One record at a time: 111. Enigma - Love Sensuality Devotion (The Greatest Hits)

We round out my Enigma vinyl collection with the 2021 "Monocorm Series" edition of "Love Sensuality Devotion (The Greatest Hits)". This is a 180g vinyl that features material released between 1990 and 2001. As this collection was initially conceived as a compact disc, there are 18 tracks which have to be spread across two vinyl discs.

The obligatory atmospheric introduction is provided by the "The Landing". This track and the single  "Turn Around" were written for this compilation and are competent without being overly impressive.

As "TNT For The Brain" starts I am beginning to notice there is little attention to the band's earlier albums here. The track choices break down as three from the first album, "MCMXC a.D.", four songs each from "The Cross of Changes" and "Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!" but five from "The Screen Behind the Mirror". We don't get any music from the first and most successful album until we're halfway through the record. 

I find the inclusion of mediocre tracks such as "Morphing Thru Time" and "Smell of Desire" puzzling as they weren't released as singles and I'm not clear on how they became considered 'hits'. I think it would have been better to have culled 4-5 tracks and made this album a more traditional hits package that focussed on their most successful work. Despite some odd track choices this remains a great précis of the bands output from the so called "first chapter".4/5

One record at a time: 110. Enigma - The Fall of Rebel Angel (The Complete Studio Albums Collection)

We reach the end of Enigma's studio album collection with the eighth instalment, "The Fall of Rebel Angel". Once the obligatory moody introduction is over we get into "The Omega Point" which has a catchy synth refrain and imaginative drum programming. "Diving" is quite an abstract and ambient piece which fits with the aesthetic we've heard so far. 

"The Die Is Cast" is a good track that harks back to earlier works with its Art of Noise stabs and PPG Waveterm car samples. "Mother" belongs in the 'new but bland' category and "Agnus Dei" just recycles the theme from "The Omega Point".

Whatever you may be expecting from the follow up to "Sadeness (Part I)" I doubt it would be the "Part II" that comes next. The opening to J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" is played over a languid beat as woman breathlessly utters the original French lyrics. It's not terribly inspiring and doesn't seem worthy of the title.

"Lost In Nothingness" is another beat-less ambient piece which is followed by "Oxygen Red" which manipulates a vocal over a reverb drenched backing track. The rest of the album consists of a couple more forgettable ambient pieces before the finale "Amen" finally ends our misery. Amen indeed. 2/5

One record at a time: 109. Enigma - Seven Lives Many Faces (The Complete Studio Albums Collection)

As the obligatory atmospheric intro and 'Enigma Foghorn' fades away, the distinctive string motif of "Seven Lives" brings us out of our reverie. This really is an amazing song that seamlessly incorporates beatboxing, the sound of a dog panting and Cretu's rasping vocals. I really like it.

The strings are retained for the start of  "Touchness" which somehow sounds distinctly 'Enigma' without employing any of the old formula. "The Same Parents" is Cretu's stab at a the eternal lament of, "Why do we have to have suffering on Earth?" Imagine "People are People" a half speed with a child reading the lyrics. It's as awful as it sounds. Don't get me wrong, I admire the sentiment (however naive it may be), but the execution is excruciating to listen to.

The next two track pass by without making much impression. Things get a bit rocky with "Fata Morgana" and "Hell's Heaven" threatens to go IDM but nothing really transpires. "La Puerta Del Cielo" is a song in Catalan that I can't penetrate and hearing Michael sing "I'm your Daddy" on "Distorted Love" is enough to make me wince.

The sound of a woman breathlessly saying "Je t'aime" is so clichéd it makes any song employing it impossible to take seriously. If you then add in "The world's most annoying sample™" (a processed vocal of someone saying "Do you love me too?") you have an awful song that I hope to never hear again. I plough through to the end of the album but there is nothing else of interest. How disappointing. Any points this album scores are for the first three tracks alone. 2/5

One record at a time: 108. Enigma - A Posteriori (The Complete Studio Albums Collection)

"A Posteriori" is the sixth album by Enigma and I am playing the recent reissue from the "Complete Studio Albums" box set.

You will be unsurprised to learn this album opens with the "Enigma Foghorn" and some atmospheric synth textures. But this is pretty much the last we will hear of the tried and tested 'Enigma formula' on this record. Whilst other albums have sought to develop the sound of the band, nothing has been quite as radical as we will encounter here.

The first signs of this change of direction are heard at the end of "Eppur Si Muove" and progressed on the second track "Feel Me Heaven". Both of tracks feature some intriguing trance riffs and a minimalist approach to drum programming. Whilst Cretu is using trance and EDM motifs we aren't about to descend into a Deadmau5 pastiche - everything remains suitably restrained.

There isn't a Gregorian chant or Shakuhachi flute to be heard as we move through "Dreaming of Andromeda" and the excellent "Dancing With Mephisto". Whilst "Northern Lights" is a little slow and lacking a significant melody, the next track "Invisible Love" resurrects those synth arpeggios and electro drums to great effect. 

