Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/music/enya-faq

Text File | 1993-12-02 | 20KB | 451 lines

Newsgroups: alt.music.enya,alt.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pipex!uknet!gdt!ccsdra
From: [e-mail] (Dave Allum)
Subject: FAQ [alt.music.enya] Frequently Asked Questions (Monthly Posting)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.music.enya
Summary: Frequently asked questions, and their answers, about the Irish
     musician Enya. It should be read by anyone considering posting
     questions to alt.music.enya.
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Bath, UK
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1993 10:11:36 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Expires: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 09:55:51 GMT
Lines: 432
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.music.enya:3623 alt.answers:1320 news.answers:15387

Archive-name: music/enya-faq
Last-modified: 1993/11/26
Version: 7

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Enya - Frequently Asked Questions       Issue 7        26 November 1993  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Too many people to mention individually have contributed information or ideas
to this FAQ either directly or via Usenet or mailing list postings. To all of
you: many thanks.

Please send any new material, comments, corrections, and suggestions you may
have to:  [e-mail]

Enjoy,
Dave Allum.

FAQ ARCHIVE =================================================================

The most recently posted issue of this FAQ can usually be obtained from:

Anonymous ftp
  rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/enya-faq

Email
  Send a message to [e-mail] with a blank subject line and
  "send usenet/news.answers/music/enya-faq" (without the quotes) as the only
  text in the body of the message.

Gopher
  Type=0
  Name=enya-faq
  Path=0/pub/music/faqs/enya-faq
  Host=gopher.uwp.edu
  Port=70

World Wide Web
  http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/music/enya-faq/faq.html

QUESTIONS ===================================================================

* = New           Changes in the text from the previous issue are marked with
+ = Updated       change bars in the right hand margin.

Background
----------
  1.1  Is 'Enya' her real name?
  1.2  When was she born, where does she come from, what's her background?
+ 1.3  Was she ever a member of Clannad?
  1.4  And after Clannad?
  1.5  What was her 'big break'?
  1.6  I keep hearing that 'Enya' is three people. What does this mean?

Records, Videos, Songs, Etc.
----------------------------
  2.1  What records and videos have been released?
  2.2  Is there a more detailed discography available?
  2.3  Are there any books of her music?
  2.4  Some of her songs aren't in English. What other languages does she use?
  2.5  Where can I get translations?
  2.6  Have I heard Enya at the movies and on TV?
  2.7  Apart from Clannad has she appeared on any other artists' records?
  2.8  Is _Storms_In_Africa_(Part_II)_ on _Watermark_ or not?
  2.9  Can you tell which _Book_Of_Days_ is on a copy of _Shepherd_Moons_?
  2.10 When is her next album coming out?

Other Information, Clannad, Etc.
--------------------------------
  3.1  Does she tour?
  3.2  How many records has she sold?
  3.3  Have any articles or interviews been transcribed?
  3.4  Any news of Clannad?
+ 3.5  Are any Enya posters available?

Miscellaneous
-------------
  4.1  Is a font of the _Watermark_ artwork script available?
  4.2  Some say Enya sings in Irish, others say Gaelic. What's the difference?
  4.3  Are there any Enya sound files available?

Finding Out More
----------------
  5.1  What Usenet newsgroups discuss Enya?
  5.2  Is there a mailing list?
  5.3  Where is all this information archived?
  5.5  I don't have ftp access. Can the archives be accessed by email?
  5.6  Which music papers or magazines have the best Enya coverage?

ANSWERS =====================================================================

1.1  Is 'Enya' her real name?
                              ,       ,
     Her real name is Eithne Ni Bhraonain, an Irish name which translates to
     Eithne Brennan in English. Eithne is pronounced 'Enya' and she chose to
     use this pseudo-phonetic spelling professionally so that she could be
     known by her own name but avoid the inevitable pronunciation problems.

1.2  When was she born, where does she come from, what's her background?

     Eithne was born on May 17th 1961, the fourth youngest of nine children,
     in the small village of Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair) in County Donegal in
     the northwest of the Republic of Ireland.  She now lives in Dalkey, a
     coastal district on the southern outskirts of Dublin.

