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Track Listings
| 1. The Voice Of Enigma |
| 2. Principles Of Lust: A) Sadeness/B) Find Love/C)Sadeness (Reprise) |
| 3. Callas Went Away |
| 4. Mea Culpa |
| 5. The Voice & The Snake |
| 6. Knocking On Forbidden Doors |
| 7. Back To The Rivers Of Belief |
| 8. Sadeness (Meditation) |
| 9. Mea Culpa (Fading Shades) |
| 10. Principles Of Lust (Everlasting Lust) |
| 11. The Rivers Of Belief (The Returning Silence) |
| 12. Bonus Track |
| 13. Bonus Track |
| 14. Bonus Track |
| 15. Bonus Track |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
So much unnecessary fuss was made over Enigma's juxtaposition of the sexual and sacred. After all, Prince had been doing it for years, and his take on it was far more interesting--and a lot more daring. But Enigma's MCMXC A.D. did manage to work a lot of people into a lather, both on the dance floor and behind the pulpit. Their inclusion of chanting monks in "Sadeness", over wooshy ambient noises and a slower hip-hop-appropriated beat was a sensation. "Callas Went Away" promised more than it could deliver, although "Mea Culpa" stands as one of the few shining moments on the CD. The idea of mixing new age aural wallpaper with beats that you can do a slow grind to is actually rather intriguing. Spicing it up with controversial religious chants isn't a bad idea either. But there's got to be something personal to it. After the initial novelty wears off, there's nothing to MCMXC A.D. other than bland, cold, impersonal repetition. Now, that might be what most people are used to, but what's so sexy about it? --Steve Gdula
Product Description
ENIGMA MCMXC A.D (Deleted 1991 German limited edition 11-track CD album including 4 bonus tracks Sadeness Meditation Mea Culpa [Fading Shades] Principles Of Lust [Everlasting Lust] and The Rivers Of Belief [The Returning Silence] picture sleeve)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I find it almost impossible to decide which of Enigma's albums I like the most -- each is a masterpiece in its own right and, although some elements recurr throughout, each nevertheless has a very different sound, tone and "feel". I found MCMXC AD quite different to Enigma's later works -- it's less rock and slightly more ambient, with fewer lyrics and more emphasis on beat and melody. There is also a much greater feeling of sensuality that pervades the album, in fact at first I was quite thrown aback by its overt sexuality. I wonder how many people actually know what and who "Sadeness" is about!
The first track, "Voice of Enigma" provides our obligatory opening. We then have Enigma's biggest chart hit, "Sadeness", a beautiful, haunting and sexy track that's among my top five Enigma songs. It then seagues into the equally sexy "Find Love" and then a reprise of "Sadeness". "Callas Went Away" is a mellow, low-key but satisfying number, followed by the rousing and invigorating "Mea Culpa". Alas, "The Voice and the Snake" is the only Enigma track that I truly hate and always skip. It sounds silly, bizarre and almost Satantic -- mercifully it only last just over a minute. Things pick up with the largely instrumental "Knocking on Forbidden Doors" and "Back to the River of Belief" which are mainly about atmosphere and mood and are pretty effective as such. Things are capped off by "Rivers of Belief" a gorgeous little song sung by Enigma mastermind Michael Cretu.
All in all, this is a great album -- not so much about songs and lyrics as atmosphere and mood. This is probably the most mellow of Enigma's albums, and differing somewhat from their faster, more intense and lyricised later works, MCMXC AD is "chill-out" par excellence. At its best, Enigma's music has a truly unique and wondrous ability to be transcendental -- to whisk you off into a different world entirely. It's just as Sandra seductively purrs in the first track...
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is totally unlike anything else in my collection. Probably the most relaxing music I have. Someone else calls it ambient. I'd agree and also throw in hypnotic. After a really stressful day, just put this on, with headphones and lay still with your eyes shut on the floor of the lounge. Bliss.
But make sure you have the house to yourself first. You get so carried away by this that the shock of being brought back to the real world by having a cat brush past you is more than the average human being can stand. Nearly creosoted my kecks I did.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a very original CD, which doesn't fit nicely into a particular genre - perhaps ambient, but the highly atmospheric, deep bassy beats have nearly blown my speakers many times! The calmer meditating vocals, and the Gregorian chants in Sadeness convey such powerful emotion, that it's difficult not to find yourself hypnotically absorbed in the music. The Limited Edition (so limited that I've seen it more often than the original!) is well worth getting - it's 15 mins longer, and the extra tracks continue the mood perfectly. As the Voice of Enigma sayeth: "Take a deep breath, turn off the lights, and relax... let the rhythm be your guiding light."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not for meditation
This is a very nice CD to play as background music and listen to but it is not suitable for meditation. The tracks are busy and distacting.
Published 1 month ago by Alan Roberts
Relax
MCMXC A.D.I bought this CD years ago on tape and through moving a few times lost it,iwas so pleased to find it through amazon,id forgotten how relaxing it was,TRULY a great buy,and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by crazylady
enigma
i love this cd its relaxing,calming.i love driving with it on in the car,i would like to listen to other enigma cds,
Published 5 months ago by winny01
dismal download.
There is a big problem with this download that spoils the whole effect of the opening tracks. There is a pause between the end of the "Voice of enigma" and the start of sadness... Read more
Published 14 months ago by not happy
Chill to a classic.
I brought this CD for my husband who remembered Enigma from years ago. When we played it, we found that it,s combination of classical instruments, more modern and electronic sounds... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Katherine Wilson
Sublime, erotic and dark
Absolute classic. Haunting music, superb vocals and an incredibly coherent production. So much more than a chill out album as others have described it, it resonates with dark... Read more
Published 17 months ago by BermondseyStu
Great "chill out" album
The first Enigma album I think, and probably still the best.
I was introduced to it by a girlfriend nearly 20 years ago. Read more
I was introduced to it by a girlfriend nearly 20 years ago. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Aypeecee
Relax and enjoy
My idea of bliss is to curl up with a good book and some port/wine and pass away hours reading with the Enigma CDs on in the background. Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by Spidernick
Chill out classic
I still love this cd 19 years after I first heard it. Sadness is one of the great all time chill out tunes with its mix of Gregorian chants and slow, hip hop beats. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2009 by L. Nicolaides
Enigma Returns
Timeless Classic...the bonus tracks add to the already superb album... a must have for anyones' collection
Published on 18 Mar 2009 by BBBandit
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