Nothing says Christmas quite like another festive treat from Ritchie Blackmore

(Image credit: Minstrel Hall Music)

Blackmore's Night have released a lyric video for their rendition of the classic Christmas carol It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.

The words to It Came Upon A Midnight Clear were originally written in 1849 by Edmund Sears – then pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts – and were set to the music of composer Richard Storrs Willis the following year.

Now, 170 years later, the carol has been taken on by the Man In Black himself, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who makes up 50 per cent of the public face of Blackmore's Night alongside singer/bride Candice Night. And while It Came Upon A Midnight Clear is clearly no Space Truckin', it makes up for it in soothing festive cheer.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear is the second song to be gently unleashed upon the world from the duo's upcoming Here We Come A-Caroling EP, following the release of the title track earlier this month.

The Here We Come A-Caroling EP includes four festive tracks and will be released on limited edition 10” translucent green vinyl, as well as a limited edition CD digipak and digital.

Here We Come A-Caroling tracklist:

1. Here We Come A-Caroling (Vinyl Side A)
2. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Vinyl Side A)
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Vinyl Side B)
4. Silent Night (Vinyl Side B)

In 2006, Blackmore's Night released a whole album of Christmas material, the seasonally titled Winter Carols, which featured such classics as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and Ding Dong Merrily On High.

You can pre-order the EP now and presumably have it delivered to a loved one in time for Christmas. Nice.

Ritchie Blackmore — (Image credit: earMUSIC)

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.