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Winter Carols by Blackmore’s Night in Billboard charts

Blackmore’s official website reports that the new album Winter Carols has entered Billboard’s New Age chart at No. 7 for the week of November 26. Here’s the whole chart.

Blabbermouth has a little blurb about the release.

Candice Night:

The holiday season has always embodied joy, love, peace and togetherness. We are entranced by the magic of the season. The sentiments of the holidays are what we try to express in our music year round so this CD is a natural progression. All the music we craft and create has always been about love, unity and friendship. These songs as a whole are beautiful unifying carols. Feel the warmth of friendship! Everyone can join in.

Ritchie Blackmore:

The origin of the word ‘carol’ means dance. I am naturally attracted to these melodies. As a kid, I would go from house to house during the holiday time and sing them just to earn some money. As an adult, I thought I could play them and make more money!

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.



20 Comments to “Winter Carols by Blackmore’s Night in Billboard charts”:

  1. 1
    dr.robert says:

    Ritchie Blackmore is the greatest.

  2. 2
    Ed King says:

    This is ROCK BOTTOM !!! I will not be buying this one . Each Blackmore’s Night album is worse than the last one .

  3. 3
    David Sanderson says:

    At this rate his next tour will consist of his band of merry men singing on peoples doorsteps!

  4. 4
    mark says:

    I haven’t heard this yet, but the 3 song EP that they released previously was very good. I like hearing holiday music buy rock musicians I like, rather than yet another christmas release by the yadda yadda chorale…

  5. 5
    marco engles says:

    blackmore really is a joke these days, from one of rocks biggest icons to a laughable blackadder figure. His interest in medeival music should be kept just an interest, he should have gone the way of Jeff Beck and played instrumental classic rock music which his peers and guitar fans expect..

  6. 6
    Robert says:

    I would be really interested to hear Ritchie sing…

  7. 7
    Mark Davis says:

    Like many, I love Ritchie Blackmore’s Compositions and Guitar Playing. He wrote the best songs and played the best guitar solos of the 70s hands down, which are all there for everyone to hear. I feel that the least I can do to thank him for Made In Japan, Live In London, Rising and countless others is to support whatever path he choses to follow musically. I happen to like other kinds of music outside of rock. What surprises me about many Deep Purple fans is they think Blackmore’s night is rubbish. I love it, some of the songs are a little silly, but most of them are great, you can’t go wrong with good melodies, nice chord sequences and clever arrangements. When you think about all of the various influences that were always thrown into the Blackmore/Purple cauldron, its seems strange that the long-time headbangers are reluctant to branch out into different styles. I guess I’m just a little disappointed that fans of my favorite band are a little narrow minded and just want to headbang to ‘Smoke’ and Ted the Mechanic the rest of their lives.

  8. 8
    marco engles says:

    re mark davis comments…but isnt ritchie just doing blackmores night just to get candice a career!!!as stated by ex colleagues i listen to all blackmores nights albums there are the odd nice guitar instrumentals but all the songs seem to meld together as though he cant now breakout, possibly being lead around by candices family which now run his life!. blackmore needs to re take control an not neccasarily play classic rock but as i said just see what Jeff beck is doing for a 60 year old guitarist if you need a pointer than man is leagues ahead of everyone else….

  9. 9
    Svante Pettersson says:

    I always get offended when Blackmore fans claim that we who don’t like Blackmore’s Night are some kind of neanderthal headbangers with narrow music tastes. You can find *any* style in my record collection and I still don’t like Blackmore’s Night’s bland music. If RB only did a real acoustic medieval album, it would probably rule! But it has to be silly drinking songs in lousy arrangements closer to Helmut Lotti than Hildegard von Bingen.

  10. 10
    Mark Davis says:

    re marco engles… I love Jeff Beck’s work just as much as the next guy, and one of the reasons I like him is the same as why I like Ritchie, or Eric Clapton or John McLaughlin or any of those guys: they always move forward in their music. As far as Ritchie doing the Renaissance stuff just to boost Candice’ career, I somehow find it hard to believe that Ritchie F’ing Blackmore – the man who kicks security guards jaws in and breaks through peoples doors with Fire Axes is having his life run by someone else -think about it for a second. Who wants to be like Keith Richards being 80 years old and flubbing through the same 4 riffs all your life?

  11. 11
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Some people really don’t understand.
    This Mark Davies even does not know how to read a reaction.
    Like Svante says : I get offended when people narrowminded paint me in a some small corner. I listen to lots of different stuff since I was 14 years of age.
    And indeed, would it not be wonderful Blackers made a REALY great album again, not all those fillers and music to please your grandparents with. Most grannies think youngsters have a terrible taste in music. Well, at least my house is full with classical music they do not even know!
    btw. Mistake of the 20th century is to think that change is an improvement.It says nothing except that there’s change.

    And, I was NEVER a headbanger. I LISTEN to music. Maybe you did that kinda stuff?

    Ofcourse, I am grateful for what he DID…..
    But why do I have to suffer so long ..Why did he take this too long vacation into nowhere?

