All souls night - Loreena McKennitt

When I posted this single recently, I noticed that there was no previous entry about Loreena McKennitt on this blog. Which is strange, because I definitely own another single by her. I bought it on 30 December 1994 in a period of frantic singles buying because I'd just recently started - and lost - my first proper job. I bought this single in Utrecht in a shop called Grammophoonwinkel, and I recently found out that the shop had closed down back in May, after almost fifty years. I would have liked to visit the shop one last time, but I found out too late. 

Anyway, 'All souls night' is one of the singles I bought on that cold and dark December afternoon, just before a birthday party in the same city. I think this single must have been on this blog in the early days, but back then Blogger used to honour "copyright claims" from unknown parties who apparently protested against me writing about "their" records. Fortunately this doesn't happen anymore. So here it is, just a few days too late because the traditional Irish All Souls' Night happened a few days ago. 

My collection: 7" single no. 2230
Found: Grammophoonwinkel, Utrecht, 30 December 1994
Tracks: 'All souls night (edit)' / 'Bonny Portmore'

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)