     The family is very musical and her parents played in a family dance band
     before settling down. Father Leo now owns a local pub (Leo's Tavern) and
     mother Baba taught music in the local school.
                                ,     ,               ,             ,  , ,
     In 1968 elder brothers Ciaran & Pol, and uncles Padraig & Noel O Dugain,
     formed the band An Clann As Dobhar to perform traditional Irish music at
     festivals etc.
                                                            ,
     Changing their name to Clannad, and recruiting sister Maire in 1973, the
     band have gone on to international success performing both their own and
     and traditional material. They have recorded a number of albums.

1.3  Was she ever a member of Clannad?

     After leaving school she joined Clannad in 1980 and, credited under her
     real name, provided keyboards and (mostly) backing vocals.  She appears
     on their 1982 album _Fuaim_.

     It is often said that she also appeared on their 1980 album _Crann_Ull_  |
     although she is not listed in the credits.  If so then her presence is   |
     not obvious from listening to the album.                                 |

1.4  And after Clannad?

     In 1982 Clannad split with their long time manager and producer Nicky
     Ryan. Eithne, apparently frustrated with being left in the background,
     left at the same time and in response to Ryan's belief that she had
     talent in her own right, moved to Dublin to live with him and his wife
     Roma and develop her own musical career.

     The first real fruits of this collaboration came when film producer
     David Puttnam heard some demonstration tapes sent to him by Roma Ryan.
     He commissioned Eithne to write music for his film _The_Frog_Prince_
     which was released in 1985. In the end only a couple of her pieces were
     used and these were arranged and performed by others.
                                                           ,       ,
     The titles on _The_Frog_Prince_ credit music to Enya Ni Bhraonain and
     the transition of Eithne to 'Enya' had begun.

     In 1986 BBC-TV began work on a six part documentary series charting the
     history and continuing cultural influence of the Celts. Enya was signed
     to write and perform music for the series.  _The_Celts_ was first shown
     in 1987 and a selection of its music released under the title _Enya_
     giving the artist her first album, largely unnoticed at the time.

1.5  What was her 'big break'?

     This really began in 1987 when she was signed by Rob Dickins, head of
     WEA Music UK, after he had heard and been entranced by _Enya_. Reknowned
     as one of the most arrogant men in the business, Dickins has a talent
     for promoting 'difficult' artists - no matter how long it takes.

     WEA's backing made the recording of _Watermark_ possible and the album
     was released in 1988. Although no singles were originally planned, it
     was the release _Orinoco_Flow_ that brought Enya to public attention and
     resulted in an unexpected chart number 1 in several countries. The rest,
     as they say, is history...

1.6  I keep hearing that 'Enya' is three people. What does this mean?

     Although fronted by Enya herself, the music released under her name is
     the result of a collaboration between Enya (music/arrangements), Nicky
     Ryan (production/arrangements) and Roma Ryan (lyrics). Enya has said in
     several interviews that without any one of them 'Enya' could not exist.

     ------------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1  What records and videos have been released?

     Albums:
        1987  Enya
        1988  Watermark
        1991  Shepherd Moons
        1992  The Celts (Remastered reissue of _Enya_)

     Some pressings of _Watermark_ have _Storms_In_Africa_(Part_II)_ as an
     extra track.

     The original release of _Shepherd_Moons_ featured _Book_Of_Days_ with
     an Irish lyric. Pressings from mid-1992 onwards have replaced this with
     the English lyric version used in the film _Far_And_Away_.

     _The_Celts_ is the same as _Enya_ except that _Portrait_ is replaced
     with an extended version of itself.

     Singles/EPs:
        1987  I Want Tomorrow
        1988  Orinoco Flow / Evening Falls...
        1989  Storms In Africa / 6 Tracks / Oiche Chiun
        1990  3 Tracks EP
        1991  Exile / Caribbean Blue / How Can I Keep From Singing?
        1992  Book Of Days / The Celts

     The singles dates refer to the first release of the title.  Many have
     been issued in several track combinations and a number contain tracks
     that are not featured on any of the album releases.

     Videos:
        1991  Moonshadows (Orinoco Flow / Exile / Storms In  Africa /
                           Evening Falls... / Caribbean Blue)

     Promo videos have also been seen for _How_Can_I_Keep_From_Singing?_,
     _Marble_Halls_, _Book_Of_Days_ and _The_Celts_.

