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In pursuit of renaissance revelry
Goldmine magazine reviews the “25th anniversary” reissue of Blackmore’s Night Fires at Midnight:
Mostly though, the original album stands on its own, a sweeping survey of sounds seemingly drawn from a traditional tapestry. A sprightly take on “The Times They Are A-Changin’” fits comfortably alongside the folk-like frolic of “Village on the Sand” and “Home Again,” the moving and majestic “Crowning of the King,” the regal revelry of “Praetorious,” and the stately serenade “Fayre Thee Well.” It’s easy to see how the group was inspired by the places they had played before managing to incorporate those venerable surroundings into their own personal panorama.
Read more in Goldmine.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Where is my Robin Hood outfit?
https://youtu.be/kIXiESqT_jY
My copy is already on its way so I’m entitled to poke fun of it!
September 25th, 2024 at 22:28You certainly have contributed to their coffers Uwe. I do wonder which section of the castle you would now own, such is the financial support that you have so dedicatedly supported. The dungeon or the turret. Hmmmmmmmmm. Maybe it will be Uwe who needs rescuing by a fair maid & her knights in shining armour. With fire breathing dragons ensuring they fail at every turn in getting Uwe out to freedom. Until a wizard turns up of course & casts a spell thwarting off the evil dragons & Uwe gets to ride away (with his maid) on a white horse into the sunset. Sounds like a song coming on, now let me see………Cheers.
September 26th, 2024 at 08:24A little memory of me tricked by a guitarist, and he has been selling fog for almost 60 years to hundreds of millions who listened to him or still listen to him (like me):) hahaha
One of my favorite all concerts is BN in Zagreb 2009 and one of the longest concerts (when you have to bring dinner and breakfast with you) I came to the hall half an hour before the official start of the concert, but the concert was an hour late, and when it started it lasted almost three hours. And it was the first time I encountered that music live. I wouldn’t even go to a concert if RB didn’t play the guitar. But the main star, I would say the main partner of the great RB, is his wife. By the way, that concert was the first they performed as spouses. Candice is a real balm for the ears and eyes (especially for men), a very cheerful person who I don’t understand at all what she is doing with a man with a square frown. But love obviously doesn’t ask In fact, she was the most pleasant surprise for me. throughout the evening she interacted with the audience and introduced a kind of “marriage” humor, presenting Ritchie and herself as some kind of comical couple from the neighborhood. The concert hall was full of rock devotees, famous cultural and political workers, and beggars, princes and princesses, knights, servants, priests and fairies. The team dressed in historical costumes and it was a real experience. An incredibly inspiring performance and an enthusiastic (Candice and ) audience softened up a bit the sullen Ritchie, who stretched the concert to an incredible 3 hours and was also a hard rock part! Hey guys, is that possible?? Rainbow was represented with “Difficult to Cure” and Ariel DP with “Soldier of Fortune”, Black Night with the initial audience (the most faithful I can convey is: woOooooOOOO WoO WoO WoO). Woman From Tokyo, And of course SOTW (I was a meter or two meters from Ritchie..closer than the cameraman at California Jam) Bard David of Larchmon was a particularly good keyboardist. They played covers of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bee Gees. It was a concert to remember. The groom Ritchie even smiled. Here and there some strays would reach out from the audience (mostly a man’s shout: “Ritchie!”, but the one called mostly remained cold. Although, one fan made a shrewd attempt at Croatian: “Ritchie, say something! We who were standing around him greeted this with a barrage of laughter, but Ritchie just then, who the hell came close to the microphone, muttered the first and last sentence: “I don’t know what I’m playing.” Wonderful memories…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7argNMNvmM
September 26th, 2024 at 09:59I’ve had a similar experience where Ritchie was drunk (and not just a little) and played and played a rock set in the middle of a BN gig for an hour or more. Depending on your view it was either a highlight or a “situation” going off the rails, Ritchie inter alia playing inebriated bass and Sir Robert of Normandie aka Bob Noveaux aka Bob Curiano singing various rock classics with his tuneful voice and even being forced to play lead guitar (which he can). Even sunny Candice became a little impatient and gasped for air. But even a drunk Ritchie can entertain, I loved it.
Herr MacGregor, for all my scoffing about BN (let’s be realistic: you can’t take an outfit that dresses like that and celebrates an archaic fairy tale world over a period of 25 years seriously), I remain loyal to the cause that is Ritchie’s legacy. No amount of crap is able to undo the brilliant things he’s done. And I will really miss him once he is no longer there.
So yeah, I will see BN on their next tour of Germany again – and cringe quietly and only to myself. No one will recognize me.
September 26th, 2024 at 14:19I wonder what y’all will make of this young lady & her covers?. I quite like them!
Self Portrait:
https://youtu.be/qVYmiIM0nz4?si=wX319_gSBxDIKtXI
Street Of Dreams:
https://youtu.be/XtoDerCus3o?si=-ei8sLIVFzK3qZd4
September 27th, 2024 at 02:50She’s ok, John, but not more. On Self Portrait her delivery is nasal and on Street of Dreams there are quite a few bum notes for a studio take. Her voice still needs to develop some body too.
Candice has that in her version of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSD2Z7EWy8
But I’m no great fan of Street of Dreams as a number, the melodies it is filled to the brim with all sound incredibly mannered, stilted and contrived to me, a song from the drawing board under the “let’s write something tuneful with all our might”. I know that Ritchie is proud of the song, but it never did nothing for me. I miss a natural flow, SoD is over-crammed with hooks.
September 27th, 2024 at 10:22Some lovely comments and memories herein… Still a highlight of mine, circa 2001 live in York… I was there – Ritchie was spellbinding that evening, his stage presence and fluid playing at it’s best, and when the Strat emerged, something magic was in the air.
I note there’s been much debate recently (herein) about Ritchie, his playing as well as his musical chops… Perhaps he’s not as precise and/or technically proficient as Morse or McBride, or as flamboyant as an on it Bolin… but his high and lows make the highs all the sweeter, his tone, his presence, his mood – always a part of his guitar makeup… good, bad, sad, angry it all feeds into the performance for good or ill, it’s organic, not clinical, not precise not the same note perfect rendition every night… If I wanted to hear AI perform the DP back cat I could, but I don’t… it leaves me cold… too many notes, not enough feel.
Give me a drunken Blackmore fannying about on bass any day of the week…
Ritchie is king, in spite of himself, he’s a legend and when he’s no longer here let the re-appraisal begin… and it will. People will realise he was our Mozart.
September 27th, 2024 at 10:28Ritchie got ripped off at least once 😀 (and he probably “borrowed” it from someone else)
Ritchie
September 27th, 2024 at 13:14https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg_JAYYUyEA
Adrian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhBnW7bZHEE