"Message from 10" is one of my favourites on this album as it has an excellent hook and is set against a pulsating electro backdrop. Something about this track reminds me of Jean Michel Jarre - you can take that as a compliment or condemnation based upon your own proclivities The album version of "Hello + Welcome" is a shadow of the single version and is something of a disappointment as a result. "20,000 Miles Over the Sea" treads familiar ground but the electro influences come to the surface a little more prominently on "Sitting on the Moon". Penultimate track "The Alchemist" again sounds like something Jarre would have produced around the turn of the millennium but closing track "Goodbye Milky Way" is just annoying. 3/5

One record at a time: 107. Enigma - Voyageur (The Complete Sutdio Album Collection)

Once again we come to an album that I hadn't heard until relatively recently. Here I will be playing the 180g remastered vinyl from the "Studio Albums Collection" box set of 2021.

As you might expect by now, the fist track "From East to West" begins with an atmospheric introduction and the distinctive 'Enigma horn' sample. Things seem to be all set up for a familiar slice of Gregorian chants, Shakuhachi flutes and wailing guitar solos. But as the piano twinkles over an increasingly syncopated beat you begin to realise this album is going to be a bit different to previous outings.

The title track sees a welcome return for Sandra and features a unique bassline that frames the song nicely. "Incognito" seems to be paying homage to Yello in some way. Whilst imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Herr Cretu would have been better served leaving Yello to be Yello: after all they are quite good at it. "Page of Cups" is a better effort with a great rhythm and some fine hooks but it is overly long. The single "Boum-Boum" sounds a little trite at first, but if you can accept the lyrics it becomes a good pop song. 

"Total Eclipse of the Moon" is one of those quieter tracks where Michael Cretu treats us to his rasping vocals before the song suddenly cuts off like someone has pulled the plug. "Look of Today" offers the first glimpse of a truly dance floor friendly groove that repurposes and contorts the chorus of "Look of Love" by ABC. From this description I wouldn't blame you for thinking this song sounds awful, yet somehow it succeeds very well. 

Another success is "In the Shadow, In the Light" which benefits from the vocal talents of Andru Donalds. "Weightless" is rather a maudlin but mercifully short piece  - as is the instrumental "The Piano". We end on a high with the wonderful "Following the Sun" which sees a welcome return to Ruth-Ann Boyle on vocals. As the uplifting melody weaves its way along I am reminded of Mike Oldfield songs such as "Man in the Rain" or "To Be Free". A great finale. 4/5

One record at a time: 106. Enigma - The Screen Behind the Mirror (The Complete Studio Album Collection)

Having disliked Enigma's third album I stopped buying their records in the late nineties. As a consequence of this, "The Screen Behind the Mirror" passed me by when it was released in 2000. It wasn't until I began to seek out the band's back catalogue in 2020 that I finally heard this record.

This album opens with a track called "The Gate" which features the traditional Enigma horn motif and an idea lifted directly from Vangelis's "Albedo 0.39". As the song segues into "Push the Limits", we are treated to snippets of Carmina Burana and an intriguing pizzicato riff. At this point I'm tempted to think this is the album that "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" should have been.

The Carmina Burana motif is used again on "Gravity of Love" which features an excellent vocal by Ruth-Ann Boyle. Whilst there is much that is familiar here, a change in vocalist injects some new energy and seems to have inspired Mr Cretu. 

"Smell of Desire" recycles some vocal snippets from previous albums and passes quite pleasingly. The tempo rises for "Modern Crusaders" which pounds along until it reaches a noisy crescendo. "Traces (Light & Weight)" sees the ethnic sample library being raided, but unlike the previous album, there is a strong melody to tie things together. 

The title track uses an updated version of the "Sadeness" groove and there is enough detail woven through the song to ensure it is entertaining. Next is a more routine 'Enigma by numbers' track called "Endless Quest" which employs the usual drum loop/Shakuhachi/guitar solo recipe. I'm not too keen on the reversed vocals of "Camera Obscura" and the Carmina Burana samples are getting a bit annoying by this point. "Between Mind & Heart" isn't all that engaging and the main points interest in the final track "Silence Must Be Heard" are the Art of Noise samples. Due to the slight disappointing flip side, the initial promise of this album remains unfulfilled. 3/5

One record at a time: 105. Enigma - Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (The Complete Studio Album Collection)

I bought this album on CD when it was released in 1996 but I only listened to it once or twice. I think I was disappointed with this record as it moved away from the sound of the first two albums and something was lost in the process. 

As I haven't listened to this music in many many years, I will be trying to assess it afresh without preconceptions. As with previous Enigma albums, I will be playing the 180g remastered vinyl form the "Complete Studio Albums" box set.

The title track starts thing off and features the reassuringly familiar Enigma horn sample amongst the milieu. The next track is the lacklustre "Morphing Through Time" which plods along relatively tunelessly despite its Gregorian chants. "Beyond Invisible" is another track that seems to centre on atmospherics at the expense of melody or any meaningful content. I have no idea why such a insipid track would be released as a single; but it was. Up to this point, everything is a bit vanilla. It feels like 'Enigma by numbers'. 