2.2  Is there a more detailed discography available?

     There are two discographies currently available on the Internet from
     ftp.uwp.edu (see 5.3) in directory /pub/music/artists/e/enya:

     File     Maintainer                                Current Issue
     ----     ----------                                -------------
     discog   Steven Seidman ([e-mail])  2.0 (04 Apr 92)
     discog2  Dave Allum     ([e-mail])     3   (12 Dec 92)

     A book has also been published: _ENYA_A_Beginning_Discography_ by Matt
     Hargreaves (apparently a private publication bearing neither publisher's
     imprint nor ISBN). It is a 126 page, illustrated softback book detailing
     worldwide releases up to early 1991. _Shepherd_Moons_ and later material
     are not covered.

2.3  Are there any books of her music?

     Two music manuscript books have been published:

     Watermark       (Wise Publications, 1988, ISBN 0-7119-1771-X)
     Shepherd Moons  (Wise Publications, 1992, ISBN 0-7119-2903-3)

2.4  Some of her songs aren't in English. What other languages does she use?

     Enya's non-English songs are generally sung in Irish which is her first
     language.  Of the others, two are sung in Latin (_Cursum_Perficio_ and
     _Afer_Ventus_) and one is in Welsh (_Dan_Y_Dwr_).

2.5  Where can I get translations?

     A fairly complete set of translations has been compiled by Lyle Corbin
     ([e-mail]). Copies are available from ftp.uwp.edu - see 5.3.

2.6  Have I heard Enya at the movies and on TV?

     Several of her pieces have been used in films:

     Age Of Innocence  -  Marble Halls
     Far And Away      -  Book Of Days (English lyric version)
     Green Card        -  River, Storms In Africa, Watermark
     L.A. Story        -  Epona, Exile, On Your Shore
     Sleepwalkers      -  Boadicea
     Toys              -  Ebudae

     A number of her tracks have been used in TV commercials and also as
     incidental music in numerous shows and documentaries.

2.7  Apart from Clannad has she appeared on any other artists' records?
               ,    ,
     1983  Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh & Frankie Kennedy / Ceol Aduaidh
           Synthesizer on track _An_Clar_Bog_Deil_. The duo later formed the
           folk band Altan.

     1985  Christy Moore / Ordinary Man
           Keyboards and backing vocals. Also credited as one of the album's
           arrangers.
              ,
     1987  Sinead O'Connor / The Lion And The Cobra
           Spoken passage from the Bible, in Irish, on track _Never_Get_Old_.

2.8  Is _Storms_In_Africa_(Part_II)_ on _Watermark_ or not?

     Yes and no. The original issue of _Watermark_ (1988) did not feature the
     track which was first released as a single in 1989.  The 1989 reissue of
     the album added the track but current pressings have now reverted to the
     original format.

2.9  Can you tell which _Book_Of_Days_ is on a copy of _Shepherd_Moons_?

     Unless you get the store to play it for you then, generally, you can't
     tell as the numbers and copyright dates on the sleeve are the same in
     both cases.  However it is unlikely that any of the original pressings
     are still on general release.

     An exception is the current US pressing on the Reprise label. Although
     both versions have the same number the copyright dates are different.
     The original has 1988 and 1991 copyrights whereas the new pressing with
     the English lyric version has an additional 1992 copyright.

2.10 When is her next album coming out?

     Good question!  On past form the second half of 1994 seems to be the
     earliest we can expect anything.

     ------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1  Does she tour?

     Not yet. She is on record as wanting to put her music on stage but, not
     wanting to sit surrounded by tape decks, would have to rearrange it for
     live performance.

3.2  How many records has she sold?

     Around 14 million worldwide. _Shepherd_Moons_ passed the 5 million mark
     last August with _Watermark_ making up the majority of the other sales.
     _Enya_ was re-released as _The_Celts_ in some countries in late 1992 and
     is selling well but not in similar quantities.

     Earnings from these sales have reportedly put Enya among Ireland's top
     hundred richest people.

3.3  Have any articles or interviews been transcribed?

     A number of magazine articles and TV and radio interviews have been
     transcribed and posted as the Enya Papers.  Most of these have been
     done by Peter Warburton ([e-mail]) who administers the
     papers.  Copies - 26 papers have been posted at the last count - are
     archived at ftp.uwp.edu (see 5.3).

