Blackmore's
Night was founded in the mid-1990s when Ritchie
Blackmore, the founding guitarist with the 60s-90s rock group
Deep Purple, discovered a mutual interest in Renaissance Music
with Candice
Night. I reviewed their first three albums two weeks ago: Blackmore's
Night I. Last week I reviewed three other CDs (plus their EP):
Blackmore's
Night II. This week, I'll review their double CDs. To my
knowledge, this is all the extant recording.
The Blackmore's Night
merchandise page, is up and has been expanded to include books,
beer steins, DVDs and more. The CD
page has the albums for sale, plus several songs available for
sampling, and I'll continue to reference the other commercial pages
for individual albums.
Past Times With Good Company
After 40 years of studio albums, the temptation to release concert
CDs and DVDs must have tugged on Ritchie Blackmore's tresses like a
sirocco. (Okay, I'm waxing lyrical.) Nonetheless, recordings of
live albums are always tricky. Live performances and studio music
are two entirely different art forms.
Past Times With Good Company has the fine craftsmanship of
Blackmore's Night plus some uncomfortable spots where the audience or
the engineer don't quite enhance. Still, for the most part, this
double album succeeds.
The packaging is very nice. While I don't have the leather bound
Limited Edition, the CD from the link has two bonus tracks. The
concert, from 2002 in Goningen Holland, was sounds like a lot of fun.
I'm guessing that they included most, if not all, of the concert:
Not counting the extra tracks, it's more than an hour and a half of
music. As usual, the accompanying lyric booklet is nicely done.
Capturing the energy created by the audience is a delicate
balance. On one hand, you want the band to feed off the energy. On
the other hand, you don't want the audience noise to get in the way
of the recording. And that's presuming that the audience is a
positive influence. It takes a while for the Holland crowd to quite
warm up; it takes a while for the band to completely get in the
groove. Still, Ritchie Blackmore and the musicians are as good as
ever, and Candice Night's vocalization packs more emotion than in the
studio.
Even without Ian Anderson from their first album, Play Minstrel
Play is a fine dance tune. Even without King Henry the VIII,
Past Time With Good Company shines in places. Fires At
Midnight (the title track of their previous album), a magical
song about watching the sparks of flame rise into the night sky, does
a live show right: A long instrumental break. The audience get to
sing the line Under A Violet Moon, a good RenFest dance song.
(In my plays, I like to write a part for the audience, and you need
more than one line to really get their blood going.) Ritchie reaches
back to Deep Purple for Soldier of Fortune to end the set.
The audience is more into it by the second set, which opens with
the hard rock 16th Century Greensleeves and the gentle
instrumental Beyond the Sunset before leaping into a good
version of Morning Star. At last, a rendition that's not
merely good to experience firsthand, but is as good or better than
the studio recording. They continue playing to the crowd with a nice
version of Renaissance Faire, from their first album, and a
great instrumental, Durch den Wald zim Bachhaus, and end with
the upbeat rock song Writing On The Wall. The appreciative
audience spends the last minute or so applauding; I usually cut that
intros and outros for the air (or fade out), but they're part of the
live experience.
Two bonus tracks from a concert in Germany bring the second CD to
nearly an hour: A good acoustic performance of Fires At
Midnight with a long instrumental break, and a pounding version
of Mid Winter's Night. The bonus tracks are different in
other limited/foreign releases, so if you're a completist you have
your work cut out.
Like much Blackmore's Night, Past Times With Good Company gets
better after multiple listenings. If you like concert recordings,
this is a good one. If you're not familiar with the group, this is
probably not the first recording you should hear. Recommended, with
qualification.
Beyond The Sunset
Beyond
The Sunset: The Romantic Collecton is quite the package, at least
in the Special Edition. The crystal case has two disks: One CD for
audio and one DVD for video. Tucked in the box is an EP with three
Christmas carols, released later as part of Winter
Songs (reviewed last week). What a deal!
Some songs were introduced in previous albums. Some get
completely new arrangements. All the songs are more, er, romantic.
Lush, orchestral, harmonic. Softer, less Renaissance but far above
Easy Listening. I'm not going to comment again on individual
songs
I'm not quite sure how to recommend Beyond The Sunset.
Blackmore's Night goes Baroque while maintaining a Romantic outlook.
