MCMXC a.D.
while critics have slammed the songs in the album as
blasphemous. Nevertheless, the popularity of the album shot up to number one in at least 24 different countries in where it was released, reaching
gold and
platinum status.
The success of
MCMXC a.D. influenced the works of
B-Tribe (
Fiesta Fatal!),
Delerium (
Semantic Spaces) and even
Sarah Brightman ("Eden"). The album was also a stepping stone for the creation of other groups who mainly include Gregorian chants in their music, such as
Era and
Gregorian, which was founded by
Frank Peterson prior to his falling out with Michael Cretu.
In addition, Cretu received a total of 1.4 million pre-orders of their next album,
The Cross of Changes which was launched even before
MCMXC a.D. fell out of the charts after four years.
In 1994,
Polydor Germany sued Cretu and Virgin Germany for infringing on its "right of personality" in the samples used in "Sadeness (Part I)" and "Mea Culpa". The lawsuit was settled out of court after Cretu agreed to pay compensation to the original creator of the samples.
The
artwork on the sleeve of
MCMXC a.D. was designed by
Johann Zambryski, who also continued to design the sleeves of the next four albums after
MCMXC a.D. and its compilation and DVD covers. It depicted a thick, black frame surrounding a silhouette of a figure being enshrouded in a bright light, and a
Christian cross in the lower centre of the album for emphasis towards the themes of the album.
Original album
(Most releases contain these seven tracks; some ulterior releases gave a track to each part.)# "The Voice of Enigma"
(Curly M.C.) – 02:21# "Principles of Lust" – 11:43#:A. "
Sadeness"
(Curly, F. Gregorian, David Fairstein)#:B. "
Find Love"
(Curly)#:C. "Sadeness (reprise)"
(Curly, Gregorian, Fairstein)# "Callas Went Away"
(Curly) – 4:27# "
Mea Culpa"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 5:03# "The Voice & The Snake"
(Curly, Gregorian) – 1:39# "Knocking on Forbidden Doors"
(Curly) – 4:31# "Back to the Rivers of Belief" – 10:32#:A. "Way to Eternity"
(Curly)#:B. "Hallelujah"
(Curly)#:C. "
The Rivers of Belief"
(Curly, Fairstein)MCMXC a.D. - The Limited Edition
(Released in November 1991, included the songs from the original album and 4 additional remixes.):8. "Sadeness (Meditation)"
(Curly, Gregorian, Fairstein) – 2:43:9. "Mea Culpa (Fading Shades)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 6:04:10. "Principles of Lust (Everlasting Lust)"
(Curly) – 4:50:11. "The Rivers of Belief (The Returning Silence)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 7:04
MCMXC a.D. with bonus disc
''(Released in November 1999, included re-release of the original album and 6 remixes of 2 songs from the album on a separate disc.)# "Sadeness - Part I (Meditation Mix)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 3:00# "Sadeness - Part I (Extended Trance Mix)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 5:01# "Sadeness - Part I (Violent US Remix)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 5:03# "Mea Culpa - Part II (Fading Shades Mix)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 6:13# "Mea Culpa - Part II (Orthodox Version)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 4:00# "Mea Culpa - Part II (Catholic Version)"
(Curly, Fairstein) – 3:55
*1990 – "
Sadeness (Part I)" (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH)
*1991 – "
Mea Culpa (Part II)" (Virgin Records)
*1991 – "
Principles of Lust" (Virgin Schallplatten GmbH)
*1991 – "
The Rivers of Belief" (Virgin Records)
*
Michael Cretu (credited as Curly M.C.) -
record producer,
lead vocals*
Sandra Cretu -
lead vocals*
David Fairstein -
lyrics*
Frank Peterson (credited as F. Gregorian) -
music*
Louisa Stanley - voices
Album -
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position | | 1991 | The Billboard 200 | 6 |
|
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | | 1991 | "Sadeness (Part I)" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| 1991 | "Sadeness (Part I)" | Modern Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1991 | "Sadeness (Part I)" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 67 |
| 1991 | "Sadeness (Part I)" | Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 (3 weeks) |
| 1991 | "Sadeness (Part I)" | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 (? weeks) |
|
*
MCMXC a.D. was one of the first albums to be recorded on a
hard disk after Cretu's upgrade to the A.R.T. Studio.
*
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is one of Michael Cretu's favourite movies.
* In the last (seventh) track of the album, the sentence about the Seventh Seal enters at the 7th minute and 7th second, although in some pressings, it appears at the 7th minute and 17th second.
* Cretu only describes the male voice speaking in French in "Sadeness (Part I)" as a good friend of his.
* BBC News (Nov. 14, 2003).
Enigma founder's lone project.
bbc.co.uk.
*
Billboard,
USA (Jan. 26, 1991).
"Sadeness" Tops On Euro Charts. Billboard, USA.
* Ellie Weinert (Sept. 14, 1991)
"Sadeness" Creator Settles Sample Suit; Will Compensate For Unauthorised Usage. Billboard, USA.
* FPWeb (2003)
Biography of Enigma. Retrieved Mar. 4, 2005.
*
Short article from MichaelCretu.com*
Details of its release in different countries*
Lyrics to the songs in the album