3.4  Any news of Clannad?

     Clannad have continued to perform and record. Their most recent album,
     _Banba_, was released in May this year.
      ,                                ,                             ,
     Pol left the band in 1989/90 and Maire released a solo album, _Maire_,
     in 1992.
                                    ,                ,              ,
     Sisters Deirdre, Olive and Bridin featured on _Maire_, and Bridin has
     also toured and recorded with Clannad as a backing vocalist.

3.5  Are any Enya posters available?

     The only posters seen so far are those used in record promotions. It's
     worth checking out the advertisements in music and record collecting
     magazines. In the UK a small selection is usually available from:        |
                                                                              |
     Push Posters, PO Box 327, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire G81 3HE, U.K.        |
                   Tel: (+44) (0)41 951 4460 / Fax: (+44) (0)41 951 4464      |
                                                                              |
     A list is available and the company will take international orders.      |

     ------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.1  Is a font of the _Watermark_ artwork script available?

     A TrueType font similar to the _Watermark_ script can be obtained via
     anonymous ftp from various archive sites. For example:

     System     Location
     ------     --------
     Apple II   ftp.cco.caltech.edu:/pub/apple2/truetype/Enya.shk
     Macintosh  sumex-aim.stanford.edu:/info-mac/font/tt/enya.hqx
     Windows    ftp.cica.indiana.edu:/pub/pc/win3/fonts/truetype/enya.zip

     Please check (e.g. using archie) for the availability of these files at
     more local archives before downloading from those above.

4.2  Some say Enya sings in Irish, others say Gaelic. What's the difference?

     Irish belongs to the Goidelic, or Gaelic, branch of the Celtic family of
     languages. This branch consists of Irish, (Scottish) Gaelic and Manx.

     Irish speakers refer to their language as 'Gaeilge' (i.e. Gaelic), but
     the English word 'Gaelic', unqualified, normally refers only to Scottish
     Gaelic. So when using standard English to describe Enya's native tongue
     it is correct to say 'Irish' or 'Irish Gaelic' but not simply 'Gaelic'.

4.3  Are there any Enya sound files available?

     A selection is available for anonymous ftp from the SDSU Sound Archive
     at sounds.sdsu.edu in directory /sounds/songs/enya.  Gopher access is
     available from the same address on port 71.

     ------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.1  What Usenet newsgroups discuss Enya?

     The newsgroup alt.music.enya is dedicated to Enya. There was previously
     a group called alt.fan.enya but this has now merged with alt.music.enya
     and all postings should be made to the latter. Sadly not all sites take
     the alt groups. Enya is also discussed occasionally in rec.music.newage
     and rec.music.celtic.

5.2  Is there a mailing list?

     Yes there is. It's run by Tim Hunter and you can subscribe by sending a
     message to [e-mail].

     An archive of the mailing list is maintained at refuge.colorado.edu in
     directory /pub/enya for anonymous ftp.

5.3  Where is all this information archived?

     A lot of Enya information is available from the music archive run by
     Dave Datta. Access is available via the following addresses:

     ftp:     ftp.uwp.edu
     Gopher:  gopher.uwp.edu

     Ftp users should look in directory /pub/music/artists/e/enya ('cd enya'
     will make it the current directory). The archive contains the following
     items:

     Name        Type        Contents
     ----        ----        --------
     discog      file        Discography (see 2.2).
     discog2     file        Discography (see 2.2).
     lyrics      directory   Lyrics and translations.
     mail.list   directory   Transcripts including the Enya Papers (see 3.3).
     pictures    directory   GIF and JPEG pictures.
     reviews     directory   Miscellaneous articles.

     The archive also has a wide range of material on other artists.

5.5  I don't have ftp access. Can the archives be accessed by email?

     There are a number of mail servers that will do ftp on your behalf. You
     send the server commands in a mail message, it does the ftp and returns
     the retrieved file(s) to you by mail. Probably the best known server on
     the Internet is [e-mail].  Send it mail containing "help"
     (without the quotes) in the body of the message for instructions. Your
     system administrator may know of other, more suitable servers.

5.6  Which music papers or magazines have the best Enya coverage?

     The best coverage, by far, has been in the Irish monthly music paper
     _Hot_Press_. A couple of its articles have been transcribed and posted
     as part of the Enya Papers series (see 3.3).

=============================================================================