This is a CD you can listen to in the background while coding web
sites or in bed with a lover. It's a step away from their Celtic
Renaissance Festival early work yet never strays from their love of
an idealized Renaissance. Candice Night has never been better:
Soaring, beautiful, vocals and harmonic backing choir, expressing her
emotions in song. Ritchie Blackmore has never been better: Lush
wall-of-sound arrangements with distinctive instrumentation making
virtuoso performance sound easy.
Perhaps I'm just a romantic softie (pass the tissues), but after
one listening Beyond The Sunset is currently my second favorite
Blackmore's Night CD, after their first release, Shadow of the Moon.
A superb melding of emotion and craftsmanship. At this point, if you
want to hear Blackmore's Night, start with their first CD and move
forward chronologically or start with this CD and go backward
through their oeuvre. In any event, and just in time for Valentine's Day,
highly recommended.
But wait, there's more!
The RenFest in Schloss-Burg
Solingen, Germany must be fun in the authentic setting.
Blackmore's Night uses the castle and keep for the video of a 2002
concert. The camerawork is gorgeous, though the lighting is for the
live audience. The band uses the castle to effect, and the standing
audience is having a great time. Everyone's in costume, and many of
the instruments are period. The DVD, at 22:30, is a merely a bonus
to the CD, but a major plus to the package.
Hint: Play All. The DVD chapters don't quite divide where I
would, so just play the whole thing through.
But wait, there's more!
Also in the package is a three-song EP with an original
Blackmore's Night Christmas carol plus two traditional ones. As a
sampler for Winter
Carols, the EP will tell you if you'll like the full release. As
a bonus to Beyond The Sunset, Christmas Songs makes an attractive
package more desirable.
Beyond The Sunset: The Romantic Collection more than lives
up to its name. Included in the Special Edition are extras that make
it a must for any long-time fan of Blackmore's Night, and make the
collection a good introduction for new listeners. Over and above the
CD, the boxed set is highly recommended.
PAUL KRUGMAN: Edwards Gets It Right (The New York Times)
What a difference two years makes! At this point in 2005, the only question seemed to be how much of America's social insurance system - the triumvirate of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - the Bush administration would manage to dismantle. Now almost all prominent Democrats and quite a few Republicans pay at least lip service to calls for a major expansion of social insurance, in the form of universal health care.
Maureen Dowd: Heels Over Hemingway (The New York Times)
I was cruising through Borders, looking for a copy of "Nostromo." Suddenly I was swimming in pink. I turned frantically from display table to display table, but I couldn't find a novel without a pink cover. I was accosted by a sisterhood of cartoon women, sexy string beans in minis and stilettos, fashionably dashing about book covers with the requisite urban props - lattes, books, purses, shopping bags, guns and, most critically, a diamond ring.
CBS opens the night with a FRESH'How I Met Your Mother', followed by a FRESH'The Class', then a FRESH'2½ Men', then a FRESH'CSI: The 2nd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Drew Barrymore, Rickie Lee Jones, and Kevin Johnson with Clyde & Matilda.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Peter O'Toole and Dierks Bentley & the Grascals.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH'Deal Or No Deal', followed by a FRESH'Heroes', then a FRESH'Studio 60'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Nicolas Cage, D.J. Sampson & Sam Ballerini, and the Fray.
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Martin Lawrence, Hayden Panettiere, and Hinder.
On a RERUNCarson Daly (from 1/18/07) are David Arquette and Warren Haynes.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Wife Swap', followed by a FRESH'Supernanny', then a FRESH'What About Brian'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 1/4/07) are Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom O'Dell, and Matisyahu.
The CW offers a FRESH'Everybody Hates Chris', followed by a FRESH'All Of Us', then a FRESH'Girlfriends', followed by a FRESH'The Game'.
Faux has a FRESH'24' (Day 6: 1pm - 2pm), followed by another FRESH'24' (Day 6: 2pm - 3pm).
MY has a FRESH'Wicked Wicked Games', followed by a FRESH'Watch Over Me'.
A&E has 'CSI: The 2nd One', another 'CSI: The 2nd One', 'The Sopranos', and more 'The Sopranos'.
AMC offers the movie 'Open Range', followed by the movie 'Hero', then the movie 'National Lampoon's Vacation'.