The first sign of a pulse on this record comes with "Why!..." which has a funky drum loop and sounds quite good despite some dodgy vocals and Roland JV-1080 presets. "Shadows in Silence" has some nice hooks but is still a bit prosaic compared to the pounding beats of previous albums. "The Child in Us" could sit quite happily on any Deep Forest album - and I'm not sure that is a good thing. The single "T.N.T. for the Brain" is the first time Mr Cretu tears up the trees and gives us a bit of ear candy, but it is over too soon. 

Even though "Almost Full Moon" is another of the more downtempo tracks it has enough to retain my interest. Disappointingly "The Roundabout" has nothing to do with Yes or Dougal and Ermintrude but it does have one of the cheesiest vocal refrains you'll ever hear. "Prism of Life" and "Odyssey of the Mind" make for a disappointing conclusion. Seems my estimation in 1996 was correct. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 104. Enigma - The Cross of Changes (The Complete Studio Album Collection)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, this is the album that made me appreciate Enigma and the talents of Mr Cretu. Once again I will be playing the recent 180g repressing included in the "Complete Studio Albums" box set.

In 1993 it felt like I heard "The Eyes of Truth" almost every day. It wasn't necessarily played on the radio much, but it seemed to feature on every TV programme, advert or trailer I saw. Despite using the same Shakuhachi sample as the previous album, the beats have progressed and the Gregorian chants have been dialled back.

Another single "Return to Innocence" comes next with its enormous "When The Levee Breaks" loop and unique Amis tribe vocal. This is a great track that proved Enigma were about more that Gregorian chants, TR-909 beats and Emulator II samples. Cretu took the songs distinctive vocal from recordings of a Taiwanese tribe in the belief that it was in the public domain. However, much like Jean Michel Jarre with "Revolutions", he ran into trouble when the original artists objected. Unlike Jarre, Cretu reached an 'out of court settlement' that allowed him to continue using the sample and thankfully the song remains intact here. It would have been a shame if such a vital component had been removed and the song left as an empty shell (à la "Revolutions").

Another great track follows with the nine minute opus "I Love You... I'll Kill You". This track continues to provide evidence that Enigma have moved on from their debut and even the guitar solos are pretty spectacular. 

Whilst this isn't a concept album, it does have a general theme: the 'conquest' of the Americas and European colonisation. "Silent Warrior" brings the subject matter into sharp focus by weaving atmospheric pads, drum machines and ethnic textures alongside Cretu's vocal lament of: "Tell me, is it right, in the name of God, these kind of changes?" (sic).

Things take a bit of a dip with the piano kitsch of "The Dream of the Dolphin" before "Age of Loneliness" comes thundering through. Based upon a recording of a Mongolian folk song, this track resurrects the Gregorian chants and Shakuhachi samples to stunning effect. Admittedly there is nothing new here, it's just recycling the ideas of the first album, but it does sound good. "Out From the Deep" is starts with gentle guitar arpeggios and gradually builds into something akin to a traditional rock song. The title track is a gentle coda in which Sandra tells us that the eyes of truth are always watching us. Good stuff. 4/5

One record at a time: 103. Enigma - MCMXC a.D. (The Complete Studio Album Collection)

Back in 1990, I never really understood why "Sadeness Part I" (or "Sadness" if you prefer the corrupted English title) was so popular. My brother bought the CD single and played it quite a lot, but the sound of Emulator II Shakuhachi presets emanating from his room failed to make much impression at the time.

In fact, I didn't really appreciate Enigma until I heard the follow up album "Cross of Changes" in 1993. Discovering this album led me back to debut "MCMXC a.D." and I finally understood the fascination. 

Here I will be listening to the 180g repressing of the album from "The Complete Studio Albums" box set from 2021. As you might expect with a record pressed by Optimal Media, the vinyl sounds very nice and the mastering is sympathetic. The only slight downside of these records is that the sleeves seem to deposit paper fragments and general debris from the manufacturing process on the playing surface. Whilst this isn't a big issue, you do have to clean each record thoroughly before spinning it.

The album opens with "The Voice of Enigma" which features a slightly hokey spoken introduction telling us to turn off the light, take a deep breath and relax. The next three tracks are grouped under the subheading "Principles Of Lust", with the afore mentioned breakthrough hit "Sadeness" featuring prominently (but not titled "Part 1"). There is also a track called "Find Love" in this section which was later released as the single "Principles of Lust". All confusing stuff. 

Where things really get going for me is on the flip side. "Mea Culpa" (later released as the single "Mea Culpa Part II" - told you it was confusing) has all of the same motifs and sounds as "Sadeness" but it is a bit more atmospheric. There's something about the pads and the way Mr Cretu uses samples on this album that set it apart from everything else. "Knocking on Forbidden Doors" features some imaginative use of a preset from the PPG Waveterm called "CARS grand prix". Only when you know the source of the sound does it become recognisable as a passing F1 car; prior to that it is just an amazing effect.

The three track suite "Back to the Rivers of Belief" commences with "Way To Eternity" which borrows the motif from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" but somehow gets away with it. The TR-909 beat from "Sadeness" is resurrected for "Hallelujah" but the repetition doesn't matter as it is such a perfect groove. As the last track "Rivers of Belief" comes to a close I'm usually left wanting more. 4/5