Description

1996 German Virgin Records pressing

Kicking things off with two of the most bizarre metal cover selections imaginable (“Mr. Sandman” and a lightning-paced, double-kick version of “Surfin’ U.S.A.”), Forgotten Tales is mixed bag of counter-intuitive tributes and mellowed-out retreads from the Blind Guardian catalog. It might be possible that this lightweight effort is more of a palette cleansing than the halfhearted recording that it appears to be upon first inspection — considering that this experiment was released just before the incredibly ambitious Nightfall in Middle-Earth and A Night at the Opera. Speaking of Queen titles, “Spread Your Wings” is easily Forgotten Tales’ shining moment. Not so surprisingly, the rock & roll treatment of “Barbara Ann/Long Tall Sally” works much better than the metal-ized pop and rock covers mentioned above. The seven Blind Guardian remakes are consistently slow, earnest, and boring, so for those curious about the laid-back Blind Guardian, Forgotten Tales offers more than a little insight into the group’s less serious side. Otherwise, there isn’t much that will hold the interest of most prog/speed metal fans.

Track list:
1. Mr. Sandman
2. Surfin USA
3. Bright Eyes
4. Lord Of The Rings
5. The Wizard
6. Spread Your Wings
7. Mordred’s Song
8. Black Chamber
9. The Bard’s Song
10. Barbara Ann / Long Tall Sally
11. A Past And Future Secret
12. To France
13. Theatre Of Pain