BBC -
[1:00 PM] As Time Goes By - Episode 4;
[1:40 PM] Are You Being Served? - Ep. 2 Coffee Morning;
[2:20 PM] Keeping Up Appearances - Episode 4;
[3:00 PM] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 42;
[4:00 PM] The BAFTAs - The British Academy Film Awards (2007);
[6:00 PM] BBC World News - BBC World News;
[6:30 PM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 36 Wheatley;
[7:00 PM] Cash in the Attic - Ep 5 Bowling;
[8:00 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway????? - Episode 18;
[8:30 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway????? - Episode 4;
[9:00 PM] Wallis & Edward - Wallis & Edward;
[11:00 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway????? - Episode 1;
[11:30 PM] Whose Line Is It Anyway????? - Episode 2;
[12:00 AM] The Benny Hill Show - Episode 41;
[1:00 AM] Wallis & Edward - Wallis & Edward;
[3:00 AM] The BAFTAs - The British Academy Film Awards (2007);
[5:00 AM] The Night Detective - Episode 1;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News - BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Inside The Actors Studio', another 'Inside The Actors Studio', 'Six Feet Under', and another 'Six Feet Under'.
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', an old 'Jon Stewart', an old 'Colbert Report', 'Chappelle's Show', 'South Park', 'Scrubs', and another 'Scrubs'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Jeffrey Rosen.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Michael Oppenheimer.
FX has 'That 70s Show', another 'That 70s Show', followed by the movie 'The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen', then the movie 'The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen', again.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'UFO Files', 'Digging For The Truth', and 'Engineering An Empire'.
IFC -
[06:45 AM] IFC Short Film Showcase: February;
[07:45 AM] My Son the Fanatic;
[09:15 AM] Rank;
[10:55 AM] Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle;
[01:05 PM] My Son the Fanatic;
[02:40 PM] Rank;
[04:20 PM] IFC News Presents: Spirit Awards Nominations Special 2007;
[04:50 PM] Media Lab Results;
[05:00 PM] Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle;
[07:10 PM] Solaris;
[09:00 PM] Elephant;
[10:25 PM] Frida;
[12:30 AM] IFC News Presents: Spirit Awards Nominations Special 2007;
[01:00 AM] Elephant;
[02:30 AM] Frida;
[04:40 AM] Garage Days. (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[06:00 AM] DIG!;
[08:00 AM] Childstar;
[09:45 AM] The Incredible Shrinking Woman;
[11:20 AM] IN SHORT: Israel 3;
[12:00 PM] Signe Chanel: Episode 2: Doubts;
[12:30 PM] Underdog;
[12:45 PM] Bowery Dish;
[01:45 PM] The Best of Secter & the Rest of Secter;
[02:45 PM] DIG!;
[04:45 PM] Kursk, A Submarine in Troubled Waters;
[06:00 PM] Resist. With the Living Theatre;
[07:30 PM] Ladette to Lady: Season 2: Episode 1;
[08:30 PM] One Punk Under God: Episode 3;
[09:00 PM] Georgi and the Butterflies;
[10:00 PM] Bowery Dish;
[11:00 PM] Iconoclasts Season 2: Episode 4: Isabella Rossellini + Dean Kamen;
[12:00 AM] Wishing Stairs;
[01:45 AM] Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?;
[03:30 AM] Riff-Raff;
[05:15 AM] Stronger;
[05:30 AM] The Incredible Shrinking Woman. (ALL TIMES EST)
The Dixie Chicks from left, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, and Emily Robison, accept the award for best country album for 'Taking the Long Way' at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Photo by Mark J. Terrill
Hollywood star Clint Eastwood said his acclaimed picture "Letters from Iwo Jima" aimed to show the futility of war, after its European premiere at the 57th Berlin Film Festival.
Eastwood told a news conference after a press screening that although the US-led war in Iraq had not directly inspired him to make the picture, it was a reflection of the horrors such battles always carry with them.
"Whenever you do a war movie, it is very difficult to not find comparisons to what is going on now and what had gone on in past years," he said.
"I think every war has a certain parallel in the futility of it and that's one of the reasons for telling these stories -- they are not pro-war stories.
"The emotions of the mothers who lose their sons and the emotions of the women who lose their husbands in war, it's the same regardless of any nationality. And that's what I was just trying to show," the 76-year-old said.
Technology to preserve digital movies on black and white film and environmentally friendly sound tracks got awards at the Oscars ceremony for scientific achievement on Saturday night, but the favorite technical accomplishment was a juggler performing to Beatles music.
