Customer Reviews

Only Time: The Collection

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I first fell in love with the music of Enya when one of her tracks ("Ebudae" from SHEPHERD MOONS) was played over the final scene of an episode of "Northern Exposure." It remains one of my favorite songs. It's included here along with four dozen other songs from her five studio albums dating back to 1987's THE CELTS.

So what's the problem? Let's face it, most fans already have the music collected in this box set. After all, Enya has released only five studio albums during the past fifteen years and fans (like me)eagerly bought each new release. So what is new here? Not much. There are only seven songs that --although all previously released--have never appeared on any of those five studio albums: "Oiche Chun (Silent Night)," "Eclipse," "Isobella," "Song of the Sandman," "Willows on the Water," "The First of Autumn" and "May It Be," the Oscar-nominated song from the film "Fellowship of the Ring." [Although it should be noted that "Eclipse" and "Willows on the Water" did appear on the 1998 3-CD collection A BOX OF DREAMS.] All seven of these songs were originally released as the A-side or the B-side of a single, but not included on any of her studio albums.

In addition the enhanced CD contains footage of "Oiche Chun," first aired on the BBC in 1996. Also included is a 48-page booklet with a complete discography, photos and liner notes by lyricist Roma Ryan. This box set is a real treat for both new and longtime fans. My only complaint is that the serious fan is being asked to pay a hefty price to add only a handful of otherwise hard-to-find songs to their collection. The dedicated fan would have been better served by a single disc update of 1997's PAINT THE SKY WITH STARS: THE BEST OF ENYA. [It's also worth noting that the two new songs--"Only If..." and "Paint the Sky With Stars"-- on THAT collection are NOT included here.] Those concerns aside, this is a thoroughly satisfying collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Although this Box set was released in 2002, this set is basically a recycled "Box of Dreams" with new cover artwork and added tracks. Almost ALL of the content on this set exists on the Box Of Dreams trilogy released in 1998!

This is becoming a disturbing trend by record labels trying to to cash in on music buyers: Releasing already existing collections with new packaging artwork and added tracks! From a musical standpoint, this is a great multi-disc collection of music but this set could've been so much better. If it were possible they should've taken one of the discs and made it a total B-Sides collection instead of just including a few B-Sides and leaving out the rest. At least the amazingly haunting Isobella is available on here. It's a haunting track not too much different from Hope Has A Place or La Sonadora but better than both and Isobella would've propelled A Day Without Rain to a five star. Where are Morning Glory, I May Not Awaken, or Asbhaile(correct me if I misspelled it)? Enya has over ten B-Sides and they all should've been included on this set or on a single or double disc set. If they had all been put on here, this box set could've been the ultimate box set ever.

A thumbs down to the record labels where cashing in on the fanbase seems to have become a habit.

Made in GER in 2002, Serial# 0927-49211-2, Playing Time 176:13

Lyrics enclosed; disc 4 contains a multimedia section with a screen-saver, a photo gallery (actually a slide show of the pictures included in the booklet), and a video of "Silent Night". This box is limited to 20,000 copies (how many will actually sell?)

This 4-disc compilation literally floored me! Not because of the music (that's a topic for another day...), but because of what's been put together in this package; I won't comment on the songs themselves, because, after all, you already know Enya if you're considering buying this set.

The box (covered in purple velvet, oooh!) features a booklet that gives the lyrics to the songs, as well as some track-by-track comments (read "meanings") on each of them. No biography or truly interesting facts.

What's worse, the 4 discs arrive just short of 3 (gasp!) hours of music (when in fact, given some small effort, one could fit over 5 hours!)

I'm no mathematician (even if I'm going to sound like one!), but Enya has released 5 albums so far; here's what I would have done to please the fans (or, at least, myself!)

