Ballads play a very special role in the history of rock music. Firstly: They document the emotional side of the genre and show that behind (almost) every rocker`s hard chest beats a soft heart. Secondly: Those quieter songs are being played by radio stations without rock-affinity – and are loved by listeners for their emotional depth. And thirdly: In an increasingly hectic world, ballads offer brief moments of pause, of reflection on the essential things in life.
So it`s no wonder that the ballad compilations of the Axel Rudi Pell band are an absolute success. Over a quarter of a million copies have been sold of the series, from The Ballads I (1993) to The Ballads V (2017) alone. And nine (!) of the current Top-ten most streamed Pell songs on Spotify are ballads! More than enough reason therefore, why fans of the Bochum guitarist and songwriter regularly push for a continuation of this release series. Successfully, it would seem: On April 21, 2023 The Ballads VI will be released on CD, double vinyl LP and as digital download, as always via Steamhammer/SPV. And – as expected – the release will come with a few small surprises. Not only is The Ballads VI the latest edition of the popular ARP The Ballads series, but also the direct successor of the studio album Lost XXIII, which managed to rank #2 in the official German album sales charts in April 2022.
In view of the new ballads compilation, which comes with a total of thirteen ballads “made by ARP” – five of them are brand new recordings, Axel Rudi Pell sums up his growth as a songwriter and musician: “Looking back, there is not a single ballad during the almost thirty five years of my solo career that I need to be ashamed of, quite the contrary: some of them are still among my favourite songs today.”
Tracklisting:
Revelations (new instrumental)
Diamonds And Rust (new cover version)
Morning Star (new song)
Dust In The Wind (new cover version)
Hidden Secrets (new instrumental)
Gone With The Wind
She’s A Lady
Room With A View
Fly With Me
As Blind As A Fool Can Be
I Put A Spell On You
Beyond The Light
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