Shepherd Moons is the third studio album from the Irish musician Enya, released
in November 1991 on WEA Records. Following the worldwide commercial
success of her previous album, Watermark, Enya proceeded to record a
follow up in 1989 with lyricist Roma Ryan and producer Nicky Ryan. Shepherd
Moons continued to display Enya's sound of layered vocals and synthesized sounds
with influences of Celtic music. Shepherd Moons was a commercial success
upon release, reaching No. 1 in the UK and No. 17 in the US where it stayed on
the chart for 199 consecutive weeks and sold over 4 million copies. Four singles
from the album were released between 1991 and 1994; the most successful was
"Caribbean Blue" which peaked at No. 13 in the UK. The album won Enya a Grammy
Award for Best New Age Album in 1993. A limited edition remaster was released on
Super High Material CD in Japan in 2009 with bonus tracks.
Production = Background =
Following the unexpected worldwide success of her previous album Watermark
and its lead single "Orinoco Flow", Enya began work on a follow up in 1989 with
her lyricist Roma Ryan and producer Nicky Ryan. She described her change in
herself since Watermark: "The difference between that album and 'Shepherd Moons'
is that I've mellowed". As with Watermark, Enya sings in English,
Gaelic, her first language, and Latin. = Recording =
Shepherd Moons was recorded in two locations, Nicky Ryan's home studio in
Dublin named Aigle Studios and SARM West Studios in London, with new equipment
purchased from the profits from Watermark. The success of Watermark put
"a lot of pressure" on Enya when it came to writing new material for the album.
She added, "I kept thinking 'Would this have gone on Watermark? Is it as good?'
Eventually I had to forget about this and start on a blank canvas and just
really go with what felt right in the studio." In some parts on the album,
Enya recorded 500 layered voices without sampling or replication. When the melody
to a song was completed, Roma Ryan would write lyrics to it.
Release Shepherd Moons was released in the UK in
November 1991; it was released in North America under Reprise Records. It was a
commercial success, reaching No. 1 in the UK for one week and No. 17 in the
US. In the US, the album sold over 250,000 copies in its first week and
went on to sell 5 million copies. Four tracks were released as singles;
"Caribbean Blue" was the most successful and peaked at No. 13 in the UK singles
chart. The others were "How Can I Keep from Singing?", "Book of Days", and
"Marble Halls", released in 1994 after it appeared in the 1993 film The Age of
Innocence. = Critical reception =
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Ned Raggett rated the album
four-and-a-half stars out of five. Awards
In 1993, Enya was awarded a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Shepherd
Moons. She also won a IFPI Platinum European Award, a Billboard Music Award,
and a National Association of Recording Merchandisers Award for Best Selling
Album. Track listing
All lyrics written by Roma Ryan, all music composed by Enya and all songs
produced by Nicky Ryan. Chart performance
Certifications Personnel
Musicians Enya – vocals, instruments, arrangement
Andy Duncan – percussion on "Book of Days"
Roy Jewitt – clarinet on "Angeles" Liam O'Flynn – uillean pipes on
"Smaointe..." Nicky Ryan – percussion on "Ebudæ"
Steve Sidwell – cornet on "Evacuee" Production
Nicky Ryan – producer, engineer, mixer, arranger
Rob Dickins – executive producer Gregg Jackman – engineer, mixing
Robin Barclay – assistant engineer David Scheinmann – photography
The New Renaissance – wardrobe Footnotes
Notes Citations
External links Shepherd Moons at Discogs