Put in ALL of "Enya" (39:28) plus the "bonus" track included in its re-release, "Celts" (a re-recording of "Portrait", at 3:13); so we're at about 43 minutes;

Put in ALL of the second album, "Watermark", which lasts 43:10;

Put in ALL of the 3rd album, "Shepherd Moons", which clocks in at 43:33, and add the english version of "Book Of Days" for another 2:57 (the original release of the album contained that song but sung in gaelic)

Put in ALL of her 4th album, "The Memory Of Trees", which would consume another 43:53, plus the 2 previously unreleased tracks ("Only If..." and "Paint The Sky With Stars") from her "best of" entitled "Paint the Sky With Stars") which would take up 7:34

Add to the mixture ALL of her latest album, "A Day Without Rain", and there goes another 37:35

With me so far? I've used up, with ALL of the 6 albums (including the "best of") and their various editions, a little under 222 minutes... I have room for 80 (yes, EIGHTY) more minutes! More than enough for ALL her b-sides (there's a little more than a dozen), the "May It Be" track from the soundtrack to "Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship..." (which is included in this box set).

I would then have her WHOLE CATALOGUE! (who knows, maybe even squeeze in the soundtrack to "The Frog Prince", which lasts 35 minutes!)

Now THAT would have been money well spent...

After the record label has already released "Paint the Sky..." and the 3-disc "A Box Of Dreams" (IT lasts 159 minutes, so I could also talk about THAT), I'm now worried that a 5-disc compilation set might be released in 2005, as a 20-year retrospective of her career.

But because I love her work, I'll probably buy that too (and complain again?)

There are a great many artists who have come out of the music world who are unforgettable: Frank Sinatra, Micheal Jackson, Elvis Presley...but there is no one, NO ONE, like Enya! No one has a voice as pristine or that carries so much beauty or feeling or virtue!

Each song on this collection denotes a distinct mood: anger, struggle and then on the other side of the spectrum, love, hope and faith. Her darker pieces such as 'Cursum Perficio' and 'Pax Deorum' denote almost warlike tones, struggle, defeat...Her softer songs such as the instrumental 'The Sun in the Stream' and 'Hope Has a Place' uplift the spirit and instill an unnamed calmness and sense of tranquilty. (What was the last song you listened to on the radio that did that?)

How one artist can cover such an array of feelings sure beats me! You know that she has nothing but pure talent! And what amazes me everytime I hear a piece on any of the 4 CDs, is that every instrument you hear, every voice-the deep ones,the high ones-EVERYTHING is performed by Enya alone! She truly is THE ONE-WOMAN ORCHESTRA!

I received this collection as a birthday present in January; it is now June and I'm still listening to it tirelessly. It's the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life; sometimes (as silly as it sounds) I cry when I hear it!

Those of you who are pondering whether to spend "a lot of money" on what may seem mediocre music, think again. Listen to samples, borrow a CD from a friend and be carried away into a world full of nothing but beauty! Please buy it! You will love it and cherish it always!

Will the world look upon the music of Enya in 100 years and consider them (Enya) true masters of music artistry? Of course it will.
One can argue that long standing Enya fans will already possess the bulk of this collection. Is that a reason to deprive new fans of their (Enya's) gift of a career's work? I think not. The music of Enya has come into focus as of late with commercial success of the single "Only Time." A 20-year-old co-worker of mine had been listening to Enya's "A Day Without Rain" at her desk. When I mentioned how elated I was that my admiration and gratitude for Enya's music had only grown with each CD's release, she looked at me dumbfounded. "Isn't this her (their) first release?" she asked.
This boxed set should only be praised for what it gives...The opportunity to absorb an epic of work in one collection. I commend the format in which it has been created that mixes Enya's beginnings with their ends (ends as of today...I know there is much more to come). To be able to witness the evolvement of artistry in one listening session gives the subject the ability to experience the growth of Enya's music first hand.
For the fans that have followed Enya's career since it's incept, you can review your collection and decide whether or not this boxed set will enhance an already well experienced epic of music. I believe the assortment, and the B-sides such as "Isobella" (a track I took to heart immediately upon hearing the Japanese release), and "May It Be" (Who did not sit through the long credits of the masterpiece LOTR movie to hear every note of this song?) makes this set the crowning jewel in Enya's collection. Will Enya release another box set in 10 years making this one obsolete? I hope so!! We should be, and deserve to be, so lucky.