  12. 12
    Davie says:

    Seriously folks. Does anyone honestly think Blackmore’s girlfriend would ever have anything remotely ressembling a career in music if it wasn’t for him? If he dropped her tomorrow the biggest gig she would get would be singing in the shower. IMHO I agree with most comments Marco made regarding the man in black (tights). I have also heard and read that RB’s current management is the pits when it comes to fans of his other music. Fans trying to get autographs on any material that is not Blackmore’s Fright are persona non grata. If RB truly cared for his fans, why would never allow this to happen. These same fans are part of the reason for his success today.

    I will always respect Ritchie Blackmore for his guitar genius not matter what he plays. What I cannot accept however is that he simply turns his back on his musical roots and fans and dismisses the style of music he has played for more than 30 years as ‘noise’. Something aint right here……..

  13. 13
    nsoveiko says:

    Davie: no, i don’t think that Candice would ever have career in music if it wasn’t for Ritchie. Neither for that matter would be messrs. Evans, Gillan, Coverdale, Dio, Bonnet, Turner and White. Which doesn’t say neither of them can sing, as we all know. There are tons and tons of great musicians around who don’t get a break and who’s biggest claim to fame was a short lived album deal or one song on the radio.

    Ritchie has reached this point of his career where he doesn’t need our approval. And certainly doesn’t owe us something, guitar album, another Rainbow reunion or what not. For all i know he can play at his local pub (which he does wonderfully, btw).

    And i know for a fact that “fans trying to get autographs on any material that is not” Blackmore’s Night are NOT persona non grata.

  14. 14
    Davie says:

    Dear Nsoveiko,

    With all due respect do some homework on your ‘singers who wouldn’t have been squat without Ritchie Blackmore’. If you did you would find that all of the singers you mentioned where in bands (albeit some more known than others) before Blackmore came along. I would also say that one man doesn’t make the band but rather it’s the sum of all parts. Agreed that there is great talent that goes undiscovered. In my humble opinion Candice Night and talent are an oxymoron. None of the singers you mentioned were out of work or ever will be. Candice Night on the other hand would have a hard time making the village choir should RB ever come to his senses and ditch the Robin Hood act and the over possessive mother in law. I don’t need nor am I asking for RB’s approval. If he’s happy doing what he does then power to him. But please don’t try to pretend that you would prefer watching him wail away on a hurdy gurdy as opposed to a Fender stratocaster. That’s just fooling yourself no matter how big your infatuation…….

  15. 15
    Bruce Johnson says:

    Davie, just to ad to the debate, here’s my two cents: to say Candice in not talented is just plain wrong. She writes good lyrics and sings well. Is she as good as Karen Carpenter, Sandy Denny or Linda Ronstadt? Not even close, but she has a nice voice and sings on pitch and in time. There are many classic rock singers out there touring the hits these days who just didn’t take care of their voices, they can’t hit the same notes and have lost their power, due to drinking and smoking. I’d much rather listen to Candice than most of those guys. And as far as Rtichie discovering singers like Gillan and Coverdale, I’m afraid it’s quite true. As great as those guys went on to be, Gillan was in the hippy flowers and beads outfit Episode Six before joining Purple. It was Ritchie who showed him about Led Zeppilen and dynamics and set him down the path of Rock ‘n’ Roll excellence. Coverdale would still be selling men’s attire at the shopping mall. Only Glen Hughes would have made it big, becasue he was with Trapeze who was doing well on their own.

  16. 16
    Davie says:

    Bruce,

    Thanks for your comments and adding to the debate. I can appreciate that you prefer Candice Night’s voice to alot of the older rockers still out there. My opinion was that she has not talent and I am sticking with it. As far as rock singers who can no longer hit the highs I suspect age, excessive touring and perhaps overindulgence in smokes and booze has not helped their cause. I disagree however with your comments on how far Gillan and Coverdale would have gone without RB. Coverdale wasn’t hired because he was sleeping with the guitarist, but rather for his singing and songwriting abilities. The same can hardly be said for the final lineup of Rainbow. Gillan was already in a band with Roger Glover when they were invited to join Deep Purple. Perhaps neither would have achieved the same success as they have had the stars not aligned as they did it’s the sum of all parts which made the music what it is……… At the very least we agree to disagree but I respect your views and those of our other HS posters.

  17. 17
    nsoveiko says:

    Davie: i bet Dougie White would disagree he was hired because he was sleeping with the guitarist. 🙂

  18. 18
    Davie says:

    Nsoveiko,

    I was referring to Candice Night of course, who sang backup vocals in the final incarnation of Rainbow.

  19. 19
    tuggi says:

    RB is a pearl that got lost….. that´s a shame, but that´s a fact…. and this fact has to be accepted! He did a lot for R´n´R music but still we all expect more and more and more…. Maybe he´s tired and disappointed due to this dynamic which means a lot of pressure to sensible artists like him…. and he is not the youngest anymore….
    Blackmore´s Night offers us well done stuff that needs a lot of of tolerance by the “RRRRRock-folks” because it´s soooo different to the music of THAT RB we all love. We all have to make our own decision….
    Tuggi

  20. 20
    russell thompson says:

    Sadly Ritchie has destroyed his legacy with Blackmore’s night. He’s now a laughing stock. It’s his business I suppose but for all of us In Rock/Japan/Rising fans it’s a big disappointment.

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