The Cross of Changes | 
| Artist: Enigma
Label: Virgin Records Us
List Price: $17.98
Buy Used: $1.12
You Save: $16.86 (94%)
New (61) Used (104) Collectible (9) from $1.12
Rating:  101 reviews
Sales Rank: 2246
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 39236
UPC: 724383923687
EAN: 0724383923625
ASIN: B000002U6E
Publication Date: 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: cd plays great, a few minor scratches
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Second Chapter | | • | The Eyes Of Truth | | • | Return To Innocence | | • | I Love You...I'll Kill You | | • | Silent Warrior | | • | The Dream Of The Dolphin | | • | Age Of Loneliness (Carly's Song) | | • | Out From The Deep | | • | The Cross Of Changes |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Haunting, evocative, mysterious, and magnificent, Enigma's Cross of Changes offers nine musical explorations of sound and sensation that dazzle and amaze. The songs unfold in rolling waves, each more complex and richly layered than the last, yet each fully capable of standing alone as a musically satisfying experience. The standout track on this disc is "Return to Innocence," which combines Native American chanting, Celtic harmonies, and a deceptively simple lyric to devastating effect. At once esoteric and elemental, Cross of Changes is a fine example of the best the genre has to offer. --L.A. Smith
Amazon.com
Enigma Photos More from Enigma
Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits | 
MCMXC A.D. | 
A Posteriori | 
Voyageur | 
Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! | 
MCMXC a. D. - The Complete Album DVD |
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 96 more reviews...
 Radiant! April 4, 2000
Hugo Reyes (Ventura County, CA)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
This CD was awesome! Michael Cretu has done it again. With his first release of Enigma, I was shocked at the originality. It was just awesome how he incorporated different (enigmatic) sounds in his music and made it like one whole song. His first album was awesome with the revival of the Gregorian Chants and marvelous lyrics; now he has broght a different, powerful work with the same essence. The Cross of Changes concentrates in a Native American style instead of the Gregorain Chants. It is beautifully done! I love how Michael Cretu has thought of different cultures and times: Middle Ages of Gregorian Chants, ancient acoustic sounds mixed with modern synthtic sound, and in the song "Silent Warrior," the lyrics explain the Spanish takeover of Mayan culture. "They took their land/ They took their lives..../ White men won in the name of God." Very interesting lyrics throughout the music many involving ethical values. It begins with "The Second Chapter" describing that "we came out from the deep to help and understand and not to kill" and follows with different believes, but finally concludes: "If you understand or if you don't/ If you believe or if you doubt/ There's a universal justice/ And the eyes of the truth/ Are always watching you."
Landmark 2nd album bears 'Cross...' well. August 20, 2002
Patrick L. Randall (Silver Spring, MD)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
Even though Enigma first made a name for itself with its single "Sadness Pt.1" off its debut album "MCMXC A.D.", it was the release of its sophomore effort, "Cross of Changes", that really established it as a major force in new age (and popular) music. The hit single, "Return to Innocence", is such a haunting and captivating song that it still finds radio play on regular rock/pop stations almost 10 years after its release. The tribal beats mixed with modern music and combined with an evocative choral solo power this simple song about realizing what's important in life (i.e. 'returning to innocence'). It still sends chills up my spine whenever it is played. The two bookend tracks to "Return..." have also found a wide distribution, although, not as radio singles, but as frequently used scores movie trailers. Track #2, "The Eyes of Truth" is frequently used in action film trailers, most notably for "The Matrix" (though, it did not appear on the soundtrack). Track #4, the chilling "I Love You ... I'll Kill You" has found play on such movie previews as Arnold Schwarzenneger's "Eraser". "The Eyes of Truth" is an amazing track as it plays slow, thumping beats before finishing with a flourish of a soaring chorus followed by a haunting female solo. There is one other truly standout track on "Cross of Changes"... "The Dream of The Dolphin". It evokes sense of spiritual peace with nature and is quite relaxing to listen to.
The beauty of this album is that, even with the separate standout songs, it flows together as one complete journey with each song feeding seamlessly into the next. "Cross of Changes" provides a memorable musical adventure for the listener and foreshadows the greatness to come on subsequent albums "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" and "Screen Behind the Mirror".
Arguable the Best Album of the Four December 6, 2000
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
Yes, Enigma is good. But which album do I consider the best of the four? Obviously, this one. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing my review here. Introduced to the four albums in reverse chronological order, "The Screen Behind the Mirror" (the latest album) was decent piece of work where Michael Cretu even resorted to sampling his own work from within the album. Songs that stuck out were "Between Mind and Heart" and "Gravity of Love." I'll give this album 4 (out of 5) stars. Enigma 2 "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" was better than "Screen." The songs were more varied - infusing pop vocals as well as soothing melodies. Songs that stuck out were "Beyond the Invisible" and "The Child In Us." You here more of Cretu's voice in many of the pieces and a sampling in Sanskrit in "The Child in Us." This gets 4 (out of 5) stars as well. "MCMXC", of course, is Enigma's first album. Probably the mellowest of the four albums, Gregorian chants are sampled extensively. The vocals (not counting the chants) in this album are minimal. This album gave Enigma its mark in the music industry, but the pieces were a bit too mellow for my taste. It is not the type of album you'd listen to while driving alone on long trips. The only piece that was noteworthy is "Principles of Lust (Sadness)". This album gets only 3 (out of 5) stars from me. "The Cross of Changes" is the album that epitomizes Enigma. The album has up-tempo as well as soothing pieces. It features excellent vocals as well as obscure (but, now popular) samples. Containing pieces good enough to be used in the movie "The Matrix" (with "The Eyes of Truth"), and the classic "Return to Innocence" this album deserves recognition above the rest. All four albums are worth owning, but if you could only choose one, this should be it.
 Pretty Darn Good, Minus the New Age-isms December 11, 1999
Buttercup Thunderstorm (not!) (Sacramento CA)
15 out of 21 found this review helpful
The music for the Matrix Trailer and Return to Innocence are powerful, moving, and standout. Overall an excellent CD which avoids 1 of the 2 major traps that 'New Age' music tends to suffer from, that being 'relaxing' to the point of being mournful or bland.On the other hand, this CD does fall into the second trap, that of the New Age song cliche. References to opressed Native Americans, dolphins, crystals, the pacifistic ideals...and a truly annoying track called 'Out from the Deep' which deserves to be scratched from an otherwise marvelous album. Taken as a whole, you'll like this CD (as I did, for most of it)if you like Enya, Celtic Music, Pink Floyd, or if you share a kinship with the first reviewer of this CD, 'Athena Sunwolf'. (Just love that New Age name!)
Great CD, horrible consicence! August 6, 2000
cyber-voice (USA)
11 out of 23 found this review helpful
Hold it! Before you purchase this CD, please be aware that the Engima group's very popular song ''Return to Innocence'' contains unauthorized work. The wonderful native chants that we hear actually came from an elederly aborigine couple who reside in Taiwan. When they visited France as part of a cultural exchange tour, they recorded a promotional CD to commeorate the event. They never knew that the French would eventually give (or sell?) that CD to Engima which then turned it into a worldwide popular recording. When they contacted the group, they were told that for any recognition, they'd better have millions of dollars to handle legal proceedings against a big company. The chants you hear came from the ''Jubiliant Drinking Song'' of the Ami tribe, one of the nine native tribes of the island of Taiwan. Of course, the original artists' contribution is neither acknowledged nor compensated. Perhaps the recording industry and recording groups, in their zealous fight against the free sharing of music on the internet, should do something about their own actions!
|
|
|