The music in this collection can be compared to many other kinds of music. I'll start at the bottom of the musical-merit totem pole.

In comparison to the countless, mindless, swear-laden, barely literate, and excessively dissolute songs from our ephemeral run-of-the-mill radio pop-star icons, this collection of music is vastly superior. Songs about abusing substances, women, weapons, etc., do not even hold a candle to the contemplative words and divine sounds of Enya.

Now, at the top of the musical totem pole, you have some of Enya's previous releases, among a few other elite musical works and collections. When "Only Time - The Collection" is compared to these, this reviewer's opinion is altered accordingly: There's nothing truly new here. Although there are some B-sides (tracks that are only available on singles and not on albums), there are some left out. All the other tracks are featured on her albums, with which most of her fans are totally familiar. Lastly, I can't access the video and other computer features on the 4th CD, but that may be just my computer.

On the plus side, the booklet inside the collection makes for a good read (albeit quick), and the box itself is beautiful... to say nothing of the fact that the track organization is commendable.

Should an Enya lover buy this? Well, if your financial situation is a bit tight, skip it. But if that's not an issue (or you just want to splurge) then this collection is worth your money.

If another collection of Enya music is released and it is simply more of her album tracks mixed in with a handful of b-sides, I will not buy it. But since I do not have her previous collection, I plunked down the cash for this one. The only Enya I can afford to buy after this is all-new stuff or a hypothetical disc of rare b-sides and relative-unfindables [viz. "An Ghaoth Ón Ghrian" or "The Solar Wind", the MP3 of which I have is a bit gritty and distorted in places].

This box set is certainly designed for the fans of Enya - people who have heard the songs time and time again and now wants to reach deeper into the song. It is not recommended for Enya-haters who claim that they hate and still listen to the discs in the box set. The box itself is beautiful in its design and the mock velvet gives it an elegant touch. The colour booklet is brilliant and its contents make it a must read. The sound quality for certain songs seems improved, especially for the older tracks. While other rare tracks and equally beautiful songs are not included (which is a waste), it still possesses many of the finest tracks available. Not all the songs are as catchy as Orinoco Flow or majestic as Book Of Days. Yet, many of the slow songs would eventually sound splendid upon repeated listenings. The bonus multimedia isn't particularly fantastic but it is still wonderful. This includes a gallery and screensaver as well. The price makes it a bargain as well for 4 discs and 50 songs. If you are not one who can listen to Enya for a long time, listen to one disc at a time. No one asked you to listen to 4 discs at one go.

When I first started treating myself to weekly massages about five years ago, my massage therapist consistently played ENYA for the hour I was on the table.

Now, even when I'm on the road and go weeks without a massage, I have only to play this ENYA CD, and my breathing slows, my muscles unclench, and my virtual massage is underway.

What a treat!

This is a great for fans who are just now getting into Enya's music.The set has her basic starter CD's.I personaly love it becaouse I just started to listen to her music.If you're looking for wonderful soft music and like to relax while working .Then this is for you,but if you know most of Enya's music then don't get it.

I think Enya's Music is great, but what's the use in constantly releasing the same songs we (Enya's fans) already have on her regular albums (Watermark, Shepherd Moons, etc)?. The only thing NEW about this album would be the tracks «May It Be», «Silent Night» & «The Song of the Sandman» which are songs not featured in her regular albums; but the rest is more of the same. When will her record company release a colection of Rarities & B-Sides? They insist on releasing collections of songs we, Enya's fans, already have. on «A Box of Dreams», «Paint the Sky...» & this third collection OF THE SAME, the record company never includes on these collections: the radio edit versions of her famous songs (Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue, Etc); Book Of Days (Far & Away Version) & her great-hard-to-find B-Sides ('S Fágaim Mo Bhaile, I May Not Awaken, Eclispse, etc). If this collection had included some of these tracks in all the free space that there's left on each CD (which is a lot!), it would have really been a great Enya collection.