Comedian Chris Bliss's juggling, which sped up and slowed with the music, had researchers whooping with approval, while ceremony hostess and movie star Maggie Gyllenhaal won the second-biggest round of applause for correctly pronouncing the word "densitometer."
The 2006 Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the year's premiere ceremony for the movie industry's scientists and takes place a few weeks before the Academy's Oscars ceremony.
This year preserving the fruits of rapidly changing technology was a theme as three teams who aim to save digital movies for centuries were recognized.
The organizers of Spain's top annual fashion show on Sunday rejected five out of 69 fashion models as being too thin to appear in this year's event, acting on a decision to bar underweight women from the catwalk.
The show, known as the Pasarela Cibeles, decided in September 2005 not to allow women below a body mass to height ratio of 18 to take part.
One of the rejected models had only reached a ratio of 16, the equivalent of being 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing less than 110 pounds, said Dr. Susana Monereo, of Madrid Getafe hospital's endocrinology and nutrition department, who along with two other doctors was in charge of assessing the models.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, center, Academy President Sid Ganis, right, and Academy Vice President Donald C. Rogers pose for photographs at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. Gyllenhaal presented the awards.
Photo by Matt Sayles
Slam poetry got a fresh twist when three Victorian-era re-enactors read from such poets as William Wordsworth and Emily Dickinson in a setting that was fitting for the event - a 19th-century stone mansion.
Actor Craig Johnson, wearing a gray frock coat typical of the period, said at the Saturday night event that there were two reasons for holding a slam - more typically the venue of rappers and hipsters - involving Victorian era poets.
"One is just that we really love the literature," he said. "The other is that it gives us a chance to do something we otherwise wouldn't get to do at the Hill House." Johnson manages the James J. Hill mansion for the Minnesota Historical Society.
Demanding information, Jack Bauer faces a terrified man tied to a chair in front of him. Through a window over Bauer's shoulder, the man sees his two children bound and gagged.
Tell me where the bomb is, Bauer orders, or we'll kill your family. Silence. The prisoner watches as a thug kicks down the chair his son is tied to and fires a gun at point-blank range. He screams but still doesn't relent - until the gun is pointed at his second son. Having gotten what he needed, Bauer whispers that the execution was staged.
The scene from Fox's "24" is haunting, but hardly unusual. The advocacy group Human Rights First says there's been a startling increase in the number of torture scenes depicted on prime-time television in the post-2001 world.
Even more chilling, there are indications that real-life American interrogators in Iraq are taking cues from what they see on television, said Jill Savitt, the group's director of public programs.
Lewis Black talks on a cell phone as he holds the Grammy for Best Comedy Album, for 'The Carnegie Hall Perfromance,' at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles February 11, 2007.
Photo by Mike Blake
Melissa Jones said she found the cat Tuesday when she stepped onto her porch for a cigarette. His tail and hind legs were stuck in about three inches of ice in a water trough. She and her husband used buckets of hot water to free him.
"His little ears are droopy and purple and so are his little feet," Jones said, adding that his new nickname is "Droopy."
In the morning, she took the seven-month-old yellow and white tiger cat to a veterinarian, where he was given an antibiotic. The vet recommended a regimen of warm water and foot and tail massages to help its circulation, but still may lose its tail.
Music producer Barry Gordy, right, introduces Clive Davis on stage during Davis' Pre-Grammy Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
A radio station's attempt to draw Canadian tourists to Saskatchewan backfired when a contest asking Canadians extol the virtues of the vast plains province turned sour -- or bitingly funny.
CKNW in British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, asked listeners to fill in the blank: "You know you're in Saskatchewan when -- ."
Answers included: "You're grandmother's bunion operation makes the 'People in the News' section of the local paper," "Your prenuptial agreement mentions chickens," and "The homecoming queen is seen driving a swatter." That's a farm implement, in Sakatchewanese.
A woman touches a glowing illumination at 'Sairinka' light festival in Obihiro in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido February 11, 2007. The event will be held until March 4.
Photo by Yuriko Nakao
Ice builds up on frozen rocks on the shores of Lake Erie, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007, in Cleveland. Cold air surging from the Arctic stretched from the northern Plains through New England.
Photo by Tony Dejak
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How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
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