MCMXC a.D. | ||||
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Studio album by Enigma | ||||
Released | 10 December 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1990 at A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain | |||
Genre | New-age | |||
Length | 40:16 | |||
Label | Virgin, Charisma | |||
Producer | Michael Cretu | |||
Enigma chronology | ||||
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Singles from MCMXC a.D. | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | (A-) |
MCMXC a.D. ("1990" in Roman numerals followed by an abbreviation of Anno Domini) is the first studio album by the German music project Enigma, headed by Romanian-German musician Michael Cretu, released on 10 December 1990 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and on 28 January 1991 by Charisma Records in the United States.
Before he founded Enigma, Cretu had released several solo records, collaborated with various artists, and produced albums for his then wife, German pop singer Sandra. Following their marriage in 1988, Cretu developed an idea for a New-age music project named Enigma, and recorded MCMXC a.D. in eight months at A.R.T. Studios, his home studio located in Ibiza, Spain. It is one of the first albums recorded onto a hard disk drive. Cretu makes extensive use of Gregorian chants, dance beats, and flute sounds.
MCMXC a.D. received some criticism for its sexual and religious themes and connotations but it became a worldwide success, reaching the top 10 in ten countries, including the United Kingdom, and No. 6 in the United States where it sold over 4 million copies and stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for 282 weeks. Four singles from the album were released—"Sadeness (Part I)", "Mea Culpa (Part II)", "Principles of Lust", and "The Rivers of Belief". "Sadeness (Part 1)" topped the singles charts worldwide and remains Enigma's most successful single. In 1991 and 1999, the album was re-released with additional remixed tracks.