Ritchie Blackmore is a man who doesn’t require much introduction; his achievements in great heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple and Rainbow speak for themselves. While the aforementioned bands have dominated the scene for a long time already, Ritchie’s other band Blackmore’s Night is a different matter altogether. He founded the band with his wife Candice Night and together they play medieval folklore music.

This double live album was recorded in Groningen, Holland some time in May of 2002. It starts off with the 10-minute title track from their debut album Shadow Of The Moon. The sound is unbelievably good and the band’s performance is just phenomenal. Songs like “Play Minstrel Play”, “Renaissance Faire” and “Under A Violent Moon” get you in a genuinely medieval mood, while Candice’s tender voice sends shivers down your spine.

Past Times With Good Company is simply an excellent live album that I would recommend to any Blackmore’s Night fan; it just won’t disappoint you. All three Blackmore’s Night albums are well-represented on the CD. The album also contains several instrumentals (“Minstrel Hall”, “Beyond The Sunset” and “Durch Den Wald Zum Bach Haus”) to give Candice a break.

The album will also be released as a special edition in a leather bound book. This version features two bonus tracks: an acoustic version of “Fires At Midnight” from Solingen, September 2002, and the Greek version of “Home Again”.