Port Royal (album)
Port Royal is the fourth album by Running Wild. This release expanded on the pirate theme introduced in their album Under Jolly Roger (1987) and established them as "pirate metal" in the metal community. The album has sold nearly 1.8 million records worldwide. The album takes its name from the location of Calico Jack’s death.
Port Royal | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 September 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | Noise | |||
Producer | Running Wild | |||
Running Wild chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Rock Hard | [3] |
Songs
"Uaschitschun" tells about the pollution of nature through a Native American's perspective. "Uaschitschun" is a word that the Native Americans used for white males; the nearest translation is "ghost." The ending words were originally spoken by filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin in 1972 and were probably inspired by a famous speech made by Chief Seattle to the whites when they came to buy the lands of Seattle.[4]
A music video was made for "Conquistadores" which had some air play on MTV's Headbangers Ball. It is also the first to use a 5-string bass in a metal context.
"Warchild" is not the same song that appeared in the band's early demos.
"Calico Jack" is about an English pirate of the 18th century. He designed the skull-and-bones pirate flag that was later named the Jolly Roger, which gave the title to the previous album.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Rolf Kasparek, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" | 0:50 | |
2. | "Port Royal" | 4:12 | |
3. | "Raging Fire" | Kasparek, Schwarzmann, Moti | 3:28 |
4. | "Into the Arena" | Moti | 3:59 |
5. | "Uaschitschun" | 4:53 | |
6. | "Final Gates" (Instrumental) | Becker | 3:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Conquistadores" | 4:50 | |
8. | "Blown to Kingdom Come" | Moti | 3:19 |
9. | "Warchild" | Kasparek, Schwarzmann | 3:01 |
10. | "Mutiny" | Kasparek, Schwarzmann | 4:28 |
11. | "Calico Jack" | Kasparek, Moti, Schwarzmann | 8:15 |
Total length: | 44:15 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Uaschitschun" (1992 Alternate version) | 5:04 |
2. | "Port Royal" (2003 Re-recorded version) | 4:13 |
3. | "Conquistadors" (2003 Re-recorded version) | 4:48 |
Total length: | 58:20 |
Notes
- The 1st press CD release has no barcode. There were two variants of the backcover, one with yellow and one with white Noise logo. SID Codes refer to the French press which has the white Noise logo
- The Japanese CD release contains the 1987 album Under Jolly Roger
Personnel
- Rolf Kasparek - vocals, guitars
- Majk Moti - guitars
- Jens Becker - bass
- Stefan Schwarzmann - drums
Production
- Karl-U. Walterbach - executive producer
- Tom Steeler - engineering, mixing
- Sebastian Krüger - artwork
- Becker Derouet - artwork
References
- DiVita, Joe (5 July 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- Port Royal at AllMusic
- Kupfer, Thomas (1988). "Running Wild 'Port Royal'". Rock Hard (29). Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- "Alanis Obomsawin - Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org.