Escape from the Shadow Garden is the 18th studio album from the rock group Magnum (including Keeping the Nite Light Burning and ignoring Evolution). Escape From the Shadow Garden was released on 19 March 2014 in Scandinavia, 21 March in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 24 March in the rest of Europe, and 1 April in the USA and Canada. As with On the 13th Day the band were hosts to their fans at a record launch party held at the Robin 2 in Bilston on 25 March 2014, the day after the UK release.
| Escape from the Shadow Garden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 March 2014 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 62:41 | |||
| Label | Steamhammer Records/SPV | |||
| Producer | Tony Clarkin | |||
| Magnum chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album entered the charts at number 14 in the German Albums Chart,[1] 19 in the Swedish Albums Chart,[2] 22 in the Switzerland Albums Chart[3] and 38 in the official UK Albums Chart,[4] a position last achieved by Magnum with The Eleventh Hour! in 1983; these were Magnum's highest chart positions in Germany and Sweden since Goodnight L.A. (1990), and in England and Switzerland since Sleepwalking (1992).[5] In addition to these achievements the album reached number 2 in the UK Rock & Metal Charts[6] and number 4 Indie Charts[7] in the UK.
Song themes
edit"Midnight Angel" tells the story of a young girl in South America who turns to prostitution, and is abused by a famous politician. Afraid that she will speak out, he stabs her and dumps her in a river.[8]
"The Art of Compromise" is about making a relationship work.[8]
"The Valley of Tears" is about not letting ambitions distract one from everything one has to be grateful for. As Bob Catley put it, "What is the meaning of life? Be happy with whatever is around you, your family, your friends, and whatever you do in life [...] don’t look too far ahead, look at your feet and you’ve probably got everything you need right there".[8]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Tony Clarkin
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live 'Til You Die" | 6:29 |
| 2. | "Unwritten Sacrifice" | 5:28 |
| 3. | "Falling for the Big Plan" | 5:59 |
| 4. | "Crying in the Rain" | 5:45 |
| 5. | "Too Many Clowns" | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Midnight Angel" | 7:18 |
| 7. | "The Art of Compromise" | 5:01 |
| 8. | "Don't Fall Asleep" | 5:59 |
| 9. | "Wisdom's Had Its Day" | 4:44 |
| 10. | "Burning River" | 4:43 |
| 11. | "The Valley of Tears" | 6:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Dance of the Black Tattoo" (Live - Bonus track) |
Personnel
edit- Tony Clarkin — guitar
- Bob Catley — vocals
- Al Barrow — bass guitar
- Mark Stanway — keyboards
- Harry James — drums
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 14 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 19 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] | 22 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] | 44 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 38 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[14] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[15] | 2 |
References
edit- ^ "Album - Magnum, Escape From The Shadow Garden". German Album Charts. Retrieved 6 April 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Magnum - Escape From The Shadow Garden". Swedish Album Charts. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "Magnum - Escape From The Shadow Garden". Swiss Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "2014 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive 5th April 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "MAGNUM "Escape From The Shadow Garden" first week chart entries released!". SPV GmbH. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "2014 Top 40 Rock & Metal Albums Archive 5th April 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "2014 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive 5th April 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ a b c HARD ROCK INTERVIEWS 2014 - MAGNUM VOCALIST - BOB CATLEY, the Rock Pit, 11 March 2014. Accessed 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Magnum – Escape from the Shadow Garden" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Magnum – Escape from the Shadow Garden". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Magnum – Escape from the Shadow Garden". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.