MAGNUM – The Valley Of Tears ; The Ballads [remastered/remixed] (2017-2020)

British melodic hard rock institution MAGNUM is releasing the new CD ”Dance Of The Black Tattoo”, a compendium of rare archive tracks and some kind of a companion piece to this 2017 disc “The Valley Of Tears / The Ballads“.
Renowned not only for their powerful melodic hard rock songs but also for countless, elaborated moving ballads, “The Valley Of Tears / The Ballads” features ten of the band’s most accomplished slow tunes, all of them remastered and in parts even newly re-recorded & remixed.

Guitarist, composer and producer Tony Clarkin states: “The release of this album was originally inspired by my daughter. A few months ago she asked me, ‘MAGNUM have so many beautiful quiet numbers. Why don’t you put together a compilation highlighting some of the most powerful tracks?’
Olly Hahn of Steamhammer/SPV was immediately taken by the concept, so I set down to work on it.”

“The Valley Of Tears – The Ballads” contains material from the band’s different creative phases.
Along with remastered versions of more recent ballads from albums such as “Into The Valley Of The Moonkings”, “The Visitation” and the current studio recording “Sacred Blood – Divine Lies”, there will also be a newly re-recorded acoustic version of their classic “Lonely Night” and a new haunting live version of their hit “When The World Comes Down” from their 1986 cult recording “Vigilante”.

The release will be supported by selected shows in the U.K. and Ireland and a German/Swiss tour where Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley join the “Rock Meets Classic” tour from March 30, 2017. Some more festivals for Summer 2017 will be announced shortly.

I always loved Magnum ballads, specially the ones the band created during their more commercial era, read ’80s.
“The Valley Of Tears; The Ballads” comprises not only strictly ballads, but also many mid-tempo ‘semi-ballads’ in the way only Magnum are able to craft. Probably the main differential with a collection like this is the timbre of Bob Catley’s voice. Understandably a little less silky these days but now with a vulnerability that suits the material rather well.
The album has been reissued 2020 on vinyl LP.
HIGHLY Recommended

01. Dream About You (remastered)
02. Back In Your Arms Again (newly re-recorded)
03. The Valley Of Tears (remixed, remastered)
04. Broken Wheel (newly re-recorded)
05. A Face In The Crowd (remixed, remastered)
06. Your Dreams Won’t Die (remastered)
07. Lonely Night (acoustic version, newly re-recorded)
08. The Last Frontier (remixed, remastered)
09. Putting Things In Place (remixed, remastered)
10. When The World Comes Down (new live version)

Tony Clarkin – Guitars
Bob Catley – Vocals
Al Barrow – Bass
Harry James – Drums

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www.amazon.co.uk/Valley-Tears-Ballads-VINYL/dp/B07RRXY6YQ
www.amazon.co.uk/Valley-Tears-Ballads-Magnum/dp/B01MXIL7TE