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HelloweenDelux Expanded Editions: Germany's Helloween was one of the most influential heavy metal bands to launch out of Europe in the 1980s. In fact Helloween, which formed in Hamburg in 1982, pioneered the popular subgenre known as power metal. Six of Helloween's most interesting, transitional albums -- 'Walls Of Jericho,' 'Pink Bubbles Go Ape,' 'Chameleon,' 'Master Of The Rings,' 'The Time Of The Oath' and 'Better Than Raw' -- have all been reissued as remastered, deluxe expanded edition CDs by Sanctuary Records. Bonus tracks include rare B-sides, remixes and live versions. 'Walls Of Jericho,' 'Chameleon,' 'Master Of The Rings' and 'The Time Of The Oath' are two-CD sets while 'Pink Bubbles Go Ape' and 'Better Than Raw' are each one fully packed CD. All six releases include informative liner notes with essays, new interviews with guitarist Michael Weikath, lyrics and photos. 'Walls Of Jericho' was originally released in late 1985. It was Helloween's first full-length album following the appearance of the mini-album 'Helloween' earlier that year. In addition to 'Walls Of Jericho' itself, this two-CD reissue also includes the five songs from 'Helloween' and a track from the picture-disc version, two songs from 1984's compilation album/sampler 'Death Metal,' 1986's 'Judas' EP and two remixes from 2002's 'Treasure Chest.' 'Pink Bubbles Go Ape' hit the streets in 1991 and it was Helloween's first album with guitarist Roland Grapow, who had replaced Kai Hansen. 'Chameleon' followed in 1993 and this experimental effort was the final album with vocalist Michael Kiske. 'Master Of The Rings' appeared in 1994 and it marked the debut of vocalist Andi Deris. 'The Time Of The Oath' was issued in 1996 and it is generally regarded as containing the band's strongest, most cohesive set of songs since the mid-1980s classics 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 1' and 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 2.' 'Better Than Raw' came out in 1998 and it found Helloween adding progressive elements as well as touches of neo-classical and neo-black metal. The track listings are as follows: 'WALLS OF JERICHO' Disc 1 - "Starlight," "Murderer," "Warrior," "Victim Of Fate," "Cry For Freedom," "Walls Of Jericho," "Ride The Sky," "Reptile," "Guardians," "Phantoms Of Death," "Metal Invaders," "Gorgar," "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)," "How Many Tears" and "Judas." Disc 2 - "Murderer" (remix), "Ride The Sky" (remix), "Intro/Ride The Sky" (live), "Guardians" (live), "Oernst Of Life," "Metal Invaders" and "Surprise Track." 'PINK BUBBLES GO APE' "Pink Bubbles Go Ape," "Kids Of The Century," "Back On The Streets," "Number One," "Heavy Metal Hamsters," "Goin' Home," "Someone's Crying," "Mankind," "I'm Doin' Fine, Crazy Man," "The Chance," "Your Turn," "Blue Suede Shoes" ("Kids Of The Century" single B-side), "Shit And Lobster" ("Kids Of The Century" single B-side), "Les Hambourgeois Walkways" ("Number One" single B-side) and "You Run With The Pack" ("Number One" single B-side). 'CHAMELEON' Disc 1 - "First Time," "When The Sinner," "I Don't Wanna Cry No More," "Crazy Cat," "Giants," "Windmill," "Revolution Now," "In The Night," "Music," "Step Out Of Hell," "I Believe" and "Longing." Disc 2 - "I Don't Care You Don't Care" ("When The Sinner" single B-side), "Oriental Journey" ("When The Sinner" single B-side previously Japan only), "Cut In The Middle" ("Windmill" single B-side), "Introduction" ("Windmill" single B-side), "Get Me Out Of Here" ("Windmill" single B-side), "Red Socks And The Smell Of The Trees" ("I Don't Wanna Cry No More" single B-side), "Ain't Got Nothin' Better" ("I Don't Wanna Cry No More" single B-side) and "Windmill" (previously unreleased demo version). 'MASTER OF THE RINGS' Disc 1 - "Irritation," "Sole Survivor," "Where The Rain Grows," "Why?," "Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)," "Perfect Gentleman," "The Game Is On," "Secret Alibi," "Take Me Home," "In The Middle Of A Heartbeat" and "Still We Go." Disc 2 - "Can't Fight Your Desire" (single B-side), "Star Invasion" (single B-side), "Cold Sweat" (single B-side), "Silicon Dreams" (single B-side), "Grapowski's Malmsuite 101" (single B-side), "I Stole Your Love" (Kiss cover - single B-side previously Japan only) and "Closer To Home" (Grand Funk Railroad cover - single B-side previously Japan only). 'THE TIME OF THE OATH' Disc 1 - "We Burn," "Steel Tormentor," "Wake Up The Mountain," "Power," "Forever And One (Neverland)," "Before The War," "A Million To One," "Anything My Mama Don't Like," "Kings Will Be Kings," "Mission Motherland," "If I Knew" and "The Time Of The Oath." Disc 2 - "Still I Don't Know" (previously Japan only), "Take It To The Limit" (previously Japan only), "Electric Eye" (single B-side), "Magnetic Fields" (single B-side), "Rain" (single B-side), "Walk Your Way" (single B-side), "Light In The Sky" (single B-side) and "Time Goes By" (single B-side). 'BETTER THAN RAW' "Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude In Z," "Push," "Falling Higher," "Hey Lord!," "Don't Spit On My Mind," "Revelation," "Time," "I Can," "A Handful Of Pain," "Lavdate Dominvm," "Midnight Sun," "Back On The Ground" (previously Japan only), "A Game We Shouldn't Play" (single B-side), "Perfect Gentleman" (live bootleg version) and "Moshi Moshi ~ Shiki No Uta" (live B-side). All Titles Now In Stores! http://www.helloween.org/ |