared...
We've done it all and we've done it together,
You know I've always cared...
In this heart,
There'll never be another,
You have made my life complete,
Our love is like a dream...
Take my hand,
Nothing can come between us,
We were always meant to be,
Forever, you and me...
In my eyes,
Your face is always before me,
Our souls are now as one...
We've only just begun...
Play Minstrel Play
Underneath the harvest moon
Where the ancient shadows will play and hide...
With a ghostly tune and the devil's pride...
"Stranger" whispered all the town
Has he come to save us from Satan's hand?
Leading them away to a foreign land...
Play for me, minstrel, play
And take away our sorrows...
Play for me, minstrel, play
And we'll follow...
Hear, listen, can you hear,
The haunting melody surrounding you,
Weaving a magic spell all around you...
Danger hidden in his eyes,
We should have seen it from far away,
Wearing such a thin disguise in the light of day...
He held the answer to our prayers,
Yet it was too good to be...
Proof before our very eyes, yet we could not see...
Ocean Gypsy
Tried to take it all away,
Learn her freedom... just inside a day,
And find her soul to find there fears are laid...
Tried to make her love their own,
They took her love... they left her there,
They gave her nothing back that she would want to own...
Gold and silver rings and stones,
Dances slowly off the moon,
No one else could know, she stands alone...
Sleeping dreams will reach for her,
She can not say the words they need,
She knows she's alone and she is free...
Ocean Gypsy of the moon,
The sun has made a thousand nights for you to hold...
Ocean Gypsy where are you?
The shadows followed by the stars have turned to gold...
Turned to gold...
Then she met a hollow soul,
Filled him with her light and was consoled,
She was the moon and he the sun was gold...
Eyes were blinded with his light...
The sun she gave reflected back the night
The moon was waning almost out of sight...
Softly Ocean Gypsy calls...
Silence holds the stars a while,
They smile sadly for her where she falls...
Just the time before the dawn,
The sea is hushed the ocean calls her,
Day has taken her and now she's gone...
No one noticed when she died,
Ocean Gypsy shackled to the tide,
The ebbing waves, the turning spreading white...
Something gone within her eyes,
Her fingers, lifeless, stroked the sand,
Her battered soul was lost,
She was abandonned...
Silken threads like wings still shine,
Wind swept pleasures still make patterns
in her lovely hair... so dark and fine...
Stands on high beneath the seas, cries no more,
her tears have dried...
Oceans weep for her, the ocean sighs...
Minstrel Hall
(Instrumental)
Magical World
I called your name out loud in the courtyard,
The crystal I held was like an old friend
The vines crawled the walls
The wind held its breath
But the answer I longed for never came...
Your name, they had said,
was cursed beyond measure,
The families at odds fought with poisoned tongues
And yet through the dark
Of blind, bitter hate,
Broke a glittering light of two lover's fate...
Walls built between us,
Miles seperate us,
Yet in our hearts, we share the same dream...
Feelings so strong,
We just must carry on,
On to our Magical World...
Destiny called them like a silver poem
They followed the dance 'till the music died out...
Last time they met was on an earth bed
Both knowing they'd meet again in the light...
Walls built between us,
Miles seperate us,
Yet in our hearts, we share the same dream...
Feelings so strong,
We just must carry on,
On to our Magical World...
In our Magical World.. In our Magical World...
Fear not, dear Juliet, your Romeo's calling
He's waiting for you at the end of the song,
This world was too cruel... for lovers like you,
But here in our hearts you'll always live on...
Writing On The Wall
Is it power of intuition?
Is it insecurity?
You know I can read your mind and
You have been deceiving me...
Which face wears the masque this evening?
When will your true colours show?
Will they be as black as shadows
Hiding 'neath the rainbow...
Had my heart on a silver chain
With the words engraved
"I loved you"...
Like a swan that was lost at sea
I lost all of me
To you...
Now I see the writing on the wall...
Paranoia or perception?
Put your faith in a liar's hands
Wanting to believe his words
But never knowing where he stands...
There's too many misconceptions
In this game of consequence
When you're finding that your hero
Is just who you're up against...
Renaissance Fair
I was told once, by a friend of mine,
She had seen an olden sign,
She said she was not from this time,
And did I feel the same?
So I told her, "Yes", I knew her fear
As I felt the truth draw near,
Told her back three hundred years,
Was the time that I held dear...
Gather ye lords and ladies fair,
Come with me to the Renaissance Faire
Hurry now,
We're almost there...
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la...
Through the shroud of mystery,
Turn a page of history,
Feeling more than you can see,
Down at the Renaissance Faire.
Hear the minstrels play their tunes,
They will play the whole night through,
Special songs for me and for you,
And anyone whose heart is true....
There's too many stars for one sky to hold,
Some will fall, others are sold,
As the fields turn to gold
Down at the Renaissance Faire..
Memmingen
(Instrumental)
No Second Chance
My diamond's clouded over where it used to shine like light,
And the day keeps running faster,
Into the arms of night...
The stiches on the tapestry say,
"Everything in time,
Will find it's way home again,"
But I'm tired of crying...
No Second Chances
Don't knock on my door
There won't be any answer
I won't be here no more...
This house we had together
Might still be in its place
But the rest of this is much too hard to face,
There'll be No Second Chance...
Lovely moonlit hours we spent
Walking on the beach,
We'd gaze up all the stars,
I swear they were in our reach...
But time... it went on,
Minutes... they ran too fast.
Like you they were gone...
Into the past...
Mond Tanz
(Instrumental)
Spirit Of The Sea
I took a walk along the shore
To clear my mind about the day,
I saw a man I'd seen before
As I approached he slipped away...
I knew his face from years ago,
His smile stays with me ever more
His eyes, they guide me through the haze
And give me shelter from the storm...
As I walk I can feel him,
Always watching over me...
His voice surrounds me,
My Spirit of the Sea...
He went away so long ago,
On a maiden voyage far away
A young man then I did not know,
His life was taken that same day...
And it was almost like he knew
He wouldn't see me anymore
He looked so deeply in my eyes, and said
"Wait for me along the shore..."
And so I come most every day,
To watch the waves rise and fall,
And as I sit here on the sand,
This ocean makes me feel so small...
But I feel my lover by my side,
And he makes me follow my own heart
We'll be together some sweet day
When that day comes we'll never part...
When that day comes we'll never part...
Wait for me along the shore...
Greensleeves
Alas my love, ye do me wrong to cast me out discourteously,
And I have loved you for so long delighting in your company...
Greensleeves was all my joy,
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but Lady Greensleeves...
Wish You Were Here
Wish you were here...
Me, oh, my countryman,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell,
And I'm feeling blue...
I've got feelings for you,
Do you still feel the same?
From the first time I laid my eyes on you,
I felt joy of living,
I saw heaven in your eyes...
In your eyes...
Wish you were here,
Me, oh, my countryman,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell...
And I'm feeling blue...
I miss your laugh, I miss your smile,
I miss everything about you...
Every second's like a minute,
Every minute's like a day
When you're far away...
The snow is getting colder, baby,
And I wish you were here...
A battlefield of love and fear,
And I wish you were here...
I've got feelings for you,
From the first time I laid my eyes on you...
your company...