The Cross of Changes
The Cross of Changes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Enigma | ||||
Released | December 6, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1993 at A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza, Spain | |||
Genre | New-age, Ambient, Post-rock | |||
Length | 44:12 | |||
Label |
Virgin Charisma (US) | |||
Producer | Michael Cretu | |||
Enigma chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Cross of Changes | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
allmusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | (B)[2] |
The Cross of Changes is the second studio album by the German musical project Enigma, headed by Romanian-German musician and producer Michael Cretu, released on 6 December 1993 by Virgin Records internationally and Charisma Records in the United States. Following the unexpected worldwide commercial success of the first Enigma album, MCMXC a.D., Cretu began to write and record music for a new album at A.R.T. Studios, his home studio in Ibiza, Spain. Cretu samples songs from several artists, including Genesis, Black Sabbath, Vangelis, and U2.
The Cross of Changes was a commercial success. It became Enigma's second consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it sold over two million copies. In 1994, four singles were released: "Return to Innocence", "The Eyes of Truth", "Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)", originally written especially for the film Sliver, and "Out from the Deep". A Special Limited Edition was released in 1994.
Track listing
Original album
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Second Chapter" | Curly M.C. | 2:16 |
2. | "The Eyes of Truth" | Curly | 7:13 |
3. | "Return to Innocence" | Curly, Kuo Ying-nan, Kuo Hsiu-chu | 4:17 |
4. | "I Love You ... I'll Kill You" | Curly, David Fairstein | 8:51 |
5. | "Silent Warrior" | Curly | 6:10 |
6. | "The Dream of the Dolphin" | Curly, Fairstein | 2:47 |
7. | "Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)" | Curly | 5:22 |
8. | "Out from the Deep" | Curly, Morsman, Pierlejewski | 4:53 |
9. | "The Cross of Changes" | Curly | 2:23 |
Total length: |
44:12 |
Special Limited Edition
Released on 21 November 1994 on a 24-carat gold plated disc with three additional remixes.
All tracks written by Curly M.C..
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Return to Innocence (Long & Alive Version)" | 7:07 |
11. | "Age of Loneliness (Enigmatic Club Mix)" | 6:23 |
12. | "The Eyes of Truth (The Götterdämmerung Mix)" | 7:18 |
Singles
- 1993 – "Return to Innocence" (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH)
- 1994 – "The Eyes of Truth" (Virgin Records)
- 1994 – "Age of Loneliness" (Virgin Records)
- 1994 – "Out from the Deep" (Virgin Records)
Samples
The discogs website lists the following samples used in the album:[3]
- The Eyes of Truth Contains samples of "Habebe" and "A Survivor's Tale" by Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman from the album "Songs From The Victorious City". Vocal sample (Mongolian chant) taken from "Alsyn Gazryn Zereglee" as performed by Adilbish Nergui. Chorus taken from "Götterdämmerung" (The Twilight Of The Gods) composed by Richard Wagner. NASA retransmissions sampled from "Mare Tranquillitatis" Performed by Vangelis. Also contains a sample of "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" performed by U2.
- Return to Innocence Contains samples of "Jubilant Drinking Song" performed by Kuo Ying-nan and Kuo Hsiu-chu. Also contains samples of "Pinta. Nina Santa Maria (Into Eternity)" performed by Vangelis.
- I Love You ... I'll Kill You contains samples from Fading Lights from the Genesis album, We Can't Dance
- Silent Warrior Contains samples of "The Ghost Dance", a Native American war chant.
- Age of Loneliness Contains a sample of "Habebe" by Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman from the album "Songs From The Victorious City". Vocal sample (Mongolian chant) taken from "Tosonguyn Oroygoor" Performed by Dechinzundui Nadmid.
- Out from the Deep Contains samples of "The Calling" Performed by A Positive Life and of the album "Songs From The Victorious City" by Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman.
- I Love You ... I'll Kill You contains samples of the harmonica of the song "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath.
Personnel
- Music
- Michael Cretu (credited as "Curly M.C.") – music, lyrics, vocals, production, instruments, programming, arrangements, engineering
- Sandra Cretu – vocals
- Peter Cornelius – guitar
- Jens Gad – guitar
- Andreas Harde (credited as "Angel X") – vocals
- Louisa Stanley – vocals
- David Fairstein – lyrics
- Production
- Produced & engineered by Michael Cretu
- Recorded at A.R.T. Studios, Ibiza/Spain
- All Songs Published By Enigma Songs, except track 4 (Enigma Songs-Wanho Music) and track 7 (Ensign Music/Data Alpha-Wanho)
Charts and certifications
Album
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[4] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[5] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[6] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
France (SNEP)[7] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[8] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[9] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[10] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[11] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[12] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[14] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
World Wide | 8,000,000[16] | |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Singles
Billboard (North America)
Year | Single | Chart | Position | Certifications |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | "Age of Loneliness" | Hot Dance Music / Club Play | 30 | |
"Return to Innocence" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | US: Gold[17] | |
Rhythmic Top 40 | 15 | |||
The Billboard Hot 100 | 4 | |||
Top 40 Mainstream | 5 |
References
- ↑ The Cross of Changes at AllMusic
- ↑ "The Cross of Changes Review | Music Reviews and News | EW.com". ew.com. 18 February 1994. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ↑ List of samples and proper credits, as found at discogs
- ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Enigma – Cross Of Changes" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Enigma in the field Interpret. Enter Cross Of Changes in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Chances". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Enigma – Cross of Changes" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Enigma; 'The Cross of Changes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
- ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Enigma; 'The Cross of Changes')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Cross of Changes in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American album certifications – Enigma – Cross of Changes". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
- ↑ "Enigma - Discography, biography, music, MP3s, members, pictures & videos at SoundUnwound". soundunwound.com. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Enigma – Return to Innocence". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
External links
- Short article about the album
- Details of its release in different countries
- Lyrics to the songs in this album
Preceded by Under the Pink by Tori Amos |
UK number one album 19 February 1994 – 25 February 1994 |
Succeeded by Music Box by Mariah Carey |