Shadow of the Moon

Shadow of the Moon
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 2, 1997 (Europe)
February 17, 1998 (United States)
Genrefolk, neo-Medieval
Length65:21
LabelEdel (Germany) / Edel America
ProducerPat Regan and Ritchie Blackmore
Blackmore's Night chronology
Shadow of the Moon
(1997)
Under a Violet Moon
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

Shadow of the Moon is the debut studio album by the folk rock band Blackmore's Night, released June 2, 1997. The album stayed on the German charts for 17 weeks,[2] and received gold certification in Japan for 100,000 albums shipped to stores.[3]

In 2023, a 25th Anniversary Edition was released, containing new mixes of each song. The CD contains a home session of Shadow of the Moon and Spirit of the Sea, the bonus DVD contains video clips of Shadow of the Moon, No Second Chance and Renaissance Faire.[4]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shadow of the Moon"Ritchie Blackmore, Candice Night5:07
2."The Clock Ticks On"trad. by Tielman Susato, Blackmore, Night5:14
3."Be Mine Tonight"Blackmore, Night2:51
4."Play Minstrel Play"trad. by Pierre Attaingnant, Blackmore, Night3:58
5."Ocean Gypsy" (Renaissance cover)Michael Dunford, Betty Thatcher6:05
6."Minstrel Hall" (Instrumental)Blackmore2:36
7."Magical World"trad. Wassail, Blackmore, Night4:01
8."Writing on the Wall"trad. by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Blackmore, Night4:35
9."Renaissance Faire"trad. by Tielman Susato, Blackmore, Night4:16
10."Memmingen" (Instrumental)Blackmore1:06
11."No Second Chance"Blackmore, Night5:38
12."Mond Tanz" (Instrumental; Mondtanz being German for "Moon Dance")Blackmore3:33
13."Spirit of the Sea"Blackmore, Night4:50
14."Greensleeves"trad.3:47
15."Wish You Were Here" (Rednex cover)Leskelä Teijo5:02

Bonus track

[edit]
US / UK editions
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Possum's Last Dance" (Instrumental)Blackmore2:42
1999 Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Minstrel Hall (strings version)" (Instrumental)Blackmore2:34

Personnel

[edit]
Guest appearances
  • Ian Andersonflute on "Play Minstrel Play"
  • Scott Hazell – backing vocals on "Play Minstrel Play"

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1997) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] 37
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 11
2023 chart performance for Shadow of the Moon
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 75
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 16
Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] 24
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 74
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] 11

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Shadow of the Moon
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[12] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r333767
  2. ^ "Ritchie's Bio". The Official Ritchie Blackmore and Blackmore's Night website. Archived from the original on 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  3. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年1月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. January 2000 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 484. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. March 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  4. ^ https://www.discogs.com/release/26431679-Blackmores-Night-Shadow-Of-The-Moon [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blackmore's Night – Nature's Light" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  6. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Blackmore's Night – Shadow of the Moon" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blackmore's Night – Shadow of the Moon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blackmore's Night – Shadow of the Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Blackmore's Night – Shadow of the Moon" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
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