The Album

The Acoustic Love Collection Volume III: The Good Years by Tom Riddle and Friends was originally released in May of 2007 and was the band’s debut album. It was later rereleased by the Wizrocklopedia on October 1, 2021. With a whopping 23 tracks, the album is about 40 minutes long. Each song is sandwiched by tracks that talk about the songs and the realm of this new wizard rock band. Let’s check it out!

The Tracks

The introduction to the album is I Just Started a WR Band. Think you know what wizard rock means? Songs about Harry Potter, right? Well, you might want to think again…

I Just Apparated is the first song we get to hear. It has a guitar and a solo melodic voice. It’s a very sweet song with a lovely melody.

Next up is I Cried a Single Phoenix Tear. It’s a bit of banter between (what I assume is) two members of the band about the previous song.

Voldy’s a Softy is a rebuttal song to I Just Apparated. The guitar plays in minor which gives the song a melancholic feeling. The vocals are soft and make me think about cold nights at Hogwarts, watching your breath turn into mist in front of you. Then Voldemort talks all about all the people he wishes he could kill.

One of the singers talks about the books in a brief track called Page 784.

Come Out of the Toilet and Let’s Go to Bed gives me very heavy The Moaning Myrtles vibes, as it is a song about Voldemort and Myrtle as a married couple. The song manages to be hilarious and very sweet at the same time, which really impressed me.

We hear some real wizard rock talk in On a Scale of 1 to Bad. How bad do you want to be a wizard rocker? How far are you willing to go?

Fleur, Mon Ami is a song about Fleur. It’s a soft waltz asking her questions and giving her advice.

Next up is Anshul’s Entrance, in which a friend who was in the neighborhood drops by to pay a visit.

Voldemort sings to the magical creature whose blood he needs to drink to survive. With a guitar being backed by a symphony of strings, Pretty Little Unicorn is a really beautiful song.

Phil Collins from Tarzan is when the three friends talk about what their band sounds like.

This next song is a love song to the two Patil twins. P is for Patil… and Padma… and Parvati weaves a story about dancing with these two witches at the Yule Ball. It’s slow but silly.

I’m Trying to Date the Ultimate Girl is all about trying to find a legend… but who could it be?

The answer is, of course, Ms. Granger! This track starts off with a really cool rhythm in the guitar section – both acoustic and electric. It is a love song to Hermione, and while it doesn’t last very long, it is sweet.

The band takes a bit of time to answer some FAQs from fans.

Ginny Speaking Song starts off with a beautiful fingerpicked line on an acoustic guitar. There is banter between Ginny and the main singer – Voldemort. The lyrics are really funny, which pairs interestingly well with what sounds like a melancholy and serious chord progression.

In the next track, You’re My Most Loyal… Let’s Kiss, the band discusses the potential romance between Voldemort and Bellatrix.

I get a sea shanty/pub song vibe from Bellatrix Lestrange – a sentence I never thought I would say. I love the witty lyrics, and I would have to say that this is my favorite song from the whole album. The song is easy to sing along with in the repeating lines, and it’s got a bouncy feel that will make you feel like dancing along.

At the End of the Day is about Tom Riddle needing to take some time for himself once in a while.

A simple melody followed by an added harmony on acoustic guitar begins This is a Power Ballad. Then the electric guitar kicks in with the main vocals. Voldemort sings about his childhood growing up and how he learned he was a wizard – and all of the subsequent things he did at Hogwarts.

BONUS! is a mere 16 seconds long, telling the audience that the album is almost over.

The final song on the album is called Give Me Some Sugar (The Dementor’s Song). A single drum joins the guitars that we have heard throughout the album. It’s about a Dementor going to a Quidditch match and ruining it. But maybe the Dementor wants something… more? The way that the song ends is really funny.

A Not So Hidden Track brings us to the end of this incredible album. It’s a short and sweet guitar version of Hedwig’s Theme.

In Summary

I liked the banter between each song – it really tied the whole album together in a cohesive story. It made having a bunch of tracks that were about a variety of topics make a lot more sense. The dynamics between the band members felt genuine and easy, and I really liked the instrumentals throughout the album. I was impressed by the range of musical genres and styles represented in the album, and overall I really enjoyed listening to it.