The mummers' dance - Loreena McKennitt / Only if... - Enya

This Italian promo brings together two ethereal artists. Loreena McKennitt is a Canadian singer who made a career out of recording Celtic folk music, owing to her Irish and Scottish descent. 'The mummers' dance' was a track from her 1997 album 'The book of secrets'. Her music by then was often compared to the work of Enya. 

And that's funny, because this promo features an Enya track on the B-side. 'Only if...' was released as a new track on the compilation album 'Paint the sky with stars', also in 1997. The song was only released on a 7" in the USA and on this Italian promo. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6785
Found: Discogs, received 8 October 2022
Tracks: 'The Mummers' dance' (Loreena McKennitt) / 'Only if...' (Enya)

I want tomorrow - Enya

Long before Enya died and her subsequent albums were created by producers in a studio, reusing her vocals time and again, she recorded a self-titled debut album. The album was used as the soundtrack to the BBC documentary series 'The Celts'. The album includes only a portion of the music Enya composed for the documentary series.

Hard to believe, but this single taken from the album sounds rather original. It actually sounds like Enya sang the words herself instead of being pieced together from previously sung vocals. However, the single did not chart. Her next single, 'Orinoco flow' would become a worldwide hit and would later turn out to be the first version of all her subsequent singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 5670
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'I want tomorrow' / 'The Celts'

Book of days - Enya

Inside the dark castle

Nicky Ryan enters the dark castle, a gloomy place where few people ever dare to enter.
'Enya? Enya? Where are you?'
A dark rumbling comes from afar, a cough, a rattle, and then a deep, dark voice sounds from across the hall.
-'Who the hell is that?'
'It's Nicky. Enya? I've got a request...'
- 'Go away, I want to sleep', comes the answer, and another coughing fit ensues.
'But I got a call from the record company. They want you to record some vocals for this movie soundtrack.'
- 'Vocals? Are you mad?', rumbles the voice. 'Do you think I still have that same voice I had ten years ago? Now where did I keep my fags and my whiskey...'
'Enya, please. We could make a good deal of money on this.'
- 'But I can't, I just can't. Listen to me, man! You really think I could pull it off with this? I sound like Tom Waits or Marianne Faithfull...'
Nicky sighs. The darkness of the castle makes him depressed. 'Maybe you're right... But if we slow down the music, perhaps...? '
A silence.
Then: 'How much money are we talking about?'

Exclusively on this blog: the original version of 'Book of days', as recorded in Enya's dark castle.

My collection: 7" single no.1731 (pictured above)
Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 17, 1992
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Book of days' / 'As baile'

My collection: 7" single no. 2239 (pictured below)
Found: Record fair, February 18, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Book of days' / 'On your shore'

How can I keep from singing? - Enya

A day at the Enya producer's office (II)

'HeyNicky Ryan, it's time for a new Enya single!'
- 'Really? Already? We've just had that 'Caribbean blue' single.'
'Yeah I know, but it's almost December and people still want to buy this stuff. I thought this time we could do a track with a real lyric again.'
- '(Sigh) Oh Lord, that's too much hard work. Do I have to? It's so difficult to piece together the words that woman has sung in the past.'
'Well, you could always ask her to sing a few new words...'
- 'Are you serious? She's hiding in her dark castle, I haven't seen that woman in years.'
'Oh well, you'll figure something out. Make it sound like that 'Evening' song, that will really work come Christmas time.'
- 'Okay, I'll try and glue together one new song. But the B-side will have to be that Christmas track. I don't want to work two days on this single.'
'No problem mate. I know you'll make something out of this.'
- 'Yeah I think this one will go down great at funerals too.'

My collection: 7" single no. 1960
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'How can I keep from singing?' / 'Oiche Chiun (Silent night)'

Caribbean blue - Enya

A day at the Enya producer's office

'It's almost time to release a new single by Enya'.
- 'Really? It isn't so long ago since the previous album.'
'Yes, I know, but people are buying the stuff in droves, so we better make a profit now.'
- 'Okay... So do you still have the tapes?'
'Yes, I've got all the 'oohs' and 'aahs' she sung a couple of years ago.'
- 'Right. So any ideas for a new song?'
'Not really, but I think you could write a lyric, something along the lines of that one song, you know...'
- 'Orinoco flow?'
'That's the one! That way, I don't have to spend hours composing and arranging.'
- 'So have you got any lyric yet?'
'Yep, I'm almost there. It's a good thing we have those tapes in which she sang random words; we can glue them together and form some lyric with that.'
- 'Okay. What about the B-side?'
'Hmmm... I guess we'll just stick that Orinoco thingy on it'.
- 'Wouldn't that be a bit obvious?'
'I don't know. We'll see, won't we? If people buy this single, we can make a whole album with this stuff.'
- 'Right, good thinking mate...'

My collection: 7" single no. 1544
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, November 2, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Caribbean blue' / 'Orinoco flow'

Exile - Enya

'Exile' is a track on Enya's 1988 album 'Watermark'. Somehow the track managed to find its way onto the soundtrack of the movie 'L.A. Story' three years later. The record company didn't waste a minute in trying to cash in on this and released 'Exile' as a single.

It's a beautiful track, but anything but commercially viable. The single vanished without a trace.

My collection: 7" single no. 2222
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 17, 1994
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Exile' / 'On your shore'

Storms in Africa - Enya

On Enya's album 'Watermark, 'Storms in Africa' was an instrumental track with vocals that didn't express any lyric. It is included on this single as part 1 on the B-side. The track was re-recorded and retitled 'Storms in Africa II'. This new version did include a lyric, although it was in typical Enya style: floating, vague and slightly windy.

The single was released in the UK in June 1989 and reached number 41 in the singles chart. The song was used as part of the soundtrack for the Peter Weir film 'Green card' (1990) along with the album tracks 'River' and 'Watermark'.

My collection: 7" single no. 947
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 21, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Storms in Africa II' / 'Storms in Africa I'

Evening falls - Enya

'Evening falls' was the second single taken from Enya's breakthrough second album 'Watermark'. It was a typically silent song like she would record many times after this album and single. While her previous single 'Orinoco flow' was a number one hit in the UK, this one was less successful, peaking at number 20 only.

The B-side was a Gaelic version of the Christmas traditional 'Silent night' entitled 'Oiche Chiún', an apparent misspelling of 'Oiche Chiúin'.

My collection: 7" single no. 751
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 17, 1989
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Evening falls' / 'Oiche Chiún'

Orinoco flow - Enya

Enya was born as Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on May 17, 1961 in Gaoth Dobhair, also known as Gweedore in Ireland. She got involved in music when she joined the family band Clannad in 1980. She went solo six years later, when she was contacted to provide music for the BBC television documentary 'The Celts'.

In 1988, Enya achieved an international breakthrough when she released her second solo album 'Watermark'. The single 'Orinoco flow' - the single features an edited version of the album track - sounded fresh and original to the world, and went number 1 in the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 729

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 2, 1989

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Orinoco flow' / 'Out of the blue'

The Celts - Enya

Enya is best known for her hit 'Orinoco flow'. This song is not very different from the rest of her repertoire: layered vocals, subtle synths and vague lyrics in English, Latin or Gaelic. It's no surprise, then, that even the Gaelic version of 'Silent night' holds no surprises. Recorded by Enya in 1988, it has since been re-released almost every year.

In 1992, WEA records released 'The Celts' on the A-side, with 'Oiche Chiún' on the B-side. It reached no. 29 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2268

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 8, 1995

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'The Celts' / 'Oiche Chiún'
Download: here